Valparaiso (5-12, 0-0 MVC)
at DBU (14-7, 0-0 MVC)
Horner Ballpark | Dallas, Texas

Thursday, April 1, 6:30 p.m. CT – RHP Easton Rhodehouse vs. RHP Kyle Rich
Friday, April 2, 1 p.m. CT (Game 1) – RHP Colin Fields vs. RHP Dominic Hamel
Friday, April 2, to follow (Game 2) – RHP Trent Turzenski vs. RHP Ray Gaither
Saturday, April 3, 1 p.m. – RHP Zach Fricke vs. RHP Luke Eldred

Next Up in Valpo Baseball: The Valparaiso University baseball team will open up Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend with a trip to Dallas to match up with Dallas Baptist University in a four-game, holiday-weekend series. The set will commence on Thursday evening with sunshine and high 60s anticipated throughout the weekend in the Lone Star State.

Last Time Out: Valpo dropped two of three at Butler in the final weekend series prior to the start of Valley action (March 26-27). The Brown & Gold fell 5-4 in 10 innings in Friday’s opener before prevailing 7-1 in the first game of Saturday’s twinbill. The series finale and nightcap of Saturday’s double dip resulted in Butler outslugging Valpo 13-10. Colin Fields pitched a gem to earn the win in the middle game of the series, while Kaleb Hannahs led the way in the doubleheader with five hits, three runs scored, three walks and three RBIs over the two games.

On the Air: A live video broadcast of all four games this weekend with be available on the Patriot Broadcasting Network courtesy of DBU Athletics. Links to live video, audio and stats will be available on ValpoAthletics.com.

Series Notes: Valpo dropped all three in its most recent series with DBU, which took place in March 2019 at Horner Ballpark. Valpo has lost four straight matchups to slip to 3-9 in the head-to-head series, but the all-time set with the Patriots does feature some memorable moments for the Brown & Gold. Valpo’s most recent win over DBU came in the first round of the 2018 MVC Tournament, a 13-10 Valpo triumph on the Patriots’ home field. The two teams met again on May 25 in the double-elimination tournament, and DBU edged Valpo 7-5 as the Patriots went on to earn an NCAA at-large berth. The two teams also met in 2016 in a nonconference series prior to Valpo’s arrival in The Valley, and Valpo did pick up a win against a DBU club that was nationally ranked at the time of those matchups.

Head Coach Brian Schmack: Brian Schmack, the 17th head baseball coach in Valparaiso University history, is in his eighth season in charge of the program. Entering the 2021 season, he has served as the head coach for 336 games at Valpo, the fourth-most in program history with Tracy Woodson third at 397. This year, he moves into a tie for third in program history for number of seasons coached with eight, matching Donald Warnke (1946-1953). Schmack has now been at Valpo longer than his predecessor Woodson, whose seven-year run lasted from 2007-2013. Schmack’s win total of 137 ranks fifth in program history, with Rick Ferchen fourth at 147. The former big-league pitcher led Valparaiso to 25 wins in his inaugural campaign in 2014, a school record for victories by a first-year skipper. He followed that up with a 22-win season in 2015, then guided the team to its first winning record since 2013 in 2016. In 2017, Schmack continued his success despite managing a youthful roster that featured 11 freshmen and 15 total newcomers. He led his team to 24 wins, including a strong finish to the regular season that saw them win eight of their last 11. The 2018 season saw Valpo transition to the Missouri Valley Conference. The Brown & Gold made an immediate splash in the highly-respected baseball league, putting together a strong showing in the 2018 MVC Tournament, including a 13-10 victory over host Dallas Baptist, a team that went on to receive an at-large NCAA Regional berth. During the 2019 season, Schmack’s squad equaled its win total from the year prior despite playing in a conference that was ranked sixth nationally in RPI and sent three teams to NCAA Regionals. Schmack, a member of the 2003 Detroit Tigers, served as pitching coach/associate head coach at Valpo for seven seasons prior to his promotion.

