Next Up in Valpo Baseball: The Valparaiso University baseball team is still mathematically in contention for a berth in the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, but it's now or never for the Beacons as they must win out, have Bradley go 2-4 with two wins over Evansville and have Evansville go 1-5 with one win over Bradley in order to make the tournament field. This Mother's Day Weekend series, the final road set of the year for the Brown & Gold, features unusual start times since the Peoria Chiefs are also playing a home weekend series at Dozer Park.  
 
Last Time Out: Valpo raced out to a 3-1 lead through four innings, but visiting Western Michigan scored the game's final six runs and prevailed 7-3 in a nonconference midweek matchup on Tuesday at Emory G. Bauer Field. Starting pitcher Nick Baffa yielded one run on three hits while walking one and striking out two of 3 1/3 innings, while Lucas Foley went 1 2/3 innings and was not charged with any runs in relief. Aidan Thaxton and Thomas Cooper had two hits apiece, contributing to the team's highest hit total in the last eight games with eight.
 
Following the Beacons: All three games this weekend will air on ESPN+. For links to live video and stats, visit ValpoAthletics.com. For in-game updates, follow @ValpoBaseball on X.
 
Head Coach Brian Schmack: Brian Schmack (210-367) is in his 12th season in charge of the program. He ranks third in program history in seasons coached and games coached as he coached his 500^th game on March 17, 2024 at Campbell. On April 19 vs. Missouri State, he became the third head coach in program history to secure his 200^th 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.
 
Ryan Returns: Senior outfielder Ryan Maka appeared as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning of Tuesday's game vs. Western Michigan, making his return to the diamond for his first action since March 28 at Evansville. Maka, the team's leading hitter and a former first-team all-conference selection, missed the previous 22 games with a hand injury.
 
Series Notes: Valpo is 21-22 all-time against Bradley with hopes of taking the lead or at least leveling the all-time series this weekend. Valpo is 5-1 against the Braves over the last two seasons and has an 11-9 record in the series since joining the Missouri Valley Conference.
 
In the Other Dugout – Bradley

• Head coach Elvis Dominguez has served in that capacity at Bradley since 2009.
• Had top four finishes in the league in six out of seven seasons from 2015-2022, but finished 10^th each of the last two years.
• Picked to finish ninth in this year's MVC preseason poll and currently sit in ninth place in the standings, one game behind Evansville for the final spot in the conference tournament with a head-to-head series between those two teams looming next weekend.
• Led offensively by Bobby Atkinson, who has a .338 batting average, seven home runs and 33 RBIs.
• Valpo assistant coach Adam Brian played at Bradley, finishing his career in 2023.

Lockwood Among League Leaders

• The biggest bright spot of the 2025 Valpo baseball season has been the right arm of Connor Lockwood, who ranks 10^th in the Missouri Valley Conference in earned run average at 5.31 and has pitched even better than his ERA would indicate due to a variety of factors outside of his control including games where the wind was howling out, poor defense where runs are still earned, etc.
• He leads the Missouri Valley Conference with 84 2/3 innings pitched, 15 innings ahead of Murray State's Isaac Silva, who is second in that category entering this weekend. Lockwood is in line to become the first Valpo player to lead the league in innings pitched since Jon Tieman in 2018.
• Lockwood enters the season's penultimate conference weekend tied for the league lead in strikeouts with 67. He is looking to become the second Valpo player in the last five years to lead the league in strikeouts, joining Colin Fields (110) in 2022.
• Lockwood is 10^th in the league in opposing batting average at .268.

Maka Pushing the Home Run List 

• Ryan Maka slugged a home run in both games of the Feb. 14 season-opening doubleheader at Samford and added his third of the season on March 15 at Illinois. He followed up with his fourth of the year on March 18 at Ball State.
• Maka moved his career home-run total to 20, moving to within one of cracking the program's all-time top 10.
• Maka has already matched his season home run total from a year ago.
• One more home runs would put Maka in a tie for 10^th in career program history, joining Dan Schrum (1999-2002), Jamie Sykes (1994-1997), Dale Polonus (1986-1988), Marc Boggio (1999-2003) and Sam Shaikin (2016-2019).

Notes Wrapping Up UIC (May 2-3): L 3-0, L 9-1, L 10-0 (F/7)

