With the bulk of the starting lineup back from a team that took a step forward in 2023, optimism is high at Emory G. Bauer Field as the Valparaiso University baseball team gets set to embark upon the 2024 season.

A veteran roster features 16 seniors and nine juniors including an upperclassmen core of position players who have grown together for several seasons.

“You can lean on your players when you have experience,” head coach Brian Schmack said. “You don’t have to feel like you have to coach everything they do. You can let them play. That’s awesome and that’s the freedom that we like to give guys. It’s fun to see guys come full circle who came in as freshmen. They’re looking forward to competing and they’re enjoying each other’s company as teammates.”

Valpo will face a challenging nonconference schedule, including a game at No. 1 Wake Forest on March 2. The Beacons also battle No. 6 Vanderbilt (March 26) in addition to the likes of Alabama, Campbell and a variety of other high-level foes.

“We want to challenge ourselves,” Schmack said. “We know that the MVC is extremely tough, and you want to be prepared for that. By playing the best competition, you figure out where you need to make changes. Our guys like taking on challenges and believe they can compete with those teams.”

Pitching

Valpo will open the season with a four-game series at Alabama State beginning on Feb. 16. Although the order has not yet been determined, indications are that senior Griffin McCluskey (Normal, Ill. / Normal), redshirt freshman Adam Guazzo (Huntley, Ill. / Huntley), freshman Lucas Foley (Deer Park, Ill. / Lake Zurich) and redshirt junior Josh Cottrill (Pewaukee, Wis. / Pewaukee) will make starts during the opening weekend.

McCluskey is the most experienced arm in that quartet, having started 15 games in the weekend rotation in 2023 after appearing in 11 games (seven starts) in 2022 and nine (two starts) in 2021. Foley is a true freshman, while Guazzo was sidelined last season and will make his collegiate debut during the opening weekend. Cottrill has made 21 appearances and one start over the last two seasons.

Others in the pitching mix who will see innings over the opening weekend include senior transfer Bryce Konitzer (Mukwonago, Wis. / Mukwonago [Oakland]), senior Trent Turzenski (Burlington, Wis. / Burlington) and senior Kaleb Krier (Altoona, Iowa / Southeast Polk [DMACC]). Late in games, Valpo will lean heavily upon junior righty Jake Jakubowski (Lake in the Hills, Ill. / Huntley [Heartland]), who has joined the program as a junior college transfer.

Catcher

Redshirt junior Kade Reinerton (Huxley, Iowa / Ballard Community) is back after playing in 18 games a year ago before his season was cut short by an injury. He is expected to start behind the dish among a catching crew that also includes senior Liam Patton (Barrington, Ill. / Warsaw [Wabash]), redshirt sophomore Patrick Illitch (Detroit, Mich. / University Liggett [IMG]) and sophomore Will Radich (Lake Oswego, Ore. / IMG Academy).

Patton, who has joined the team as a transfer, missed most of the fall and winter with an injury and is getting back into the swing of things. He will compete with Reinertson for playing time at the backstop position.

Infield

Three returning stalwarts comprise the bulk of the infield with seniors Brady Renfro (Big Bend, Wis. / Mukwonago [Indian Hills CC]) and Kaleb Hannahs (West Terre Haute, Ind. / West Vigo) manning the corner positions at first and third, respectively. Senior Alex Thurston (Fowler, Ind. / Benton Central) is back to hold down the fort at shortstop, and he’ll be joined by a new double-play partner as senior transfer Connor Giusti (Hoffman Estates, Ill. / Fremd [Wisconsin Oshkosh]) has claimed the starting second base job.

Renfro, now a fourth-year starter, was All-MVC Honorable Mention in 2021 and hit .287 last season to go along with eight doubles and four home runs while starting 34 games. Hannahs, also a fourth-year starter, earned MVC Freshman of the Year honors in 2021 and is coming off a season where he hit .286 while playing in 30 games and making 29 starts. Thurston is a third fourth-year starter on the infield and started 46 games a year ago. Giusti is a newcomer to the team but not college baseball, as he played in 117 games at Wisconsin Oshkosh over the last four seasons and hit .333 last year.

“I like Giusti’s energy and he’s been an infielder for four years in college,” Schmack said. “With veterans like Kaleb, Thurston and Renfro, you just ride it. They have earned the right to start and they have experience that is going to be huge for that infield. Our pitching staff may not have swing-and-miss stuff, so defensive play on the infield is going to be a key for us.”

Outfield

Preseason All-MVC choice Ryan Maka (Oak Forest, Ill. / Oak Forest) is back for his junior season after hitting .345 with seven home runs and 43 RBIs to earn first team all-conference honors in 2023. He will start in right field while fourth-year starter Kyle Schmack (Wanatah, Ind. / South Central) will once again get the nod in left. Senior Alex Ryan (Lake Mills, Wis. / Lakeside Lutheran) is the everyday centerfielder to start the year after playing in 40 games and making 37 starts a year ago.

“Maka had a tremendous increase from his freshman season to his sophomore season,” Schmack said. “He’s at a spot where he knows how good he can be. He’s not going to sneak up on anyone anymore. They may pitch him a little differently, but he’s ready for the challenge. He’s going to be a cornerstone for us in the outfield.”

Schmack batted .322 with nine home runs, 38 RBIs and a team-high 99 total bases last year, while Maka climbed his average nearly 100 points from the previous season as part of a breakout campaign.

“We lean on Kyle to drive in some runs,” Schmack said. “The experience plays a part in it. It’s the same thing with Renfro and Hannahs, we know they’re handling things the right way. AR (Alex Ryan) has done well and plays great defensively.”

In addition, newcomers Kevin Denty (Tinley Park, Ill. / Marian Catholic), Carson Husmann (Hannah, Ind. / South Central [Bradley]) and Chase Maifield (Fox Lake, Ill. / Grant [Augustana]) are all part of the designated hitter mix.

“We brought in Husmann from Bradley and he had a good fall,” Schmack said. “Denty is opening up a lot of eyes as a freshman; it’s going to be hard to keep him out of the lineup. Maifield is a big, physical left-handed hitter.”

The Beacons are coming off their highest overall win total, MVC win total, overall winning percentage and MVC winning percentage since joining the Missouri Valley Conference.