Twice is Nice

• Valpo pitcher Colin Fields was named the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week for the second time in a three-week span on March 29.
• Fields became the first Valpo player to win two MVC weekly honors in the same season since the program joined The Valley. In addition, he became the first MVC player to win two weekly honors this season.
• The most recent accolade came after the junior yielded just two hits over seven shutout innings to propel Valpo to a 7-1 victory over Butler in Game 1 of a doubleheader on March 27. Fields scattered three walks and racked up 11 strikeouts, a total that set a season high and tied a career high. Coincidentally, his previous career high of 11 also came in a game against Butler during the 2019 season.
• Fields struck out the side in both the first and fifth innings and retired the first 10 men he faced.
• The righty is up to 36 strikeouts this season, fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference. He crossed the 100-career strikeout mark in the win at Butler as he has fanned 105 in 92 1/3 career innings. Opponents are hitting just .141 this season against Fields, who has reached double figures in strikeouts in two of his last three starts.
• Fields has allowed two hits or fewer in three of his five starts this season. He leads the MVC and ranks 25^th in the nation in hits allowed per nine innings at 4.50.
• His previous MVC Pitcher of the Week nod came on March 15 following his March 13 no-hitter at Middle Tennessee. Fields also earned Collegiate Baseball Newspaper National Pitcher of the Week following the no-no.

Valpo in Conference Openers

• This marks the second consecutive Missouri Valley Conference slate that starts with Valpo visiting DBU. The Brown & Gold started the conference docket in the same location on March 29-31, 2019, dropping all three games including a 10-5 setback in the opener.
• Valpo will attempt to win its first conference game of the season for the first time since joining The Valley. The last time Valpo prevailed in a conference opener was a 5-4, 10-inning victory at Northern Kentucky on March 18, 2016.
• Valpo will also aim to win its first league-opening series for the first time since sweeping the Norse in the aforementioned March 2016 set in Highland Heights, Ky.

Steven’s Streak

• Valpo outfielder Steven Fitzsimmons has reached base safely in 14 consecutive games, the team’s longest such streak this season.
• If he reaches safely in Thursday’s game at DBU, Fitzsimmons will own Valpo’s first 15-game on-base streak since Riley Dent in 2019.
• Valpo’s last 20-game on-base streak came courtesy of current volunteer assistant coach Sam Shaikin (23 in 2017), while its most recent 30-game streak occurred when Nolan Lodden reached in 34 straight in 2016.

Hannahs is Hot

• Valpo freshman Kaleb Hannahs posted a .545 batting average (6-for-11) to go along with a .667 on-base percentage in the March 26-27 series vs. Butler, far and away leading the team in both areas during the three-game set.
• Hannahs scored three runs and drove in three while drawing four walks and striking out just once over four games against the Bulldogs.
• All three RBIs came in Valpo’s 7-1 victory in Game 1 of the March 27 doubleheader. He set a career high in RBIs and became just the second Valpo player with a three-RBI game this season.
• Hannahs, who is tied for the team lead with six multi-hit games this season, is the son of Indiana State head coach Mitch Hannahs and will play against his father on April 16-18 in Terre Haute.
• The rookie is hitting .452 with a .564 on-base percentage over his last nine games after starting his collegiate career with a .161 average through his first eight contests.

Offensive Uptick

• Valpo collected 23 hits during the March 27 doubleheader vs. Butler, 11 in the opener and 12 in the nightcap. That marked the first time this season Valpo accrued double-figure hit totals in consecutive contests.
• This marks the first time Valpo has had double-figure hit outputs in consecutive games since the final two dates of the 2019 regular season at Missouri State.
• The 10 runs in the 13-10 defeat in Game 2 of the twinbill marked Valpo’s season high. The team’s last double-figure run total was 11 on Feb. 29, 2020 vs. Southern Miss. Valpo had allowed more than 10 runs just twice in the first 16 games of the season, but happened to do so during the team’s first double-figure scoring output of the year.

Bonus Baseball

• Valpo’s 5-4, 10-inning defeat in the March 26 series opener at Butler marked the third straight weekend Valpo has played an extra-inning affair. The Brown & Gold beat Middle Tennessee 3-2 in a game that was scheduled for seven innings but required eight as part of a March 13 doubleheader. Valpo won 8-6 in 11 innings on March 20 at Western Kentucky.
• The team has already tied for the most extra-inning games in a season during the Brian Schmack Era with three. The team has had three extra-inning affairs in multiple seasons but never four in one year under Schmack.
• Valpo’s one-run loss marked its second setback by the slimmest of margins this season, with the first also coming by a score of 5-4 on Feb. 26 at Jacksonville State.

In the Other Dugout: DBU

• This series features both the reigning MVC Pitcher of the Week (Valpo’s Colin Fields) and the reigning MVC Player of the Week, DBU outfielder Austin Bell, who hit .500 and drove in seven during a series win over UT Rio Grande Valley.
• The Patriots dropped the finale 5-4 in their most recent game on Sunday, March 28, but had won the first three in a home series against UT Rio Grande Valley.
• The Patriots own a ranked win this season over then-No. 25 Oklahoma on March 7 and also swept two games from Missouri in early March.
• DBU is the unanimous preseason favorite to win the Missouri Valley Conference based on a survey of the league’s head coaches. Jeffrey David and Ryan Wrobleski represented the Patriots on the preseason all-conference squad.

