Next Up in Valpo Baseball: Opening week is upon us for the Valparaiso University baseball team as the squad's 2026 campaign gets underway with a four-game weekend series at Gardner-Webb beginning on Friday in North Carolina. This marks the start of head coach Brian Schmack's 13^th season in charge of the program.
 
Last Time Out: The 2025 season ended on a high note as Valpo won each of its final two games, winning a Missouri Valley Conference series from Southern Illinois to close out the campaign. A 13-11 series opener that Valpo dropped on Thursday, May 15 looked like a pitchers' duel compared to Friday's 24-14, eight-inning win for the Beacons. Valpo captured the rubber match 8-5 on the season's final day.  
 
Following the Beacons: The series opener on Friday is slated to be streamed on ESPN+. The remaining three games in the series will not be streamed. For links to live video and stats, visit ValpoAthletics.com. For in-game updates, follow @ValpoBaseball on X.
 
Head Coach Brian Schmack: Brian Schmack (212-371) 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 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.
 
Series Notes: Valpo and Gardner-Webb have gotten together on eight previous occasions, with Valpo owning three wins in the series. The Beacons took the most recent matchup 5-2 on March 12, 2024, a midweek game as part of an extended trip to the Carolinas. Valpo played a three-game series against the Bulldogs in 2015, a single game in 2012 and a three-game series in 2010. Most of the matchups in the series have been tight, with three games decided by two runs or fewer and six marking the largest margin of victory between the two teams.
 
In the Other Dugout – Gardner-Webb

• Picked to finish eighth of nine in the Big South Preseason Poll.
• Went 17-36 overall and 6-18 in league play last season.
• Under the direction of seventh-year head coach Jim Chester.
• Have a pair of MVC teams on the schedule this season as they will also host Bradley in May.

Approaching 200: Valpo starting pitcher Connor Lockwood enters the 2026 season with 192 career strikeouts. He needs eight to hit the 200 milestone.
 
MVC Preseason Watch List

• Rather than preseason all-conference teams, the Missouri Valley Conference released a Preseason Watch List prior to the 2026 campaign.
• Valpo players to watch include redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Spencer Boynton, redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Adam Guazzo, redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Connor Lockwood, redshirt senior catcher Eli Riley and redshirt sophomore infielder Case Sullivan.
• The 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.

The Roster Rundown

• Valpo has 18 newcomers joining forces with 15 returning players for the 2026 season.
• The top six pitchers from last season in terms of earned run average are back for 2026.
• On 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 – redshirt junior Thomas Cooper, senior Austin Amburgey and redshirt sophomore Case Sullivan.
• This year's roster features 10 freshmen, six sophomores, five juniors and 12 seniors.
• Illinois (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.
• There are 16 pitchers and 18 position players (including one two-way player counted in both groups) on this year's roster.

Looking Back at 2025

• The 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
• Valpo had two wins over Big Ten Conference opponents, beating Ohio State 10-7 on March 7 and Illinois 13-10 on March 15.
• The 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.
• The 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.
• The 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.
• The 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.
• The 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.

2025 Awards & Honors

• All-MVC Honorable Mention – Connor Lockwood
• MVC Scholar-Athlete Second Team – Patrick Ilitch
• College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team – Spencer Warfield & Ryan Kruse
• SportsCenter Top 10 Plays – Connor Giusti 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 at No. 3 for an impressive tag on April 6 vs. Illinois State.
• Weekly Awards – Case Sullivan Brooks Wallace National Shortstop of the Week (May 20), Connor Lockwood MVC Pitcher of the Week (March 24)
• Ryan Maka finished his career with 21 home runs, tied for the 10^th most in program history.
• Connor Lockwood led the Missouri Valley Conference in strikeouts (80) and innings pitched (95 2/3).
• Dean's Award (Graduate College) & MVC State Farm Good Neighbor Award – Kade Reinertson
• Male Perseverance Award (ARC Awards) – Connor Lockwood

Pitching Profiles – Probable Starters

• #29 RHP Spencer Boynton, R-Sr. (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… 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…. 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.
• #11 RHP Connor Lockwood, (R-Sr.), (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... 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… 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… 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… 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… 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… Had the team's highest innings total since 2019 and highest strikeout total since 2022… Named 2025 All-MVC Honorable Mention.
• #27 RHP Dylan Swinehart, R-Sr. (Elkhart, Ind. / Concord) – Previously played at Indiana Tech (2022) and Taylor (2023-2025)… 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… Favorite MLB player is Randy Johnson.
• #32 RHP Nick Baffa, So. (Glenview, Ill. / Notre Dame College Prep) – Made 14 appearances including five starts while striking out 23 and walking 17 in 26 innings as a freshman in 2025… 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… Made his collegiate debut with a scoreless inning on Feb. 22, 2025 at Memphis… Also hurled a shutout frame in his second outing on March 8, 2025 at Ohio State… 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… Worked two shutout innings in Valpo's April 1, 2025 victory over Milwaukee… 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… 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.

