Valpo (4-0, 0-0 MVC)
at Skyhawk Invitational (Martin, Tenn.)
Feb. 13 - at UT Martin (3-2) - 9:30 a.m. | vs. Saint Louis (2-3) - noon
Feb. 14 - vs. Saint Louis - 9:30 a.m.

Next Up in Valpo Softball: After going undefeated on opening weekend of the 2026 season, the Valpo softball team continues early-season action this weekend at UT Martin's Skyhawk Invitational. The Beacons will play the host Skyhawks once and Saint Louis twice over two days.

Previously: It was a perfect start to the campaign last weekend for the Beacons at the DePaul Dome Tournament, as Valpo earned wins in all four of its games, beating Green Bay twice and Detroit Mercy and Oakland once apiece.

Looking Ahead: Vegas, baby, Vegas. The Beacons head out to Las Vegas next week for the UNLV Rebel Classic.

Following Valpo Softball: Every game of this weekend's tournament will have live stats available via ValpoAthletics.com. Most 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 (24-30 [.444] at Valpo, 2nd season; 93-97 [.489]
overall, 5th season): Mike Armitage is in his second season as head coach of the Valpo softball program after being hired as head coach on June 6, 2024. In his first year at Valpo, Armitage guided the Beacons to 20 wins - the program's winningest season since 2018 and an 11-win improvement over the previous season. Valpo posted a six-win improvement within MVC play, finishing with its highest total of Valley wins, its most MVC series wins and its best Valley regular season finish since 2018 as well. Prior to Valpo, Armitage spent three seasons as head coach at Minnesota State Moorhead, 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 Records: Saint Louis - Valpo owns a slim 5-4 edge in the all-time series against the Billikens, a series which dates back to 1984. The most recent meeting saw SLU earn an 11-0 victory at the Dome in Rosemont Feb. 9, 2023. Valpo's last win in the series came back in 1997, with only two matchups since then.

UT Martin - The Skyhawks own the 4-1 advantage in the series and won the most recent meetings at Chattanooga's Frost Classic Feb. 23, 2024, 11-2.

Wicked Weather: It wouldn't be outdoor spring sports season before weather-related changes, as before even playing their first outdoor game of the campaign, the Beacons have had schedule adjustments this weekend. After originally being scheduled to play five games over three days, Valpo's schedule has been truncated to three games over two days.

A Perfect Start: Valpo swept its four games on opening weekend at the DePaul Dome Tournament, starting 4-0 for the fifth time in program history and just the second time against all D-I opponents. The 2017 squad started 5-0 for the best start by a Valpo team, while the 1986, 2000 and 2002 teams all faced at least two non D-I opponents en route to a 4-0 start.

Plating Runs: The Beacons scored 33 runs over their four wins on opening weekend, plating at least six runs in each game. Valpo scored 11 times in the season-opening win over Detroit Mercy and 10 runs in the Saturday win versus Green Bay, the program's first time scoring double-digit runs in consecutive games since 2020, when it plated 11 against Bethune-Cookman Feb. 29 and turned around to score 12 versus Stetson March 1.

Walk This Way: A big reason for Valpo's offensive success on opening weekend was its collective discerning eye at the plate. The Beacons drew nine free passes in each of their first three games of the weekend before taking 10 walks in the win over Oakland, tied for fifth-most in a single game in program history. It marks the first time in program history Valpo has earned at least nine walks in four consecutive games. Mack Gallagher and Grace Hollopeter led the way with seven walks each, while Kim Rodas drew five walks.

Big Innings: The Beacons utilized big innings in each of their first three wins of the season on their way to victory, highlighted by their nine-run second inning against Detroit Mercy - a frame which consisted by five singles, five walks and one hit batter. The nine-run inning was the program's largest single-inning output since scoring 12 in the third inning versus Seton Hall Feb. 8, 2014. Valpo then plated five runs in the second inning of its Saturday win over Green Bay before turning around Sunday and scoring six in the fifth inning against the Phoenix.

