\n Story Links
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Valparaiso (5-5, 0-0 MVC)
Immaculate<\/p>\n
Locking In Recognition <\/p>\n
In the Other Dugout \u2013 Jacksonville State <\/p>\n
Notes Wrapping Up Feb. 27-March 1 at Alabama State (L 6-1, W 9-0, W 3-1)<\/p>\n
Beacons Among League, National Leaders <\/p>\n
Javin Shines in the South Carolina Sun <\/p>\n
Bringing the Bats <\/p>\n
Other Notes Wrapping Up Feb. 20-22: Wofford 15, Valpo 9; Valpo 10, USC Upstate 5; Valpo 21, Presbyterian 9<\/p>\n
Grand Entrance <\/p>\n
MVC Preseason Watch List <\/p>\n
The Roster Rundown <\/p>\n
Looking Back at 2025 <\/p>\n
2025 Awards & Honors <\/p>\n
Pitching Profiles \u2013 Probable Starters <\/p>\n
Pitching Profiles \u2013 Bullpen Bits <\/p>\n
Position Player Profiles \u2013 Projected Lineup (Based on Last Game)<\/p>\n
Inside the Assistants<\/p>\n
\nat Jacksonville State (10-3, 0-0 CUSA)
\nRudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium (2,020) | Jacksonville, Ala.
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\nFriday, March 6, 6 p.m. CT \u2013 RHP Adam Guazzo<\/a>
\nSaturday, March 7, 2 p.m. CT \u2013 RHP Connor Lockwood<\/a>
\nSunday, March 8, 1 p.m. \u2013 RHP Nick Baffa<\/a>
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\nNext Up in Valpo Baseball: After winning the final two games of last weekend’s series, the Valparaiso University baseball team will head right back to the state of Alabama with hopes of extending its winning streak as the Beacons start a three-game set with Jacksonville State on Friday night. This is the penultimate weekend prior to Missouri Valley Conference play before Valpo will visit SIUE for the final pre-conference weekend.
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\nLast Time Out: The Beacons enjoyed their second straight winning weekend, taking two of three at Alabama State behind great pitching. Valpo starting pitchers allowed just one run over 16 innings in the series. Valpo gave up one total run over the final 22 innings of the series, which featured a Saturday shutout from Connor Lockwood<\/a>. After dropping the opener 6-1, Valpo battled back to win the next two games 9-0 and 3-1.
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\nFollowing the Beacons: All three games this weekend will air on ESPN+. For links to live video stats, visit ValpoAthletics.com. For in-game updates, follow @ValpoBaseball on X.
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\nHead Coach Brian Schmack<\/a>:\u00a0Brian Schmack<\/a> (217-376) is in his 13th season in charge of the program. He ranks third in program history in seasons coached and games coached as he coached his 500th game on March 17, 2024 at Campbell. On April 19, 2024 vs. Missouri State, he became the third head coach in program history to secure his 200th win. Schmack, a member of the 2003 Detroit Tigers, served as pitching coach\/associate head coach at Valpo for seven seasons prior to his promotion.
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\nSeries Notes: Valpo is 2-9 all-time against Jacksonville State, most recently dropping all three games of a series in February 2021, falling 5-4, 10-2 and 13-3. Valpo lost two of three in a 2016-season-opening series, dropped two of three in 2014 and got swept in a doubleheader back in 1979. \u00a0
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\nMoving in the Right Direction<\/p>\n
\n\tWith a win on Friday, Valpo would have a three-game winning streak, which would mark the program’s longest winning streak since April 2023.
\n\tValpo is already half way to its win total from last season.
\n\tValpo is seeking its third straight winning weekend. Last year, Valpo did not have a winning weekend until the final weekend of the season.
\n\tThe Beacons are 5-5 through 10 games, their first 10-game start of .500 or better since 2023.
<\/p>\n
\n\tConnor Lockwood<\/a> completed one of baseball’s rarest feats on Feb. 28 at Alabama State.
\n\tThe redshirt senior right-hander threw an immaculate second inning, striking out the side on just nine pitches.
\n\tFellow Libertyville, Ill. native Colin Fields threw Valpo’s previous immaculate inning, doing so as part of his no-hitter on March 13, 2021 at Middle Tennessee.
\n\tLockwood reached the 200-strikeout milestone for his collegiate career in the game against Alabama State as well.
\n\tLockwood’s 11 strikeouts were the most by a Beacon since he had a career-high 11 on Feb. 22 at Memphis.
\n\tThis marked Valpo’s first shutout since Bryce Konitzer on April 28, 2024 in a seven-inning game. It was Valpo’s first nine-inning shutout since Ellis Foreman on April 23, 2017.
\n\tThis was Valpo’s first complete game since Harry Deliyannis<\/a> on April 26, 2025 at Belmont.
