Next Up in Valpo Baseball: The Valparaiso University baseball team will look to halt a six-game skid in which three of the six defeats have come by one run on Tuesday against Western Michigan at Emory G. Bauer Field. The Beacons begin a four-game homestand after playing the previous four away from home. This will mark the team's first home midweek game of the season.
 
Last Time Out: The Beacons received commendable pitching performances on both Friday and Sunday at UIC, but the bullpen allowed the lead to slip away in both instances as UIC rallied to win 4-3 in the series opener and 5-4 in 12 innings in the finale. Adam Guazzo had his best start in a Valpo uniform with 6 1/3 shutout innings of five-hit ball while walking none and striking out six in Friday's series opener. Likewise, Nick Baffa exited in position for the win on Sunday as he worked seven innings of one-run ball while striking out six and walking one. Dalton Swinehart took a tough-luck loss out of the bullpen after allowing no earned runs (one total run) on three hits, two walks and six strikeouts in 4 1/3 impressive innings of relief during the extra-inning affair.
 
Following the Beacons: Tuesday's game will air on ESPN+ with Leo Staudacher on the call. Links to live video and stats will be available on ValpoAthletics.com. For in-game updates, follow @ValpoBaseball on X.
 
Head Coach Brian Schmack: Brian Schmack (221-397) is in his 13th season in charge of the program and his 20^th overall at Valpo including seven seasons as an assistant coach. He ranks third in program history in seasons coached and games coached as he coached his 500^th game on March 17, 2024 at Campbell. On April 19, 2024 vs. Missouri State, he became the third head coach in program history to secure his 200^th win. Schmack, a member of the 2003 Detroit Tigers, served as pitching coach/associate head coach at Valpo for seven seasons prior to his promotion.
 
Series Notes: Valpo is 16-37 all-time against Western Michigan in a series that goes all the way back to 1947 including a 5-4 loss on April 7 of this season in Kalamazoo. The Broncos have won the last four head-to-head matchups after Valpo owned a five-game winning streak in the series prior to that recent reversal.  
 
#BeaconBits

• Eli Riley has reached base safely in 20 consecutive games. He owns Valpo's longest on-base streak since Ryan Maka reached in 22 straight in 2024.
• Riley is hitting a team-best .306 over the squad's last 10 games. His .419 OBP during that stretch also leads the Beacons.
• The Beacons experienced both ends of playing our great sport that does not use a clock (other than the pitch clock of course) in consecutive days. On April 18 at UIC, the game required only 1 hour, 55 minutes to complete, the team's fastest game of the season, outdoing a game on Feb. 14 at Gardner-Webb that lasted just 1:58. It was Valpo's fastest game since a 1-0 loss at Belmont on April 27, 2025. The very next day, the Beacons played a season-long 3:58 (12 innings) against the Flames. That was Valpo's longest game since 4:12 on April 30, 2024 at Western Michigan (15 innings).
• It's not a far leap to think that Valpo's record could be quite a bit better with a bounce here and a bounce there. The team is 1-9 this season and 2-18 over the last two seasons in one-run games.
• Valpo has scored two runs or fewer in 12 games this season, going 0-12 in those contests. The pitching staff has allowed between three and five runs on eight occasions, and Valpo is just 1-7 in those contests. There have been four games this year where the opponent has scored exactly three runs, and Valpo has lost all four of those games.
• All nine Valpo wins this season have come in games where Valpo has scored first. The Beacons are 0-15 in games where the opponent strikes first.

Starting Pitcher Profile

• LHP Colton Rerick, Fr. (South Bend, Ind.) – Set to make his collegiate debut on Tuesday… Is ambidextrous… Favorite food is crab… Favorite TV show is Breaking Bad… Earned 2025 first team all-conference and all-district honors at Penn High School.

In the Other Dugout – Western Michigan

• Under the direction of 16^th-year head coach Billy Gernon.
• Coming off winning two of three at Eastern Michigan, rallying after losing the opener 4-3 to win the remaining games 12-7 and 12-3.
• Led by Tanner Mally, who is hitting a robust .480 with a .593 on-base and .575 slugging in 33 games, all starts.
• Picked sixth of 12 in the MAC preseason poll.

Notes Wrapping Up The First Matchup – WMU 5, Valpo 4 (April 7 in Kalamazoo)  

• Eli Riley had three hits, his third three-hit game of the year and first since March 22 against Murray State.
• Brayden Pleau doubled twice, his first two-double game in a Valpo uniform.  
• Valpo had traffic on the bases, but stranded 14 runners on base in this game, the team's second most of the year and most since 15 in the season opener on Feb. 13 at Gardner-Webb. The Beacons had a dozen free passes (eight walks, four HBP).
• Valpo dropped a one-run game in Kalamazoo for the second straight year.

