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 Illinois State (17-22, 7-5 MVC) 2021 Schedule and Results at Valparaiso (8-22, 3-9 MVC) Date Opponent Time/Result Emory G. Bauer Field | Valparaiso, Ind. Feb. 19 at UAB W 6-2 Friday, April 30, 3 p.m. – RHP Ryan Mintz vs. LHP Colton Johnson Feb. 20 at UAB L 8-2 Saturday, May 1, Noon (Game 1) – TBD vs. RHP Jordan Lussier Feb. 21 at UAB L 4-1 Saturday, May 1, to follow (Game 2) – RHP Colin Fields vs. TBD Feb. 26 at Jacksonville State L 5-4 Sunday, May 2, 1 p.m. CT – RHP Zach Fricke vs. LHP Sean Sinisko Feb. 27 at Jacksonville State (DH) L 10-2 Feb. 27 at Jacksonville State (DH) L 13-3 March 12 at Middle Tennessee State L 5-2 Next Up in Valpo Baseball: The Valparaiso University baseball team will enjoy another March 13 at Middle Tennessee State (DH) W 5-0 (7) home weekend beginning on Friday afternoon as Illinois State comes to town to kick off March 13 at Middle Tennessee State (DH) W 3-2 (8) a four-game set. Valpo will attempt to sustain the positive momentum generated during March 14 at Middle Tennessee State L 5-0 last weekend’s series victory over Southern Illinois and a solid midweek performance March 19 at Western Kentucky L 8-4. March 20 at Western Kentucky W 8-6 (11) at No. 8 Notre Dame. March 21 at Western Kentucky L 11-1 March 23 at #14 Notre Dame L 6-3 Last Time Out: Valpo gave the nation’s No. 8 team all it could handle on Tuesday March 26 at Butler L 5-4 (10) night near South Bend, but host Notre Dame prevailed 8-7. Kyle Schmack drilled a March 27 at Butler (DH) W 7-1 go-ahead, bases-clearing double to highlight a four-run fifth for the Brown & Gold, March 27 at Butler (DH) L 13-10 who also received three hits from Kaleb Hannahs and two from Alex Thurston. Valpo April 1 at DBU* L 6-1 April 2 at DBU* (DH) L 8-4 outhit Notre Dame 9-7. Schmack’s three RBIs marked a career high, making him the April 2 at DBU* (DH) L 9-8 third Valpo player with a three-RBI game this season. Notre Dame entered the matchup April 3 at DBU* L 5-2 ranked eighth by D1Baseball.com, sixth by Baseball America, 13th by the NCBWA, April 7 Eastern Illinois CCD 14th by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and ninth by the USA Today Coaches’ Poll. April 9 at Oakland CCD April 10 at Oakland (DH) CCD April 10 at Oakland (DH) CCD On the Air: Radio coverage throughout the weekend will be available on the Valpo April 11 at Oakland CCD Sports Network, 95.1 FM WVUR. Links to live audio and stats can be found on Val- April 16 at #23 Indiana State* L 5-0 poAthletics.com. April 17 at #23 Indiana State* (DH) L 11-2 April 17 at #23 Indiana State* (DH) L 6-2 Series Notes: Valpo is 9-23-1 in a series that dates back to an NCAA College Division April 18 at #23 Indiana State* L 12-1 Playoff game in 1969. Valpo won the most recent matchup between the two teams 4-2 April 23 Southern Illinois* (DH) W 7-6 April 23 Southern Illinois* (DH) W 4-3 on April 6, 2019, but the Redbirds took two of three in the series. Since joining The April 24 Southern Illinois* L 10-4 Valley, Valpo is 2-4 against Illinois State. April 25 Southern Illinois* W 4-2 April 27 at #8 Notre Dame L 8-7 Schmack in the Record Book: Entering this weekend, Valpo head coach Brian Schmack April 30 Illinois State* 3 p.m. owns 144 career victories. He is within striking distance of tying or passing Rick Ferchen May 1 Illinois State* (DH) Noon May 1 Illinois State* (DH) 3 p.m. (1982-1987) for fourth in program history during the weekend set against the Redbirds. May 2 Illinois State* 1 p.m. May 7 at Bradley* 6 p.m. Head Coach Brian Schmack: Brian Schmack, the 17th head baseball coach in Val- May 8 at Bradley* (DH) 2 p.m. paraiso University history, is in his eighth season in charge of the program. Entering the May 8 at Bradley* (DH) 5 p.m. 2021 season, he has served as the head coach for 336 games at Valpo, the fourth-most in May 9 at Bradley* 1 p.m. May 11 Notre Dame 3 p.m. program history with Tracy Woodson third at 397. This year, he moves into a tie for third May 14 Evansville* 3 p.m. in program history for number of