Five members of the Valparaiso University baseball program were tabbed Players to Watch by the Missouri Valley Conference as the league released its preseason information on Thursday.
 
Redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Spencer Boynton (Tampa, Fla. / Seffner Christian), redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Adam Guazzo (Huntley, Ill. / Huntley), redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Connor Lockwood (Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville), redshirt senior catcher Eli Riley (Zanesville, Ind. / Norwell) and redshirt sophomore infielder Case Sullivan (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) all earned the preseason recognition.
 
Boynton made 13 appearances, all as part of the team's weekend rotation, and struck out 32 batters in 2025. Guazzo made 17 relief appearances, logging 22 1/3 innings while recording 20 strikeouts and a 4.43 ERA. Lockwood led the Missouri Valley Conference in strikeouts (80) and innings pitched (95 2/3) last season en route to All-MVC Honorable Mention status.
 
Riley, the only Valpo newcomer featured, played in 192 games over four seasons at Saint Francis [Ind.]), totaling 22 home runs, 100 RBIs and 148 hits while posting a career .289 batting average. Sullivan finished his first season with the Beacons on a high note, closing the 2025 campaign by earning the Brooks Wallace Award National Shortstop of the Week for the final week of the season, during which he hit .500, reached at a .526 clip and slugged 1.125, helping Valpo to wins over Southern Illinois. He batted .257 for the season while starting all 50 games.
 
The Beacons begin the 2026 season on Friday, Feb. 13 at Gardner-Webb.