Valparaiso (6-15, 0-0 MVC)
March 15 - at Evansville (5-19, 1-1 MVC) - 5 p.m.
March 16 - at Evansville - 2 p.m.
March 17 - at Evansville - noon
Next Up in Valpo Softball: The Missouri Valley Conference schedule opens up for the Valpo softball team this weekend, as the Beacons continue their long and winding road of games away from home with a three-game series at Evansville.
Previously: Valpo went 1-2 last weekend at Omaha's Connie Claussen Classic, falling to the host Mavs and Northern Colorado before closing the weekend with a win over Rider. The Beacons' other two games of the weekend were canceled due to weather.
Looking Ahead: It's another road Valley series for Valpo next weekend, as the Beacons trek to Des Moines, Iowa to take on Drake.
Following Valpo Softball: All three games will be broadcast live on ESPN+. All games will also have live stats available, linked at ValpoAthletics.com.
Head Coach Meaggan Pettipiece: Meaggan Pettipiece was hired in September 2022 as head coach of the Valpo softball program and enters her second season in 2024. Pettipiece is in her 15th season overall as a collegiate head coach, most recently spending three seasons at Akron prior to coming to Valpo. Pettipiece, who owns 264 career coaching victories, was an All-American on the diamond and helped California University of Pennsylvania to a D-II national title in 1998 collegiately before playing internationally for Team Canada, including at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Series Notes: Valpo owns a 7-21 record all-time against the Purple Aces. It was the Beacons who took two of three games (W 5-1, L 2-1 (8), W 10-0) in the last meetings between the two programs, on the final weekend of the 2022 regular season. Regi Hecker and Kayla Skapyak are the only current team members who were regulars in the lineup that series, as both started all three games and tallied two hits each. Caitlyn Kowalski had 4.2 innings of no-hit relief in the middle game of the series. Valpo is in search of its first win at Evansville since joining the Valley, however, as the Purple Aces swept home series in 2019 and 2021.
Scouting the Opposition: Evansville enters the weekend series at 5-19 overall, but is 5-2 in its last seven games. That mark includes a split of the Purple Aces' first two Valley games of the year, as UE lost Tuesday to Indiana State, 9-0, before rebounding for a 6-5 win over the Sycamores Wednesday. Hannah Hood leads the Purple Aces with a .288 batting average, while Marah Wood hits .280 with a team-high 17 runs scored and four home runs. Jess Willsey has racked up a team-high 13 RBIs.
Who's Back: Valpo returns 12 of 16 letterwinners from last year's squad for the 2024 season. In all, 69.2% of Valpo's plate appearances are back for this season and 49.4% of last season's innings pitched return.
Who's New: A group of nine newcomers joined the Beacons for the 2024 season. Kam Utendorf transferred in after playing her freshman season at Black Hawk College, joining eight true freshmen on this year's team.
A Large Roster: The combination of 12 returnees and nine newcomers gives Valpo a 21-player roster for the 2024 campaign. That's a five-player increase over last season's group of 16 players, and it is the largest roster the softball program has had since fielding 21 players for the 2008 season.
Hitting the Road: This weekend's games continue a long and winding road for the Beacons before they finally get the chance to play at the Valpo Softball Complex. Last weekend at Omaha completed five consecutive weekends of road action prior to the start of MVC play, as Valpo also played at Texas A&M, Presbyterian, Chattanooga and Indiana. The Beacons open MVC action with back-to-back weekends on the road - at Evansville and at Drake - before finally opening the home slate March 29 against Bradley. All told, Valpo is scheduled to play its first 27 games of the season away from home.
Preconference Improvement: Entering Valley play, this year's squad has seen marked improvement over last year's squad in terms of preconference performance. In 2023, Valpo posted a 3-15 record prior to the start of conference play, while the 2024 team is 6-15 entering MVC action, a 119-point improvement in winning percentage. The Beacons' batting average has been 40 points better in preconference play this year as compared to last year, while the pitching staff's ERA is 1.21 runs lower.