Tieman Cracks Top 10: Jon Tieman earned the win in the March 20 extra-inning victory at Western Kentucky by virtue of 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. He yielded two hits and no walks while striking out five. He passed Jim Pomeroy (202, 1996-1999) for 10^th on Valpo’s all-time strikeout list, and later added two more on March 23 at No. 14 Notre Dame to boost his career total to 207, then added one more during the series at Butler (March 26-27).

Valpo’s All-Time Strikeout Leaders

Name                          Years              Strikeouts

Tim Juran                    1969-1972       371

Jon Robisch                1961-1964       294

Dalton Lundeen          2013-2016       275

Jon Gulbransen           2008-2011       264

Shawn Barker             1987-1990       253

Bryce Shafer               2008-2010       250

Tom Starck                 2001-2004       222

Richard Beumer          1959-1962       217

Chuck Donley             1991-1995       212

Jon Tieman                 2017-pres.       208

Jim Pomeroy               1996-1999       202

The 200 Club

• Valpo fifth-year senior Jon Tieman became just the 11^th pitcher in Valpo history to reach the career 200-strikeout milestone on Saturday, March 13 at Middle Tennessee. The milestone came in a significant moment as he struck out the final batter of the bottom of the eighth in a game that was scheduled for seven innings to preserve a 3-2 victory. The Blue Raiders had the potential tying run at third and winning run at second at the time of the strikeout.
• The right-handed hurler became just the second Valpo player to reach that milestone in the last decade, joining Dalton Lundeen (2013-2016).
• Tieman ranks in the top 15 nationally for career strikeouts.
• Tieman led the team in strikeouts three straight years from 2017-2019.

No-No Notes

• Colin Fields threw the eighth no-hitter in Valpo baseball history and first since 1992 in a 5-0, seven-inning victory at Middle Tennessee State in Game 1 of a doubleheader on Saturday, March 13. The previous Valpo no-no came courtesy of Eric Spillers in a 7-0 victory at Eastern Illinois on March 28, 1992. While it was the eighth no-hitter in program history, it was just the sixth no-no as two of the previous no-hitters were not shutouts.
• The junior right-hander became just the second pitcher in the nation to throw a no-hitter this season, joining Ohio’s Joe Rock, who tossed seven no-hit frames as part of a doubleheader vs. Morehead State on Feb. 26. Fields’ no-hitter is the third overall in the nation this season as Mississippi State had a combined effort in a nine-inning no-no vs. Kent State on March 7.
• Fields notched the first complete game of his collegiate career and the first by a Valpo pitcher since Zach Fricke on May 11, 2019 vs. Southern Illinois. It was the first shutout by a Valpo pitcher since Ellis Foreman on April 23, 2017 vs. Wright State, and the team’s first shutout since an 8-0 win at SIUE on April 19, 2019.
• Fields racked up 10 strikeouts on his way to Valpo history, his highest single-game strikeout total since his career high of 11 on March 23, 2019 vs. Butler.
• After walking the leadoff batter in the bottom of the first, Fields sent down 19 straight Blue Raiders until the bottom of the seventh. He walked three in the final frame but worked out of the bases-loaded jam to cement the slice of Valpo history.
• Fields accomplished two rare baseball feats in the same game as the third inning of the no-hitter was an “immaculate inning” with all three batters going down on three straight strikes.
• Fields is a Valpo baseball legacy student-athlete as his father Timm played for Valpo in the late 1980s.

All-Time Valpo Baseball No-Hitters

Player                         Date                            Opponent                               Score

Colin Fields                March 13, 2013           at Middle Tennessee               W 5-0

Eric Spillers                March 28, 1992           at Eastern Illinois                   W 7-0

Eric Spillers                March 6, 1992             vs. Bluffton (perfect game)    W 11-0

John Grippi                 March 24, 1986           at IPFW                             W 4-0

Jamie Macahon           April 25, 1981            Illinois Chicago Circle           W 6-1

Matt Rhode                 March 30, 1976           at Illinois State                     W 1-0

Tim Juran                    April 18, 1970             Indiana                                  W 5-0

Tom Winebrenner       May 16, 1931              Concordia (Fort Wayne)        W 13-1

Closing Time

• At the same time he achieved his 200^th career strikeout, Jon Tieman nailed down his eighth career save in the 3-2, eight-inning win over Middle Tennessee on March 13.
• Tieman moved up a place on the program’s all-time saves list, climbing into a tie with Chip Pettit (1993-1996) and teammate Easton Rhodehouse for seventh in Valpo history in career saves.
• The save marked Tieman’s first save since his freshman season in 2017, when he served as the club’s closer and nailed down seven saves before moving into the rotation late in the year. Tieman’s save on March 13 marked his first since April 8, 2017 vs. Northern Kentucky, a span of 1,435 days.