Notes Wrapping Up UIC (April 17-19) – L 4-3, L 10-0 F/7, L 5/4 F/12

• In Friday's series opener, Valpo featured the exact same starting lineup (batting order and positions) as its previous game on Tuesday vs. Notre Dame, including the starting pitcher. The last part of that makes that a rather uncommon occurrence in baseball.
• Cal Schembra's home run in the series opener was his fifth of the season and first since April 2 at Washington.
• Adam Guazzo's 6 1/3 innings in the series opener marked a career long, outdoing his previous long of six innings on March 8, 2024 at The Citadel.
• Guazzo struck out six and walked none while yielding just five hits. His six strikeouts were one shy of his career high of seven, set on May 12, 2024 at Murray State. He worked 7 1/3 innings without issuing a walk this week, counting his inning on Tuesday at Notre Dame.
• Eight of the nine Valpo batters had at least one hit in the series opener, and Gavin Bennett led the team with two.
• There was only one total walk issued in the game by both teams on Friday.
• Thomas Cooper enjoyed a multi-hit game on Saturday, lashing out two of the team's four hits including a double. George Betevis had a two-bagger for Valpo's other extra-base knock.
• UIC's Brandon Bak threw a seven-inning shutout against the Beacons for the second straight year.
• Saturday was the 150^th all-time meeting between Valpo and UIC.
• Nick Baffa's seven-inning outing on Sunday was the longest of the sophomore's collegiate career, outdoing his previous long of five innings on April 4 at Washington. Valpo starting pitchers had career highs in innings pitched in two of the three games this weekend, as Adam Guazzo did so on Friday.
• Baffa struck out six, tying a career high set on April 3 at Alabama State. He allowed just one walk while scattering seven hits with the only run against him coming on a solo homer.
• Dalton Swinehart took the tough-luck loss on Sunday despite a final line that featured 4 1/3 innings of three-hit ball while walking two, striking out six and permitting just one unearned run. His 4 1/3 innings eclipsed his previous season high of 3 2/3, which came in his Valpo debut on Feb. 14 at Gardner-Webb. He had 11 strikeouts total in 18 innings this season and no more than two in any one game before striking out a season-high six on Sunday.
• Valpo pitching recorded a season-high 12 strikeouts on Sunday with Baffa and Swinehart splitting the dozen evenly at six apiece.
• Valpo left-hander Christian Hack snapped a stretch of six straight scoreless outings as he had not been charged with any runs in 6 1/3 innings over his previous six games before Sunday.
• Sunday was Valpo's first extra-inning game since April 6, 2025 vs. Illinois State. This was the team's first time playing at least 11 innings since April 30, 2024 at Western Michigan, a 15-inning nightmare.
• Brayden Pleau's triple on Sunday was his first of the season and his 14^th extra-base hit.
• Betevis had two of the team's six hits on Sunday and reached base three times. He enjoyed his third multi-hit effort in his last six contests.
• UIC's starting pitcher retired only one batter, so the Flames bullpen was forced to work 11 2/3 innings.

Lockwood Cracks All-Time Top 10

• Valpo starting pitcher Connor Lockwood ranks among the program's all-time top 10 in both strikeouts and innings pitched. 
• Lockwood ranks fifth in program history in innings pitched (298 2/3), the most of any Valpo player since Dalton Lundeen finished his career in 2016.
• Lockwood has 233 strikeouts, the ninth most in program history.
• Lockwood became the first Valpo pitcher to crack the top 10 since fellow Libertyville, Ill. native Colin Fields, who finished his 2019-2022 career with 260 strikeouts, fifth all-time.

Rank   Player                         Years              Strikeouts
1          Tim Juran                    1969-1972       371
2          Jon Robisch                1961-1964       294
3          Dalton Lundeen          2013-2016       275
4          Jon Gulbransen           2008-2011       264
5          Colin Fields                2019-2022       260
6          Shawn Barker             1987-1990       253
7          Bryce Shafer               2008-2010       250
8          Jon Tieman                 2017-2021       244
9          Connor Lockwood      2022-pres.       233
10        Tom Starck                 2001-2004       222
 
Rank   Player                         Years              Innings
1          Dalton Lundeen          2013-2016       347.1
2          Jon Gulbransen           2008-2011       327.1
3          Harvey Yergin             2004-2007       314.2
4          Tyler Deetjen              2009-2012       311.1
5          Connor Lockwood      2022-pres.       298.2
6          Tim Holmes                1984-1987       291.2
7          John Grippi                 1984-1988       286.0
8          Jon Tieman                 2017-2021       283.1
9          Shawn Barker             1987-1990       281.2
10        Mario Losi                  2014-2017       281.1
 
