Soon, the pop of the glove and the crack of the bat will cut the air as the Valparaiso University baseball team prepares to make its way to Corpus Christi, Texas to take on Kansas in a three-game, season-opening series that begins on Friday.

As the Beacons get set to travel to the Lone Star State, they do so with an experienced group of position players as 82.7 percent of the team’s hits in 2022 came from players who are back for the 2023 campaign.

“The team is fun to be around this year,” head coach Brian Schmack said. “It’s a bunch of incredible personalities. I want to see them play with a little bit of passion and energy and have fun out there. Sometimes you get bogged down by losing a game or having a bad season, and you let the pressure get to you. I want our guys to play easy and have fun.”

Infield

The infield will be the most experienced group on the diamond with all four starters returning from last season.

Third baseman Kaleb Hannahs (West Terre Haute, Ind. / West Vigo) was named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Defensive Team in 2023 after earning All-MVC Second Team honors the year prior, when he was tabbed a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and was the 2021 MVC Freshman of the Year.

Hannahs will be joined once again on the left side of the infield by fellow junior Alex Thurston (Fowler, Ind. / Benton Central), who finished second on the team in batting average at .301 last season. Thurston made a significant jump after hitting .158 as a rookie in 2021.

After leading the team in hitting and finishing with the program’s highest single-season batting average since 2010 at .365 last year, Nolan Tucker (Cedar Lake, Ind. / Hanover Central) is back to man second base. He was named to the All-MVC First Team, becoming the first Valpo player since 2018 and the second since the team joined the league to earn that distinction. Tucker also garnered Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Freshman All-American status, an honor that he qualified for despite being in his third season on campus due to the COVID year and a medical redshirt.

Rounding out the around-the-horn group for the Beacons will be first baseman Brady Renfro (Antigo, Wis. / Antigo), who was All-MVC Honorable Mention as a freshman in 2021. Last season, he tied for the team lead in both home runs (seven) and RBIs (27). He hit .319 in MVC play, ranking second on the team in league-only batting average.

“All of our starting infielders had a good fall,” Schmack said. “We’re looking forward to them continuing what they did for us last season, and we hope all of them are able to continue to take that next step.”

Outfield

While there were no preseason competitions for the starting infield roles with returnees at all four spots, the outfield features more of a logjam with five players in the mix.

Kyle Schmack (Wanatah, Ind. / South Central) will start at one of the outfield positions, most likely in left but could see time in any of the three roles. He hit .292 last year and tied for the team lead in both home runs (seven) and RBIs (27) while also notching 10 doubles, a triple and 27 runs scored.

The other outfield spots will feature a combination of Spencer Warfield (Fullerton, Calif. / Servite), Alex Ryan (Lake Mills, Wis. / Lakeside Lutheran), Ryan Maka (Oak Forest, Ill. / Oak Forest) and Matt Olive (Minneapolis, Minn. / Blake School) who returns after missing the majority of last season with an injury.

“We’re confident that all of them can do a good job out there,” Schmack said. “Right now, it’s a matter of trying to find playing time for everybody.”

Catching

After starting 17 games last season, Kade Reinertson (Huxley, Iowa / Ballard Community) will once again factor in behind the dish with transfer Jake Skrine (Longmont, Colo. / Mead [Indiana]) also seeing significant playing time. Skrine will see at-bats at the designated hitter spot as well.

“Catching will be a split between Kade and Skrine,” Schmack said. “Kade has separated himself on the defensive side. We’ll also get Skrine’s bat in there and that allows us to get other players in the DH spot and get Kade some rest.”

Pitching

Gone is Friday starter Colin Fields, who signed with the Detroit Tigers as an undrafted free agent. Gone is Saturday starter Jake Miller, who was drafted by the Tigers in the eighth round. But the cupboard isn’t bare for Schmack’s pitching staff.

“A number of guys will get an opportunity to pitch, so I’m looking forward to that,” Schmack said. “Pitchers will get an opportunity to step up and we will be mixing and matching for each series. Our success will be based on whether or not we can throw the ball over the plate and avoid free bases. Our wins come when we minimize free bases.”

Trent Turzenski (Burlington, Wis. / Burlington) will miss the beginning of the season with the injury that cost him the end of the 2022 campaign, but is expected to return this year and play a key role on the pitching staff when he gets back to full health.

Griffin McCluskey (Normal, Ill. / Normal Community), Connor Lockwood (Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville) and Ryan Mintz (Lombard, Ill. / Willowbrook) are pitchers who have started games for Valpo in years past. McCluskey’s 2022 was highlighted by his first collegiate victory coming at Illinois State in his hometown of Normal, while Lockwood turned it around late in the season and posted a 1.80 ERA over his final three regular-season appearances.

“Griffin has been throwing the ball over the plate, changing speeds and keeping hitters off balance,” Schmack said. “Lockwood looks good and both have added pitches. Mintz’s confidence has grown tremendously, which is huge.”

Hurlers who return after logging significant bullpen innings last season include Jacob Rosenkranz (Lincolnshire, Ill. / Stevenson), Nathan Chasey (Ames, Iowa / Gilbert [Indian Hills CC]), Grant Jablonski (Mishawaka, Ind. / Mishawaka), Josh Cottrill (Pewaukee, Wis. / Pewaukee) and Bobby Nowak (Cedar Lake, Ind. / Hanover Central [Kankakee]). Nowak nailed down eight saves last season and ranks in the top 10 on the program’s career saves list after only one year donning the brown and gold. Chasey and Nowak boasted the team’s top two ERAs a year ago.  

“Rosenkranz has looked good and we’re excited for him to take the next step,” Schmack said. “Jablonski had a great fall and really stood out. Chasey has been himself. Bobby is peaking at the right time. Cottrill looks confident and is throwing the ball hard. We look forward to seeing these guys have an opportunity to step up.”