Brian Schmack finished his 10^th season at the helm of the Valpo baseball program in 2023.

In July 2013, Schmack was named the 17th head coach in Valpo baseball history and just the sixth since 1946.

Through the 2023 season, Schmack has served as the head coach for 482 games at Valpo, the third-most in program history. During the 2022 campaign, he surpassed his predecessor Tracy Woodson (397; 2007-2013) for third on that list, and later became just the third skipper in program history to coach his 400th game. He finished the 2023 season with 188 victories, joining Paul Twenge (1988-2006), Emory G. Bauer (1954-1981) and Tracy Woodson (2007-2013) as the only head coaches in program history to reach the 150-win threshold. His milestone 150th career victory came over Evansville on May 15, 2021. He surpassed Woodson for third in program history with a win over Illinois State on May 18, 2023.

During the 2023 season, Schmack led the program to its first 20-win season since 2017 and its highest overall win total, MVC win total (10), overall winning percentage (.426) and MVC winning percentage (.370) since joining The Valley prior to the 2018 campaign. The season featured a 6-1 road triumph at No. 22 Southern Miss, the program’s first win over a nationally-ranked opponent since 2018 and the highest ranked opponent that Valpo has defeated since 2013.  

During the 2022 campaign, Schmack led his team to a successful pre-conference portion of the season. Valpo held its best record through 22 games since 1998. The early-season success featured road series wins over Omaha and UIC plus a four-game split at Murray State. The series win over the Flames marked the program’s first since 2012. During MVC play, Valpo earned a road series win at Illinois State, including the program’s most lopsided league win since joining The Valley, a 10-2 victory over the Redbirds.

Also in 2022, Schmack instructed Nolan Tucker, who earned Freshman All-American honors in addition to garnering All-MVC First Team status. Furthermore, pitcher Colin Fields cracked the program record book for strikeouts both in a single season (110, fifth) and a career (260, fifth). The right-hander led the MVC and ranked among the nation leaders in strikeouts.

During the 2021 season, Schmack led his team to its highest league winning percentage since joining the prestigious Missouri Valley Conference. The season culminated on a high note as Valpo won two games in the MVC Tournament for the first time since joining the league, besting Missouri State 6-4 in 10 innings and Illinois State 6-5 in the competitive event. The victory over Missouri State snapped a 13-game head-to-head losing streak and marked the program’s first-ever win over the Bears. Schmack’s squad was one of the final four teams standing in the tournament, joining a pair of NCAA Regional qualifiers in Indiana State and DBU plus a Southern Illinois team that enjoyed a 40-win season. 

The 2021 campaign saw Schmack’s team have success despite featuring a youthful roster. The squad received 43 percent of its innings pitched from freshmen and 79 percent from either freshmen or sophomores. Offensively, 57.8 percent of the team’s at-bats were taken by freshmen and 68.1 percent from either freshmen or sophomores. The team debuted its new infield turf at Emory G. Bauer Field in style, sweeping a doubleheader from Southern Illinois with both wins coming in walk-off fashion. That marked the beginning of a 7-6 home record as the team finished with a winning mark at home for the fifth time in the last six seasons and 12th time in the last 14 campaigns.

Schmack’s pitching staff racked up 410 strikeouts in 2021, the team’s highest total since 2010. Colin Fields carved the eighth no-hitter in program history and first since 1992 on March 13 at Middle Tennessee, a 5-0 victory that included an immaculate inning. Fields, a two-time MVC Pitcher of the Week, finished the season with 81 strikeouts, the most by a Valpo pitcher since 2015. Under Schmack’s direction, Jon Tieman finished with 244 career strikeouts, seventh on the program’s all-time list. Under Schmack’s guidance, a pair of right-handed hurlers closed out their careers among the program’s all-time saves leaders: Easton Rhodehouse (11, fifth) and Jon Tieman (10, t-sixth). Rhodehouse was named All-MVC Honorable Mention during his senior season, while Tieman garnered MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention, his fourth straight season with a conference scholar-athlete honor. In addition, Schmack coached rookie infielder Kaleb Hannahs, who was the MVC Freshman of the Year and a Freshman All-American.