\n\tIn addition to yielding only three hits and striking out 11 in his shutout, Lockwood did not issue any walks.
<\/p>\n
\n\tFor his Feb. 28 shutout at Alabama State, Connor Lockwood<\/a> received significant recognition.
\n\tThe redshirt senior right-hander posted a “game score” of 92 according to D1Baseball.com, the second best in the nation that day. In addition, he was No. 2 on D1Baseball’s Top 100 Pitchers for Week 3.
\n\tLockwood was named the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week, making it the third straight week a Valpo player received a league honor. Cal Schembra<\/a> (Freshman of the Week, Week 1) and Javin Gauthier<\/a> (Player of the Week, Week 2) preceded Lockwood’s Week-3 accolade.
\n\tThis marked the fourth time that Lockwood has been named MVC Pitcher of the Week in his career, the most of any Valpo player since joining the league.
\n\tValpo has captured the award 11 total times since joining The Valley. Lockwood is joined by Colin Fields (twice), Bryce Konitzer, Jacob Rosenkranz, Jake Miller, Bobby Nowak and Easton Rhodehouse.
<\/p>\n
\n\tHave swept each of their last three weekend series, taking all three from Toledo, Mississippi Valley State and Memphis.
\n\tComing off a game a 6-5 loss at Alabama on Tuesday.
\n\tWon 37 games last season, reaching the Conference USA title game before falling to Western Kentucky 6-5 in 11 innings.
\n\tUnder the direction of third-year head coach Steve Bieser.
<\/p>\n
\n\tIn Friday’s series opener, Valpo was limited to just two hits and did not have any after freshman Cal Schembra’s<\/a> homer to lead off the fifth. The Schembra dinger was the second of the season for the freshman and the team’s fourth long ball.
\n\tIn Saturday’s win, Brayden Pleau<\/a> had his fourth multi-hit game of the season and recorded a season-high three hits.
\n\tOn Saturday, Valpo scored nine runs or more for the fourth time in a five-game span.
\n\tAll nine Valpo batters in the lineup had at least one hit on Saturday.
\n\tGauthier’s home run on Sunday was his second of the young season as the redshirt freshman also launched one on Feb. 21 at USC Upstate.
\n\tFreshman Cole Lockwood<\/a> and sophomore Michael Kuska<\/a> had two hits apiece in a game where each team had seven hits on Sunday.
\n\tSchembra’s triple on Sunday was his second already on the season (Feb. 20 at Wofford) and his sixth extra-base hit through his first 10 collegiate contests.
\n\tStarting pitcher Nick Baffa’s<\/a> five innings and six strikeouts on Sunday both marked career highs. He achieved his first collegiate victory.
\n\tKruse nailed down his second career save and first of the season on Sunday.
<\/p>\n
\n\tValpo’s 2.00 doubles per game lead the Missouri Valley Conference.
\n\tThe team ranks third in the league in batting average at .279.
\n\tValpo ranks third in the league in scoring at 7.4 runs per game.
\n\tValpo’s slugging percentage of .418 is third in the league.
\n\tThe team has six triples, the third most nationally and most in the MVC (0.60 per game).
\n\tJavin Gauthier<\/a> ranks third in the league in batting average (.414), second in walks per game (1.00) and second in on-base percentage (.553).
\n\tCal Schembra<\/a> ranks third in the league in hits per game (1.50), leads the league in RBIs (16) and leads the league in RBIs per game (1.60).
\n\tConnor Lockwood<\/a> leads the MVC and ranks 23rd nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 16.0.
\n\tLockwood ranks 17th nationally and leads the MVC in walks per nine innings at 0.41.
<\/p>\n
\n\tRedshirt freshman Javin Gauthier<\/a> posted a slash line of .667\/.765\/1.083 in three games this past week in South Carolina, earning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week honors following his big performance.
\n\tValpo has earned two MVC weekly awards already this year, as Cal Schembra<\/a> was named the MVC Freshman of the Week after the opening week of the season.
\n\tGauthier racked up eight hits including three for extra bases and his first collegiate home run to help Valpo take two of three in South Carolina. He totaled 13 bases, scored six runs and drove in eight while also drawing five walks and posting a perfect fielding percentage on the left side of Valpo’s infield, splitting time between third and short.
\n\tThe left-handed hitting infielder had multiple hits in all three games over the weekend, and was listed at No. 33 on D1Baseball.com’s Top 100 hitters of the week, the second straight week a Beacon earned a place on that list.
\n\tGauthier became Valpo’s first MVC Player of the Week since Jake Skrine on April 17, 2023. He joined Skrine, Sam Shaikin, Kaleb Hannahs and Nolan Tucker as Valpo players who have won MVC Player of the Week awards since the team joined the MVC.
<\/p>\n
\n\tValpo posted 21 runs on 20 hits in a high-scoring Feb. 22 win at Presbyterian.