Pitching Profiles – Projected Starters

• RHP Easton Rhodehouse (R-Sr., Gilbert, Ariz. / Gilbert) – Expected to start Game 1 in an “opener” role each weekend… Named 2019 All-MVC Honorable Mention and to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team in 2017. Also received 2020 MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention… Did not allow an earned run in any of his five conference outings in 2018 with opponents hitting just .211 against him in conference play… Finished the 2019 season with a team-best 3.82 ERA over 22 appearances out of the bullpen, grabbing two wins to go along with four saves… Secured 44 strikeouts while walking 13 in 35 1/3 innings in 2019… Was one of four players in the nation to start six games during the 2020 season, tying for the NCAA Division-I lead in that category. Ranked third on the team with a 3.45 ERA and struck out a team-high 20 while issuing just four bases on balls over 15 2/3 innings… 2020 Valparaiso University graduate with a degree in political science… Currently pursuing an MBA... Spent the 2018 summer doing grassroots volunteer work for a political campaign… Hobbies include skateboarding and mountain biking… Picked up the win by allowing one run on two hits over two innings in the Feb. 19 season opener at UAB, when he became the first Valpo pitcher since Dalton Lundeen (2014, 2015) to start consecutive Opening Days… Went two innings and gave up one run on two hits while striking out four in his Feb. 26 start at Jacksonville State… Pitched two shutout innings of hitless ball in his start on March 12 at Middle Tennessee, striking out four and issuing no walks… allowed one run on three hits in two innings on March 19 at Western Kentucky, then absorbed the loss on March 23 at No. 14 Notre Dame after allowing two runs on just one hit in 1 2/3 innings… Struck out seven and allowed one hit over 4 1/3 shutout innings in two appearances during the three-game series at Butler March 26-27.
• RHP Ryan Mintz (So., Lombard, Ill. / Willowbrook) – Although not technically a starter this weekend, Mintz is expected to follow Rhodehouse in long relief in Game 1 of each series… Set his high school’s record for wins by a pitcher in the program’s 60-year history… Was named West Suburban Gold Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2019 for his work at Willowbrook… The Lombard, Ill. native is majoring in computer engineering… Hobbies include snowboarding and other extreme sports… Made five appearances and two starts during the COVID-19 shortened season… Notched a season-high five strikeouts in just three innings on March 10 at Alabama State, his final outing of the year… Equaled a career high with five strikeouts over six innings of relief in Valpo’s season-opening win at UAB on Feb. 19… Logged 4 1/3 innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits in 4 1/3 innings on Feb. 26 at Jacksonville State… Took the defeat on March 12 at Middle Tennessee but issued just one walk against five strikeouts… Took the defeat after striking out five in 4 2/3 innings on March 19 at Western Kentucky.
• RHP Colin Fields (Jr. / Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville) – Father Timm is a 1990 Valpo graduate and played baseball for the Brown & Gold… Favorite MLB team is the Cubs and favorite current player is Kyle Hendricks… Finished 2019 second on the team in strikeouts with 52… Made four starts during the 2020 season and ranked second on the team with 17 strikeouts, including a season-high six on Feb. 29 vs. Southern Miss… Carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning before taking a tough-luck loss in his first outing of the year on Feb. 21 at UAB. He permitted one hit and was charged with one unearned run that crossed the dish following his departure over his 4 1/3 inning start that featured eight strikeouts. That marked the third game in his career with eight strikeouts or more… Took the defeat in Game 2 of a doubleheader on Feb. 27 at Jacksonville State… Threw the eighth no-hitter in Valpo history and first since 1992 on March 13 in Game 1 of a doubleheader at Middle Tennessee, a seven-inning contest. His no-hit bid featured an immaculate inning (nine pitches, nine strikes, three outs) in the third. He struck out 10 in his no-no, an effort that earned him Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper National Player of the Week recognition. He earned the victory as Valpo topped Middle Tennessee 5-0… Allowed just two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five in his five-inning start on March 20 at Western Kentucky… Named MVC Pitcher of the Week for the second time in three weeks after tying a career high with 11 strikeouts while yielding just two hits in seven shutout innings of a victory at Butler on March 27.
• RHP Trent Turzenski (So., Burlington, Wis. / Burlington) – Expected to serve as Valpo’s Saturday starter… Ranked seventh in the MVC in ERA and 11^th in opponents’ batting average (.236) as a freshman in 2020… Ranked No. 18 on D1Baseball.com’s 2020 list of the Top 50 freshmen pitchers in the nation based on analytics… Had a team-best 2.48 ERA in 2020 over four games out of the bullpen… Struck out 16 against just six walks over 19 innings, sharing the team’s heaviest workload… Struck out 11 while walking just one in six innings on Feb. 28, 2020 at McNeese… Played in the Little League World Series Regional Tournament on ESPN twice, when he was 11 and 12 years old… Took the defeat after allowing two runs on just three hits in four innings in his first outing of the season on Feb. 20 at UAB… Allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits while striking out six over five innings in Game 1 of a doubleheader on Feb. 27 at Jacksonville State… Followed the Fields no-hitter with a strong pitching performance of his own in Game 2 of a the March 13 doubleheader at Middle Tennessee, going seven innings to pick up the victory while allowing two runs on three hits and one walk with eight strikeouts… Took the defeat on March 21 at Western Kentucky.
• RHP Zach Fricke (Jr., Arlington Heights, Ill.) – Expected to make his first weekend start and second overall start on Saturday at DBU… The right hander made his way into the weekend rotation as a freshman in 2019. He put together a string of three straight wins late in the season in starts against Evansville, Bradley and Southern Illinois, going 3-0 with a 2.14 ERA and opponents hitting .214 against him… That stretch late in the 2019 campaign was highlighted by a complete game victory on May 11 vs. Southern Illinois… Fricke played four years of baseball at Buffalo Grove High School while also playing basketball (three letters) and golf (two letters)… His younger brother Tyler is a freshman walk-on for the Valpo men’s basketball program… Limited the Fighting Irish to two runs on four hits in four innings in his first start of the season on March 23 at No. 12 Notre Dame.