Pitching Profiles – Bullpen Bits

• #2 RHP Cayden Ray, Fr. (Owensboro, Ky. / Owensboro) – Three-year all-region and three-time all-district choice in high school… Also played three years of football… 2025 District Player of the Year.
• #5 RHP Seth Pitcock, Fr. (Crown Point, Ind. / Boone Grove) – Local product who was a conference MVP and District Player of the Year for Boone Grove as a senior in 2025, helping his team to a state championship.
• #10 LHP Christian Hack, R-Sr. (Oak Forest, Ill. / Tinley Park) – In his fourth year in Valpo's program in 2026… Missed most of the 2025 season with an injury… Has logged 27 innings over 24 games in his first four collegiate seasons… 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.
• #16 RHP Justin Bultemeier, R-Sr. (Decatur, Ind. / Adams Central) – Finished 13^th nationally in NJCAA DII in ERA while pitching at Ivy Tech CC… Spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons at IU Kokomo… Was a Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League All-Star… Graduated with a bachelor's in health and exercise science and is pursuing his graduate public health certificate at Valpo.
• #17 LHP Luke Albrecht, Fr. (Brownsburg, Ind. / Brownsburg) – Won a regional championship as a high school sophomore… Favorite TV show is Impractical Jokers.
• #18 RHP Joey Kafka, Fr. (Mundelein, Ill. / Mundelein) – Two-time all-conference and all-area choice in high school… Favorite MLB team is the Cubs and player is Shota Imanaga… Hobbies include fly fishing, camping and music.
• #20 RHP Hunter Frost, Sr. (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, 2025 at Western Michigan… Pitched two shutout innings in the second game of a May 3, 2025 doubleheader vs. UIC… Fired a season-high 2 2/3 innings and did not allow a run on May 10, 2025 vs. Bradley.
• #22 LHP Colton Rerick, Fr. (South Bend, Ind.) – First team all-conference honoree as a senior in high school… Is ambidextrous… Favorite food is crab… Enjoys golfing and going to the lake.
• #24 Adam Guazzo, R-So. (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… Pitched in 15 games and made nine starts in 2024 before making 17 appearances, all in relief, in 2025… Nailed down his first collegiate save with 1 2/3 scoreless inning on Feb. 23 at Memphis… Tossed a shutout frame on March 7, 2025 at Ohio State to earn his second save… Allowed one run on one hit over two frames of relief on March 15, 2025 at Illinois… 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… 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… Worked two scoreless innings on April 19, 2025 vs. Murray State… 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.
• #26 RHP Ryan Kruse, R-Jr. (Detroit, Mich. / U of D Jesuit) – In his third season in the program after redshirting at Northern Kentucky in 2023… Enjoys golfing, swimming, snowboarding, working out and tennis… Favorite movie is The Dark Knight… Made 21 relief appearances in 2025, including nine where he heaved scoreless ball… 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, 2025 at Ohio State… 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… Nailed down his first collegiate save on April 1, 2025 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, 2025… Tossed two scoreless innings on April 19, 2025 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, 2025 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, 2025 vs. UIC.
• ­­­#31 RHP Joe Seiber, R-Sr. (Homer Glen, Ill. / Lockport) – Third team junior college All-American at College 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… Worked in 33 games and totaled 48 1/3 innings over his first two seasons at Valpo in 2024 and 2025… 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… 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… 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… 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.
• #33 RHP Dylan Immel, R-Sr. (Brownsville, Wis.) – Started his collegiate career with two junior college years and was an All-American at Century College… Pitched in 27 games and made 10 starts over two seasons at Sioux Falls… Favorite pro baseball team is the Milwaukee Brewers.

Position Player Profiles – Projected Starters (Not in Batting Order)

• #12 Thomas Cooper, 3B, R-Jr. (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, 2025 doubleheader at Memphis… Missed seven games with an injury before returning to action on March 18, 2025 at Ball State… Hit a grand slam on April 29, 2025 at Western Michigan, the team's first of the season… Had two hits on May 6 vs. Western Michigan.
• #34 Case Sullivan, SS, R-So. (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, 2025 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, 2025, the first of his collegiate career… Played solid shortstop in addition to going 3-for-5 with two doubles on Feb. 23, 2025 at Memphis… Reached base five times with a double, homer and three walks on April 17, 2025 vs. Murray State… Homered on his birthday on April 22, 2025 vs. Northern Illinois… 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… Homered in each of the final two games of the 2025 season, helping Valpo to wins over SIU on May 16 and 17… 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… Batted .257 while starting all 50 games in his first year at Valpo.
• #1 Cole Lockwood, 2B, Fr. (Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville) – Younger brother of Valpo RHP Connor Lockwood… Set program records for single-season stolen bases (38), career stolen bases (77) and career hit by pitch (25) in high school… Does everything right-handed except golfing and hitting… Favorite music artist is Morgan Wallen.
• #9 Cal Schembra, 1B, Fr. (Greenwood, Ill. / Center Grove) – Hit .340 with four home runs as a high school senior… Hit a walk-off double to win the 2025 sectional title… Has six siblings… Is ambidextrous and does everything right-handed other than baseball.
• #6 Eli Riley, C, R-Sr. – 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… 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… Favorite musical group is All-American Rejects… Graduated from Saint Francis with a degree in management in 2025 and is pursuing an MBA at Valpo.
• #42 Brayden Pleau, LF, Jr. (Appleton, Wis. / Kimberly) – Played two junior college seasons at Bryant & Stratton, where he set the program single-season and career records for hits… Favorite movie is The Sandlot.
• CF/RF – TBD

Inside the Assistants

• Adam Brian 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 30^th round of the 1986 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Montreal Expos.
• Chase Hetzel 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.
• Brady Nowicki 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.
• Cole Pletcher is in his first season as a volunteer assistant coach at Valpo after playing at King University.