\n\tThis marked the second time in a nine-game span dating back to last season that Valpo surpassed 20 runs, as the squad put up 24 on May 16, 2025 vs. Southern Illinois.
\n\tThis marked the team’s highest run total in a road game since May 8, 2005, a 21-1 victory over Oakland.
\n\tThe team’s 20 hits against the Blue Hose were its most since May 13, 2016 at Youngstown State (21).
<\/p>\n
\n\tOn Friday, Valpo played a Wofford team that won 33 games last season and reached an NCAA Regional after winning the Big South Conference.
\n\tValpo committed five errors, which would have tied for the team’s most in a game last season. Eight of Wofford’s 15 runs were unearned against the Valpo team ERA.
\n\tCal Schembra<\/a> had three RBIs including his first collegiate triple on Friday.
\n\tConnor Lockwood<\/a> earned the win on Saturday, allowing no earned runs while scattering six hits and walking none over seven innings in his first decision of the season.
\n\tJavin Gauthier<\/a> had his second straight multi-hit game on Saturday, this time recording three hits and four RBIs while spanking his first collegiate home run.
\n\tValpo totaled double figures in the hit column in all three games this weekend.
\n\tOn Sunday at PC, Michael Kuska<\/a> became the first Valpo player with two triples in a game since Angel DiFederico on Feb. 25, 2021 at Alabama A&M.
\n\tKuska’s six RBIs were the most by a Valpo player since Case Sullivan<\/a> on May 16, 2025 vs. Southern Illinois.
\n\tSix Beacons had multi-hit games on Sunday including Gauthier and Schembra with three apiece.
\n\tThe team had nine extra-base hits and drew 11 walks on Sunday. The team has double-figure walk totals in three of its first seven games, and the 11 against the Blue Hose marked a season high.
\n\tThe six doubles at PC were the team’s most since May 16, 2025 vs. Southern Illinois (also six) and the three triples were the team’s most since Feb. 25, 2022 at Alabama A&M (also three).
\n\tValpo has scored at least nine runs in three straight games and four of its last five.
\n\tOn the pitching side, redshirt senior Justin Bultemeier<\/a> worked two scoreless innings and Dalton Swinehart<\/a> tossed a shutout frame. They helped the Beacons hold the Blue Hose to one run over the final four innings on a tough day to pitch.
\n\tCole Lockwood<\/a> scored five runs in Sunday’s game, the first Valpo player to do so since Nate Palace on March 3, 2016 against Western Carolina (6).
<\/p>\n
\n\tFreshman first baseman Cal Schembra<\/a> was named the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Week for his opening-weekend performance at Gardner-Webb. He became the first-ever player to earn that award as the league added a Freshman of the Week Award to its arsenal of honors this season.
\n\tSchembra batted .500 with a double, home run, five RBIs and four runs scored. He reached at a .533 clip and slugged .786 over the four games.
\n\tThe Valpo rookie also had a diving catch in foul territory and doubled up the runner who was trying to tag and score from third. The impressive play was featured as the No. 2 Play of the Week by D1Baseball.
\n\tSchembra, who had multiple hits in each of the first three games of his collegiate career, was ranked the No. 77 hitter nationally in Week 1 of the season by D1Baseball.
<\/p>\n
\n\tRather than preseason all-conference teams, the Missouri Valley Conference released a Preseason Watch List prior to the 2026 campaign.
\n\tValpo players to watch include redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Spencer Boynton<\/a>, redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Adam Guazzo<\/a>, redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Connor Lockwood<\/a>, redshirt senior catcher Eli Riley<\/a> and redshirt sophomore infielder Case Sullivan<\/a>.
\n\tThe Valley did not release the full preseason poll this season, but did release the top five teams in the voting. Murray State is the preseason favorite, followed by Southern Illinois and UIC.
<\/p>\n
\n\tValpo has 18 newcomers joining forces with 15 returning players for the 2026 season.
\n\tThe top six pitchers from last season in terms of earned run average are back for 2026.
\n\tOn the flip side, the position player group has received a bit of a makeover. Of the 11 position players who started on a fairly regular basis last season, only three return in 2026 \u2013 redshirt junior Thomas Cooper<\/a>, senior Austin Amburgey<\/a> and redshirt sophomore Case Sullivan<\/a>.
\n\tThis year’s roster features 10 freshmen, six sophomores, five juniors and 12 seniors.
\n\tIllinois (11) and Indiana (eight) are the home states most represented on the Valpo roster. Wisconsin (four), Ohio (two) and Florida (two) also produced multiple members of this year’s Beacons. Kentucky, Tennessee, Nebraska, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Michigan round out the 11 states represented on this year’s team.
\n\tThere are 16 pitchers and 18 position players (including one two-way player counted in both groups) on this year’s roster.
