The Valparaiso University baseball team has announced a large incoming class of 13 signees for the 2020-2021 academic and athletic year.

Head coach Brian Schmack and his staff have added a deep, talented group of newcomers that figures to make an immediate impact on the program.

“We’re losing a lot of seniors after this year, so we knew we had a lot of gaps to fill for next season,” Schmack said. “My assistant coaches Casey Fletcher and Kory Winter did an excellent job identifying talent to plug the holes that will be left when our current seniors graduate with players who we think can play immediately. Hats off to Casey and Kory for their hard work with this recruiting class.”

Adam Brauch (Waukee, Iowa / Dowling Catholic), Nathan Chasey (Ames, Iowa / Gilbert [Indian-Hills Community College-Centerville]), Josh Cottrill (Pewaukee, Wis. / Pewaukee), Thomas Gross (Minnetonka, Minn. / Minnetonka), Kaleb Hannahs (West Terre Haute, Ind. / West Vigo), Parker Johnson (Golden Valley, Md. / Hopkins), Nolan Lebamoff (Huntertown, Ind. / Carroll [Kankakee CC]), Griffin McCluskey (Normal, Ill. / Normal Community), Kade Reinertson (Huxley, Iowa / Ballard Community), Brady Renfro (Antigo, Wis. / Waukesha West), Alex Rodriguez (Bourbonnais, Ill. / Bradley-Bourbonnais), Alex Ryan (Lake Mills, Wis. / Lakeside Lutheran) and Alex Thurston (Fowler, Ind. / Benton Central) comprise the large group of Valpo baseball signees.

Brauch, a 2019 first-team all-district and all-conference honoree, led his team in hits each of the last two seasons. He compiled a .382 batting average with 50 hits and 34 RBIs during his junior campaign. The three-year starting shortstop at Dowling Catholic played a key role in helping the team reach the state final four in 2019.

“Adam is a very talented, athletic guy who can play multiple positions,” Schmack said. “He has a chance to play right away. He’s so athletic and he’s a multi-sport athlete. We’re looking forward to him joining the program and seeing what he can become.”

Chasey has earned IHCC all-region honorable mention recognition in the junior college ranks after finishing his prep career as a three-time all-conference honoree. He was also an all-area team member as a junior and senior while spending three straight seasons on the all-district team. Chasey burst onto the scene by starting his high school tenure with his team’s Newcomer of the Year award as a freshman. He added to his list of team honors as a junior and senior, winning both Top Performing Pitcher and Most Valuable Player in each of those seasons.

“Nathan is a strike-thrower,” Schmack said. “We need some experience in this class, so we’re looking for him to lead the young guys and make an impact on the weekend or in the back end of the bullpen. We’re certainly excited to have him.”

Cottrill is a three-time scholar-athlete, two-time all-conference honorable mention performer and a three-year varsity letter winner during his prep career.

“Upside is the word that comes to mind when I think about Josh,” Schmack said. “He showed well when we saw him and he has the ability to throw strikes with every pitch. We think he can develop, get stronger and mature during his time with us.”

Gross is ranked in the Top 30 in the state of Minnesota by Prep Baseball Report. His high school coach at Minnetonka is Paul Twenge, who was the head coach of the Valpo baseball program from 1988-2006. In the classroom, Gross has held a GPA of 3.0 or better throughout his high school career.

“Tommy has a high ceiling and a live arm,” Schmack said. “He is exactly the type of pitcher we look for out of high school. He has two pitches that can play in college at this point. Once he focuses on pitching full time, he can be pretty special.”

Hannahs, the son of Indiana State head baseball coach Mitch Hannahs, is a four-year prep letter winner in three different sports: basketball, baseball and football. He has earned academic all-conference honors and is an all-conference performer in basketball and football.

“We think we got a steal with Kaleb,” Schmack said. “He’s just a baseball player, and that’s exactly what we’re looking for in our recruiting. We’re trying to get as many baseball players as we can. He can play multiple positions, and we’re very comfortable that he knows the game. He’s a coach’s son, so that should help right away. We’re extremely excited to have him with the program.”

Johnson was a team captain during his prep career, earning Minnesota Class 4A State Tournament Team honors. He helped his team to a sectional championship and a conference co-championship. He was a 2019 all-tournament team performer in the WWBA 17U West National Championship. Johnson played for the Mariners Midwest Scout Team during the 2019 summer season, hitting .321 with a .457 on-base percentage and .434 slugging percentage over 24 games.