• The Beacon bats continued to go through a cold spell as they have been shutout in five of their last six conference games and scored two runs or fewer in eight straight. 
• On the positive side of the ledger, Valpo moundsmen continued to deal in Friday's series opener, as the Beacons limited the opposition to three runs or fewer for the third straight conference contest. 
• Friday starter Connor Lockwood went eight innings and scattered eight hits while walking just one and striking out five. He was charged with three runs (two earned). He has gone at least eight innings in four of his last five starts.
• Bright spots of Game 2 in the series and Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader included Alexander Morrison and Kolt Davis out of the bullpen, as they combined for 2 1/3 innings of relief and were charged with a combined no runs on one hit. Davis retired the side in order in his only frame.
• Kevin Denty led Valpo, totaling two of the team's six hits in the middle game of the series. Case Sullivan doubled for the team's only extra-base knock of the set.
• All three runs scored against the Valpo bullpen in Game 2 of the series were unearned.
• Relievers Hunter Frost and Adam Guazzo were bright spots as they combined for three shutout innings with Frost tossing two of them in Saturday's series finale.
• The Beacon bullpen did not issue any walks in four innings in Game 3 of the series. 
• Valpo was no-hit for the second straight Saturday, this time in the series finale. The Beacons have been involved in the last three no-hitters by Missouri Valley Conference pitchers as prior to Belmont's no-hitter last weekend there had not been a no-hitter by any MVC hurler since Valpo's Colin Fields on March 13, 2021 vs. Middle Tennessee.
• The Valpo defense totaled nine errors in the doubleheader and 13 in the three-game series against the Flames.

Notes Wrapping Up April 29: Western Michigan 6, Valpo 5

• Liam Patton had the first triple of his five-year collegiate career.
• Thomas Cooper lifted a grand slam, Valpo's first of the season. It came a day after the exact one-year anniversary of the team's last slam, which came off the bat of Carson Husmann on April 28, 2024 at UIC.
• Cooper's home run was the fourth of his collegiate career, all this season.
• Kevin Denty accounted for half of the team's six hits, his team-leading fifth three-hit game of the season and his 11^th multi-hit effort, also tops on the team.
• Valpo fell to 1-9 in one-run games this season, incurring the team's third straight loss decided by a single tally.

Notes Wrapping Up Belmont (April 25-27): L 10-0 (F/8), L 1-0, L 1-0

• Five of the six runs charged to Connor Lockwood in Friday's series opener were unearned, so he yielded just one earned run over his six innings.
• Valpo's defense was shaky in the series opener as Valpo committed multiple errors for the third straight game and three for the second straight contest. 
• Aidan Thaxton accounted for the team's only hit on Friday, extending his on-base streak to 19. That streak came to an end on Saturday.
• Friday was the first time an opposing team limited Valpo to a single hit since May 25, 2022 vs. Indiana State in the first round of the MVC Tournament. (The 2022 season both started and ended with Valpo being one-hit, opening day at Memphis and the MVC Tournament vs. Indiana State.)
• On Saturday, Harry Deliyannis' final line featured one run on five hits, no walks and two strikeouts as he registered his first complete game in a Valpo uniform and the third of his collegiate career.
• Deliyannis flipped Valpo's third complete game of the year, joining two by Lockwood.
• Saturday's game required just 1 hour, 52 minutes to play, Valpo's fastest game since April 5, 2024 at Illinois State (1 hour, 45 minutes; seven innings) and fastest nine-inning game since April 26, 2013, when a strong pitching performance by Chris DeBoo lifted Valpo over Wright State 5-1 in 1:50.
• Saturday was the first time Valpo was held hitless in a game in over 20 years.
• In Sunday's series finale, Spencer Boynton pitched shutout ball for the first time this season, outdoing his previous best start on Feb. 23 at Memphis, when he went five innings and allowed one run on two hits over five frames.
• Valpo had no runs on six hits in the three-game series with none of the six knocks going for extra bases.
• Ryan Kruse 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 Sunday.
• Valpo slipped to 1-8 in one-run games this season with seven of those eight losses coming in Valley play. Seven of the team's 15 conference defeats have come by a single run.
• Prior to Saturday, Valpo had not had a 1-0 game since March 7, 2020 at Georgia Southern, but the Beacons incurred back-to-back setbacks by that score. Since the start of the 2015 season, Valpo has had only three 1-0 losses, and two of them were the last two games.
• Four of Valpo's five hits in Sunday's finale came from the lower third of the order, led by Reinertson with two.

#SCTop10 Tag

• Redshirt freshman Aidan Thaxton made an acrobatic tag of an Illinois State baserunner in the April 6 series finale, a play that was featured on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays that evening.
• The Thaxton tag checked in at No. 3 on the popular daily countdown, giving Valpo baseball its first appearance since Alex Ryan's robbed grand slam on April 28 of last season at UIC.
• This marked the fifth time during the 2024-25 academic year that Valpo Athletics has been heralded on SportsCenter's Top 10. Thaxton joins Caron Tyler (football, leaping touchdown on Sept. 7 at Youngstown State), Gary Givens III (football, game-winning TD catch at 0:00 on Nov. 23 vs. Davidson), Devon Ellis (men's basketball, poster dunk on Nov. 30 vs. Northern Illinois) and Justus McNair (buzzer-beater on Dec. 20 at Western Michigan).

