Valpo (12-14, 1-4 MVC)
March 21 - UNI (12-11, 1-1 MVC) - noon DH
March 22 - UNI - 1 p.m.

Next Up in Valpo Softball: After over a month's worth of games away from home, the Valpo softball team looks to finally take to the field at the Valpo Softball Complex this weekend as the Beacons host UNI for a three-game series. The series has shifted back one day and will now feature a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday.

Previously: Valpo went 1-2 last weekend in an MVC series at Murray State before sweeping a doubleheader at IU Indy. The Beacons' originally scheduled home opener against DePaul mid-week was canceled due to weather.

Looking Ahead: Valpo heads to Purdue for a mid-week contest next Wednesday before returning home to host Indiana State on the weekend.

Following Valpo Softball: All three games of the series are slated for broadcast on ESPN+ and every game 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 (32-44 [.421] at Valpo, 2nd season; 101-111 [.476] 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: Valpo is just 2-25 all-time against UNI - the vast majority of which (2-19) have come since Valpo joined the MVC. Last season, the two teams closed out the regular season in Cedar Falls, with the Panthers sweeping the series by final scores of 4-1, 6-1 and 7-0.

Scouting the Opposition: The Panthers enter the weekend with a 12-11 overall record and are 1-1 in MVC play. UNI had the bye in Valley action last weekend and played in a tournament at Northern Kentucky, where it finished with a 4-1 record. Skylar Benesh is hitting .455 with nine homers and 20 RBIs, while Kate Lappe is hitting .433 with eight homers and 25 RBIs. In the circle, six different pitchers have seen action, wtih Anna Wischnowski seeing the most work - she is 4-5 with a 4.17 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 53.2 innings.

Mother Nature Strikes Again: It's seemingly easier at this point to list off what games this season have not had any weather-related changes than to list the games which have been altered/canceled. After having games canceled at two of their three outdoor tournaments, the Beacons have now had two of their first three MVC series affected, as one game was canceled at Southern Illinois before this weekend's trio of games were pushed back one day. Not to mention the scheduled midweek game against DePaul this past week which was canceled thanks to snow.

(Almost the) Earliest Home Opener: If Valpo had played its scheduled midweek game against DePaul, it would have been the earliest home opener in program history. If the series against UNI had been played as originally scheduled, it would have matched the earliest home opener in program history. Alas, the March 21 date for Saturday's home opener comes up one day shy, as Valpo's earliest home opener was March 20, on two occasions (2012 versus IUPUI; 2015 versus Green Bay).

Breaking Out the Bats: Valpo's attack at the plate busted out in a big way Sunday in the twinbill at IU Indy, as the Beacons combined for 19 runs over the two games. The 11 runs Valpo scored in the opener versus the Jaguars tied a season high and marked the team's fourth double-figure run output this year. The Beacons connected on three home runs in that game, the first time Valpo has posted a three-homer game since March 17, 2018. Meanwhile, the 8-0 nightcap victory was the third shutout by the Beacons this season and their second run-rule win.

Running Home: It's not every day you tie a program record, much less do so twice in three days, but that's what sophomore Madison Vrastil accomplished last weekend. In both the nightcap Friday at Murray State and the opener Sunday at IU Indy, Vrastil scored four runs, just the 12th and 13th times in program history Valpo has had a player score four runs in a game. Vrastil became just the third player in program history to score four runs in a game twice, joining former standouts Sara Strickland and Sam Stewart. The Sunday game was notable not only for her four runs scored, but it was also Vrastil's first career four-hit game and featured her first collegiate home run.

Going Deep: Senior Mack Gallagher entered the nightcap last Tuesday at Northern Kentucky with just two home runs through the season's first 20 games before exploding for four home runs over the last six games to triple her season total and already match her total of six from last year. Notably, all four long balls were multi-run shots, as Gallagher racked up 11 RBIs over that stretch. The senior drew a pair of walks in the Murray State series and added another free pass at IU Indy to bump her MVC-best total to 25 walks, good for fifth nationally in walks/game. 

Just Keep Reaching Base: Gallagher extended her season-opening on-base streak to 26 consecutive games last weekend, second-longest by a Valpo player in the last two decades. With an on-base percentage of .521, good for fourth in the Valley, it hasn't been reaching just once every game either - Gallagher has reached base twice in five games, three times in three games and four times in four games.

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. While she was caught stealing for the first time in her career last weekend at Murray State after starting her career 34-for-34, Vrastil did swipe four more bases on the weekend to push her season total to an MVC-best 19 - already ninth in a single season in program history, while her career total of 36 steals is seventh-best all-time at Valpo.

Jackson With the Hits: After a relative slow stretch at the plate which saw her batting average drop to a season-low .365 after the opener at Murray State, sophomore Marissa Jackon picked things back up over the last four games of the weekend, going 6-for-12 at the plate to bump her season average back up to .387.

Rodas Rules: Senior Kim Rodas has been enjoying by far the most prolific offensive season of her collegiate career, and last weekend was just another bright spot. Rodas went 6-for-14 at the plate with eight RBIs, including three RBIs apiece in each of the two games of the Friday doubleheader at Murray State. She connected on her third career home run in the opener at IU Indy Sunday, part of her second three-hit game of the season, and then drew three walks in the nightcap against the Jaguars.

AZ Takes the Ball: Senior Azalya Lopez capped a busy weekend with her first shutout in the Valpo uniform, tossing a five-inning shutout in windy conditions in the nightcap at IU Indy. Lopez actually pitched in all five games last weekend, picking up three victories and posting a 2.29 ERA over 18.1 innings of work. In fact, dating back to Feb. 20, Lopez has thrown 36.1 innings with a 1.93 ERA.

Walk This Way: Valpo's collective discerning eye at the plate has led to plenty of free bases. The Beacons have drawn five or more walks 10 times this season, highlighted by a 10-walk performance in the opening-weekend win over Oakland - tied for fifth-most in a single game in program history. With 112 walks on the season, Valpo is easily more than halfway to the program single-season record. 

Nonconference Success: Valpo hit MVC play with a winning record, as the Beacons sat at 9-8 through four weekends of play. This is the second straight season the Beacons have carried a winning record into Valley action, as they were 11-9 going into their MVC opener in 2025. Prior to last year, it had been since 2018 (12-8) that Valpo opened conference play with a winning record.

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.

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.

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.