Notes Wrapping Up April 14 – Notre Dame 6, Valpo 1

• Case Sullivan homered for the second straight game after also doing so on Sunday vs. Bradley.
• Sullivan upped his season home run total to four, all in the last nine games, and his career total to 11.
• Sullivan matched a season-high with three hits, his third three-hit game of the year.
• Valpo made big pitches to get out of jams early, but Notre Dame started to take advantage of its base runners late in the game. The Fighting Irish drew 10 walks, accrued 12 hits and stranded 12 on base.
• The Beacons also had some opportunities as Valpo left 11 on base.
• Junior Louie Kegerreis collected two hits, his third multi-hit game in his last four contests.
• Redshirt senior Eli Riley doubled and was hit by a pitch, stretching his on-base streak to 17, the longest by a Valpo player this season. For what it's worth, three Beacons had on-base streaks of 17 games or longer last season – Aidan Thaxton (19), Liam Patton (18) and Kevin Denty (17).

Taking The Dub from U Dub

• The Beacons finished off a three-game series at Big Ten foe Washington on a high note, capturing the series finale 4-2 on Saturday, April 4.
• This marked Valpo's third win over Big Ten competition in the last two seasons, as they beat Illinois and Ohio State last season. In Brian Schmack's time as head coach, the team has wins over five different Big Ten opponents – Ohio State, Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue and now Washington.
• The victory came over a Washington team that earlier in the week beat the No. 9 team in the country – Oregon State – 18-2 just two days prior to the start of the series with Valpo. 

Turning Three

• Valpo turned the program's first triple play since 2015 on April 2 in the series opener at Washington.
• The triple play was just the seventh nationally this season.
• With the bases loaded and nobody out, Washington's Blake Wilson bounced one back to the mound, and pitcher Adam Guazzo threw home for the force, then catcher Eli Riley fired on to first for the second out. A Washington runner tried to score from second on the throw to first, and the return throw from first baseman Cal Schembra to Riley easily cut down the runner to complete the triple play.
• The triple play was Valpo's first since April 12, 2015, when pitcher Ben Mahar came in with two on and nobody out and Valpo leading by six in the top of the seventh against Oakland. As the legend goes, head coach Brian Schmack gave the ball to Mahar and said, "Might as well turn the first triple play in program history." Two pitches later, Schmack's tongue-in-cheek remark became a reality as shortstop Spencer Mahoney let the ball bounce on a soft line drive, gloved it on a short hop, fed Jeff Edwards for the force at second, then Edwards tagged future big leaguer Michael Brosseau for the second out and then threw to first for the triple play.

#SCTop10

• Valpo was featured on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays earlier this week, as left fielder Brayden Pleau made a sprawling catch in Monday's game against Indiana State that checked in at No. 7 on the popular daily countdown that evening.
• The athletic department continued to generate significant exposure for the University through appearances on SportsCenter, as this marked the 20^th time spanning six sports that Valpo has been featured on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays since joining the Missouri Valley Conference.
• Last season, Beacon baseball boasted a pair of Top-10 plays. Connor Giusti came in at No. 6 on May 17 after a diving catch and glove flip to second for a double play in the ninth inning of a win over Southern Illinois, while Aidan Thaxton appeared at No. 3 for an impressive tag on April 6 vs. Illinois State.

Top 100: For the third time this season, Valpo had a hitter in D1Baseball's Top 100 Hitters of the Week, as Thomas Cooper checked in at No. 53 for Week 5 after hitting .417 including two home runs and five RBIs in the three-game series at OVC preseason favorite SIUE.

Immaculate

• Connor Lockwood completed one of baseball's rarest feats on Feb. 28 at Alabama State.
• The redshirt senior right-hander threw an immaculate second inning, striking out the side on just nine pitches.
• Fellow Libertyville, Ill. native Colin Fields threw Valpo's previous immaculate inning, doing so as part of his no-hitter on March 13, 2021 at Middle Tennessee.
• Lockwood reached the 200-strikeout milestone for his collegiate career in the game against Alabama State as well.
• Lockwood's 11 strikeouts were the most by a Beacon since he had a career-high 11 on Feb. 22 at Memphis.
• This marked Valpo's first shutout since Bryce Konitzer on April 28, 2024 in a seven-inning game. It was Valpo's first nine-inning shutout since Ellis Foreman on April 23, 2017.
• This was Valpo's first complete game since Harry Deliyannis on April 26, 2025 at Belmont.
• In addition to yielding only three hits and striking out 11 in his shutout, Lockwood did not issue any walks.