Denty Seals Wins with Bat, Glove

• Kevin Denty capped off two different Valpo victories in the same week, each in a very different manner.
• His sprawling catch on the right-field warning track preserved an 8-6 victory over Milwaukee on April 1.
• In the next Beacon win, he traded his glove for his bat in the game's biggest moment, ripping a walk-off single to right in the bottom of the 10^th to send off a celebration after a 3-2 win over Illinois State in the April 6 series finale.
• Denty gave Valpo its first walk-off win since Brady Renfro's game-ending home run to beat Missouri State 7-6 in 12 innings on April 19 of last season. Three of Valpo's last four home conference wins have come in walk-off fashion.
• The Denty knock capped Valpo's first win when trailing after eight innings since beating Belmont 10-9 on a "balk-off" on April 13 of last season.
• The Beacons were previously 0-12 when trailing after eight. This was also the team's first win when trailing after six as Valpo was previously 0-16 under those circumstances.
• The Denty walk-off marked the second straight Sunday where a Valpo game ended in that manner as the Beacons were on the wrong end the previous week at Evansville.

Snapping the Sycamore Streak

• Valpo'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.
• The Beacons picked up their first win over the Sycamores since 2007.
• The squad was previously 0-20 against Indiana State since joining the Missouri Valley Conference prior to the 2018 season.
• The victory came over an Indiana State team that went 44-15 (22-5 MVC) and won the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season crown last year. Valpo has wins over the defending MVC and Big Ten regular-season champions this year.
• This marked the first time Valpo opened conference play with a win since joining The Valley prior to the 2018 season. Valpo had lost seven straight league lid-lifters dating back to a March 18, 2016 Horizon League win over Northern Kentucky.

Beating B1G Foes

• Valpo picked up its second Big Ten win of the season on March 15 with a 13-10 win at Illinois.
• Valpo knocked off the defending Big Ten regular-season champions and an NCAA Regional team from last season. The Illini won 35 games last season and went 18-6 in Big Ten play.
• The Beacons beat the Illini for the second time in the last three head-to-head matchups after also winning in 2018.
• Valpo enjoyed a 10-7 series-opening win on March 7 at Ohio State, the program's second power-conference win in the last three seasons after beating Kansas 11-3 on Feb. 18, 2023.
• The win over the Buckeyes snapped a 10-game skid against power-conference competition.
• The Beacons earned their first Big Ten win since 2018, when they prevailed 11-7 at No. 25 Illinois.
• The win came against an Ohio State club that won 29 games last season.
• Since Brian Schmack took over as head coach, Valpo has wins over four different Big Ten opponents – Ohio State, Michigan State, Illinois and Purdue.

Early Opener

• This year marked the earliest Valpo has ever opened the home portion of the season.
• Valpo did not play a home game until March 19 in 2024 and March 28 in 2023 but started the home docket on Feb. 28 this season.
• That was Valpo's first nonconference home weekend series since hosting St. Bonaventure in March 2022 and just the third nonconference home weekend in Brian Schmack's 11 years as head coach. Valpo hosted Butler for a nonconference home weekend in 2019.

Inside the Schedule

• Valpo will once again face a competitive schedule, which started against a Samford program that won 36 games last season.
• Valpo hosted the earliest home games in program history against a Niagara team that went 38-17 overall and 20-4 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference en route to a league title and NCAA Regional appearance last year.
• After the early-season home weekend, Valpo went back on the road for 15 straight, starting with a set at Ohio State (March 7-9), a 29-win Big Ten Conference club in 2024. That trip continued with a visit to national baseball powerhouse Vanderbilt (March 11) of the Southeastern Conference, a 38-win NCAA Regional team last year against whom Valpo played a competitive, one-run game.
• The Beacons headed to Illinois (March 14-16) for the final nonconference weekend series. The Illini went 35-21 overall and 18-6 in Big Ten Conference play last season on their way to the NCAA Regional.
• Valpo began MVC play against instate foe Indiana State (March 21-23), the defending Valley regular-season champions and a team that won two NCAA Regional games as part of a 44-win season in 2024.
• The league docket featured a visit to Evansville, the defending MVC Tournament champion and a team that won 39 games including a regional title and made an NCAA Super Regional appearance last season.
• Valpo played 10 of its first 24 games against NCAA Regional teams from a year ago.

