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 (4-10, 0-0 MVC) 2021 Schedule and Results at Butler (3-5, 0-0 Big East) Date Opponent Time/Result Bulldog Park (500) | Indianapolis, Ind. Feb. 19 at UAB W 6-2 Friday, March 26, 3 p.m. CT – RHP Easton Rhodehouse Feb. 20 at UAB L 8-2 Feb. 21 at UAB L 4-1 Saturday, March 27, 11 a.m. CT (Game 1) – RHP Colin Fields Feb. 26 at Jacksonville State L 5-4 Saturday, March 27, to follow (Game 2) – RHP Trent Turzenski Feb. 27 at Jacksonville State (DH) L 10-2 Feb. 27 at Jacksonville State (DH) L 13-3 Next Up in Valpo Baseball: The Valparaiso University baseball team will battle instate March 12 at Middle Tennessee State L 5-2 opponent Butler in a three-game series this weekend. All three games will be played at March 13 at Middle Tennessee State (DH) W 5-0 (7) Bulldog Park in Indianapolis, but Valpo will have the last at-bats for Saturday’s double- March 13 at Middle Tennessee State (DH) W 3-2 (8) March 14 at Middle Tennessee State L 5-0 header as the contests were originally slated for Emory G. Bauer Field. March 19 at Western Kentucky L 8-4. March 20 at Western Kentucky W 8-6 (11) Last Time Out: Valpo put together a strong showing in a 6-3 setback to No. 14 Notre March 21 at Western Kentucky L 11-1 Dame, a team ranked in the Top 25 in all six national polls. Valpo held a 3-2 lead through March 23 at #14 Notre Dame L 6-3 five innings, but the Fighting Irish rallied to come away victorious. The Valpo pitching March 26 at Butler 3 p.m. March 27 at Butler (DH) 11 a.m. staff performed well against a high-level offense, including starter Zach Fricke who March 27 at Butler (DH) 2 p.m. tossed four innings and permitted two runs on four hits and one walk. Kaleb Hannahs April 1 at DBU* 6:30 p.m. led the way with a two-hit day, while Jeremy Drudge (two-run triple) and Parker Johnson April 2 at DBU* (DH) 2 p.m. (RBI double) had the big blows in Valpo’s three-run fifth. April 2 at DBU* (DH) 5 p.m. April 3 at DBU* 1 p.m. On the Air: Links to live coverage can be found on ValpoAthletics.com. April 7 Eastern Illinois 3 p.m. April 9 at Oakland 2 p.m. April 10 at Oakland (DH) 11 a.m. Series Notes: Valpo holds an 80-56-1 all-time record against the Bulldogs, but lost two April 10 at Oakland (DH) 2 p.m. of three in the most recent series, March 23-24, 2019 at Emory G. Bauer Field. Valpo April 11 at Oakland 11 a.m. won the middle game of the series 5-2 between 6-4 and 9-2 setbacks. Valpo’s most April 16 at Indiana State* 2 p.m. recent trip to Bulldog Park came on March 23, 2018, a 9-2 victory for the Brown & April 17 at Indiana State* (DH) Noon April 17 at Indiana State* (DH) 3 p.m. Gold. The two teams were hoping to play a three-game series that weekend, but when April 18 at Indiana State* Noon Valpo players woke up in Indy on Saturday, they saw snow accumulated outside their April 23 Southern Illinois* 3 p.m. hotel, which is usually not a good thing if you are hoping to play baseball. Therefore, April 24 Southern Illinois* (DH) 1 p.m. the rest of the series was cancelled. April 24 Southern Illinois* (DH) 4 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) 1 p.m. 2021 season, he has served as the head coach for 336 games at Valpo, the fourth-most May 1 Illinois State* (DH) 4 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) 1 p.m. then guided the team to its first winning record since 2013 in 2016. In 2017, Schmack May 15 Evansville* (DH) 4 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 In the Other Dugout: Butler - The Bulldogs will face a Missouri Valley Conference foe for the second straight weekend 2021 Valley Standings after dropping two of three in a weekend series at Evansville March 19-21. Entering 3/24 - Butler played a competitive game against SEC foe Kentucky on Tuesday, but fell 6-5. Team MVC Pct. Overall Pct. - The Bulldogs are under the direction of Dave Schrage, who took over the program Southern Illinois 3-1 .750 17-1 .944 in July 2016. DBU 0-0 --- 11-6 .647 - Butler is led offensively by Dan Harwood and Robbie McCargar, both of whom are Indiana State 0-0 --- 11-6 .647 hitting .333. Aaron Steinhart owns a .318 average in seven games, six starts. Missouri State 0-0 --- 7-8 .467 - Friday starter Connor Schultz is 0-2 with a 5.63 ERA, while Saturday starter Jack Bradley 0-0 --- 5-7 .417 Myers owns a 2-0 record and 1.93 ERA in his two-start sampling. Schultz was the Big East Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Illinois State 0-0 --- 5-12 .294 - Butler was picked to finish seventh of eight in the Big East preseason poll. Valpo 0-0 --- 4-10 .286 Evansville 1-3 .250 9-10 .474 Pitching Profiles – Projected Starters - RHP Easton Rhodehouse (R-Sr., Gilbert, Ariz. / Gilbert) – Expected to start the Friday game in an “opener” role each weekend… Named 2019 All-MVC Honorable Around The Valley Mention and to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team in 2017. Also received 2020 Sunday, March 21 MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention… Did not allow an earned run in any of his East Carolina 11, Illinois State 8 five conference outings in 2018 with opponents hitting just .211 against him in conference Southern Illinois 2, Marshall 0 play… Finished the 2019 season with a team-best 3.82 ERA over 22 appearances out Southern Miss 3, Missouri State 1 of the bullpen, grabbing two wins to go along with four saves… Secured 44 strikeouts Western Kentucky 11, Valpo 1 while walking 13 in 35 1/3 innings in 2019… Was one of four players in the nation to UAB 11, Indiana State 4 start six games during the 2020 season, tying for the NCAA Division-I lead in that cat- Evansville 10, Butler 1 egory. Ranked third on the team with a 3.45 ERA and struck out a team-high 20 while issuing just four bases on balls over 15 2/3 innings… 2020 Valparaiso University grad- Tuesday, March 23 uate with a degree in political science… Currently pursuing an MBA..