2025: Appeared in 24 games and made 23 starts… Posted a robust .361 batting average with 22 runs scored, 11 RBIs, six doubles and five home runs while walking 19 times and being hit by a pitch once… Homered in both games of the season-opening doubleheader at Samford on Feb. 14, 2025… Closed out the Samford series by reaching base three times via two hits and a walk on Feb. 16 in Birmingham… Was the primary bright spot of Game 1 of a doubleheader on Feb. 28 vs. Niagara, accounting for four of the team’s seven hits and going 4-for-4… Had four hits in Game 1 of a doubleheader on March 15 at Illinois, equaling a season high. Followed with a 436-foot home run in the nightcap of that double dip… Hit his 20th career home run on March 18 at Ball State… Reached base in each of his first 16 games this season before that streak was snapped on March 22 at Indiana State… Was sidelined from March 28 to May 6 with an injury… Had two hits, both doubles, and scored three of the team’s four runs in his return to the lineup on May 9 at Bradley… Homered on Senior Day in the May 17 season finale vs. Southern Illinois, cracking the program’s all-time top 10 for career round trippers with his 21st… Earned Valparaiso University Presidential Academic Honors.
2024: Played in 36 games, all starts... Hit .277 with nine doubles, four home runs, 20 RBIs and 17 runs scored... Had a .346 on-base percentage and .426 slugging percentage... Hit .301 in 23 league games with nine extra-base hits including four home runs... Slugged .484 and reached at a .369 clip in league play... Had a season-high three hits on April 14 vs. Belmont and April 30 at Western Michigan... Earned Valparaiso University Presidential Academic Honors.
2023: Posted a .345 batting average, cracked seven home runs and drove in 43 runs while scoring 33 times, slugging .525 and reaching base at a .428 clip… Started all 47 games… Hit .382 in Valley play with five home runs, seven doubles, a triple and 30 RBIs to go along with a .618 slugging percentage and .454 OBP… Ranked second in the MVC in batting average and eighth in on-base percentage… Owned a perfect fielding percentage on 96 chances… In league-only play, ranked in the top 10 in The Valley in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs scored, hits, RBIs, total bases and walks… Batting average jumped nearly 100 points as he hit .250 as a freshman… Hit two grand slams – April 2 vs. Murray State and May 5 vs. Southern Illinois. Became the first Valpo player since at least 2006 with two career grand slams… Earned All-MVC First Team status.
2022: Batted .250 over 33 games (29 starts) while ripping five home runs, driving in 13 runs and scoring 21 to go along with two doubles, a triple and a .336 on-base percentage... Ranked third on the team in MVC-only batting average at .286 and tied for the team lead with four home runs in Valley play... Named a Collegiate Baseball Newspaper National Player of the Week on May 16 after hitting four home runs in a weekend series against Bradley... Delivered the first three-homer game by a Missouri Valley Conference player in league play in 2022 on May 13 vs. Bradley, becoming the first Valpo player since 2018 and just the second since 2008 with a three-homer contest. That came as part of a four-hit day to begin a three-game series that saw him hit .538 with six RBIs, six runs scored, 20 total bases, a 1.538 slugging percentage, four home runs and five extra-base hits... Became the first Valpo player to earn a National Player of the Week nod since Colin Fields did so in March 2021 following his no-hitter against Middle Tennessee State.
Prep: First team all-area selection… Played for Chicago Elite travel team… Also competed in golf… Member of National Honor Society and DECA (business club)… Graduated honors with distinction.
Personal: Hobbies include investing, golfing and going to the gym… Favorite food is steak, movie is Catch Me if You Can, pro baseball team is the Cubs, MLB player is Kris Bryant, musical artist is Frank Sinatra and TV show is Stranger Things… Majoring in exercise science… Son of Wes and Liz Maka… Has a brother, Alex Maka and a sister, Sam Soppet.