Pitching Profiles – Probable Starters

• #11 RHP Connor Lockwood, (R-Jr.), (Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville): 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... Finished his freshman season with an 0-5 record and 7.30 ERA in 2022, but did his best work late in the year, posting a 1.80 ERA over his last three regular-season starts... Started his 2023 season with a gem, earning the win thanks to a career-long seven innings and a career-high six strikeouts while allowing no runs on two hits and walking none in an 11-3 victory over Big 12 foe Kansas in Corpus Christi, Texas on Feb. 18, 2023... 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... Tossed five shutout innings and earned the win in a 3-2 victory in Game 1 of a doubleheader at The Citadel on March 8, 2024... 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, becoming the second Valpo pitcher since the team joined the MVC to become a multi-time winner of that award… 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… Allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits in seven innings, racking up a career-high 11 strikeouts against no walks on Feb. 22 at Memphis… Picked up his first victory of the season with 6 2/3 innings of five-run, seven-hit ball on March 7 at Ohio State, working walk-free baseball for the third time in four starts… Named the MVC Pitcher of the Week on March 24 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… Allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out four on March 28 at Evansville… Threw his second complete game of the season and the third of his career on April 4 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… Put together another strong start on April 11 at first-place Missouri State, receiving no decision after going eight innings and allowing four runs on six hits while walking two and striking out seven. He worked eight or more innings for the third time this season and struck out seven or more for the fourth time this year, surpassing his 2024 season team-leading strikeout total of 50… Received no decision, working 8 2/3 innings on April 17 vs. Murray State, striking out nine and pitching at least eight innings for the fourth time this season and third straight start… Yielded just one earned run (but six total runs) over six innings on April 25 at Belmont… Went eight innings and scattered eight hits while walking just one and striking out five on May 2 vs. UIC. He was charged with three runs (two earned). He went at least eight innings for the fourth time in his last five starts.
• #36 RHP Harry Deliyannis, Gr. (Bloomington, Ind. / Bloomington North) – Joined the program after pitching 218 2/3 innings in 43 games during his career at Division-III Pomona-Pitzer that spanned 2020-2024… Had a career ERA of 4.36 with 206 strikeouts against 71 walks… Hobbies include chess, PC, gaming and cello… Favorite musical group is My Chemical Romance… Picked up the victory with four innings of five-run, four-hit relief while striking out four and walking one in Game 2 of a doubleheader on Feb. 28 vs. Niagara. He retired the side in order in the fourth and fifth innings… Made his first start in a Valpo uniform on March 8 at Ohio State… Struck out seven and earned the win with a five-inning start on March 15 in Game 1 of a doubleheader at Illinois… Took a tough-luck loss on March 22 in Game 1 of a doubleheader at Indiana State, holding the Sycamores to two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out five in six innings… Pitched Valpo to victory on March 29 at Evansville by delivering his third straight outing with five or more strikeouts with a final line that featured eight innings while scattering nine hits, allowing four runs (two earned), striking out six and walking none. The eight innings marked a season long and that was his first walk-free performance of the year… Took the loss on April 5 vs. Illinois State… Took the defeat on April 12 at Missouri State… Absorbed the defeat on April 17 vs. Murray State… Pitched the third complete game of his collegiate career and his first in a Valpo uniform on April 26 at Belmont, allowing one run on five hits, no walks and two strikeouts in eight innings, a game where Valpo was no-hit and lost 1-0… Started and took the defeat in Game 1 of the May 3 doubleheader vs. UIC.
• #29 RHP Spencer Boynton, R-Jr. (Tampa, Fla. / Seffner Christian) – 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… Hobbies include golf, tennis, ping pong and video games… 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… Made his first Valpo start on Feb. 16, 2025 at Samford and took the defeat after allowing eight runs in 1 1/3 innings… 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…. Scattered eight hits and allowed three runs in five innings, taking the loss on March 9 at Ohio State… Pitched two innings and had no decision in his first MVC start on March 22 at Indiana State… Received no decision despite a quality outing, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits and three walks over six innings on March 30 at Evansville… Pitched four innings of two-run ball while allowing four hits and walking one on April 6 vs. Illinois State, receiving no decision in a game his team eventually won 3-2… Lasted 2/3 of an inning and received no decision on April 13 at Missouri State… Pitched well after a tough-luck first inning in which he allowed four runs, not allowing any damage over the next three frames before exiting after four in a setback vs. Murray State on April 19… Went five scoreless innings in his April 27 start at Belmont, receiving no decision in a game the team lost 1-0. He pitched shutout ball for the first time this season, marking his best start of the year… Started and took the defeat in Game 2 of the May 3 doubleheader vs. UIC.

