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 (5-16, 0-4 MVC) 2021 Schedule and Results at #23 Indiana State (16-8, 3-1 MVC) Date Opponent Time/Result Bob Warn Field | Terre Haute, Ind. Feb. 19 at UAB W 6-2 Friday, April 16, 2 p.m. CT – RHP Easton Rhodehouse Feb. 20 at UAB L 8-2 Feb. 21 at UAB L 4-1 Saturday, April 17, Noon CT (Game 1) – RHP Colin Fields Feb. 26 at Jacksonville State L 5-4 Saturday, April 17, to follow (Game 2) – RHP Trent Turzenski Feb. 27 at Jacksonville State (DH) L 10-2 Sunday, April 18, noon CT – RHP Zach Fricke Feb. 27 at Jacksonville State (DH) L 13-3 March 12 at Middle Tennessee State L 5-2 Next Up in Valpo Baseball: After having last weekend’s scheduled nonconference March 13 at Middle Tennessee State (DH) W 5-0 (7) series at Oakland canceled due to COVID-related concerns within Oakland’s program, March 13 at Middle Tennessee State (DH) W 3-2 (8) March 14 at Middle Tennessee State L 5-0 the Valparaiso University baseball team will resume its Missouri Valley Conference March 19 at Western Kentucky L 8-4. slate this week. A short trip south to Terre Haute is in store as Valpo begins a four-game March 20 at Western Kentucky W 8-6 (11) series with nationally-ranked Indiana State on Friday. March 21 at Western Kentucky L 11-1 March 23 at #14 Notre Dame L 6-3 Last Time Out: Valpo dropped all four games to MVC preseason favorite Dallas Baptist March 26 at Butler L 5-4 (10) March 27 at Butler (DH) W 7-1 at Horner Ballpark in Dallas in the first series of conference play, though all four match- March 27 at Butler (DH) L 13-10 ups were decided by five runs or fewer against a quality foe with the final two decided April 1 at DBU* L 6-1 by three or fewer. The tightest game in the series was the nightcap of the Good Friday April 2 at DBU* (DH) L 8-4 doubleheader, as the host Patriots prevailed 9-8 in a seesaw battle. April 2 at DBU* (DH) L 9-8 April 3 at DBU* L 5-2 On the Air: All four games in the series will air on ESPN3 with Luke Martin (play-by- April 7 Eastern Illinois CCD April 9 at Oakland CCD play) and Tyler Ward (analyst) describing the action. Links to live video, audio and stats April 10 at Oakland (DH) CCD for all four contests can be found on ValpoAthletics.com. April 10 at Oakland (DH) CCD April 11 at Oakland CCD Series Notes: Valpo is 30-46-1 all time against Indiana State, a matchup that dates all April 16 at Indiana State* 2 p.m. the way back to 1947. The Brown & Gold dropped all three in Terre Haute in the most April 17 at Indiana State* (DH) Noon April 17 at Indiana State* (DH) 3 p.m. recent series, which occurred April 12-13, 2019. Indiana State is a perfect 6-0 against April 18 at Indiana State* Noon Valpo in Missouri Valley Conference matchups. All told, Valpo has dropped 11 straight April 23 Southern Illinois* 3 p.m. head-to-head meetings with the Sycamores dating back to an 11-2 victory in Game 1 of April 24 Southern Illinois* (DH) Noon a doubleheader on March 31, 2007. April 24 Southern Illinois* (DH) 3 p.m. April 25 Southern Illinois* 1 p.m. April 27 at Notre Dame 5 p.m. Head Coach Brian Schmack: Brian Schmack, the 17th head baseball coach in Val- April 30 Illinois State* 3 p.m. paraiso University history, is in his eighth season in charge of the program. Entering the May 1 Illinois State* (DH) Noon 2021 season, he has served as the head coach for 336 games at Valpo, the fourth-most May 1 Illinois State* (DH) 3 p.m. in program history with Tracy Woodson third at 397. This year, he moves into a tie for May 2 Illinois State* 1 p.m. third in program history for number of seasons coached with eight, matching Donald May 7 at Bradley* 6 p.m. Warnke (1946-1953). Schmack has now been at Valpo longer than his predecessor May 8 at Bradley* (DH) 2 p.m. May 8 at Bradley* (DH) 5 p.m. Woodson, whose seven-year run lasted from 2007-2013. Schmack’s win total of 137 May 9 at Bradley* 1 p.m. ranks fifth in program history, with Rick Ferchen fourth at 147. The former big-league May 11 Notre Dame 3 p.m. pitcher led Valparaiso to 25 wins in his inaugural campaign in 2014, a school record May 14 Evansville* 