<\/p>\n
\n\tThe 10-40 record and 5-22 MVC mark are deceiving based on the number of close losses. Valpo was 1-9 in one-run games including 1-7 in MVC play in one-run games
\n\tValpo had two wins over Big Ten Conference opponents, beating Ohio State 10-7 on March 7 and Illinois 13-10 on March 15.
\n\tThe March 15 win came against the defending Big Ten regular-season champs and a team that won 35 games and went 18-6 in Big Ten play on its way to an NCAA Regional berth last season.
\n\tThe win over Ohio State was the team’s first Big Ten win since 2018. The win came against a Buckeyes team that was coming off a 29-win season.
\n\tThe team’s 8-3 win at Indiana State on March 21 to open Missouri Valley Conference play snapped a 25-game head-to-head losing streak and was the team’s first victory over the Sycamores since 2007. Valpo was previously 0-20 vs. Indiana State since joining the MVC prior to the 2018 season.
\n\tThe win over Indiana State came against the defending MVC regular-season champs and an Indiana State team that made an NCAA Regional appearance last season.
\n\tThe team produced its highest run total in 15 years on May 16, beating Southern Illinois 24-14 in the highest-scoring game in Emory G. Bauer Field history.
<\/p>\n
\n\tAll-MVC Honorable Mention \u2013 Connor Lockwood<\/a>
\n\tMVC Scholar-Athlete Second Team \u2013 Patrick Ilitch<\/a>
\n\tCollege Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team \u2013 Spencer Warfield<\/a> & Ryan Kruse<\/a>
\n\tSportsCenter Top 10 Plays \u2013 Connor Giusti<\/a> at No. 6 on May 17 after a diving catch and glove flip to second for a double play in the ninth inning of a win over Southern Illinois; Aidan Thaxton<\/a> at No. 3 for an impressive tag on April 6 vs. Illinois State.
\n\tWeekly Awards \u2013 Case Sullivan<\/a> Brooks Wallace National Shortstop of the Week (May 20), Connor Lockwood<\/a> MVC Pitcher of the Week (March 24)
\n\tRyan Maka<\/a> finished his career with 21 home runs, tied for the 10th most in program history.
\n\tConnor Lockwood<\/a> led the Missouri Valley Conference in strikeouts (80) and innings pitched (95 2\/3).
\n\tDean’s Award (Graduate College) & MVC State Farm Good Neighbor Award \u2013 Kade Reinertson<\/a>
\n\tMale Perseverance Award (ARC Awards) \u2013 Connor Lockwood<\/a>
<\/p>\n
\n\t#24 Adam Guazzo<\/a>, R-So. (Huntley, Ill. \/ Huntley) \u2013 Was sidelined and did not see action during his first season on campus in 2023… Two-time all-conference performer in basketball in addition to earning all-conference on the diamond as a senior in high school… Set his high school’s record for rebounds in a single season on the hardwood with 320 in 2021-22… Favorite TV shows are Breaking Bad and Ozarks\u2026 Pitched in 15 games and made nine starts in 2024 before making 17 appearances, all in relief, in 2025\u2026 Nailed down his first collegiate save with 1 2\/3 scoreless inning on Feb. 23 at Memphis\u2026 Tossed a shutout frame on March 7, 2025 at Ohio State to earn his second save\u2026 Allowed one run on one hit over two frames of relief on March 15, 2025 at Illinois\u2026 Entered the March 25, 2025 game at Purdue with the Beacons in a jam in the bottom of the eighth and limited the damage as he was not charged with a run while allowing no hits, striking out two and recording all three outs in the inning\u2026 Earned his first collegiate win with three shutout innings of two-hit ball in the 3-2, 10-inning victory over Illinois State on April 6, 2025\u2026 Worked two scoreless innings on April 19, 2025 vs. Murray State\u2026 Did not allow a hit or a run in his inning of relief on May 3, 2025 in the second game of a doubleheader vs. UIC\u2026 Made his first start of the season on Feb. 20, 2026 at Wofford and allowed just one unearned run on one hit over two innings, but took the loss\u2026 Started and went two shutout innings on Feb. 27 at Alabama State.
