WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Northwestern baseball team must be the unluckiest squad in college baseball – and if it weren’t for the Cubs and the Red Sox, all of baseball, period.

Flukes, bad bounces, line drives hit straight at outfielders and even a hidden-ball trick led to Purdue’s one-run wins in the first three games of this weekend’s series in West Lafayette.

What the Wildcats need right now is a boost — something that will help them get over that hump and notch enough victories to make the cut for the Big Ten tournament in May.

The Boilermakers, unlike the Cats, were able to get the key hits that have been missing for NU — Cats coach Paul Stevens lamented this at length after the games. I have an idea of what made the difference for Purdue and what could make the difference for the Cats.

Before every batter and between every inning, the Purdue public address announcer blasted peppy, upbeat music to serve both as a crowd pleaser and a psyche song for the players.

Each Purdue player has his own song, one that’s played almost every time he comes to bat. Boilermakers cleanup hitter Kris Luce, for example, has had the pleasure of hearing “Turn Me Loose” every time he’s been up for the last three years.

“Someone suggested it a while ago, you know, because my last name (sounds like) ‘loose,'” Luce said. “I think it’s a neat song.

“But when you’re batting and trying to pay attention, you don’t really hear it.”

Luce played all four games this weekend and stepped to the plate 13 times, which meant that everyone present was treated to 13 renditions of the bridge of “Turn Me Loose.”

“It does get a little monotonous at times,” Luce acknowledged.

Luce added that the players have an informal competition to see who can come up with the best song.

Boilermakers center fielder Brad Kriner said that players arrange for their favorite part of the song to be played just as they step into the batters box, so that they don’t have to procrastinate with an extra practice swing or two.

I wouldn’t be the first to suggest that NU should incorporate uplifting music at home games. But players said a noise ordinance for the neighborhood around Rocky Miller Park will prevent this improvement from becoming a reality.

Still, that doesn’t stop NU pitcher Gabe Ribas from dreaming a little.

“We’ve wanted to do that since I’ve been here,” he said, “but we’ve been told it’s not part of the pageantry of baseball. So we can’t do it.

“Everywhere I’ve ever been, you could do that — most other schools, all the summer ball teams I’ve ever played on. It’s just part of going out there and playing ball. I think it’s kind of ridiculous that we don’t get to.”

Ribas said he and his friends have discussed what song he would choose for himself, given the opportunity.

“I’d come out to something hard, like the Chili Peppers,” he said. “But since we can’t do it, I don’t lose a lot of sleep over it.”