Position Player Profiles – Projected Lineup Based on Last Game

• Steven Fitzsimmons, OF, R-Sr. (Golden Valley, Minn. / Robbinsdale Cooper) – Was a member of the 2019 and 2020 MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team… Had a breakout junior season in 2019, playing in 49 of the team’s 50 games and making 45 starts after playing in 16 games and making three starts as a sophomore… Went from a career .195 hitter with one double over his first two seasons to batting .268 with nine doubles as a junior… … Graduated in May 2020 with a 3.96 GPA in political science… Pursuing a master’s in sports administration… Played in 13 games and made 12 starts during the 2020 season… Batted a team-best .308 over the opening series at UAB including a three-hit performance in the Feb. 19 victory. He posted his first game with three or more hits since mid-May 2019 while also scoring a career-high three runs and accounting for half of the team’s hits in the season-opening triumph… Hit a team-best .444 in a three-game series at Alabama State on Feb. 26-27, going 4-for-9 with a .583 on-base percentage.
• Kyle Schmack, 1B, So. (Wanatah, Ind. / South Central) – After graduating from nearby South Central High School in 2019, Kyle joined his father Brian’s program at Valpo… Is the first Valpo student-athlete to play for his or her parent as a head coach since Bryce Drew in 1998… Was the MVP of the Indiana North/South All-Star Game in June 2019 following his senior year of high school… Also played football during his prep days… Appeared in 20 games and made nine starts during the shortened 2020 season… Reached base three times via a hit and two walks in the Feb. 21 series finale at UAB… Went 5-for-12 (.417) in the three-game series at Alabama State on Feb. 26-27.
• Riley Dent, OF, R-Sr. (Long Beach, Calif. / Wilson) – Was a 2019 All-MVC Honorable Mention recipient… Entered the 2019 season with a .207 career batting average, but had a breakout year that saw him hit .290 as a junior. Moved to the leadoff spot and transitioned to center field for his junior campaign… Tied for the 2019 team lead with 15 multi-hit outputs… Led the team in batting average at .311 while starting all 16 games in 2020 in addition to ranking second on the team with 11 bases on balls and leading the team in both slugging percentage (.410) and on-base percentage (.417)… Graduated in May 2020 with a degree in marketing and is now enrolled in Valpo’s graduate school… Launched his first home run of the season in a March 20, 2021 victory at Western Kentucky, the second dinger of his career. Ironically, both of his career long balls have come at WKU in separate seasons as he launched the first of his career in a 2020 game in Bowling Green, Ky… Had two hits in each game of the March 27 doubleheader at Butler.
• Jeremy Drudge, OF/DH, Jr. (Plymouth, Ind. / Plymouth) – Spent the 2019 summer playing for the Normal CornBelters of the Prospect League… Came to Valpo as a rookie in 2019 after seeing limited action as a senior in high school due to a torn ACL… Raced go-karts during his youth…Appeared in 12 games and made 10 starts in 2020, collecting six hits including a triple and a home run… Launched his third career home run (one in each of his three seasons) on Opening Day at UAB, a three-run blow that helped Valpo beat the Blazers 6-2 on Feb. 19… Notched a triple on Feb. 27 at Jacksonville State, his second career three-bagger and the first by a Valpo player this season… Combined with Damon Jorgensen to hit back-to-back home runs on March 19 at Western Kentucky, his third home run of the year and the fifth of his Valpo career… Had a two-run triple on March 23 at No. 14 Notre Dame, becoming the first Valpo player to reach a double-figure RBI total this season. In addition, he notched his second triple and team-leading seventh extra-base knock.