2026 Awards, Honors and Recognition 

• For his Feb. 28 shutout at Alabama State, Connor Lockwood received significant recognition.
• The redshirt senior right-hander posted a "game score" of 92 according to D1Baseball.com, the second best in the nation that day. In addition, he was No. 2 on D1Baseball's Top 100 Pitchers for Week 3.
• Lockwood was named the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week, making it the third straight week a Valpo player received a league honor. Cal Schembra (Freshman of the Week, Week 1) and Javin Gauthier (Player of the Week, Week 2) preceded Lockwood's Week-3 accolade.
• This marked the fourth time that Lockwood has been named MVC Pitcher of the Week in his career, the most of any Valpo player since joining the league.
• Valpo has captured the award 11 total times since joining The Valley. Lockwood is joined by Colin Fields (twice), Bryce Konitzer, Jacob Rosenkranz, Jake Miller, Bobby Nowak and Easton Rhodehouse.
• Redshirt freshman Javin Gauthier posted a slash line of .667/.765/1.083 in three games in South Carolina, earning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week honors following his big performance.
• Gauthier racked up eight hits including three for extra bases and his first collegiate home run to help Valpo take two of three in South Carolina. He totaled 13 bases, scored six runs and drove in eight while also drawing five walks and posting a perfect fielding percentage on the left side of Valpo's infield, splitting time between third and short.
• The left-handed hitting infielder had multiple hits in all three games over the weekend, and was listed at No. 33 on D1Baseball.com's Top 100 hitters of the week, the second straight week a Beacon earned a place on that list.
• Gauthier became Valpo's first MVC Player of the Week since Jake Skrine on April 17, 2023. He joined Skrine, Sam Shaikin, Kaleb Hannahs and Nolan Tucker as Valpo players who have won MVC Player of the Week awards since the team joined the MVC.
• Freshman first baseman Cal Schembra was named the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Week for his opening-weekend performance at Gardner-Webb. He became the first-ever player to earn that award as the league added a Freshman of the Week Award to its arsenal of honors this season.

• Schembra batted .500 with a double, home run, five RBIs and four runs scored. He reached at a .533 clip and slugged .786 over the four games.
• The Valpo rookie also had a diving catch in foul territory and doubled up the runner who was trying to tag and score from third. The impressive play was featured as the No. 2 Play of the Week by D1Baseball.
• Schembra, who had multiple hits in each of the first three games of his collegiate career, was ranked the No. 77 hitter nationally in Week 1 of the season by D1Baseball.

MVC Preseason Watch List

• Rather than preseason all-conference teams, the Missouri Valley Conference released a Preseason Watch List prior to the 2026 campaign.
• Valpo players to watch include redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Spencer Boynton, redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Adam Guazzo, redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Connor Lockwood, redshirt senior catcher Eli Riley and redshirt sophomore infielder Case Sullivan.
• The Valley did not release the full preseason poll this season, but did release the top five teams in the voting. Murray State is the preseason favorite, followed by Southern Illinois and UIC.

The Roster Rundown

• Valpo has 18 newcomers joining forces with 15 returning players for the 2026 season.
• The top six pitchers from last season in terms of earned run average are back for 2026.
• On the flip side, the 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, senior Austin Amburgey and redshirt sophomore Case Sullivan.
• This year's roster features 10 freshmen, six sophomores, five juniors and 12 seniors.
• Illinois (11) and Indiana (eight) are the home states most represented on the Valpo roster. Wisconsin (four), Ohio (two) and Florida (two) also produced multiple members of this year's Beacons. Kentucky, Tennessee, Nebraska, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Michigan round out the 11 states represented on this year's team.
• There are 16 pitchers and 18 position players (including one two-way player counted in both groups) on this year's roster.

