Valpo (0-0, 0-0 MVC)
at DePaul Dome Tournament (Rosemont, Ill.)
Feb. 7 - vs. Detroit Mercy - 10 a.m. | vs. Green Bay - 12:30 p.m.
Feb. 8 - vs. Green Bay - 9 a.m. | vs. Oakland - 11:30 a.m.

Next Up in Valpo Softball: The Valpo softball team opens up its 45th season of intercollegiate softball this weekend as it makes the short trip to Rosemont, Ill. to compete at the DePaul Dome Tournament. Over the course of two days, the Beacons will play four games against former league rivals, as they take on Green Bay twice and Detroit Mercy and Oakland once apiece.

Looking Ahead: Valpo continues early-season action next weekend at UT Martin's Skyhawk Invitational.

Following Valpo Softball: All four games 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: Mike Armitage (89-97) 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: Detroit Mercy - Valpo owns a 36-25 all-time record over Detroit Mercy, including most recently a 7-2 win at the Dome last season. Madison Vrastil went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Sydney McDermott earned the win in the circle with 4.1 innings of two-hit shutout ball. The 36 wins are the most in Valpo program history against a single opponent.

Green Bay - The Phoenix own the 26-21 edge in the all-time series against Valpo. Last season, however, it was the Beacons who emerged victorious twice: a 12-1 run-rule win at the Dome, highlighted by a 4-for-4 performance at the plate by Kayden Krug, and a 1-0 win in eight innings at Lindenwood.

Oakland - Valpo trails the Golden Grizzlies in the all-time series, 22-18. The last meeting between the two programs came at The Spring Games in Madeira Beach, Fla. in February 2023, a 9-7 win for Oakland.

Hello Old Friends: It will be a veritable Horizon League reunion at the Dome this weekend, as all four of Valpo's games are against teams it shared time in the HL with. Valpo's time in the North Star Conference overlapped with Green Bay and Detroit Mercy as well, while the school shared time in the Mid-Continent Conference with Green Bay and Oakland. 

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.

Familar Surroundings: This year marks the fifth time in the last six seasons that the Beacons have made the trip to Rosemont to kick off the season at the DePaul Dome Tournament. Valpo owns a 5-12 record in its previous four ventures to the Dome.

Hitting the Road: This weekend's games start a long and winding road for the Beacons before they finally get the chance to play at the Valpo Softball Complex. This is the first of four weekends of action prior to the start of Missouri Valley Conference play, as Valpo will also play in tournaments at UT Martin, 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 28 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.