Offensive Bests: This year's team has put together a number of strong offensive performances in preconference play:
- 13 runs Feb. 16 in win over Morehead State, the program's largest scoring output since March 2019
- 13 hits Feb. 18 in win over Youngstown State, the program's highest single-game hits total since Feb. 2022
- 6 runs March 2 at Indiana, the program's largest scoring output against a Power Five team since March 2012
- 12-4 run-rule win over Bowling Green March 3, the program's first run-rule win since closing the 2022 regular season with a 10-0 win over Evansville
Simply Hitting: In her first season of D-I softball, sophomore Kam Utendorf has been tremendous from the left side of the plate. Utendorf enters MVC play leading the conference with a .438 batting average and ranks fifth among Valley players with a .481 on-base percentage. She hit a team-best .571 last weekend in the Beacons' three games at Omaha, highlighted by a 3-for-4 performance against Rider - her third three-hit game of the year. In the second weekend of play this year, Utendorf became Valpo's first MVC Newcomer of the Week since May 2019, slashing .643/.708/.786 in action at Presbyterian.
Hecker Hacking: Senior outfielder Regi Hecker has opened the 2024 regular season just as she closed the 2023 regular season. Hecker, who paced Valpo last year in batting average, hits, doubles, RBIs and stolen bases, closed 2023 by hitting .412 (14-for-34) with four multi-hit games over the Beacons' final 12 games of the regular season. After hitting .429 last weekend to extend her current hitting streak to seven straight games and her on-base streak to nine consecutive games, Hecker ranks third on the team with a .362 batting average and has driven in a team-high 11 runs this year.
McDermott Mows Them Down: Freshman Sydney McDermott came to Valpo after earning Ohio All-State honors each of her last three years of high school, and has showcased that form in a number of starts this season. McDermott became the first Valpo player to throw complete games in three straight starts and surrender three or fewer hits in all three since Andrea Zappia in 2008, throwing a three-hitter against Texas A&M-CC, a eight-inning two-hitter versus Georgetown and a three-hitter against Bowling Green - a game which featured her retiring 15 Falcons hitters in a row.
Using Her Speed: Defenses can't rest this year when senior Alexis Johnson gets on the basepaths. Johnson, who had swiped just six bases over her first three seasons, is already 10-for-12 in the stolen base department this year. Her 10 stolen bases are second-most among Valley players, while she also paces the Beacons with 11 runs scored this year.
Runners on the Move: Led by Johnson, the Beacons have been notably more aggressive on the basepaths this year. After going just 21-for-36 in the steals department in 2023, Valpo is already 28-for-33 this season. Johnson leads the way with her 10 steals, while fellow senior Kayla Skapyak is a perfect 6-for-6 on the basepaths this year as well.
Cementing Her Spot: Through the first 14 games of the season, freshman Kayden Krug was just 1-for-7 at the plate. But Krug has started each of the last seven games, and starting with a 2-for-3, 2-RBI performance Feb. 25 against Ohio, the rookie has stood out. In that stretch, Krug is 9-for-20 at the plate with two runs scored, six RBIs, a triple and three walks.
Making Debuts: All nine of Valpo's newcomers made their debuts in the Beacon uniform in the opening weekend of play, eight of those coming on opening day. Four of those debuts came in the season opener against Tulsa, as Kam Utendorf started at shortstop, Anna Wilming pitched in relief and Cici Wilson & Natalie Bush both appeared as pinch-hitters. Four more debuts came against Texas A&M, as Sydney McDermott started in the circle, Kayden Krug entered as a pinch-hitter and Carson Kuhlmann & Madison Stamper were both defensive replacements. Lana Tellez made her collegiate debut in the nightcap of the twinbill with Lehigh the next day as a defensive replacement.
International Experience: Sophomore infielder Kim Rodas continued her international career playing for Mexico over the summer, as she earned a bronze medal at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games. Rodas previously medaled with Team Mexico at the 2021 Junior Pan American Games, where her squad claimed the silver.
