The Valparaiso University baseball program has announced the addition of four incoming student-athletes for the 2023-2024 academic and athletic year. Pitchers Lucas Foley (Deer Park, Ill. / Luke Zurich), Bennett Musser (Round Lake, Ill. / Mundelein), Jake Jakubowski (Lake in the Hills, Ill. / Huntley [Heartland]) and Jack Thompson (Rosemount, Minn. / Rosemount) have all signed National Letters of Intent to join head coach Brain Schmack’s program.

Foley will be a three-year starter in high school from his sophomore to senior seasons after his freshman campaign was cancelled due to COVID-19. The left-handed pitcher was a first team all-conference and first team all-area honoree as a junior last season, when he earned the Team Cy Young Award.

“Lucas works in the 85-88 mile per hour range with a quality slider/changeup that he is able to command in and out of the zone,” Schmack said. “He has a quick arm with some deception that creates a tough look for hitters. He is a very good athlete who also plays outfield and hits in the top third of his lineup in high school. He has consistently shown the ability to miss bats in a very good high school baseball conference and against quality summer competition. We think he can get college hitters out now, but with his frame and room to fill out, we are excited about his growth in the program.”

Foley was nominated by Prep Baseball Report for consideration for Player of the Week in April 2022 for his 1-0 conference win over Libertyville. He worked seven shutout innings while striking out 13, walking just one and yielding two hits, both infield singles. Another highlight of his junior campaign came when he pitched seven innings and allowed two runs while striking out 11 and issuing no walks in a 3-2 regional victory.

“Valpo is a great academic school and I really liked the size of the University,” Foley said. “It’s close to home, and the baseball aspect was another big factor in my decision. The Missouri Valley Conference is a very good baseball league, and I’m excited for the chance to pitch right away as a freshman. I talked to (assistant coach) Kory Winter for about six months through the whole process. He’s super genuine, and I felt very wanted by the entire coaching staff.”

Foley finished his junior season with 80 strikeouts against just 13 walks in 54 innings of work. He threw a no-hitter in June of 2021 at the Perfect Game WWBA Midwest Championships in Iowa. He tossed seven innings and recorded 13 strikeouts while walking one and using 80 total pitches. That effort came as part of his three seasons with Pro Player Canes / GRB Rays Illinois. He also played two years with the Chicago Scouts Association and competed in the Perfect Game World Championships in Jupiter, Fla. in October 2022.

“I bring a lot of competitiveness to the table,” Foley said. “I never like leaving games unfinished. I’m a really hard worker, and I love proving people wrong. My mindset as a pitcher is to just get people out, whether it’s through strikeouts or pitching to contact.”

At age 12, Foley won the fastest double play competition in Cooperstown with two of his teammates. Away from the diamond, he enjoys watersports and loves to ski, both waterskiing and snowskiing, a hobby he’s enjoyed since he was 5 years old.

“The moment of signing feels really special,” Foley said. “Going from playing youth ball with my friends in my community to working really hard to finally accomplishing the goal I’ve had since I was 10 years old feels really good. I’m grateful for my parents and my teammates who helped me get here.”

Musser, a right-handed hurler, earned all-conference honors last season, when he logged a 1.30 earned run average and a 1.01 WHIP. He posted a 6-1 record with 68 strikeouts against just 18 walks over 56 1/3 innings in a season that was highlighted by allowing just one hit in a complete-game shutout in the state semifinals.

“Bennett was an integral part of a Mundelein team that made the Illinois State Championship game,” Schmack said. “He works 85-88 and induces a lot of weak contact by being able to throw three pitches in any count. What stood out about Bennett was his use of his off-speed pitches in plus counts. He knows how to pitch and understands the type of pitcher he needs to be to be successful. He is a very high academic kid. He also has a frame that we think will allow him to add strength and size once he gets here. He is also a good athlete, which we believe will help him continue to develop.”

Musser, a White Sox fan who enjoys fishing, said his biggest strength is pitching to contact and not trying to do too much on the mound.