Pitching Profiles – Bullpen Bits

• #1 Jack Thompson, R-Fr. (Rosemount, Minn. / Rosemount) – Redshirted as a freshman at Valpo in 2024… All-conference honoree for a team that was the Minnesota 4A state runner-up in high school… Hobbies include fishing, snowboarding and relaxing on the lake… Favorite TV show is Game of Thrones.
• #6 LHP Kaden Kiser, So. (Columbus, Ohio / Hamilton Township) – Played at Bryant & Stratton College in 2024, where he made nine appearances including five starts in his lone JUCO season… Is ambidextrous, writing with his right hand and playing sports with his left (except golf, which he does with his right)… Favorite MLB players are Chris Sale and Elly De La Cruz… Favorite MLB team is the Cincinnati Reds… Was the bright spot of the Valpo pitching staff on April 5 vs. Illinois State, working a scoreless ninth… Flipped a scoreless frame on April 12 at Missouri State… Worked a shutout inning of relief on April 15 at Notre Dame.
• #14 RHP Bennett Musser, So. (Round Lake, Ill. / Mundelein) – Made five relief appearances during his freshman season in 2024… Threw a one-hitter in high school in the state semifinal game… Hopes to become a professional poker player… Favorite TV show is Tom and Jerry.
• #16 RHP Josh Cottrill, R-Jr. (Pewaukee, Wis. / Pewaukee) - Redshirted in 2021 during his first season on campus, then logged 8 2/3 innings in seven games out of the bullpen in 2022… Two-time all-conference performer in high school… Set his school's record for highest batting average by a freshman at .531 in 2017… Hobbies include Guitar Hero... Can juggle... Loves to travel… Posted a 5.63 ERA while making 14 appearances including one start in 2023... Made his first collegiate start and logged four innings on May 19, 2023 vs. Illinois State... Matched the longest outing of his career and earned his second collegiate win in his Feb. 17 season debut in Game 1 of a doubleheader at Alabama State. He allowed just one run on four hits in six innings while walking two and striking out seven… Posted a 3.75 ERA while striking out 12 and walking four in 12 innings over three starts in 2024 – at Alabama State, at Alabama and at Elon – before going down with an injury… Made his first appearance back from Tommy John surgery on March 11, starting at No. 16 Vanderbilt… Pitched in relief on March 15 at Illinois and worked two scoreless innings on March 22 at Indiana State… Pitched three solid innings of relief on April 12 at Missouri State, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits while walking two and striking out three… Worked 1 2/3 innings and did not allow a run on April 22 vs. Northern Illinois.
• #17 LHP Lucas Foley, Fr. (Deer Park, Ill. / Lake Zurich) – 2023 IHSBCA 4A First Team All-State and PBR Third Team All-State... Conference Pitcher of the Year as a senior in high school in 2023... Enjoys water and snow skiing... Has broken his collarbone four times... Favorite musical group is Cold Play... Went seven innings and allowed just one run on five hits while walking none and striking out 11 on Feb. 17, 2024 at Alabama State, getting the start in the second game of a doubleheader and making his collegiate debut. He was one of two freshmen in the country with 11 or more strikeouts in a game over the opening weekend of the season... Allowed one run on five hits and one walk in four innings of a start on March 3, 2024 vs. Binghamton, receiving no decision... Moved to the bullpen and tossed two scoreless innings on March 22, 2024 at Southern Illinois... Struck out the side in his first inning of work and racked up six strikeouts in just 2 2/3 frames of relief on March 26, 2024 at No. 7 Vanderbilt. He was charged with one unearned run on three hits and one walk... Worked three shutout innings while striking out four, issuing no walks and permitting two hits to help Valpo beat Bradley on March 31, 2024… Made his first 2025 start on Feb. 14 at Samford and took the loss after allowing eight runs (seven earned) on six hits and three walks in two innings… Started and went five innings while allowing three runs on seven hits to earn his first win of the season on April 1 vs. Milwaukee… Struck out nine and impressively worked out of an inherited jam to begin a strong four-inning relief stint on April 22 vs. Northern Illinois, yielding three hits and no walks… Was not charged with any runs in 1 2/3 innings while allowing one hit and walking none on May 6 vs. Western Michigan.
• #20 RHP Hunter Frost, Jr. (Farmington, Minn. / Farmington) – Went 4-2 with a 4.50 ERA while appearing in 14 games and making 11 starts for Iowa Central Community College in 2024… 2021 4A Minnesota state champion and 2022 4A Minnesota state runner-up…. Also competed in wrestling in high school… Majoring in elementary education… Favorite pro baseball team is the Minnesota Twins… Favorite food is steak stir fry… Did not allow a run in 1 2/3 innings of relief on April 29 at Western Michigan… Pitched two shutout innings in the second game of a May 3 doubleheader vs. UIC.
• #24 Adam Guazzo, R-Fr. (Huntley, Ill. / Huntley) – 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... Made his first collegiate appearance and start by pitching four innings on Feb. 18, 2024 at Alabama State, allowing three runs (one earned)... Made his second start of the season on March 8, 2024 in Game 2 of a doubleheader at The Citadel, logging six innings of two-run (one earned), two-hit ball while striking out six and walking none in a game that Valpo won in extra innings... Started and worked four solid innings, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out five on April 30, 2024 at Western Michigan... Nailed down his first collegiate save with 1 2/3 scoreless inning on Feb. 23 at Memphis… Tossed a shutout frame on March 7 at Ohio State to earn his second save… Allowed one run on one hit over two frames of relief on March 15 at Illinois… Entered the March 25 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… 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… Worked two scoreless innings on April 19 vs. Murray State… Did not allow a hit or a run in his inning of relief on May 3 in the second game of a doubleheader vs. UIC.