Pitching Profiles – Bullpen Bits

• #2 RHP Cayden Ray, Fr. (Owensboro, Ky. / Owensboro) – Three-year all-region and three-time all-district choice in high school… Also played three years of football… 2025 District Player of the Year… Pitched a scoreless inning out of the bullpen on March 13 at SIUE.
• #10 LHP Christian Hack, R-Sr. (Oak Forest, Ill. / Tinley Park) – In his fourth year in Valpo's program in 2026… Missed most of the 2025 season with an injury… Has logged 27 innings over 24 games in his first four collegiate seasons… Won $10,000 at a Valpo basketball game on Feb.7, 2026, winning the Lakeshore Bone & Joint Institute Series Shootout promotion by making a layup, free throw, 3-pointer and halfcourt shot within 25 seconds, all while wearing an Illinois Fighting Illini jersey from Valpo men's basketball head coach Roger Powell Jr.'s playing days… Flipped a scoreless inning on March 24 at Purdue… Was not charged with any runs in 1 1/3 innings of relief on March 30 vs. Indiana State… Was not charged with any runs in 1 1/3 innings of relief on April 2 at Washington… Logged a scoreless inning of relief on April 12 vs. Bradley… Did not allow any runs in 1 1/3 innings of relief on April 14 at Notre Dame… Was charged with two runs on April 19 at UIC, snapping a streak of six straight scoreless outings as he had not been charged with any runs in 6 1/3 innings over his previous six games before Sunday.
• #16 RHP Justin Bultemeier, R-Sr. (Decatur, Ind. / Adams Central) – Finished 13^th nationally in NJCAA DII in ERA while pitching at Ivy Tech CC… Spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons at IU Kokomo… Was a Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League All-Star… Graduated with a bachelor's in health and exercise science and is pursuing his graduate public health certificate at Valpo… Picked up the win in relief in his Valpo debut on Feb. 14, allowing one run on three hits in 2 1/3 innings… Flipped two scoreless frames on a tough day to pitch with the wind howling out on Feb. 22 at Presbyterian… Worked two scoreless innings in the March 1 victory at Alabama State…. Worked a shutout inning on March 6 at Jax State… Allowed only one run in 3 1/3 innings of relief on April 2 at Washington… Allowed one run on three hits in four innings on April 10 vs. Bradley… Fired a scoreless inning on April 14 at Notre Dame.
• #17 LHP Luke Albrecht, Fr. (Brownsburg, Ind. / Brownsburg) – Won a regional championship as a high school sophomore… Favorite TV show is Impractical Jokers.
• #18 RHP Joey Kafka, Fr. (Mundelein, Ill. / Mundelein) – Two-time all-conference and all-area choice in high school… Favorite MLB team is the Cubs and player is Shota Imanaga… Hobbies include fly fishing, camping and music… Threw two shutout innings in the Feb. 27 series opener at Alabama State… Fired a scoreless frame on April 3 at Washington… Worked a shutout inning on April 14 at Notre Dame.
• #20 RHP Hunter Frost, Sr. (Farmington, Minn. / Farmington) – Went 4-2 with a 4.50 ERA while appearing in 14 games and making 11 starts for Iowa Central Community College in 2024… 2021 4A Minnesota state champion and 2022 4A Minnesota state runner-up… Also competed in wrestling in high school… Majoring in elementary education… Favorite pro baseball team is the Minnesota Twins… Favorite food is steak stir fry… Did not allow a run in 1 2/3 innings of relief on April 29, 2025 at Western Michigan… Pitched two shutout innings in the second game of a May 3, 2025 doubleheader vs. UIC… Fired a season-high 2 2/3 innings and did not allow a run on May 10, 2025 vs. Bradley… Tossed a shutout inning on March 24, 2026 at Purdue.
• #22 LHP Colton Rerick, Fr. (South Bend, Ind.) – First team all-conference honoree as a senior in high school… Is ambidextrous… Favorite food is crab… Enjoys golfing and going to the lake.
• #26 RHP Ryan Kruse, R-Jr. (Detroit, Mich. / U of D Jesuit) – In his third season in the program after redshirting at Northern Kentucky in 2023… Enjoys golfing, swimming, snowboarding, working out and tennis… Favorite movie is The Dark Knight… Made 21 relief appearances in 2025, including nine where he heaved scoreless ball… Worked a scoreless inning in the series finale at Samford on Feb. 16, 2025, his first action of the season… Did not allow a run in an inning of work on March 9, 2025 at Ohio State… Pitched two scoreless, hitless innings to finish out Valpo's victory at Indiana State on March 21, 2025, helping the Beacons snap a 25-game head-to-head losing streak… Nailed down his first collegiate save on April 1, 2025 vs. Milwaukee with a 1-2-3 