Valparaiso University

Your Valpo story deserved this ending, Connor Lockwood.
 
After everything experienced by the Valparaiso University baseball team during the 2026 season, every player and coach deserved the moment of pure joy that came with Friday's 9-4 victory over Southern Illinois at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale.
 
In an era of intercollegiate athletics where bouncing from program to program has become the norm, Lockwood experienced a moment on Friday night that you can only feel after representing one program for five years.
 
And after 59 appearances and 329 1/3 innings worth of bleeding brown and gold and giving everything he had in the tank, Lockwood deserved the four-run Valpo seventh inning that flipped a 4-2 deficit into a 6-4 lead. He deserved the three-run top of the ninth that expanded the lead to five and slowed that racing heartbeat ever so slightly. He deserved the postgame hugs and handshakes that came from everyone, ranging from his closest family members to complete strangers.
 
"It's pretty special being here for five years," Lockwood said. "I can't thank Coach Schmack and all of the coaches here enough for giving me this opportunity. These guys are my brothers. I love them. It's been a very special ride. I'll never forget all of the friends I've made along the way."  
 
After getting an outcome that was less than he deserved more times than once during his Valpo career – five years of doing what any good teammates does, giving more than he received – Lockwood deserved every bit of this moment, going out as the winning pitcher and walking off the mound only after the 27^th out had been recorded.
 
"I just trusted my stuff, had fun and believed in myself," Lockwood said. "Especially since this was my last start, I wanted to let the defense work behind me, get ahead early and trust everything that I have."
 
Lockwood seemingly never came out of games during his Valpo career, and it was only fitting that he literally did not come out on his final night wearing Valpo across his chest. The complete game was his fourth of the season, moving into a tie for the national lead, and the seventh of his career, one shy of the national lead among active players and sole possession of second. The man with the pinpoint command issued no walks and struck out three in his final start, becoming just the seventh player in program history to cross the 250-strikeout threshold and finishing with 251. He finished his career with 329 1/3 innings, moving past Jon Gulbransen (2008-2011, 327 1/3) for second in program history in innings pitched. Lockwood finished behind only Dalton Lundeen (2013-2016, 347 1/3) in that category.
 
Lockwood was the star of the night, but it was not a solo act. With the glove, freshman Cal Schembra made two diving catches in center. With the bat, junior Louie Kegerreis went 6-for-6, becoming the first Valpo player with a six-hit game since Ryan O'Gara on Feb. 28, 2010 at Jacksonville.
 
After a storybook ending that belonged in a Hollywood script, Lockwood could potentially pursue continuing his baseball career at the professional level. He graduated from Valpo with a degree in elementary education with future plans of becoming a teacher and coach. The Valpo chapter of his life is over, but the rest is still unwritten.
 
How It Happened

• Valpo struck first as Kegerreis filled his role of the cleanup hitter nicely, stroking a two-out single to score Michael Kuska, who had led off the game with a single and moved to second on a wild pickoff throw.
• Southern Illinois scored three times in the bottom of the first on an RBI double, a run-scoring infield single and a sac fly with Schembra making a diving catch in center on the sac fly. The Salukis led 3-1 through one.
• Valpo threatened in the top of the third with a walk and two hits, but stranded the bases full.
• Lockwood pitched shutout ball for the third straight inning in the fourth, working a 1-2-3 frame. He got some help from Schembra, who made another excellent grab.
• Valpo stranded runners in scoring position in three straight innings, leaving a man at second in the fourth and stranding a pair in the fifth as the score remained 3-1 SIU.
• The Salukis added a run in the bottom of the fifth, but it could have been worse as an around-the-horn double play ended the inning, stranding a runner at third.
• Valpo strung together four consecutive hits in the sixth, but SIU limited the damage to a single run, which scored on an infield hit by Kuska. Valpo had the bags full with one away, but a strikeout and lineout ended the inning.
• Lockwood zipped through the bottom of the sixth by retiring the side in order, keeping the deficit at two.
• Valpo moved a step closer when Javin Gauthier worked a bases-loaded walk to make it 4-3 in the top of the seventh, then Case Sullivan came through with a two-run single to right, leapfrogging the Beacons back in front at 5-4. Valpo added another later in that inning when Eli Riley singled home a run to make it 6-4.
• Valpo got a leadoff double from Kegerreis in the eighth, the team's first extra-base knock of the game, and had runners at first and second with nobody out. However, the Salukis escaped with nothing across and the Valpo lead remained two at 6-4.
• Kegerreis smoked a two-run double in the top of the ninth, then Schembra added another extra-base knock that drove in a run to make it 9-4.
• Lockwood did the rest, retiring the side in order in the bottom of the ninth.

Inside the Game

• Kegerreis recorded the fifth six-hit game in Division-I this season, tied for the most in the nation.
• The last time a Valpo player had five hits in a game – let alone six – was Alex Thurston on April 29, 2022 at Southern Illinois.
• This win was a team effort, featuring a season-high-tying 20 hits. The Beacons pounded out 20 hits for the first time since Feb. 22 at Presbyterian.
• The Beacons lashed an eye-popping 17 singles in the victory.
• All nine Valpo batters had hits including five with multi-hit games. Kegerreis' six led a trio that had three or more as he was joined by Kuska and Riley.
• Lockwood's final line – 9 IP, 11 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 101 pitches. This marked the seventh time this season that he did not issue a walk in his start.

Up Next
The Beacons (12-37, 5-18 MVC) will close out the season with Saturday's series finale at Southern Illinois. The game begins at 2 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.