Baseball Game Notes
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2021 Baseball Game Notes Contact: BRANDON VICKREY Office: 219.464.5396 Valpo Sports Media Relations [email protected] www.valpoathletics.com Athletics-Recreation Center 1009 Union Street Valparaiso IN 46383 Valparaiso (0-0, 0-0 MVC) 2021 Schedule and Results at UAB (0-0, 0-0 Conference USA) Date Opponent Time/Result Young Memorial Field (1,000) | Birmingham, Ala. Feb. 19 at UAB 4 p.m. Feb. 20 at UAB 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19, 4 p.m. CT – RHP Easton Rhodehouse Feb. 21 at UAB 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, 2 p.m. CT – RHP Trent Turzenski Feb. 26 at Jacksonville State 3 p.m. Feb. 27 at Jacksonville State (DH) 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21, 1 p.m. – RHP Colin Fields Feb. 27 at Jacksonville State (DH) 4 p.m. March 12 at Middle Tennessee State 3 p.m. Next Up in Valpo Baseball: The Valparaiso University baseball team will return to the March 13 at Middle Tennessee State (DH) 1 p.m. diamond in a game situation for the first time in over 11 months this weekend as the March 13 at Middle Tennessee State (DH) 4 p.m. club makes the trip to Birmingham, Ala. to match up with the University of Alabama March 14 at Middle Tennessee State 1 p.m. at Birmingham (UAB). Valpo will begin a 54-game slate that leads into the Missouri March 19 at Western Kentucky 5 p.m. March 20 at Western Kentucky 1 p.m. Valley Conference Tournament with this weekend’s set at UAB. The Brown & Gold are March 21 at Western Kentucky 1 p.m. slated to play 17 nonconference games prior to the April 1 Missouri Valley Conference March 23 at Notre Dame 4 p.m. opener at Dallas Baptist (DBU). March 26 at Butler 3 p.m. March 28 Butler (DH) Noon Last Time Out: Valpo last took the diamond for a game on March 11, 2020 at Alabama March 28 Butler (DH) 3 p.m. April 1 at DBU* 6:30 p.m. State, a 4-2 setback during which the Hornets snapped a 2-2 tie with a two-run triple in April 2 at DBU* (DH) 2 p.m. the sixth. While that game was taking place, the news of Rudy Gobert testing positive April 2 at DBU* (DH) 5 p.m. for COVID-19 came out, and the NBA season was suspended. The game between Valpo April 3 at DBU* 1 p.m. and Alabama State proved to be the final Valpo event in any sport during the 2019-20 April 7 Eastern Illinois 3 p.m. academic year. April 9 at Oakland 2 p.m. April 10 at Oakland (DH) 11 a.m. April 10 at Oakland (DH) 2 p.m. On the Air: This weekend’s games will be streamed on Blazer Vision via Conference April 11 at Oakland 11 a.m. USA TV. A subscription is required. Live stats will also be available. Links to live cov- April 16 at Indiana State* 2 p.m. erage will be posted on ValpoAthletics.com. April 17 at Indiana State* (DH) Noon April 17 at Indiana State* (DH) 3 p.m. Series Notes: Valpo holds a 3-12 record in an all-time series that dates back to 1979. April 18 at Indiana State* Noon April 23 Southern Illinois* 3 p.m. This marks the most recent matchups since a three-game set at UAB on Feb. 24-26, April 24 Southern Illinois* (DH) 1 p.m. 2017. Valpo dropped two of three but salvaged the final game with a 9-5 triumph. Jon April 24 Southern Illinois* (DH) 4 p.m. Tieman, Steven Fitzsimmons, Easton Rhodehouse and Riley Dent all played in that series April 25 Southern Illinois* 1 p.m. as freshmen and are still members of Valpo’s team. Grant Inman was the winning pitcher April 27 at Notre Dame 5 p.m. with five scoreless innings in the series finale. The two teams met for a single game April 30 Illinois State* 3 p.m. May 1 Illinois State* (DH) 1 p.m. in Winter Haven, Fla. in March 2013, and before that hadn’t matched up since 1979. May 1 Illinois State* (DH) 4 p.m. May 2 Illinois State* 1 p.m. Head Coach Brian Schmack: Brian Schmack, the 17th head baseball coach in Val- May 7 at Bradley* 6 p.m. paraiso University history, is in his eighth season in charge of the program. Entering the May 8 at Bradley* (DH) 2 p.m. 2021 season, he has served as the head coach for 336 games at Valpo, the fourth-most May 8 at Bradley* (DH) 5 p.m. in program history with Tracy Woodson third at 397. This year, he moves into a tie for May 9 at Bradley* 1 p.m. May 11 Notre Dame 3 p.m. third in program history for number of seasons coached with eight, matching Donald May 14 Evansville* 3 p.m. Warnke (1946-1953). Schmack