seasons coached with eight, matching Donald Warnke May 15 Evansville* (DH) Noon (1946-1953). Schmack has now been at Valpo longer than his predecessor Woodson, May 15 Evansville* (DH) 3 p.m. whose seven-year run lasted from 2007-2013. Entering the season, Schmack’s win total May 16 Evansville* 1 p.m. of 136 ranks fifth in program history, with Rick Ferchen fourth at 147. The former big- May 20 at Missouri State* 11:30 a.m. May 21 at Missouri State* (DH) 10 a.m. league pitcher led Valparaiso to 25 wins in his inaugural campaign in 2014, a school record May 21 at Missouri State* (DH) 1 p.m. for victories by a first-year skipper. He followed that up with a 22-win season in 2015, May 22 at Missouri State* 11:30 a.m. then guided the team to its first winning record since 2013 in 2016. In 2017, Schmack May 25-29 at MVC Tournament (Carbondale, Ill.) continued his success despite managing a youthful roster that featured 11 freshmen and All Times Central 15 total newcomers. He led his team to 24 wins, including a strong finish to the regular * - MVC Game season that saw them win eight of their last 11. The 2018 season saw Valpo transition to Home games in bold and played at Emory G. Bauer the Missouri Valley Conference. The Brown & Gold made an immediate splash in the *** REFERENCING VALPO *** highly-respected baseball league, putting together a strong showing in the 2018 MVC Please refer to our team as Valparaiso or Valpo. The Tournament, including a 13-10 victory over host Dallas Baptist, a team that went on to University has voted to retire the Crusader mascot receive an at-large NCAA Regional berth. During the 2019 season, Schmack’s squad name, effective February 2021. equaled its win total from the year prior despite playing in a conference that was ranked 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 sixth nationally in RPI and sent three teams to NCAA Regionals. Schmack, a member of the 2003 Detroit Tigers, served as pitching coach/associate head coach at Valpo for 2021 Valley Standings seven seasons prior to his promotion. Entering 4/30 Team MVC Pct. Overall Pct. Who’s Hot? DBU 7-1 .875 22-10 .688 - Riley Dent is hitting a team-best .375 over the last 15 games after starting the season Indiana State 8-4 .667 21-11 .656 with a .155 average over the first 15 contests. Missouri State 5-3 .625 15-11 .577 - Dent hit .429 during the Southern Illinois series, one of four Valpo players to bat .400 Illinois State 7-5 .583 17-22 .436 or better. Bradley 6-5 .545 14-15 .483 - Matt Olive went 5-for-9 in the series, while Parker Johnson (.462) and Angel DiFed- erico (.455) had robust weekends at the plate as well. Johnson and DiFederico drove in Southern Illinois 6-10 .375 27-12 .692 four runs apiece during the set. Evansville 5-10 .333 20-18 .526 - Brady Renfro has reached base in 18 consecutive games, tying with Steven Fitzsim- Valpo 3-9 .250 8-22 .267 mons for Valpo’s longest on-base streak this season. Prior to this season, Valpo’s last 18-game on-base streak was Giovanni Garbella in 2018. The last Valpo player to reach in 19 or more games consecutively was current volunteer assistant coach Sam Shaikin, Around The Valley who reached in 23 in a row in 2017. Saturday, April 24 Illinois State 6, Evansville 3 A Grand Opening Illinois State 8, Evansville 7 - Valpo debuted its new infield turf at Emory G. Bauer Field in style by sweeping a SIU 10, Valpo 4 doubleheader from Southern Illinois on Friday, April 23. Valpo won both games in Saint Louis 9, Bradley 6 walk-off fashion, winning 7-6 behind a ninth-inning homer by Jonathan Temple in DBU 6, Indiana State 5 Game 1 before enjoying a 4-3 triumph on a Riley Dent walk-off hit in the bottom of DBU 9, Indiana State 0 the seventh of Game 2. - The Temple walk-off home run was Valpo’s first since Zack Leone drilled one on Sunday, April 25 March 30, 2018 vs. Bradley. Both came on special occasions as Leone’s provided Val- Indiana State 7, DBU 5 po’s first-ever Missouri Valley Conference win, while Temple’s came in the first game Illinois State 3, Evansville 1 on the new turf.