\n\t#11 RHP Connor Lockwood<\/a>, (R-Sr.), (Libertyville, Ill. \/ Libertyville) \u2013 Named conference co-player of the year as a high school senior in 2021 and received all-state accolades… Interested in a career in elementary education… Favorite food is deep dish pizza… Made his first appearance since April 2, 2023 vs. Murray State on March 1, 2024 at Elon as after that game he underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery. In his return to the rubber, he started and went three innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and one walk while striking out four… Threw a complete game to earn the win while scattering eight hits, striking out nine and walking none on March 30, 2024 vs. Bradley. He became the first Valpo hurler to toss a nine-inning complete game in five years and was named MVC Pitcher of the Week on April 1, 2024, becoming the second Valpo pitcher since the team joined the MVC to become a multi-time winner of that award\u2026 Started the 2025 season opener on Feb. 14 and tossed an eight-inning complete game, striking out seven and walking none while taking the tough-luck loss after allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits at Samford\u2026 Named the MVC Pitcher of the Week on March 24, 2025 after pitching Valpo to its first win over Indiana State since 2007 on March 21, ending a 25-game head-to-head losing streak. He allowed no earned runs (three total runs) on five hits and one walk while striking out 10 over seven innings against the defending Missouri Valley Conference regular-season champions\u2026 Threw his second complete game of the season and the third of his career on April 4, 2025 vs. Illinois State, scattering seven hits while allowing two runs, walking one and striking out six. Valpo fell 2-1 as Lockwood took the tough-luck loss\u2026 In 2025, led the MVC in strikeouts (80) and innings pitched (95 2\/3), becoming the first Valpo player to lead the league in innings since 2018 and strikeouts since 2022\u2026 Had the team’s highest innings total since 2019 and highest strikeout total since 2022\u2026 Named 2025 All-MVC Honorable Mention\u2026 Allowed four runs in six innings and had no decision on Opening Day 2026 at Gardner-Webb\u2026 Did not allow an earned run (three total runs) over seven strong innings while scattering six hits and walking none to pick up the win on Feb. 21 at USC Upstate, helping Valpo beat a 36-win, NCAA Regional team from last season\u2026 Had an immaculate second inning in a nine-inning shutout on Feb. 28 at Alabama State, scattering three hits, walking none and striking out 11. He was ranked No. 2 on D1Baseball.com’s Top 100 pitchers for Week 3 of the season and earned his fourth career MVC Pitcher of the Week nod. Also reached the 200-career strikeout threshold by tying a career high against the Hornets.
\n\t#32 RHP Nick Baffa<\/a>, So. (Glenview, Ill. \/ Notre Dame College Prep) \u2013 Made 14 appearances including five starts while striking out 23 and walking 17 in 26 innings as a freshman in 2025\u2026 Loves to take naps almost every day\u2026 Favorite TV show is SpongeBob SquarePants\u2026 Played for Athletic Barn Baseball, Future Games and WWBA Jupiter Florida Chicago Scouts Association\u2026 Made his collegiate debut with a scoreless inning on Feb. 22, 2025 at Memphis\u2026 Also hurled a shutout frame in his second outing on March 8, 2025 at Ohio State\u2026 Entered the March 25, 2025 game at Purdue with two on and nobody out in the seventh and worked out of the jam, ending the inning with consecutive strikeouts\u2026 Worked two shutout innings in Valpo’s April 1, 2025 victory over Milwaukee\u2026 Made his first collegiate start on April 15, 2025 at Notre Dame, pitching shutout ball over the first three innings but running out of steam in the fourth, when he allowed five runs and did not record an out\u2026 Started and allowed one unearned run on three hits while walking none and striking out three over three innings on April 22, 2025 vs. Northern Illinois\u2026 Picked up the win on March 1, 2026 after going five innings of one-run, five-hit ball with six strikeouts and one walk at Alabama State. The five innings and six strikeouts both marked career highs as he achieved his first collegiate victory.
<\/p>\n
\n\t#2 RHP Cayden Ray<\/a>, Fr. (Owensboro, Ky. \/ Owensboro) \u2013 Three-year all-region and three-time all-district choice in high school\u2026 Also played three years of football\u2026 2025 District Player of the Year.
\n\t#10 LHP Christian Hack<\/a>, R-Sr. (Oak Forest, Ill. \/ Tinley Park) \u2013 In his fourth year in Valpo’s program in 2026\u2026 Missed most of the 2025 season with an injury\u2026 Has logged 27 innings over 24 games in his first four collegiate seasons\u2026 Won $10,000 at a Valpo basketball game on Feb.7, 2026, winning the Lakeshore Bone & Joint Institute Series Shootout promotion by making a layup, free throw, 3-pointer and halfcourt shot within 25 seconds, all while wearing an Illinois Fighting Illini jersey from Valpo men’s basketball head coach Roger Powell Jr.’s playing days.
\n\t#16 RHP Justin Bultemeier<\/a>, R-Sr. (Decatur, Ind. \/ Adams Central) \u2013 Finished 13th nationally in NJCAA DII in ERA while pitching at Ivy Tech CC\u2026 Spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons at IU Kokomo\u2026 Was a Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League All-Star\u2026 Graduated with a bachelor’s in health and exercise science and is pursuing his graduate public health certificate at Valpo\u2026 Picked up the win in relief in his Valpo debut on Feb. 14, allowing one run on three hits in 2 1\/3 innings\u2026 Flipped two scoreless frames on a tough day to pitch with the wind howling out on Feb. 22 at Presbyterian\u2026 Worked two scoreless innings in the March 1 victory at Alabama State.
