Next Up in Valpo Baseball: It's morning baseball in Wisconsin as the Valparaiso University baseball team will get up bright and early on Tuesday to make the trip to Milwaukee for a "School Day" game complete with screaming children and an 11 a.m. start. The Beacons and Panthers will face off in their annual renewal of an old Horizon League matchup.  
 
Last Time Out: The Beacons suffered a heart-breaking defeat in the series opener on Friday at Illinois State, taking a 5-4 lead on a two-out single by Thomas Cooper in the top of the ninth only to see the Redbirds score twice to walk it off in the bottom of that inning. Valpo dropped the remaining games of the series 14-2 and 9-4.
 
Following the Beacons: Tuesday's game will air on ESPN+. 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 (222-304) 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 35-42 all-time against Milwaukee, most recently prevailing 8-6 last season at Emory G. Bauer Field. The home team has won seven straight games between the Beacons and Panthers, as the last time the road team prevailed was when Valpo went to Milwaukee and swept a doubleheader on May 13, 2017, Valpo's final two road games as a Horizon League member.
 
Starting Pitcher Probable
#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.
 
Notes Wrapping Up Illinois State (May 1-3): L 6-5, L 14-2 (F/8), L 9-4

• Eli Riley reached base safely for the 26^th consecutive game in the series opener, Valpo's longest on-base streak since Kaleb Hannahs also reached in 26 straight during the 2024 season. However, he failed to reach base in Saturday's game, bringing that lengthy streak to a halt.
• Friday starter Adam Guazzo received no decision, allowing four runs on nine hits in seven innings while walking none and striking out four. Over his last four starts, Guazzo has 18 strikeouts against no walks.
• Friday was the 50^th career pitching appearance for Guazzo, who has logged at least 6 1/3 innings in three straight starts and has covered seven frames in each of his last two outings, tying a career high.
• Valpo took the lead on a Thomas Cooper RBI single in the top of the ninth, but Illinois State scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Beacons 6-5 on Friday. Valpo fell to 1-11 this season and 2-20 over the last two seasons in one-run games.
• In conference play, Valpo fell to 0-6 in one-run games and 0-8 in games decided by two runs or fewer.
• Riley, Cooper and Louie Kegerreis had two hits apiece, combining for six of the team's seven knocks in the series opener.
• Saturday starter Connor Lockwood, making his 50^th collegiate start, struck out three and walked none while covering 5 2/3 innings during which he allowed six runs (five earned) on 11 hits. He has logged 313 1/3 innings in his career, surpassing Tyler Deetjen (2009-2012, 311 1/3) to move to fourth in program history.
• Dalton Lundeen's program record for career innings pitched (347 1/3, 2013-2016) will stand, but Lockwood still has a chance to finish second in program history in innings pitched, although his chances were negatively impacted on Saturday. He needs more than 14 1/3 innings over his final two starts to finish second in program history. Jon Gulbransen (2008-2011, 327 1/3) and Harvey Yergin (2004-2007, 314 2/3) are currently second and third.
• This marked the sixth start this season where Lockwood has issued no walks. He's permitted more than one just once all season and has not yielded more than two in any one outing. Lockwood has walked none over 14 1/3 innings over his last two starts.
• Valpo starting pitchers issued no walks in 12 1/3 innings in the first two games of the series at Illinois State.
• Michael Kuska and Case Sullivan had two hits apiece to lead the team on Saturday.
• The best Valpo pitching performance of Sunday was from freshman Joey Kafka, who allowed no runs on one hit in 1 1/3 innings of relief.
• Gavin Bennett recorded his sixth multi-hit game of the season on Sunday.
• On Sunday, Cal Schembra notched his team-leading fourth triple of the season, two of which have come in the last five games. He moved into a tie for second in the Missouri Valley Conference, becoming one of four players in the league with at least four triples on the season.

In the Other Dugout – Milwaukee

• Winners of their last three Horizon League series, taking two of three from Wright State and Oakland while sweeping Northern Kentucky.
• Under the direction of head coach Shaun Wagner, who has been on staff since the 2018 season and is in his third season as head coach.
• Will play at Youngstown State and at home against Oakland over the final two weeks. This week features a pair of midweek games against Horizon-turned-Valley foes as they visit UIC on Wednesday.
• In second place in the Horizon League standings, behind only first-place Wright State.

Notes Wrapping Up April 28 – Northern Illinois 11, Valpo 5

• Bryan Hatch's home run, a tape-measure job that traveled 450 feet, was the first of his collegiate career.
• Redshirt sophomore Case Sullivan had two hits to lead the Beacons.
• LHP Christian Hack has been charged with no runs in seven of his last eight outings and seven of nine this season. He pitched an inning of scoreless relief against the Huskies.
• Valpo head coach Brian Schmack played at Northern Illinois from 1992 to 1995 before going on to play professionally including time in the big leagues with the Detroit Tigers.

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… Retired the side in order in his lone inning of work on April 28 at Northern Illinois.
• #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… Worked 1 1/3 shutout innings of relief on April 21 vs. Western Michigan… Did not allow a run in 1 1/3 innings of one-hit ball on May 3 at Illinois State.
• #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… Worked two scoreless frames on April 28 at Northern Illinois.
• #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… Nailed down his first save of the season with three shutout innings of one-hit ball to preserve a 5-2 victory over Belmont on April 26.
• #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.

Position Player Profiles – Projected Lineup (Based on Recent Games)

• #3 Michael Kuska, RF, So. (Pontiac, Ill. / Pontiac Township) – Played in 11 games and made one start for the Beacons last season… Enjoys golfing and watching the Chicago Blackhawks… Had four hits, four runs scored, two walks, six RBIs and two triples on Feb. 22 at Presbyterian… Went 3-for-3 plus a walk on March 20 at Murray State and followed with two more hits in Game 2 of the series on March 21… Had two of the team's four hits on April 3 at Washington.
• #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… Hit Valpo's first grand slam of the season and his first home run in a Valpo uniform on April 21 vs. Western Michigan… Extended his on-base streak to 25 on April 28 at Northern Illinois… Saw his on-base streak end at 26 games on May 2 at Illinois State.
• #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… Had a go-ahead single with two outs in the top of the ninth on May 1 at Illinois State.
• #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… Hit his 15^th collegiate home run and first in a Valpo uniform on April 24 vs. Belmont.
• #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… Lifted his sixth home run of the season on April 24 vs. Belmont… Hit his team-leading fourth triple of the season on May 3 at Illinois State, becoming just the fourth player in the MVC to notch a fourth triple this season.
• #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… Tied a season high with four RBIs including a three-run homer on April 21 vs. Western Michigan… Homered for a second straight game on April 24 vs. Belmont.
• #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.
• #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.

• #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… Homered and had the go-ahead, two-run single in the April 26 victory over Belmont.

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.