has now been at Valpo longer than his predecessor May 15 Evansville* (DH) 1 p.m. Woodson, whose seven-year run lasted from 2007-2013. Schmack’s win total of 137 May 15 Evansville* (DH) 4 p.m. ranks fifth in program history, with Rick Ferchen fourth at 147. The former big-league May 16 Evansville* 1 p.m. pitcher led Valparaiso to 25 wins in his inaugural campaign in 2014, a school record May 20 at Missouri State* TBA May 21 at Missouri State* (DH) TBA for victories by a first-year skipper. He followed that up with a 22-win season in 2015, May 21 at Missouri State* (DH) TBA then guided the team to its first winning record since 2013 in 2016. In 2017, Schmack May 22 at Missouri State* TBA continued his success despite managing a youthful roster that featured 11 freshmen and May 25-29 at MVC Tournament (Carbondale, Ill.) 15 total newcomers. He led his team to 24 wins, including a strong finish to the regular All Times Central season that saw them win eight of their last 11. The 2018 season saw Valpo transition to * - MVC Game Home games in bold and played at Emory G. Bauer the Missouri Valley Conference. The Brown & Gold made an immediate splash in the highly-respected baseball league, putting together a strong showing in the 2018 MVC *** REFERENCING VALPO *** Tournament, including a 13-10 victory over host Dallas Baptist, a team that went on to Please refer to our team as Valparaiso or Valpo. The receive an at-large NCAA Regional berth. During the 2019 season, Schmack’s squad University has voted to retire the Crusader mascot equaled its win total from the year prior despite playing in a conference that was ranked name, effective February 2021. sixth nationally in RPI and sent three teams to NCAA Regionals. Schmack, a member 2021 Baseball Game Notes Contact: BRANDON VICKREY Office: 219.464.5396 Valpo Sports Media Relations [email protected] www.valpoathletics.com Athletics-Recreation Center 1009 Union Street Valparaiso IN 46383 of the 2003 Detroit Tigers, served as pitching coach/associate head coach at Valpo for seven seasons prior to his promotion. 2021 Valley Standings Entering 2/19 Opening Day History Team MVC Pct. Overall Pct. - Valpo will look to start the season with a victory for the first time since beating Samford Valpo 0-0 --- 0-0 --- 6-5 on Feb. 14, 2014. DBU 0-0 --- 0-0 --- - Valpo has dropped six straight openers including a pair of one-run setbacks. Southern Illinois 0-0 --- 0-0 --- - The team started the 2020 season with a 9-3 loss at Western Kentucky. Indiana State 0-0 --- 0-0 --- - Albeit in unusual fashion as an “opener,” Easton Rhodehouse is expected to become Missouri State 0-0 --- 0-0 --- the first Valpo pitcher to start consecutive Opening Days since Dalton Lundeen in 2015 and 2016. Rhodehouse (2020), Mike Kornacker (2019), Jon Tieman (2018), Mario Losi Bradley 0-0 --- 0-0 --- (2017) and Lundeen (2016) formed a stretch of five opening day starters in as many years. Illinois State 0-0 --- 0-0 --- Evansville 0-0 --- 0-0 --- In the Other Dugout: UAB - Picked to finish sixth of six in the Conference USA West Division Preseason Poll. - Led by preseason all-conference catcher J Paul Fullerton, a senior who hit .317 and Around the Missouri Valley slugged .517 with 19 hits and 13 RBIs during the shortened season. Friday, Feb. 19 - Under the direction of interim head coach Perry Roth, who spent the last 14 years as Indiana State vs. Pittsburgh (Port Charlotte, Fla.) an assistant for the recently-retired Brian Shoop. Roth is familiar with the Missouri Evansville at Georgia Valley Conference, having spent time as an assistant at both Bradley (2004) and Illinois Southern Illinois at Tennessee Tech State (2000-2002). Valpo at UAB - Finished 7-9 a year ago and 27-29 in 2019. Missouri State at Arkansas State - The late Gene Bartow, a legendary college basketball coach, provides a link between Austin Peay at DBU these two institutions as Bartow was the head men’s basketball coach at Valpo from 1964-1970 before holding the same position at UAB from 1978-1996. Saturday, Feb. 20 Southern Illinois at Tennessee Tech Pitching Profiles – Projected Starters Evansville at Georgia - – Expected to start the RHP Easton Rhodehouse (R-Sr., Gilbert, Ariz. / Gilbert) Illinois State at Belmont Friday game in an “opener” role… Named 2019 All-MVC Honorable Mention and to the Indiana State vs.