\n\t#17 LHP Luke Albrecht<\/a>, Fr. (Brownsburg, Ind. \/ Brownsburg) \u2013 Won a regional championship as a high school sophomore\u2026 Favorite TV show is Impractical Jokers.
\n\t#18 RHP Joey Kafka<\/a>, Fr. (Mundelein, Ill. \/ Mundelein) \u2013 Two-time all-conference and all-area choice in high school\u2026 Favorite MLB team is the Cubs and player is Shota Imanaga\u2026 Hobbies include fly fishing, camping and music\u2026 Threw two shutout innings in the Feb. 27 series opener at Alabama State.
\n\t#20 RHP Hunter Frost<\/a>, Sr. (Farmington, Minn. \/ Farmington) \u2013 Went 4-2 with a 4.50 ERA while appearing in 14 games and making 11 starts for Iowa Central Community College in 2024\u2026 2021 4A Minnesota state champion and 2022 4A Minnesota state runner-up\u2026 Also competed in wrestling in high school\u2026 Majoring in elementary education\u2026 Favorite pro baseball team is the Minnesota Twins\u2026 Favorite food is steak stir fry\u2026 Did not allow a run in 1 2\/3 innings of relief on April 29, 2025 at Western Michigan\u2026 Pitched two shutout innings in the second game of a May 3, 2025 doubleheader vs. UIC\u2026 Fired a season-high 2 2\/3 innings and did not allow a run on May 10, 2025 vs. Bradley.
\n\t#22 LHP Colton Rerick<\/a>, Fr. (South Bend, Ind.) \u2013 First team all-conference honoree as a senior in high school\u2026 Is ambidextrous\u2026 Favorite food is crab\u2026 Enjoys golfing and going to the lake.
\n\t#26 RHP Ryan Kruse<\/a>, R-Jr. (Detroit, Mich. \/ U of D Jesuit) \u2013 In his third season in the program after redshirting at Northern Kentucky in 2023\u2026 Enjoys golfing, swimming, snowboarding, working out and tennis\u2026 Favorite movie is The Dark Knight\u2026 Made 21 relief appearances in 2025, including nine where he heaved scoreless ball\u2026 Worked a scoreless inning in the series finale at Samford on Feb. 16, 2025, his first action of the season\u2026 Did not allow a run in an inning of work on March 9, 2025 at Ohio State\u2026 Pitched two scoreless, hitless innings to finish out Valpo’s victory at Indiana State on March 21, 2025, helping the Beacons snap a 25-game head-to-head losing streak\u2026 Nailed down his first collegiate save on April 1, 2025 vs. Milwaukee with a 1-2-3 ninth\u2026 Pitched three shutout innings of one-hit, no-walk ball that played a crucial role in a 3-2 victory over Illinois State on April 6, 2025\u2026 Tossed two scoreless innings on April 19, 2025 vs. Murray State\u2026 Pitched scoreless ball for the second straight outing and the fourth time in his last six appearances, logging two innings out of the pen on April 27, 2025 at Belmont\u2026 Pitched scoreless ball for the third straight outing and fifth time in his last six games with a shutout inning on May 2, 2025 vs. UIC\u2026 Entered the game amidst a ninth-inning jam and struck out three of the four men he faced to preserve the 10-5 win at USC Upstate on Feb. 21\u2026 Pitched two scoreless innings to nail down the save on March 1, 2026 at Alabama State.
\n\t\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad#27 RHP Dylan Swinehart, R-Sr. (Elkhart, Ind. \/ Concord) \u2013 Previously played at Indiana Tech (2022) and Taylor (2023-2025)\u2026 While at Taylor, posted a 14-8 record, nine saves, 150 strikeouts and 39 walks over 136 2\/3 innings in 63 career games spanning three seasons\u2026 Favorite MLB player is Randy Johnson\u2026 Worked a scoreless ninth inning on a tough day to pitch with the wind howling out on Feb. 22 at Presbyterian.
\n\t#29 RHP Spencer Boynton<\/a>, R-Sr. (Tampa, Fla. \/ Seffner Christian) \u2013 Was an all-conference honoree at Eastern Nazarene College, where he spent two seasons before joining the Beacons prior to the 2024 campaign, which he missed due to an injury\u2026 Hobbies include golf, tennis, ping pong and video games\u2026 Favorite movie is The Usual Suspects, food is pizza, pro baseball team is the San Francisco Giants and MLB players are Buster Posey and Kevin Gausman\u2026 Garnered his first collegiate victory with a bounce-back outing on Feb. 23 at Memphis. He was perfect through four innings and totaled five frames of two-hit, no-walk ball while striking out five\u2026. Went five scoreless innings in his April 27, 2025 start at Belmont, receiving no decision in a game the team lost 1-0. He pitched shutout ball for the first time in the 2025 season, marking his best start of the year.
