When longtime Valparaiso University head baseball coach Brian Schmack talks about the 2026 season, the word "new" is bound to be used more than once.
 
The Beacons welcome 18 newcomers to join forces with 15 returning players as they prepare to embark on a new journey with a new team.
 
"The newness of it is refreshing," Schmack said. "A lot of guys don't care about what happened last year because they weren't here. Guys are excited about this season and it's a fresh start. I keep saying the word 'new' because it is new, and we're excited about what this season could be. We're looking forward to finding out."
 
Pitching
The team's top two starting pitchers will be redshirt senior right-handers Connor Lockwood (Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville) and Spencer Boynton (Tampa, Fla. / Seffner Christian). Both were named to the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Watch List.
 
Lockwood is back for his fifth season with the Brown & Gold after earning All-MVC Honorable Mention a year ago. He led the league in strikeouts (80) and innings pitched (95 2/3) last season, becoming the first Valpo player to lead the league in innings pitched since 2018 and strikeouts since 2022.
 
After starting his collegiate career at Eastern Nazarene College and then coming to Valpo but sitting out with an injury in 2024, Boynton returned to the diamond for the 2025 season and made 13 starts, all a part of the weekend rotation.
 
Pitchers in the mix for the third weekend starting role include redshirt senior Dalton Swinehart (Elkhart, Ind. / Concord), senior Hunter Frost (Farmington, Minn. / Farmington) and sophomore Nick Baffa (Glenview, Ill. / Notre Dame Prep), all right-handed throwers. Swinehart started his career at Indiana Tech in 2022 before spending the last three seasons at Taylor, while Frost joined the Beacons last season after beginning his career with two years at Iowa Central CC. Frost made 13 bullpen appearances in 2025, while Baffa toed the rubber in 14 games including five midweek starts.
 
Look for the Beacons to find more innings for redshirt junior Adam Guazzo (Huntley, Ill. / Huntley) this season after he made 17 relief appearances and logged 22 1/3 innings in 2025, striking out 20 and posting a 4.43 ERA including shutout ball in eight of his outings. Guazzo was one of five Beacons including three pitchers on the MVC Preseason Watch List.
 
Other returners in the bullpen include redshirt junior RHP Ryan Kruse (Detroit, Mich. / U of D Jesuit), redshirt senior RHP Joe Seiber (Homer Glen, Ill. / Lockport) and redshirt senior LHP Christian Hack (Oak Forest, Ill. / Tinley Park). Redshirt senior RHP Justin Bultemeier (Decatur, Ind. / Adams Central) is part of a group of graduate transfers who have joined the relief mix as he transfers from IU Kokomo. Freshman RHP Joey Kafka (Mundelein, Ill. / Mundelein) is among the rookies in the mix.
 
The top six pitchers from last season in terms of earned run average are all back for 2026.
 
Infield
While the pitching staff has a strong corps returning from last season, Valpo's 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 (Brentwood, Tenn. / Ravenwood), senior Austin Amburgey (Miamisburg, Ohio / Miamisburg) and redshirt sophomore Case Sullivan (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel).
 
Cooper and Sullivan are likely to man the left side of Valpo's infield on opening day this season. Sullivan, named to the league's preseason watch list, started all 50 games and hit .257 last season as Valpo's shortstop. He finished the season on a high note as he was named the Brooks Wallace Award National Shortstop of the Week for the final week of the regular season. Cooper missed some time with an injury but played in 30 games and made 29 starts as Valpo's primary third baseman.
 
Rookies figure to play a big role on the right side of the Valpo infield as freshmen Cal Schembra (Greenwood, Ind. / Center Grove) and Cole Lockwood (Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville) are expected to be the Opening Day starters at first and second, respectively.  Cole is the younger brother of Valpo starting pitcher Connor Lockwood.
 
Behind the plate, redshirt senior Eli Riley (Zanesville, Ind. / Norwell) will start at catcher after playing in 192 games over the last four seasons at Saint Francis (Ind.), where he posted a career .289 batting average with 22 home runs, 100 RBIs and 148 hits. He was named to the MVC Preseason Watch List.
 
Outfield
While the projected starting infield is relatively set, there is much more ongoing competition for everyday roles in the outfield. Junior Brayden Pleau (Appleton, Wis. / Kimberly) is expected to bring a consistent bat in left field after setting single-season and career records for hits and batting average over two junior college seasons at Bryant & Stratton.
 
Multiple players are in the mix to see time in center and right. Listed as an infielder, sophomore Javin Gauthier (De Pere, Wis. / De Pere) has looked good after missing most of last season with an injury. He may get a look in the outfield. 
 
"We have options in the outfield," Schmack said. "We're going to try to put together the best lineup we can. If there are guys who haven't played certain positions before, especially in the outfield, we're going to grind through it. We think we have some guys who are athletic enough to play outfield; we don't want to pigeonhole ourselves into one person being the only center fielder or right fielder that we have. Not everyone is going to be in the lineup Day 1, but there are always injuries and other opportunities for guys to find themselves in the lineup. We're excited about having four games the first weekend, so there will be plenty of opportunities available."