ninth… Pitched three shutout innings of one-hit, no-walk ball that played a crucial role in a 3-2 victory over Illinois State on April 6, 2025… Tossed two scoreless innings on April 19, 2025 vs. Murray State… Pitched scoreless ball for the second straight outing and the fourth time in his last six appearances, logging two innings out of the pen on April 27, 2025 at Belmont… Pitched scoreless ball for the third straight outing and fifth time in his last six games with a shutout inning on May 2, 2025 vs. UIC… Entered the game amidst a ninth-inning jam and struck out three of the four men he faced to preserve the 10-5 win at USC Upstate on Feb. 21… Pitched two scoreless innings to nail down the save on March 1, 2026 at Alabama State… Cruised through 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief while allowing three hits and one walk on March 20 at Murray State… Fired two shutout innings on March 29 to help Valpo to a win over Indiana State… Worked back-to-back days in the series at Washington, tossing a scoreless inning on April 3 before securing his second save of the season with a scoreless ninth on April 4.
• ­­­#27 RHP Dylan Swinehart, R-Sr. (Elkhart, Ind. / Concord) – Previously played at Indiana Tech (2022) and Taylor (2023-2025)… While at Taylor, posted a 14-8 record, nine saves, 150 strikeouts and 39 walks over 136 2/3 innings in 63 career games spanning three seasons… Favorite MLB player is Randy Johnson… Worked a scoreless ninth inning on a tough day to pitch with the wind howling out on Feb. 22 at Presbyterian… Threw one pitch and went a 1/3 of an inning on March 14 at SIUE, getting out of the inning thanks to a caught stealing… Crafted two scoreless innings of relief in the April 4 win at Washington… Fired 4 1/3 innings of three-hit ball while striking out six and walking two while allowing no earned runs (one total run) in a tough-luck loss in the April 19 extra-inning game at UIC.
• #29 RHP Spencer Boynton, R-Sr. (Tampa, Fla. / Seffner Christian) – Was an all-conference honoree at Eastern Nazarene College, where he spent two seasons before joining the Beacons prior to the 2024 campaign, which he missed due to an injury… Hobbies include golf, tennis, ping pong and video games… Favorite movie is The Usual Suspects, food is pizza, pro baseball team is the San Francisco Giants and MLB players are Buster Posey and Kevin Gausman… Garnered his first collegiate victory with a bounce-back outing on Feb. 23 at Memphis. He was perfect through four innings and totaled five frames of two-hit, no-walk ball while striking out five…. Went five scoreless innings in his April 27, 2025 start at Belmont, receiving no decision in a game the team lost 1-0. He pitched shutout ball for the first time in the 2025 season, marking his best start of the year… Allowed one unearned run in two innings of relief on March 20 at Murray State… Started and went two shutout innings on March 24 at Purdue… Worked a scoreless eighth inning on April 7 at Western Michigan… Allowed no earned runs on three hits in two innings to preserve a victory over Bradley on April 10… Tossed two scoreless frames on April 12 vs. Bradley while striking out two, walking none and allowing no hits.
• #31 RHP Joe Seiber, R-Sr. (Homer Glen, Ill. / Lockport) – Third team junior college All-American at College of DuPage… Favorite MLB team is the Chicago White Sox… Favorite movie is Billy Madison… Joined the program prior to the 2024 season as a junior college transfer… Worked in 33 games and totaled 48 1/3 innings over his first two seasons at Valpo in 2024 and 2025… Was charged with no runs on two hits and no walks in two innings of work in the March 14, 2025 series opener at Illinois… Made his first Valpo start on March 25, 2025 vs. Ball State and allowed two runs on two hits and no walks in two innings… Pitched a shutout inning on April 15, 2025 at Notre Dame, seeing his first action since March 28 at Evansville after missing time with an injury… Pitched a shutout inning on April 15 at Notre Dame, seeing his first action since March 28 at Evansville after missing time with an injury… Pitched 1 1/3 innings without allowing a run on April 14 vs. Notre Dame.
• #33 RHP Dylan Immel, R-Sr. (Brownsville, Wis.) – Started his collegiate career with two junior college years and was an All-American at Century College… Pitched in 27 games and made 10 starts over two seasons at Sioux Falls… Favorite pro baseball team is the Milwaukee Brewers… Threw a scoreless inning in his Valpo debut on Feb. 13 at Gardner-Webb… Threw a scoreless inning on March 28 vs. Indiana State.