“I learned about Valpo through my pitching coach, who is a Valpo alum,” Musser said. “When my family and I looked further into Valpo, we really thought it was a great fit for me academically and athletically. I can contribute to the team, and I know Valpo has some great academics, so that played into my decision as well. Coach Winter came out to a couple of my games, and I got to know him pretty well.”

Jakubowski played a key role on a Heartland CC team that went to the Junior College World Series last year and placed sixth in the event. He allowed 17 hits and struck out 24 while walking seven over 19 1/3 innings for the Hawks in 2022. The right-handed reliever compiled a 2.33 earned run average and made three saves in 13 appearances to lead the team.

“We saw Jake a couple times in the fall and were really impressed with his stuff,” Schmack said. “He throws from a sidearm slot and the metrics on his fastball and slider are as good as we’ve seen from a spin rate/break standpoint. Jake was a huge part of the Heartland pitching staff last season as a high-leverage reliever, and we think he will fill the same role for us. Jake turned himself into a sidearm pitcher at a young age in order to find a way to be successful. That type of ‘figure it out’ mentality is something that we think will be a huge asset to our program and fits with the rest of our guys. Having a weapon like Jake out of the bullpen – being able to throw multiple times in a weekend – will make us that much stronger in the back end. Jake is a very tough look for hitters and generates a ton of uncomfortable swings.”

Jakubowski continues a tradition of Division-I athletics within his family. His father (baseball) and mother (volleyball) both played at Northeastern University in Chicago. His sister Taryn played soccer at Creighton, while his other sister Taylor plays volleyball at Seton Hall.

“I’m a sidearm pitcher, so I bring some funk to the staff,” Jakubowski said. “I’m strictly a reliever, so I like to come into those high-pressure spots and either get a save or get us out of jams. I try to do anything possible to help the team win. I’m really excited to be a part of the Missouri Valley Conference, that’s one thing that I found very important in the recruiting process. Coming from a junior college, I knew I wanted to be in a good baseball conference, and Valpo had that.”

Jakubowski pitched 2 2/3 innings and allowed one run in the game to go to the JUCO World Series last year, an outing that he calls the highlight of his baseball career to date. When he gets to Valpo’s campus, he plans to major in business.

“The Valpo coaches were up front and honest with me about how they thought I would fit and where I would be right away,” he said. “They told me what I need to work on. I really like that because when coaches are up front and honest, that’s the only way you are going to learn. This opportunity means everything to me. I’ve always dreamed of playing Division-I baseball. The fact that I can be on the same level as my family members is amazing.”

Thompson, a left-handed pitcher, logged 29 innings during his junior season in high school and posted a 1.67 ERA to go along with 38 strikeouts and a 1.06 WHIP. He earned all-conference honorable mention status.

“What stood out to us about him is his ability to spin a true curveball from the left side,” Schmack said. “He is able to throw it for strikes and uses that to help his fastball play up at 84-86. We think Jack was a little overlooked due to his size, but we think we found a guy who has a very high floor and a level of pitchability from the left side that is hard to find. He has a clean arm/delivery that we think will allow him to tick his fastball up once he gets here.”

Thompson tore his ACL in football as a sophomore in high school and had to grind to get back to competition. Signing to continue his baseball career at Valpo is the reward for all of the hard work that he put in to get back to full strength.

“It was really rewarding to be able to sign with Valpo,” Thompson said. “I love the coaches, Mitch (Boe) and Coach Schmack. I felt really welcome there. I love the baseball facility and playing in the MVC. I think my baseball IQ on the mound is really good. My spin rate is really good on my fastball and curveball. My competitive nature is very valuable.”

Last year in his team’s section semifinal game, Thompson hit a triple and scored the winning run in the 11^th inning to send his team to the section finals. Away from the diamond, Thompson enjoys snowboarding and plans to major in finance.

“The goal going into recruiting for the 2023 class was identifying strike throwers who can fit into our pitching philosophy,” Schmack said. “We think we found four guys who will be able to come in and compete in the zone immediately. We also look at each of the guys and think there is some runway for them physically to be able to gain strength and velocity as they mature and get into our lifting program.”