During the 2019 campaign, Schmack helped his team equal its Missouri Valley Conference win total from the previous season despite playing in a conference that was ranked sixth nationally in RPI. Under his guidance, four Valpo players received All-MVC Recognition (Second Team – Blake Billinger and Chase Dawson; Honorable Mention – Easton Rhodehouse and Riley Dent.) In addition, Billinger was named to the Google Cloud Academic All-District Team Selected by CoSIDA.

Under Schmack’s tutelage, junior pitcher Jon Tieman racked up 78 strikeouts in 2019, the most by a Valpo hurler in a single season since 2015. Another junior on Schmack’s pitching staff, Rhodehouse led the team in ERA by improving from 9.68 in 2018 to 3.82 in 2019. In addition, Rhodehouse became the first Valpo player to earn MVC Pitcher of the Week honors by throwing six no-hit innings to become the winning pitcher as Valpo topped Southern Illinois in 14 innings.

Schmack guided his team to numerous accomplishments during its first season in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2018. Valpo made an immediate splash in the highly-respected baseball league, putting together a strong showing in the MVC Tournament, including a 13-10 victory over host Dallas Baptist, a team that went on to receive an at-large NCAA Regional berth.

Valpo had four wins against teams that finished the season in the Top 50 nationally in RPI (DBU twice, Oklahoma, Illinois). The win over the Fighting Illini was perhaps the most notable, as Valpo knocked off a team ranked No. 25 nationally on April 27 in Champaign by a score of 11-7. The 11 runs tied with Nebraska for the most runs scored that season in a win over Illinois, a Big Ten team that went 33-20.

Schmack also led the Brown & Gold to a pair of 20+ run outputs in a single game in 2018 after the team hadn’t scored 20 or more runs in a game since 2010. The first time was against defending Patriot League champion Holy Cross on Feb. 24 (20-6), the second against Milwaukee on April 11 (23-5). DBU, an at-large NCAA Regional team, played 63 games in 2018. Two teams scored 13 or more runs against them – Oklahoma (15, March 6) and Valpo (13, May 23).

Schmack instructed Scott Kapers throughout his career as a three-year starter behind the plate. The catcher was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 17th round of the 2018 MLB First-Year Player Draft, becoming the eighth Valpo player to be drafted in a nine-year span.

Other accomplishments by Schmack’s 2018 team included ranking in the Top 5 in program history in doubles (107, fifth), home runs (41, fifth) and walks (248, third). The home run total was Valpo’s highest since 2002, the team’s .973 fielding percentage set the program record for the second straight year and the .404 team slugging percentage was Valpo’s best since 2010.

During Valpo’s first season in the Missouri Valley Conference, Schmack instructed a Scholar-Athlete First Team honoree, Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention athlete, two members of the all-defensive team, two all-conference honorable mention honorees, one all-tournament team performer and one First-Team All-MVC recipient (Blake Billinger).

In 2017, Schmack had success despite guiding a youthful roster that featured 11 freshmen and 15 total newcomers after graduating 12 seniors in 2016. He led the team to 24 wins, including a strong finish to the regular season that saw the squad win eight of its last 11. Under Schmack's direction, three players earned Horizon League all-freshman team honors, two of whom were pitchers. That marked the first time Valpo had three players on the all-freshman team since 2013 and the seventh straight year Valpo had multiple players on the all-freshman squad. After posting a 4-1 record, 2.93 ERA and seven saves, right-handed pitcher Jon Tieman was named a Freshman All-American, becoming the first Valpo player to earn that high honor since shortstop Spencer Mahoney in 2012.

The 2017 season also saw Valpo set the program record for team fielding percentage, as they put together a .971 fielding percentage that bested the previous mark of .968, which had stood since 1998. Schmack picked up his 100th career victory on May 14, 2017, a 7-6 triumph over eventual Horizon League champion UIC, becoming the fifth head coach in Valpo history to reach the century mark.