Position Player Profiles – Projected Lineup (Based on Last Game)

• #15 Gavin Bennett, 1B, R-Sr. (Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville) – Played in three games over four seasons at Illinois… Hit his first collegiate home run on March 31, 2023 vs. Michigan… Lashed out two hits on March 14 at SIUE… Extended his on-base streak to 12 by reaching in all three games vs. Indiana State (March 28-30), then pushed it to 13 on March 31 at Northwestern… Had a pair of hits and scored a season-high three runs on April 10 vs. Bradley… Led the team with two hits on April 17 at UIC.
• #6 Eli Riley, C, R-Sr. (Zanesville, Ind. / Norwell) – Played at Saint Francis (Ind.) for the last four years and totaled 22 home runs, 100 RBIs and 148 hits while posting a .289 average in 192 career games… Earned first team all-conference honors in 2024 and 2025 while also achieving a spot on the league's gold glove team in each of those seasons… Favorite musical group is All-American Rejects… Graduated from Saint Francis with a degree in management in 2025 and is pursuing an MBA at Valpo… Led the team with three hits in a March 15 victory at SIUE… Went 3-for-4 with two runs scored while doubling twice on March 22 at Murray State. He had his second two-double game and second three-hit game of the season… Collected three hits on April 7 at Western Michigan, his third three-hit game of the year… Doubled and was hit by a pitch on April 14 at Notre Dame, extending his on-base streak to 17… Reached base safely in all three games at UIC (April 17-19), extending his on-base streak to 20.
• #42 Brayden Pleau, LF, Jr. (Appleton, Wis. / Kimberly) – Played two junior college seasons at Bryant & Stratton, where he set the program single-season and career records for hits… Favorite movie is The Sandlot… Had a multi-hit game on Feb. 28 at Alabama State with a season-high three hits… Went 4-for-4, accounting for four of the team's seven hits, on March 24 vs. Indiana State… Checked in at No. 7 on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays for his sprawling grab in left field on March 29 vs. Indiana State… Was the team's top offensive performer in the April 4 win at Washington with a double and home run, his first longball since Feb. 22… Doubled twice on April 7 at Western Michigan, his second straight game with multiple extra-base knocks… Homered in the April 12 game vs. Bradley… Had his first triple in a Valpo uniform on April 19 at UIC.
• #25 Louie Kegerreis, DH, Jr. (Murrysville, Pa. / Franklin Regional) – Hit .380 while playing in 66 games and making 62 starts over the last two seasons at Lackawanna College… Hobbies include watching UFC and comedy… Had multiple hits in back-to-back games vs. Bradley on April 10 and April 11… Collected two hits on April 14 at Notre Dame, his third multi-hit game in the last four contests.
• #9 Cal Schembra, CF, Fr. (Greenwood, Ill. / Center Grove) – Hit .340 with four home runs as a high school senior… Hit a walk-off double to win the 2025 sectional title… Has six siblings… Is ambidextrous and does everything right-handed other than baseball… Had three hits in his collegiate debut on Feb. 13 at Gardner Webb and had multi-hit games in each of his first three collegiate contests… Made a diving catch in foul territory and doubled up the runner trying to tag and score on Feb. 13 Gardner-Webb, a play that was No. 2 in D1Baseball's Plays of the Week… Smoked his first collegiate home run in a Feb. 14 victory at Gardner-Webb… Hit .500 with a home run, five RBIs and four runs scored in the first week of his collegiate career, earning MVC Freshman of the Week honors and checking in as the No. 77 hitter nationally in the first week of the season according to D1Baseball… Had his first collegiate triple on Feb. 20 at Wofford… Hit his second home run of the season in the Feb. 27 series opener at Alabama State… Tripled on March 1 at Alabama State, his second triple of the season… Hit his third home run of the season and first in the month of March on March 22 at Murray State… Had a pair of extra-base hits with a double and home run in the April 2 series opener at Washington… Hit his fifth home run of the season on April 17 at UIC.
• #12 Thomas Cooper, SS, R-Jr. (Brentwood, Tenn. / Ravenwood) – Appeared in 15 games and made eight starts in 2023 before redshirting in 2024… Was a state runner-up in football in high school… Has a Lego collection… Favorite food is ice cream… Favorite MLB team is the Atlanta Braves… Had his first collegiate extra-base hit with a double on Feb. 16, 2025 at Samford, the team's lone extra-base knock in that game… Hit his first career home run in Game 2 of a Feb. 22, 2025 doubleheader at Memphis… Missed seven games with an injury before returning to action on March 18, 2025 at Ball State… Hit a grand slam on April 29, 2025 at Western Michigan, the team's first of the season… Had two hits on May 6 vs. Western Michigan… Launched his first home run of the season, one that traveled 447 feet, on March 14 at SIUE, part of a two-hit game… Homered for the second straight game on March 15 at SIUE… Hit his third home run of the season, all in a five-game span, on March 22 at Murray State… Lifted his fourth home run of the season, all in an eight-game span, on March 29 vs. Indiana State. That was part of a career-high-tying four-RBI performance… Crushed a 423-foot home run on March 31 at Northwestern, his ninth career blast… Homered on April 11 and April 12 vs. Bradley, lifting his season total to seven and career total to 11… Enjoyed a multi-hit game on April 17 at UIC.
• #8 George Betevis, RF, R-Sr. (Hanover Park, Ill. / Bartlett) – Earned a Rawlings Gold Glove last season… Spent two years at Harper College before two years at Benedictine… Pursuing his MBA at Valpo… Hit his first Valpo home run and the 24^th total of his collegiate career in the March 15 win at SIUE… Cracked his second home run of the season and the 25^th of his collegiate career, a job that exceeded 400 feet, on March 29 vs. Indiana State… Added another long ball two days later on March 31 at Northwestern, his second home run in three games… Came off the bench to notch two hits, his second multi-hit game of the year, on April 11 vs. Bradley… Had two of the team's six hits and reached base three times on April 19 at UIC, enjoying his third multi-hit effort in his last six contests.
• #7 Javin Gauthier, 3B, R-Fr. (De Pere, Wis. / De Pere) – Saw limited action in three games before missing the rest of the 2025 season with an injury… Hobbies include lifting, adventures, pickleball, listening to music and ping pong… Favorite TV Show is Stranger Things… Was named MVC Player of the Week on Feb. 24 after posting a .667/.765/1.083 slash line over three games in South Carolina, totaling 13 bases, six runs scored, eight RBIs and five walks in three games. He was No. 33 on D1Baseball.com's Top 100 Hitters that weekend, which included his first collegiate home run on Feb. 21 at USC Upstate. He became Valpo's first MVC Player of the Week since 2023… Hit his second home run of the season on March 1 at Alabama State… Had two hits in the series opener on March 6 at Jax State before notching his first collegiate triple on March 7 against the Gamecocks… Led the team with two hits in the March 13 series opener at SIUE… Hit his third home run of the season in the March 20 series opener at Murray State… Ripped his fourth home run of the season and second of the series on March 22 at Murray State… Had two of the team's four hits on April 3 at Washington, including a double for the squad's only extra-base knock.