Walk It Off: After three big wins to start the season, Valpo faced adversity for the first time in its final game of opening weekend against Oakland, but successfully navigated an early four-run deficit, scoring three in the fourth and two in the fifth to take the lead. The Golden Grizzlies tied the game with a run in the top of the seventh before Mack Gallagher's RBI single scored Sophia Leitzen to walk off with a 6-5 victory. The walk-off was the Beacons' first since winning in their final at-bat against Evansville March 29, 2025. It was Valpo's first walk-off victory in nonconference play since a game-ending home run against Cleveland State March 8, 2020.

National Ranks: The Beacons ended opening weekend ranked among the nation's best in categories encompassing all three phases of the game. At the plate, Valpo is second in walks and third in on-base percentage. In the circle, the Beacons are seventh in strikeout/walk ratio and 23rd in ERA, while in the field, they rank 16th in field percentage.

V Races Into Record Book: One season after cracking Valpo's single-season top-10 for stolen bases by going a perfect 17-for-17, sophomore Madison Vrastil made her mark in the single-game department on opening weekend. Vrastil stole one base in the first inning, one in the second inning and two in the third inning of the Beacons' Saturday win over Green Bay, establishing a new Valpo single-game record with four stolen bases. The record was the highlight of a weekend which saw Vrastil go 7-for-13 with four walks and a team-best six runs scored.

Syd Stands Out: Sydney McDermott was nearly perfect in the circle in the season opener against Detroit Mercy, giving up just one hit - a looping liner that tipped off the edge of the glove of the leaping shortstop - and striking out nine in the shutout win. The victory was the first of three on opening weekend for McDermott, who tossed the first five innings of Sunday's blanking of Green Bay and then threw the last two frames as Valpo defeated Oakland. For the weekend, McDermott posted a 0.58 ERA and struck out 17 batters over her 12 innings.

Ms. Jackson Is For Real: Sophomore Marissa Jackson paced the Beacons on opening weekend in batting average and on-base percentage. Jackson picked up at least one hit in all four games, including two multi-hit games, and finished 6-for-10 at the plate. Adding in a pair of walks and a hit by pitch, Jackson posted a .692 on-base percentage over the first four games, tops among MVC players.

Making an Impact: Senior Grace Hollopeter made an immediate impact on the Valpo lineup in her first weekend as a Beacon. Batting in the second spot in the order, Hollopeter went 4-for-10 with seven walks, scored five runs and drove in four. She also played a flawless third base, handling all eight of her chances. Hollopeter ranks 36th among current D-I players with 114 career RBIs and 37th with 279 career total bases.

Quick-ly in the Groove: After not pitching past March 26 last season due to injury, sophomore Caitlyn Quickle had little rust on her arm as she made her return to action at the Dome. Quickle pitched a perfect final two innings on Saturday as Valpo defeated Green Bay, and then was instrumental in giving the Beacons a chance to rally against Oakland, entering in the first inning and eventually throwing 4.2 innings of three-hit shutout ball.

Making Debuts: Hollopeter was one of two transfers to make their Valpo debut on opening weekend, as Cadan Brinkman appeared in all four games, including a start at DP in the Saturday win over Green Bay. Three freshmen saw action as well for their collegiate debuts - Addie Young and Lillian Martinez both appeared in all four games, with Young making a pair of starts, while Ava Goodman got her debut in the circle to close out the Sunday Green Bay win. 

Who's Back: Valpo returns 15 letterwinners from last year's squad for the 2026 campaign, a group which accounted for 85.3% of the team's at-bats and 100% of the innings pitched last season. The Beacons also return two pitchers - Mia Carroll-Greeves and Kayla Purdy - who sat out the entirety of their first season on campus in 2025.

