Valparaiso (0-0, 0-0 MVC)
at DePaul Dome Tournament (Rosemont, Ill.)
Feb. 8 - vs. Butler (0-0, 0-0 Big East) - 3 p.m. | at DePaul (0-0, 0-0 Big East) - 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 9 - vs. Green Bay (0-0, 0-0 Horizon) - 9 a.m. | vs. Detroit Mercy (0-0, 0-0 Horizon) - 2 p.m.

Next Up in Valpo Softball: The Valpo softball team opens up its 44th season of intercollegiate softball this weekend as it makes the short trip to Rosemont, Ill. to compete at the DePaul Dome Tournament. Over the course of two days, the Beacons will face Butler, Green Bay and Detroit Mercy in addition to the host Blue Demons.

Looking Ahead: Valpo will step away from competition next weekend before returning to the diamond in Clinton, S.C. at Presbyterian's Scotsman Invitational Feb. 21-23.

Following Valpo Softball: All four games of this weekend's tournament will have live stats available via ValpoAthletics.com. All home games and most MVC road games will be broadcast on ESPN+, while select nonconference games will have video streams depending on the host.

Head Coach Mike Armitage: Mike Armitage (69-67) takes charge of the Beacons for the first time in regular season action this weekend after being hired as head coach on June 6, 2024. Armitage came to Valpo following a successful stretch as head coach at Minnesota State University Moorhead, turning around the Dragons' program, and brings familiarity with the Missouri Valley Conference with a stint on staff at Illinois State. Armitage spent the last three seasons as head coach at MSUM, posting the first back-to-back 30-win seasons in MSUM program history in 2023 and 2024 after inheriting a Dragons program which had not finished above .500 since 2007.

Series Notes: Butler - Valpo owns a slim 22-20 advantage in the all-time series over the Bulldogs. The two programs last met up in the Dome on the opening weekend of the 2022 season, where Butler came away with a 7-5 win in eight innings. 

DePaul - The Blue Demons are 46-1-1 all-time against Valpo. The two teams last met in the 2023 season opener in the Dome, a 7-1 DePaul victory.

Green Bay - Valpo trails the all-time series against the Phoenix, 26-19, but it was Valpo which took two out of three games in April 2017 in the last meetings, which came in Valpo's last season in the Horizon League.

Detroit Mercy - Valpo tops the all-time series with the Titans, 35-25 - tied for the most wins in program history over any single opponent. Valpo won two of three in April 2017 in a regular season series, but Detroit Mercy earned a measure of revenge in the Horizon League Tournament that year, eliminating Valpo from the tournament.

Hello, Old Friends: In an unusual twist (well, maybe not as unusual given the amount of conference affiliation changes these days), all four of Valpo's games this weekend are against teams which it previously shared conference affiliation with. DePaul and Valpo were both members of the North Star Conference and then were in the Mid-Con together from 1993-99. Butler, Detroit Mercy and Green Bay all previously shared North Star membership with Valpo briefly in different stints in the 1980s and early 1990s - Butler and Valpo were then in the Horizon League together from 2008-12, while Detroit Mercy and Valpo were together for the entirety of Valpo's 10-year tenure in the Horizon. Green Bay and Valpo were together in the Mid-Con in 1993 and 1994, and then later for Valpo's 10-year Horizon League tenure.

Who's Back: Valpo returns 13 of 21 letterwinners from its 2024 squad for the 2025 campaign. The returnees accounted for 51.7% of the team's plate appearances and 46.3% of the Beacons' innings pitched last season.

Who's New: Coach Armitage brought a pair of transfers with him from MSU Moorhead - junior infielder Mack Gallagher and junior pitcher/infielder Azalya Lopez, both of whom were All-Conference honorees. In addition, the program welcomes nine freshmen this season as well.

A Large Roster: Do the match from the above two notes, and you find that this year's Valpo softball roster is comprised of 24 players. That is the largest roster in program history, topping the previous high of 21 players. Even more notable is that only two of this year's 24 players are seniors.

Familar Surroundings: After skipping the DePaul Dome Tournament last season, the Beacons are right back there to open the 2025 campaign. It is the fourth time in the last five years Valpo has made the trip to Rosemont to kick off the season indoors. 

Hitting the Road: This weekend's games start a long and winding road for the Beacons before they finally get the chance to play at the Valpo Softball Complex. This is the first of four weekends of action prior to the start of Missouri Valley Conference play, as Valpo will also play in tournaments at Presbyterian, Lindenwood and Marshall and a single game at Northern Kentucky in preconference action. The Beacons' first MVC series is on the road as well at Indiana State before they come home to host Southern Illinois March 21-23. In all, Valpo is slated to play its first 23 games of the season away from home.

Workhorse in the Circle: Sophomore pitcher Sydney McDermott is the lone returning pitcher for the Beacons in the circle, coming off a freshman campaign where she tossed nearly half the team's innings. McDermott, who had seven starts last year where she gave up two or fewer runs while pitching at least six innings, became the first Valpo pitcher since 2008 to throw a complete game in three straight starts and give up three hits or fewer in all three with an early-season trio of games. She also carried shutouts into extra innings twice in MVC play and earned victories in the circle over UNI (second place) and Belmont (third place).