After splitting a pair of games this week against in-state rivals, the MSU baseball team (18-12 overall, 3-3 Big Ten) will host Big Ten Conference foe Purdue this weekend for a three-game series.

The Spartans snapped a seven-game winning streak against Central Michigan on Tuesday, committing eight errors en route to a 10-1 defeat.

MSU bounced back against Western Michigan the next day, defeating the Broncos 11-3 behind a strong performance by redshirt junior Ryan Richardson, who had three RBIs on 4-5 hitting.

Despite Purdue’s record (6-22 overall, 2-4 Big Ten), the Spartans will be cautious heading into the weekend series.

“I told the guys, ‘Don’t be fooled by their record,’” head coach Jake Boss said after Wednesday’s win.

The Boilmakers snapped a five-game losing streak against Penn State last Saturday, a day after dropping two games in a Friday doubleheader.

A Purdue victory would give head coach Doug Schreiber the 450th win of his career.

“Every Big Ten weekend is a big weekend,” MSU junior first baseman Ryan Krill said on Wednesday. “The CMU game showed that if we don’t show up well, any team can beat us.”