Who's New: Valpo welcomes six newcomers to the program this season. Transfers Grace Hollopeter and Cadan Brinkman join from Purdue Fort Wayne and Campbell, respectively, while Addie Young, Jenna Flessner, Lillian Martinez and Ava Goodman come in as true freshmen.

A Large Roster: Do the math from the above two notes, and you find that this year's Valpo softball roster is comprised of 23 players. While that is one shy of last year's team, which featured a program-record 24 players, it is still the second-largest roster in program history.

Hitting the Road: This weekend's games continue a long and winding road for the Beacons before they finally get the chance to play at the Valpo Softball Complex. This is the second of four weekends of action prior to the start of Missouri Valley Conference play, as Valpo opened last weekend at the DePaul Dome Tournament and will also play in tournaments at UNLV and Lindenwood. The Beacons' first two MVC series are on the road as well, at Southern Illinois and at Murray State, while they also have a nonconference twinbill at Northern Kentucky between those two series. In all, Valpo has 26 games on its slate before the scheduled home opener against DePaul March 17.

Looking Back at 2025: Valpo won 20 games in 2025, more wins than the previous two seasons combined and its highest win total since the 2018 season. The Beacons won nine MVC games, also their highest total since 2018. Offensively, Valpo scored the most runs in a season since 2017, while on the mound, the pitching staff's ERA was the program's lowest since 2018.

Lopez Earns Preseason Honor: Senior Azalya Lopez was named to the preseason All-MVC First Team for her work in the circle and at the plate. Lopez - a Second Team All-MVC choice last season in her first year at Valpo - posted 10 wins, four saves, a 2.89 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 138 innings of work in 2025 while allowing opponents to hit just .218 off of her — the tenth-best mark in a single season in program history. She tied for the MVC lead in saves, ranked fifth in strikeouts and opponents' batting average, and eighth in ERA and wins. At the plate, the two-time MVC Newcomer of the Week hit .254 with 14 runs scored and 25 RBIs. Lopez led the team with 10 doubles and ranked second in both RBIs and walks (23). She found her groove in the batter's box during conference play, hitting a team-best .307 in MVC play with an .835 OPS.

Soaring Sophomores: A pair of Beacons who had strong freshman campaigns are back for their sophomore season in 2026. Madison Vrastil hit a team-high .333 as a rookie and posted an .818 OPS. Vrastil moved into 10th on Valpo's single-season steals chart with 17, third-most among MVC players, and ranked ninth in the Valley with 57 hits. She opened her career with a 22-game on-base streak, tied for the fourth-longest by a Valpo player since 1999.

In the circle, Erin Metz appeared in 44 games as a rookie, recording six wins and tying for the MVC lead with four saves while posting a 3.35 ERA and striking out 77 batters in 92 innings of work. She was named MVC Pitcher of the Week April 7 after going 4-0 with a 1.34 ERA the previous week, becoming the first Valpo pitcher to pick up the win in four consecutive games since 2008.

Return of the Mack: In addition to Lopez, head coach Mike Armitage had senior Mack Gallagher come with him from MSU Moorhead to Valpo, and Gallagher made a big impact in her first season as a Beacon in 2025. Gallagher ranked second on the team with a .392 on-base percentage, thanks in large part to drawing 36 walks - third-most by a Valpo player in a single season in program history, tied for second among MVC players and tied for 48th nationally in walks per game. She led the Beacons with six home runs and 30 RBIs as well.

Big Bat Incoming: Purdue Fort Wayne transfer Grace Hollopeter brings quite the resume with her to the Beacons' roster for her final season of collegiate softball. A two-time First Team All-Horizon League honoree, Hollopeter hit .415 with 12 home runs last season and led the Horizon League in slugging percentage (.800), on base percentage (.509), OPS (1.309), RBIs (53), doubles (14) and walks (25). The senior - who has seen action at catcher, around the infield and as designated player - hit .355 over her three seasons in the Mastodon uniform, totaling 154 hits, including 34 doubles and 27 homers, 81 runs scored and 111 RBIs.