\n\t#31 RHP Joe Seiber<\/a>, R-Sr. (Homer Glen, Ill. \/ Lockport) \u2013 Third team junior college All-American at College of DuPage\u2026 Favorite MLB team is the Chicago White Sox\u2026 Favorite movie is Billy Madison\u2026 Joined the program prior to the 2024 season as a junior college transfer\u2026 Worked in 33 games and totaled 48 1\/3 innings over his first two seasons at Valpo in 2024 and 2025\u2026 Was charged with no runs on two hits and no walks in two innings of work in the March 14, 2025 series opener at Illinois\u2026 Made his first Valpo start on March 25, 2025 vs. Ball State and allowed two runs on two hits and no walks in two innings\u2026 Pitched a shutout inning on April 15, 2025 at Notre Dame, seeing his first action since March 28 at Evansville after missing time with an injury\u2026 Pitched a shutout inning on April 15 at Notre Dame, seeing his first action since March 28 at Evansville after missing time with an injury.
\n\t#33 RHP Dylan Immel<\/a>, R-Sr. (Brownsville, Wis.) \u2013 Started his collegiate career with two junior college years and was an All-American at Century College\u2026 Pitched in 27 games and made 10 starts over two seasons at Sioux Falls\u2026 Favorite pro baseball team is the Milwaukee Brewers\u2026 Threw a scoreless inning in his Valpo debut on Feb. 13 at Gardner-Webb.
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\n\t#3 Michael Kuska<\/a>, CF (Pontiac, Ill. \/ Pontiac Township) \u2013 Played in 11 games and made one start for the Beacons last season\u2026 Enjoys golfing and watching the Chicago Blackhawks\u2026 Had four hits, four runs scored, two walks, six RBIs and two triples on Feb. 22 at Presbyterian.
\n\t#6 Eli Riley<\/a>, C, R-Sr. (Zanesville, Ind. \/ Norwell) \u2013 Played at Saint Francis (Ind.) for the last four years and totaled 22 home runs, 100 RBIs and 148 hits while posting a .289 average in 192 career games\u2026 Earned first team all-conference honors in 2024 and 2025 while also achieving a spot on the league’s gold glove team in each of those seasons\u2026 Favorite musical group is All-American Rejects\u2026 Graduated from Saint Francis with a degree in management in 2025 and is pursuing an MBA at Valpo.
\n\t#7 Javin Gauthier<\/a>, SS, R-Fr. (De Pere, Wis. \/ De Pere) \u2013 Saw limited action in three games before missing the rest of the 2025 season with an injury\u2026 Hobbies include lifting, adventures, pickleball, listening to music and ping pong\u2026 Favorite TV Show is Stranger Things\u2026 Was named MVC Player of the Week on Feb. 24 after posting a .667\/.765\/1.083 slash line over three games in South Carolina, totaling 13 bases, six runs scored, eight RBIs and five walks in three games. He was No. 33 on D1Baseball.com’s Top 100 Hitters that weekend, which included his first collegiate home run on Feb. 21 at USC Upstate. He became Valpo’s first MVC Player of the Week since 2023\u2026 Hit his second home run of the season on March 1 at Alabama State.
\n\t#9 Cal Schembra<\/a>, 1B, Fr. (Greenwood, Ill. \/ Center Grove) \u2013 Hit .340 with four home runs as a high school senior\u2026 Hit a walk-off double to win the 2025 sectional title\u2026 Has six siblings\u2026 Is ambidextrous and does everything right-handed other than baseball\u2026 Had three hits in his collegiate debut on Feb. 13 at Gardner Webb and had multi-hit games in each of his first three collegiate contests\u2026 Made a diving catch in foul territory and doubled up the runner trying to tag and score on Feb. 13 Gardner-Webb, a play that was No. 2 in D1Baseball’s Plays of the Week\u2026 Smoked his first collegiate home run in a Feb. 14 victory at Gardner-Webb\u2026 Hit .500 with a home run, five RBIs and four runs scored in the first week of his collegiate career, earning MVC Freshman of the Week honors and checking in as the No. 77 hitter nationally in the first week of the season according to D1Baseball\u2026 Had his first collegiate triple on Feb. 20 at Wofford\u2026 Hit his second home run of the season in the Feb. 27 series opener at Alabama State\u2026 Tripled on March 1 at Alabama State, his second triple of the season.