• #26 RHP Ryan Kruse, R-So. (Detroit, Mich. / U of D Jesuit) – In his second season in the program after redshirting at Northern Kentucky in 2023… Made two appearances – both against nationally-ranked competition – and was not charged with any earned runs in 2024… Enjoys golfing, swimming, snowboarding, working out and tennis… Favorite movie is The Dark Knight… Worked a scoreless inning in the series finale at Samford on Feb. 16, 2025, his first action of the season… Did not allow a run in an inning of work on March 9 at Ohio State… Pitched two scoreless, hitless innings to finish out Valpo's victory at Indiana State on March 21, helping the Beacons snap a 25-game head-to-head losing streak… Nailed down his first collegiate save on April 1 vs. Milwaukee with a 1-2-3 ninth… 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… Tossed two scoreless innings on April 19 vs. Murray State… 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 at Belmont… Pitched scoreless ball for the third straight outing and fifth time in his last six games with a shutout inning on May 2 vs. UIC.
• #27 RHP Kolt Davis, Gr. (Johnson, Neb. / Johnson-Brock) – Played at Wayne State from 2021-2024, where he was a three-time all-conference honoree… Made 31 career appearances and had a 4-2 record while starting twice and nailing down two saves… Favorite MLB team is the New York Yankees and player is Derek Jeter… Hopes to become a human trafficking investigator… Pitched a scoreless sixth inning on March 25 at Purdue… Worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief on April 18 vs. Murray State, serving as a bright spot in that game out of the Valpo bullpen… Logged a 1-2-3 inning in his lone frame in Game 1 of a May 3 doubleheader vs. UIC.
• #31 RHP Joe Seiber, R-Jr. (Homer Glen, Ill. / Lockport) - Third team junior college All-American at Collee of DuPage… Favorite MLB team is the Chicago White Sox… Favorite movie is Billy Madison… Joined the program prior to the 2024 season as a junior college transfer… Earned his first Valpo save with two shutout innings of one-hit ball while allowing no walks to close out a 3-2 win at The Citadel in Game 1 of a doubleheader on March 8, 2024. Tossed three shutout innings while allowing one hit and walking none on March 29, 2024 vs. Bradley... Tossed two scoreless innings of relief on April 9, 2024 at Milwaukee... Earned the victory in relief on April 19, 2024 vs. Missouri State... Flipped two shutout innings on April 30, 2024 at Western Michigan... Pitched two shutout innings on May 14, 2024 at Northwestern… Is the primary returning reliever from 2024 back in 2025… Was charged with no runs on two hits and no walks in two innings of work in the March 14 series opener at Illinois… Made his first Valpo start on March 25 vs. Ball State and allowed two runs on two hits and no walks in two innings… Started on March 25 at Purdue and allowed one run on two hits and one walk in two innings… 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… 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.
• #32 RHP Nick Baffa, Fr. (Glenview, Ill. / Notre Dame College Prep): Made his collegiate debut with a scoreless inning on Feb. 22 at Memphis… Also hurled a shutout frame in his second outing on March 8 at Ohio State… Loves to take naps almost every day… Favorite TV show is SpongeBob SquarePants… Played for Athletic Barn Baseball, Future Games and WWBA Jupiter Florida Chicago Scouts Association… Entered the March 25 game at Purdue with two on and nobody out in the seventh and worked out of the jam, ending the inning with consecutive strikeouts… Worked two shutout innings in Valpo's April 1 victory over Milwaukee… Made his first collegiate start on April 15 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… Started and allowed one unearned run on three hits while walking none and striking out three over three innings on April 22 vs. Northern Illinois… Started and went 2 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on three hits and four walks on April 29 at Western Michigan… Started and allowed only one run on three hits in 3 1/3 innings on May 6 vs. Western Michigan.
• #35 RHP Bryce Richter, Gr. (Minneapolis, Minn. / Holy Family Catholic) – Joined Valpo's program for the 2025 season after playing four years at North Alabama, where he graduated magna cum laude and was on the dean's list all four years… Appeared in 20 games out of the bullpen during his four-year career at North Alabama… Threw a no-hitter as a sophomore in high school… Also played four years of soccer and holds the school record for shutouts by a goalkeeper with 19… Pursuing an MBA at Valpo… Favorite food is ground bison and rice with a little Chick-Fil-A sauce.
• #37 Alexander Morrison, Jr. (Pasadena, Calif. / Canyon) – Spent two years at Los Angeles Mission College before arriving at Valpo… Hobbies include fishing and going to the beach… Grew up in Bonney Lake, Wash. riding BMX and snowboarding… Allowed one run and no earned runs while logging an inning of relief in his Valpo debut on Feb. 16, 2025 at Samford… Pitched the final 1 1/3 innings out of the Valpo bullpen, retiring all four men he faced on March 28 at Evansville… Fired 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief on May 3 vs. UIC.
• #41 Deuce Musial, R-Fr. (De Pere, Wis. / Notre Dame Academy) – Redshirted while at Arkansas State in 2024… Awarded a top-1000 national ranking by Perfect Game in high school and led his team to back-to-back regional titles… Is the great-great-great nephew of National Baseball Hall of Famer Stan "The Man" Musial, a 24-time National League All-Star, seven-time NL batting champion, three-time MVP and one of the greatest players in St. Louis Cardinals history (1941-1944, 1946-1963).

