Purdue Baseball: First baseman transfers to Clemson

The Purdue baseball team suffered a huge loss through the transfer portal as former first baseman Luke Gaffney has found a new home.

Gaffney took to social media to announce his commitment to Clemson, and the departure could be a big one for Purdue baseball. He broke the news on Instagram, with the caption, “Never understood where I could really take it.”

This past season, Gaffney earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors and proved his worth on the field for the Boilermakers. The redshirt freshman set six Purdue baseball freshman records, including hits, homers, RBI, total bases and runs scored. His 62 runs scored also tied Purdue baseball’s single season record.

In addition to being named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Gaffney was named a Freshman All-American, Second Team All-Big Ten, Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors and was named the conference’s Freshman of the Week a total of five times.

In one season with the Boilermakers, Gaffney blasted a .349 batting average, .437 OBP and a .628 slugging percentage. Gaffney notched 13 homers, 15 doubles and 65 RBIs on the season while playing first base and catcher for Purdue baseball. He ended the campaign with a .998 fielding percentage with one error and playing a part in over 400 putouts and 26 assists.

The former Boilermaker was the third ranked catcher in the Class of 2022 by Perfect Game.

Thank you for reading Boiler Wire, the market’s new Purdue sports outlet. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Purdue athletics. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at sportswriterpg@gmail.com or direct message us on our social media. Boiler Up!