Valpo (4-3, 0-0 MVC)
at UNLV Rebel Classic (Las Vegas)
Feb. 19 - vs. Utah Valley (5-5) - 5:30 p.m. CT | at UNLV (3-7) - 8 p.m. CT
Feb. 20 - vs. Merrimack (0-0) - 2 p.m. CT | vs. Idaho State (5-5) - 8 p.m. CT
Feb. 21 - vs. Utah Valley - 11:30 a.m. CT
Feb. 22 - vs. Idaho State - 11:30 a.m. CT

Next Up in Valpo Softball: The Valpo softball team continues early-season action this weekend with six games over four days at the UNLV Rebel Classic. The Beacons face Utah Valley and Idaho State twice apiece, while also taking on the hosts and Merrimack once each.

Previously: The Beacons had the potential tying run at least get to the plate in the seventh inning of all three of their games last weekend at the weather-shortened Skyhawk Invitational, but dropped all three contests - one to host UT Martin and two to Saint Louis.

Looking Ahead: Valpo's final weekend of nonconference play is on deck next weekend as the Beacons head to the Lindenwood Invite.

Following Valpo Softball: Every game of this weekend's tournament will be streamed via UNLV's YouTube page, and all 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 (24-33 [.421] at Valpo, 2nd season; 93-100 [.482] 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: Utah Valley, Merrimack, Idaho State - First meetings

UNLV - Valpo has taken on the Rebels three times in program history, with UNLV holding a 2-1 advantage. The last meetings came at Grand Canyon's Lopes Up Classic in 2018, where the two teams split two games - UNLV winning 2-1 and Valpo 4-1. This season marks the second time Valpo has traveled to UNLV for an early-season tournament, as the 2016 team posted a 2-3 record at the Rebel Classic.

Going Streaking: A number of Beacons continued season-opening streaks last weekend at UT Martin. Marissa Jackson notched at least one base hit in all three games to extend her hitting streak to seven consecutive games to open the year. Kaia Garnica and Mack Gallagher both reached base in all three games last weekend as well to extend their respective on-base streaks to seven straight games.

Mack's Patience at the Plate: Senior Mack Gallagher drew four walks over last weekend's three games, including her second three-walk game of the season in the weekend finale against Saint Louis. With 11 walks in the season's first seven games, Gallagher ranks second nationally with 1.57 walks/game. Perhaps just as impressive is the fact she has only struck out once in 29 plate appearances this season.

Going Yard: After not hitting a home run on opening weekend, the Beacons hit three round-trippers last weekend at UT Martin. Senior Kaia Garnica went deep for the first time in her collegiate career against the host Skyhawks, while senior Mack Gallagher and junior Cadan Brinkman hit home runs in the Friday game against Saint Louis. Gallagher's homer was her seventh at Valpo and 24th of her collegiate career, while Brinkman's was her first as a Beacon and the fourth of her career.

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. Last weekend, the Beacons drew eight walk in their weekend finale against Saint Louis.

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.

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.

Making Debuts: Grace Hollopeter and Cadan Brinkman made their respective Valpo debuts on opening weekend, while Addie Young, Lillian Martinez and Ava Goodman all made their collegiate debuts. Last weekend, redshirt freshmnn Kayla Purdy saw her first action in the circle, striking out two in a scoreless inning against UT Martin.

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 third of four weekends of action prior to the start of Missouri Valley Conference play, as Valpo has already played at DePaul and UT Martin and will also play in a tournament at 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.