 
Position Player Profiles – Projected Lineup (based on recent games) 

• #2 Aidan Thaxton, 2B, R-Fr. (Chicago, Ill. / St. Ignatius College Prep) – Did not see action last season, retaining four years of eligibility… Part of Elite Baseball training academy (2020-2023)… Won a regional and sectional championship as a junior in high school and another regional crown as a senior… Two-time All-Conference honoree in Chicago Catholic League in high school… Enjoyed his first collegiate multi-hit game on March 7 at Ohio State… Hit his first collegiate home run in the first game of a March 15 doubleheader at Illinois… Had two hits on March 25 at Purdue… Had his first career triple on March 28 at Evansville… Checked in at No. 3 on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays for his acrobatic tag of an Illinois State baserunner on April 6… Reached base in each game of the series vs. Illinois State (April 4-6), extending his on-base streak to 10… Moved to the leadoff spot in the lineup for the first time in his collegiate career on April 5 vs. Illinois State… Hit a game-tying, ninth-inning home run with Valpo down to its final strike on April 11 at Missouri State… Reached base four times with two hits and two HBP on April 22 vs. Northern Illinois… Had the team's only hit on April 25 at Belmont, extending his on-base streak to 19, but that streak was snapped the next day.
• #5 Kevin Denty, RF, So. (Tinley Park, Ill. / Marian Catholic) – Played in 29 games and made 27 starts as a freshman in 2024, ranking fourth on the team in batting average at .278… Hit .300 in 10 league games including eight starts in 2024… Had a season-high four hits including two home runs on March 1, 2024 at Elon… Eats Chipotle three times per week… Favorite MLB team is the Chicago White Sox… Hit his first home run of the season and the fourth of his collegiate career on March 14 at Illinois and was a triple shy of the cycle in that game… Tied a season high with three hits including two doubles on March 30 at Evansville… Made a sprawling catch on the right-field warning track to clinch an 8-6 win over Milwaukee on April 1… Delivered a walk-off hit to secure a 3-2, 10-inning victory over Illinois State on April 6… Reached base in all four plate appearances on April 12 at Missouri State… Had his fourth three-hit game of the season on April 19 vs. Murray State… Collected three of the team's six hits on April 29 at Western Michigan.
• #33 Liam Patton, C, Gr. (Barrington, Ill. / Warsaw) – Spent his first three seasons at Wabash College, where he hit .384 with six home runs, 50 RBIs and a .582 slugging percentage in 2023... Had a go-ahead, two-run single with two outs in the ninth inning on March 5, 2024 vs. Jacksonville, a game Valpo eventually dropped 6-5 on a walk-off in the bottom of the ninth... Came up clutch again in the second game of a doubleheader on March 8, 2024 at The Citadel, when his bases-clearing double in the top of the 10^th spurred a 10-5 victory... Hit his first Valpo home run on April 19, 2024 vs. Missouri State… Totaled 28 appearances and 26 starts in 2024… Doubled in Game 2 of a season-opening doubleheader on Feb. 14, 2025 at Samford, part of a two-hit output… Had four RBIs in the March 7 series opener at Ohio State, making it seven RBIs in a two-game span after recording three in the final game against Niagara the previous weekend… Homered in each of the first two games of the series at Illinois on March 14 and 15… Saw his 18-game on-base streak come to an end on April 4 vs. Illinois State… Had consecutive multi-hit games on April 17 and 18 vs. Murray State.
• #9 Connor Giusti, 1B, Gr. (Hoffman Estates, Ill. / Fremd) – Played in 117 games over four seasons at Wisconsin Oshkosh before transferring to Valpo for the 2024 campaign... Named to the all-defensive team and all-conference honorable mention at Oshkosh... Big Chicago Bears fan and loves football... Hit his 11^th collegiate home run and first at Valpo on Opening Night on Feb. 16, 2024 at Alabama State... Homered in consecutive games – April 28, 2024 at UIC and April 30, 2024 at Western Michigan... Had a dramatic, game-tying, three-run homer with two outs in the top of the ninth on May 10, 2024 at Murray State, completing a six-run rally to force extras... Hit his fifth home run in a nine-game span on May 14, 2024 at Northwestern…. Finished the 2024 season with a .252 average and seven dingers while appearing in 46 games and making 44 starts… Hit his first home run of the season as part of back-to-back jacks with Austin Amburgey on March 8 at Ohio State… Hit his second home run of the season and the ninth of his career in the first game of a doubleheader on March 15 at Illinois… Drilled a home run on March 25 at Purdue… Homered twice in the weekend series at Evansville, leaving the yard in the Friday game on March 28 and the finale on March 30, his third homer in a four-game span… Homered in consecutive games at Missouri State on April 12 and April 13, lifting his season total to seven… Reached base four times on April 15 at Notre Dame, doing so via three walks and a hit by pitch.