3 p.m. for victories by a first-year skipper. He followed that up with a 22-win season in 2015, May 15 Evansville* (DH) Noon then guided the team to its first winning record since 2013 in 2016. In 2017, Schmack May 15 Evansville* (DH) 3 p.m. May 16 Evansville* 1 p.m. continued his success despite managing a youthful roster that featured 11 freshmen and May 20 at Missouri State* 11:30 a.m. 15 total newcomers. He led his team to 24 wins, including a strong finish to the regular May 21 at Missouri State* (DH) 10 a.m. season that saw them win eight of their last 11. The 2018 season saw Valpo transition to May 21 at Missouri State* (DH) 1 p.m. the Missouri Valley Conference. The Brown & Gold made an immediate splash in the May 22 at Missouri State* 11:30 a.m. highly-respected baseball league, putting together a strong showing in the 2018 MVC May 25-29 at MVC Tournament (Carbondale, Ill.) All Times Central Tournament, including a 13-10 victory over host Dallas Baptist, a team that went on to * - MVC Game receive an at-large NCAA Regional berth. During the 2019 season, Schmack’s squad Home games in bold and played at Emory G. Bauer equaled its win total from the year prior despite playing in a conference that was ranked sixth nationally in RPI and sent three teams to NCAA Regionals. Schmack, a member *** REFERENCING VALPO *** of the 2003 Detroit Tigers, served as pitching coach/associate head coach at Valpo for Please refer to our team as Valparaiso or Valpo. The seven seasons prior to his promotion. University has voted to retire the Crusader mascot name, effective February 2021. 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 All in The Family - This weekend’s series between Valpo and Indiana State will pit father against son as 2021 Valley Standings Valpo freshman Kaleb Hannahs is the son of Indiana State head coach Mitch Hannahs. Entering 4/13 - Valpo’s starting corner infield provides a unique juxtaposition as one player chose to Team MVC Pct. Overall Pct. play for his father and the other chose to play against his father. Valpo sophomore first DBU 4-0 1.000 18-7 .720 baseman Kyle Schmack is the son of Valpo head coach Brian Schmack. Indiana State 3-1 .750 16-8 .667 - Kaleb’s older brother Derek started his collegiate career at Ohio State before transferring Southern Illinois 4-4 .500 24-6 .800 to Indiana State when his father took over the Sycamore program. Illinois State 4-4 .500 12-18 .400 Missouri State 2-2 .500 11-10 .524 Extending Streaks A pair of noteworthy individual streaks were extended during Valpo’s series at DBU Evansville 3-4 .429 18-12 .600 (April 1-3). Sophomore first baseman Kyle Schmack hit safely in all four games in the Bradley 3-4 .429 9-13 .409 series, upping his hitting streak to 12. That marks the program’s longest such streak since Valpo 0-4 .000 5-16 .238 Nate Palace’s 14 gamer in 2017. In addition, a ninth-inning hit by pitch in the series finale helped fifth-year senior outfielder Steven Fitzsimmons extend his on-base streak to 18. He became the first Valpo player to reach that number since Giovanni Garbella in 2018. Around The Valley Sunday, April 11 Who’s Hot? Bradley 5, Evansville 4 - Riley Dent posted a .429 batting average over four games against Missouri Valley Evansville 4, Bradley 2 Conference preseason favorite Dallas Baptist, pacing Valpo hitting in that series. He Southern Illinois 8, Northern Illinois 4 also slugged a team-best .857 while posting a .529 on-base percentage, leading the team Indiana State 8, Illinois State 7 (10 inn.) in both categories. - Dent enjoyed a career performance in Game 2 of the April 2 doubleheader, posting a Tuesday, April 13 four-hit game that featured three extra-base knocks. One of those extra-base hits was Missouri State at Missouri, 6:30 p.m. his third home run of the season, part of his career-high four hits. He became the first Valpo player with a four-hit output since March 2019. Dent totaled 12 bases over the Wednesday, April 14 four games, driving in three runs and drawing three walks while four of his six hits Prairie View A&M at DBU (DH), 3 p.m.