That mindset was evident during his first start of the season for Purdue University. Game two of the Boilermakers’ opening weekend series against Portland saw both teams tied 0-0 entering the bottom of the sixth.

Anderson walked to the plate in hopes of bringing his team a spark. His mind wasn’t focused on changing his hitting streak from 13 to 14 games, but rather, getting on base.

“You can’t think about the past when you’re hitting. That’s one thing that’s so hard for hitters, and even pitchers, as well. You just have to worry about the pitch you’re in,” Anderson said. “I was trying hard not to think about the streak. …You just have to worry about that at-bat and take each one as its own.”

The senior calmly drove the ball up the middle for his first base-knock of the year. While the inning ended scoreless, Anderson’s discipline at the plate foreshadowed what was to come in the following months.

Photo submitted by Purdue University Athletics: Eli Anderson is seen at the Purdue Baseball Game 3 vs. Penn State at Alexander Field in West Lafayette, IN on Sunday, Mar. 22, 2026. Chris Lyons/Purdue Athletics

Every opportunity has been taken in stride for Anderson’s second stint in West Lafayette. His .347 batting average ranks fifth on the team and 24th in the Big Ten Conference, giving the Boilermakers a consistent bat to fuel their offense.

After working through different levels of college baseball, Anderson is now excelling in a Power Five conference. He’s done so taking it one at-bat at a time.

“You got guys all fighting for a spot [in the lineup], and I’m the guy that gets to lead everything off. It’s pretty cool,” Anderson said.

Seizing the moment

Anderson had hints of being inserted into the starting lineup coming into the season. On top of losing players to graduation and the transfer portal, his finish to the 2025 campaign mirrored a talent that needed to be in the everyday batting order.

But it wasn’t always like that. He will be the first to say his skills weren’t properly displayed in the first 26 games. Anderson tallied 31 plate appearances and recorded eight hits, going games at a time without seeing any action.

That all changed on Friday, April 25.

It was the opening game of a weekend series against Illinois. On top of dropping four of their past six contests, the Boilermakers found themselves down 6-0 heading into the eighth inning. Following a Ty Gill single to center field, Purdue head coach Greg Goff decided to insert Anderson into a pinch-hitting situation, trusting the then-junior to keep the late-game rally alive.

He did just that. Facing a 0-1 count, Anderson slashed the ball into the right-center gap to spot runners on the corners. While the four-run frame wasn’t enough to secure the comeback, this in-game appearance was the start to something special.

Playing time and production only increased for Anderson. He started in the final 12 games of the spring, collecting a hit in each contest, including seven multi-hit performances against the likes of Indiana, Nebraska and Northwestern.

“I kind of showed that I could be one of those lead-off guys at the end of last year,” Anderson said. “I showed that I could hit .380 or .400 in that spot.”

Staying hungry

Momentum hasn’t stopped since this stretch of games. Anderson showed coaches and fans that the 2025 season wasn’t a fluke. It was the status quo.

His hot hitting stamped the first four games of the season. After the base-knock against Portland, Anderson notched a hit in the following three contests, giving him a 17-game hitting streak that places him fifth in Purdue program history since 2001. The streak saw Anderson hit .429 from the dish while tacking on 12 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.

Anderson even added six straight multi-hit games to his resume from March 15 to the 24. The outfielder batted a near .600 and solidified himself as an essential piece to the lineup.

“Nothing is just given to you,” Anderson said. “Obviously, I did well at the end of the year last season, but that doesn’t mean I’m still going to get the start. You still have to compete.”

“Last year, I was hoping to start, and those are the guys this year that came in. These junior college guys are saying, ‘Hey, I did a good job last year, I’m trying to get the start.’ So you have to recognize that they’re hungry and you have to be hungry yourself too.”

It doesn’t hurt that the Boilermakers have had a strong start to the spring. Halfway through 2026 and Purdue sits with a 19-9 record, with its 7-5 mark good enough for fifth place in a competitive Big Ten Conference. Wins over Oregon, Oregon State and Baylor have helped their RPI (rating percentage index) rise to 59.

Much of this has been due to the competitiveness in the batting order. Anderson says that Purdue’s hitting talent drives everyone to play at their best at all times. A couple days of little output could shift one not only to the bottom of the lineup, but out of the rotation completely.

The results speak for themselves so far. Purdue finds itself near the top of the conference in multiple offensive categories, including batting average (.311), RBIs (211) and on-base percentage (.407). They average over eight runs per game.

“You have to recognize how good everybody else is. There are other guys hitting well, and you have to pick yourself up too,” Anderson said. “These guys are also hitting .350, .360. I don’t want to be seventh on the team in average. There’s a little bit of pressure that comes with it, and I think that’s why we’ve been good this year. Because we have a lot of guys who have been hitting well.”