• #12 Thomas Cooper, 3B, R-So. (Brentwood, Tenn. / Ravenwood) – Appeared in 15 games and made eight starts in 2023 before redshirting in 2024… Was a state runner-up in football in high school… Has a Lego collection… Favorite food is ice cream… Favorite MLB team is the Atlanta Braves… 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… Hit his first career home run in Game 2 of a Feb. 22 doubleheader at Memphis… Missed seven games with an injury before returning to action on March 18 at Ball State and hitting a home run… Popped his first home run since returning from the injury on April 22 vs. Northern Illinois… Hit a grand slam on April 29 at Western Michigan, the team's first of the season… Had two hits on May 6 vs. Western Michigan.
• #25/28 Patrick Ilitch, LF, R-Jr. (Detroit, Mich. / University Liggett) – Did not see game action in 2022… On April 28, 2023 at Missouri State, was inserted into the starting lineup less than an hour before game time due to an injury-related scratch and had just two career at-bats prior to the game. He delivered by smacking his first career home run, leveling the score at three in the bottom of the ninth after his team trailed 3-0 with two outs and nobody on base earlier in the inning… Appeared in four games and made one start in 2024… Part of the Ilitch family that owns the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings and Little Caesars Pizza… Had two doubles on March 29, 2025 at Evansville… Hit his second home run of the season and the third of his career on April 4 vs. Illinois State… Had Valpo's first multi-homer game of the season with two long balls on April 13 at Missouri State… Pushed his hitting streak to 11 and had an extra-base hit in all three games of the April 17-19 series vs. Murray State including a pair of home runs… Extended his hitting streak to 12 games on April 22 vs. Northern Illinois.
• #34 Case Sullivan, SS, R-Fr. (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) – 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… Is a triplet with his two siblings, Colin and Lily… Lily plays softball at the University of Akron and Colin is an engineering student at Purdue… Favorite pro baseball team is the Boston Red Sox and player is Mookie Betts… Had four hits on his first day in a Valpo uniform on Feb. 14 at Samford, going 3-for-3 with a walk in Game 2 of the season-opening doubleheader… Homered in the first game of the series at Memphis on Feb. 22, the first of his collegiate career… Played solid shortstop in addition to going 3-for-5 with two doubles on Feb. 23 at Memphis… Walked four times and scored three runs on Feb. 28 in Game 2 of a doubleheader vs. Niagara. He became the first Beacon with four walks in a game since Kyle Schmack on April 30, 2023 at Missouri State… Hit his second home run of the season on March 29 at Evansville… Hit a game-tying RBI double in the top of the ninth on March 30 at Evansville… Cracked his third home run of the season on April 13 at Missouri State… Reached base five times with a double, homer and three walks on April 17 vs. Murray State… Homered on his birthday on April 22 vs. Northern Illinois.
• #4 Spencer Warfield, CF, R-Jr. (Fullerton, Calif. / Servite) – Played in five games in 2024 before being shut down for the season with an injury… Appeared in 21 games and made 15 starts in 2023 after seeing action in 18 games and making 13 starts as a rookie in 2022… Favorite pro baseball team is the Los Angeles Angels and MLB Player is Mike Trout… Favorite food is cheeseburgers… Enjoyed a multi-hit game and reached base three times with a single, double and walk on Feb. 23 at Memphis… Had the tough half of the cycle in Game 2 of the Feb. 28 doubleheader vs. Niagara, recording his first career triple and third career home run. He had three hits and reached base six times in the doubleheader… Tripled on March 28 at Evansville, his second of the season… Had two of the team's four hits, ripping a double and home run while driving in three, in an April 1 victory over Milwaukee… Homered on April 17 vs. Murray State.
• #19 Kade Reinertson, C, R-Sr. (Huxley, Iowa / Ballard Community) – Plreayed in 18 games before suffering a season-ending injury in 2023 after playing in 22 games and making 17 starts in 2022... Did not see game action as a rookie in 2021... Named second team all-state in high school in 2019... Also played football and basketball in high school... Kicks with his left foot but does everything else right-handed... Enjoys golfing and disc golfing… Played in 30 games and made 25 starts in 2024… Drilled his third career home run and first of the season on Feb. 22, 2025 in Game 2 of a doubleheader at Memphis… Hit his fourth career home run on March 29 at Evansville… Reached base three times including twice being hit a pitch on March 30 at Evansville… Had a pair of hits on April 12 at Missouri State, his third multi-hit game of the season… Recorded two hits on April 27 at Belmont, the only multi-hit game by a Beacon in that series.

Inside the Assistants: Adam Brian is back for a second season on staff, while Brady Nowicki and Kyle Schmack have joined the coaching staff after playing for the Beacons last season. 

• Adam Brian is in his second 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 30^th round of the 1986 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Montreal Expos.
• Brady Nowicki has joined the coaching staff after playing for the team each of the last three seasons. He will coach the squad's hitters and infielders.  
• Kyle Schmack played for Valpo each of the last five seasons. The son of head coach Brian Schmack, Kyle will coach first base and assist Nowicki in coaching the team's hitters.