• #34 Case Sullivan, 2B, R-So. (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) – Joined the program after redshirting at Marshall in 2024, where he was a member of the president's list with a perfect 4.0 GPA… Is a triplet with his two siblings, Colin and Lily… Lily plays softball at the University of Akron and Colin is an engineering student at Purdue… Favorite pro baseball team is the Boston Red Sox and player is Mookie Betts… Had four hits on his first day in a Valpo uniform on Feb. 14, 2025 at Samford, going 3-for-3 with a walk in Game 2 of the season-opening doubleheader… Homered in the first game of the series at Memphis on Feb. 22, 2025, the first of his collegiate career… Played solid shortstop in addition to going 3-for-5 with two doubles on Feb. 23, 2025 at Memphis… Reached base five times with a double, homer and three walks on April 17, 2025 vs. Murray State… Homered on his birthday on April 22, 2025 vs. Northern Illinois… Collected a season-high four hits and a season-high four runs scored on May 16, 2025 vs. Southern Illinois while driving in six, the highest RBI total by a Beacon in over four full years… Homered in each of the final two games of the 2025 season, helping Valpo to wins over SIU on May 16 and 17… Named the Brooks Wallace Award National Shortstop of the Week by the College Baseball Foundation following the final week of the season, during which he hit .500, reached at a .526 clip and slugged 1.125… Batted .257 while starting all 50 games in his first year at Valpo… Had his first collegiate triple and his second career game with at least four RBIs on Feb. 14 as the triple drove in two and gave Valpo the lead in the final inning of an 11-10 victory over Gardner-Webb… Went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored with two doubles and a triple on March 22 at Murray State, enjoying his first three-hit game of the season… Hit his first home run of the season (after seven last year) on March 31 at Northwestern… After not homering in the first 21 games of the season, he homered for the second straight game on April 2 at Washington… Went 3-for-3 to match a season high in the hit column on April 10 vs. Bradley… Notched his third home run of the season on April 12 vs. Bradley… Tied a season high with three hits including a solo homer for the lone Valpo run on April 14 at Notre Dame.

Inside the Assistants

• Adam Brian is in his third season on Valpo's staff after graduating from Bradley. He works with the team's catchers, assists with pitching and leads recruiting efforts. Brian's father Braden Brian played college baseball at Eastern Kentucky and was selected in the 30^th round of the 1986 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Montreal Expos.
• Chase Hetzel has joined the staff for the 2026 season as Valpo's hitting coach. Hetzel arrived at Valpo after having served as the Director of Hitting for X2 Baseball, a player development and training facility in North Carolina, since 2022. He graduated from Queens University of Charlotte in Charlotte, N.C. in 2021.
• Brady Nowicki joined the coaching staff in 2025 after playing for the team each of the previous three seasons. He is in his second season as a volunteer assistant coach.
• Cole Pletcher is in his first season as a volunteer assistant coach at Valpo after playing at King University.