The Valparaiso University baseball team has revealed its schedule for the 2024 season, which will begin on Feb. 16 as the Beacons swing into action with a four-game series at Alabama State.

After starting the season against a Hornets team that won 41 games and went 26-4 in the Southwest Athletic Conference a year ago, the Beacons will play three more in the Heart of Dixie from Feb. 23-25 at Alabama. The Crimson Tide of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) also won over 40 games in 2023, posting a 43-21 mark en route to an NCAA Regional crown and Super Regional appearance.

A challenging early-season docket continues on March 1, when Valpo plays at Elon, a team that went 33-22 last season including a 19-9 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). Valpo will play a fourth straight opponent and ninth straight game against a team with 30 or more wins from last season on March 2 at Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons were 54-12, going 22-7 in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) on their way to NCAA Regional and Super Regional crowns that resulted in a College World Series appearance.

Head coach Brian Schmack’s team will play another club with a winning record in 2023 on March 3, a neutral-site date with Binghamton of the American East Conference, a game played at Wake Forest. The Beacons will visit Jacksonville, a 34-win team last year and a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference, on March 5. That precedes a three-game set at The Citadel (The Southern Conference) in Charleston, S.C. from March 8-10. The Beacons head to Gardner Webb (Big South) in Boiling Springs, N.C. on March 12 to play another team that won over 30 games last season. The trip to the Carolinas concludes with a three-game set at Campbell (March 15-17) against a Fighting Camels squad that went 46-15 last season including a 22-5 Big South record and a 20-4 home mark. The conference champion Fighting Camels reached NCAA Regionals.

After 18 games in warm-weather locations, Valpo will host Ball State in the home opener on March 19 at Emory G. Bauer Field. That instate midweek matchup will serve as a final tune-up for Missouri Valley Conference action, which commences with a three-game set at Southern Illinois from March 22-24. The Beacons will make their way to Nashville, Tenn. for a game against national powerhouse Vanderbilt on March 26. The Commodores went 42-20 last season, were the runners-up of the College World Series in 2021 and won the national title as recently as 2019.

The first Missouri Valley Conference home series will be March 29-31 vs. Bradley. Other home Valley opponents are Belmont (April 12-14), Missouri State (April 19-21), Evansville (March 3-6) and Indiana State (March 16-18). After SIU, other Valley road trips include Illinois State (April 5-7), UIC (April 26-28) and Murray State (May 10-12). Midweek nonconference games during MVC play include home dates with Milwaukee (April 2) and Western Michigan (May 7) as well as visits to Purdue (April 3), Milwaukee (April 9), Notre Dame (April 16), Northern Illinois (April 23) and Western Michigan (April 30). Evansville will host the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament starting on May 21.