“Parker is an athletic outfielder,” Schmack said. “He’s a baseball player who fits the mold of what we’re looking for. He can get on base and play defense. We are trying to find players who can play our style of baseball, and he fits that really well.”

Lebamoff has already enjoyed an accomplished junior college career, ranking third on Kankakee Community College’s all-time saves list. The Region 4 saves leader for the 2018-19 season, Lebamoff was named the Kankakee CC Pitcher of the Year and was a second-team all-region honoree.

“We saw Nolan out of high school and really liked him,” Schmack said. “He has a bulldog mentality. He has had some injuries, but has adapted by changing the way he throws. When we met him on campus, he really impressed us with the way he talked and worked. We’re excited to have him come in and have him challenge for a weekend spot or a role in the back end of our bullpen. We love what Nolan brings to the table.”

McCluskey has been a starting shortstop and pitcher on his school’s varsity squad as a sophomore and junior and figures to do the same as a senior this spring. He owns a career batting average of .345 to go along with a 1.74 ERA and .973 fielding percentage. He has earned first team and second team all-conference recognition over the last two years.

Also a three-year varsity starter on the golf team, McCluskey has been a member of conference and regional championship squads. He was an all-conference performer and individual state qualifier in golf while also earning academic all-conference honors for both golf and baseball. He is a member of his school’s varsity basketball team as a senior.

“Griffin is a competitor and a strike-thrower who has multiple pitches,” Schmack said. “He is one of the first pitchers who committed in this class. His pitchability impressed us. When he matures, he can be a weekend guy with his competitiveness and the arsenal that he brings to the table.”

Reinertson is a three-time all-conference honoree as a pitcher and earned second-team all-state status in 2019. He was also tabbed a first-team all-district recipient and the area Catcher of the Year.

“Kade is a very impressive individual who wants to coach when he’s done playing,” Schmack said. “He has bought in right away. He’s a physical kid, and you can never have too many good catchers. He has a chance to contribute right away at that position.”  

Renfro has picked up first-team all-conference accolades as a sophomore and junior and earned second-team all-state during his junior campaign. A 2019 Wisconsin Division 2 state champion, Renfro is a four-year honor roll student.

“Brady is a two-way player who has impressed us on both sides of the ball,” Schmack said. “He’s got some juice in his bat and has a live arm from the left side. He’ll get an opportunity to do both when he comes in. If he excels at one, he’ll have a chance to stick at either position. The fact that he’s left handed as a pitcher and hitter is a huge plus for us. He fills a void for our team.”

Rodriguez was selected as a member of the 2019 Daily Journey all-area first team as a junior. His team won the 2018 BBCHS Regional title. He owns three varsity letters in baseball and is a member of the National Honor Society thanks in part to sustaining a 3.6 grade point average or higher throughout high school. A member of the BBCHS Student-Athlete Leadership Committee, Rodriguez was ranked in the Prep Baseball Report top 100 in Illinois throughout all four years of high school.

“Alex has a lot of upside and we’ve watched him get better since the start of the summer,” Schmack said. “We feel like we got a steal. He’s a big, physical kid. He’s starting to throw the ball over the plate more consistently. The sky is the limit with him.”

Ryan is a three-time first team all-conference performer who has also earned honorable mention all-state, first-team all-district and academic all-district.

“Alex is an athletic outfielder and a great runner,” Schmack said. “He has a chance to be at the top of the order right away. He’s a good student and hard worker who fits the mold of what we’re looking for. We feel he’s a guy who can patrol center field for four years. He brings the bulldog mentality that we covet.”

Thurston is a two-time all-conference honoree and a two-time Under Armour Preseason All-American. A member of the USA Baseball Great Lakes All-Region Team and USA Baseball development team, Thurston is a Phoenix Contact Nanoline national champion (engineering) and an academic excellence award winner.

“Alex is a plus defender,” Schmack said. “We saw him a few years ago and he was one of our first commits. He’s only gotten better. His arm plays well and his bat is coming along. He gets on base. His biggest tool is defending, which fits well with our style of play. He’s a good player who has a chance to be a four-year shortstop.”