In 2016, Schmack guided his team to its first winning season since 2013, as Valpo finished 30-28. It marked the seventh 30-win season in program history. Valpo’s offense scored 378 runs, the fourth-most in school history. The team’s 586 hits also ranked fourth for a single season, while the 809 total bases were the fifth-most for a Valpo club. Valpo reached the championship game of the Horizon League Tournament.

Schmack set a school record for victories by a first-year head coach in 2014 with 25. The Valpo pitching staff led the Horizon League in earned run average with a 3.88 mark while issuing a league-low 144 walks. The Brown and Gold surrendered just 12 home runs in 2014, 10 fewer than any other staff in the Horizon League.

The 2014 pitching staff was anchored by sophomore starting pitcher Dalton Lundeen and closer Karch Kowalczyk, both of whom went on to play professionally in the affiliated ranks. Lundeen earned Horizon League Co-Pitcher of the Year accolades following a spring that yielded a league-low 1.94 ERA. His earned run average was over a full run lower than the HL’s second-best pitcher. The southpaw concluded 2014 57th nationally in earned run average, 28th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.42), 60th in walks plus hits allowed per inning pitched (WHIP) at 1.02, and 31st in walks allowed per nine innings (1.30).

Before taking the helm, Schmack had spent the previous seven seasons as Valpo’s pitching coach, helping the team to back-to-back Horizon League championships in 2012 and 2013. Prior to the 2011 season, Schmack was promoted to associate head coach. He also played 10 seasons of professional baseball.

Over his seven seasons as the team’s pitching coach/associate head coach, Schmack helped the Valpo baseball program to 187 victories, including the Horizon League regular season title in 2012 and the Horizon League tournament championship in 2012 and 2013.

Valpo advanced to the NCAA Division I Tournament in 2012 and 2013 after a 44-year drought, and defeated Florida in the 2013 NCAA Tournament, the program's first tournament win since 1966.

Schmack shaped the Valpo pitching staff into one of the best in the Horizon League, molding a staff with an ERA of 5.73 in 2006, the year before his arrival, into one that had an ERA below 4.00 every year from 2011-2014.

Over Schmack's seven years as Valpo pitching coach, six pitchers earned all-league recognition, including two Pitcher of the Year and one Relief Pitcher of the Year honorees. In addition, five pitchers were selected All-Newcomer Team recipients and five pitchers represented Valpo on the league's All-Tournament Team.

Schmack has coached three of the eight winningest pitchers in program history, as well as two of the top four in program history in career strikeouts and two of the top four in saves.  Under his tutelage, Tyler Deetjen won eight games in 2012, the most by a Valpo pitcher in 25 years. Bryce Shafer tallied 121 strikeouts in 2010, second-most in program history and most by a Valpo pitcher in the last 40 years, while Jarad Miller set new Valpo and Horizon League records with 17 saves in 2009.  In addition, 10 pitchers coached by Schmack have gone on to play professional baseball, including four - Kowalczyk, Shafer, Dallas Cawiezell, Drew Hasler and Dalton Lundeen - who were chosen in the MLB Draft.

Schmack pitched in professional baseball from 1995-2004 in the Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers organizations after breaking in with the Newark Bison of the Frontier League. In 2003, Schmack earned a promotion to the major leagues with the Tigers, appearing in 11 games and posting a 1-0 record with a 3.46 ERA.  He earned his first major league victory against Cleveland on Sept. 2, 2003. In May 2020, Schmack ranked 11th on Baseball America’s list of the head college baseball coaches with the best playing careers.

At Erie, Schmack was named to TOPPS’ AA all-star squad in 2003, leading the Eastern League with 29 saves. In 2000, he tied for third in the International League (AAA) with 11 victories for Charlotte.

Schmack pitched collegiately at Northern Illinois University from 1992-1995. He earned his bachelor’s degree in sports management from Valparaiso University in 2009. He and his wife Cari have three children – Kyle born in 2001 and twins Ella and Riley born in 2004.