\n\t#12 Thomas Cooper<\/a>, 3B, R-Jr. (Brentwood, Tenn. \/ Ravenwood) \u2013 Appeared in 15 games and made eight starts in 2023 before redshirting in 2024\u2026 Was a state runner-up in football in high school\u2026 Has a Lego collection\u2026 Favorite food is ice cream\u2026 Favorite MLB team is the Atlanta Braves\u2026 Had his first collegiate extra-base hit with a double on Feb. 16, 2025 at Samford, the team’s lone extra-base knock in that game\u2026 Hit his first career home run in Game 2 of a Feb. 22, 2025 doubleheader at Memphis\u2026 Missed seven games with an injury before returning to action on March 18, 2025 at Ball State\u2026 Hit a grand slam on April 29, 2025 at Western Michigan, the team’s first of the season\u2026 Had two hits on May 6 vs. Western Michigan.
\n\t#15 Gavin Bennett<\/a>, DH, R-Sr. (Libertyville, Ill. \/ Libertyville) \u2013 Played in three games over four seasons at Illinois\u2026 Hit his first collegiate home run on March 31, 2023 vs. Michigan. \u00a0
\n\t#42 Brayden Pleau<\/a>, LF, Jr. (Appleton, Wis. \/ Kimberly) \u2013 Played two junior college seasons at Bryant & Stratton, where he set the program single-season and career records for hits\u2026 Favorite movie is The Sandlot\u2026 Had a multi-hit game on Feb. 28 at Alabama State with a season-high three hits.
\n\t#1 Cole Lockwood<\/a>, 2B, Fr. (Libertyville, Ill. \/ Libertyville) \u2013 Younger brother of Valpo RHP Connor Lockwood<\/a>\u2026 Set program records for single-season stolen bases (38), career stolen bases (77) and career hit by pitch (25) in high school\u2026 Does everything right-handed except golfing and hitting\u2026 Favorite music artist is Morgan Wallen\u2026 Doubled in his collegiate debut on Feb. 13 at Gardner-Webb before adding two hits in the second game of a doubleheader\u2026 Had five runs scored on Feb. 22 at Presbyterian, the most by a Valpo player since 2016. \u00a0
\n\t#34 Case Sullivan<\/a>, SS, R-So. (Carmel, Ind. \/ Carmel) \u2013 Joined the program after redshirting at Marshall in 2024, where he was a member of the president’s list with a perfect 4.0 GPA\u2026 Is a triplet with his two siblings, Colin and Lily\u2026 Lily plays softball at the University of Akron and Colin is an engineering student at Purdue\u2026 Favorite pro baseball team is the Boston Red Sox and player is Mookie Betts\u2026 Had four hits on his first day in a Valpo uniform on Feb. 14, 2025 at Samford, going 3-for-3 with a walk in Game 2 of the season-opening doubleheader\u2026 Homered in the first game of the series at Memphis on Feb. 22, 2025, the first of his collegiate career\u2026 Played solid shortstop in addition to going 3-for-5 with two doubles on Feb. 23, 2025 at Memphis\u2026 Reached base five times with a double, homer and three walks on April 17, 2025 vs. Murray State\u2026 Homered on his birthday on April 22, 2025 vs. Northern Illinois\u2026 Collected a season-high four hits and a season-high four runs scored on May 16, 2025 vs. Southern Illinois while driving in six, the highest RBI total by a Beacon in over four full years\u2026 Homered in each of the final two games of the 2025 season, helping Valpo to wins over SIU on May 16 and 17\u2026 Named the Brooks Wallace Award National Shortstop of the Week by the College Baseball Foundation following the final week of the season, during which he hit .500, reached at a .526 clip and slugged 1.125\u2026 Batted .257 while starting all 50 games in his first year at Valpo\u2026 Had his first collegiate triple and his second career game with at least four RBIs on Feb. 14 as the triple drove in two and gave Valpo the lead in the final inning of an 11-10 victory over Gardner-Webb.
<\/p>\n
\n\tAdam Brian<\/a> is in his third season on Valpo’s staff after graduating from Bradley. He works with the team’s catchers, assists with pitching and leads recruiting efforts. Brian’s father Braden Brian played college baseball at Eastern Kentucky and was selected in the 30th round of the 1986 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Montreal Expos.
\n\tChase Hetzel<\/a> has joined the staff for the 2026 season as Valpo’s hitting coach. Hetzel arrived at Valpo after having served as the Director of Hitting for X2 Baseball, a player development and training facility in North Carolina, since 2022. He graduated from Queens University of Charlotte in Charlotte, N.C. in 2021.
\n\tBrady Nowicki<\/a> joined the coaching staff in 2025 after playing for the team each of the previous three seasons. He is in his second season as a volunteer assistant coach.
\n\tCole Pletcher<\/a> is in his first season as a volunteer assistant coach at Valpo after playing at King University.
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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Valparaiso (5-5, 0-0 MVC) at Jacksonville State (10-3, 0-0 CUSA) Rudy…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":177352,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":["post-177351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=177351"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177351\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/177352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=177351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=177351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=177351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}