• Kaleb Hannahs, 3B, Fr. (West Terre Haute, Ind. / West Vigo) – In a very unusual and possibly even unprecedented occurrence, both of Valpo’s starting corner infielders are the sons of Missouri Valley Conference head baseball coaches… Hannahs’ father Mitch is the head coach at Indiana State… Civil engineering major… Fan of Luke Combs, the St. Louis Cardinals and Fernando Tatis Jr… Three-sport athlete in high school, where he earned four letters apiece in football, basketball and baseball… Had a two-hit day in the Saturday game at UAB on Feb. 20, his first two collegiate knocks on a day where freshmen accounted for four of the team’s eight hits… Ripped his first collegiate home run in the second game of a doubleheader at Middle Tennessee on March 13… Led the team with two hits on March 23 at No. 14 Notre Dame… Had a career-high five RBIs in the first game of a doubleheader at Butler on March 27 and finished the day with five hits, three runs scored, three RBIs and three walks over the two games.
• Brady Renfro, DH, Fr. (Antigo, Wis. / Antigo) – Exercise science major… Is an only child… Hobbies include hunting and fishing… Favorite MLB player is Clayton Kershaw and team is the Milwaukee Brewers… Played with STiKS Baseball Academy and the Chicago Scouts Association.
• Parker Johnson, 2B, Fr. (Golden Valley, Minn.) – Also played varsity ice hockey in high school… Played for the Seattle Mariners Midwest Scout Team (Summer and Fall 2019)… Would rather spend a weekend camping than at a resort… Favorite MLB team is the Twins and favorite TV show is Outer Banks… Had a clutch, two-out hit in the top of the ninth on Feb. 26 at Jacksonville State that tied the game. He picked up the first two hits and RBIs of his young Valpo career in that contest… Had a career-high three hits on March 19 at Western Kentucky… Picked up his second double and fifth RBI of the season on March 23 at No. 14 Notre Dame.
• Jake Kapers, C, Jr. (Schererville, Ind. / Mount Carmel) – One of three catchers who saw time behind the dish in 2019 in an effort to replace his older brother Scott, who started each of the previous three seasons before leaving a year early to sign with the Texas Rangers after being selected in the 17^th round of the 2018 MLB Draft… Hit .357 over the final four games of the 2019 regular season to lead the team during that stretch… Played in 11 games and made 10 starts in 2020… Caught the Colin Fields no-hitter in Game 1 of a doubleheader on March 13 at Middle Tennessee.
• Alex Thurston, SS, Fr. (Fowler, Ind. / Benton Central) – Expected to serve as the team’s utility infielder… Finished as the Valedictorian of his high school senior class… Won the 2019 Nanoline Automation National Championship with three classmates after creating an automated paint brush cleaner… Three-year all-conference honoree on the diamond while also playing four years of tennis and one year of basketball in high school… Started two games during Valpo’s opening weekend at UAB, filling in for the injured Nolan Tucker.

Other Key Position Players

• Damon Jorgensen, SS, R-Sr. (Blair, Neb. / Blair [Coffeyville]) – Junior college transfer who started his career at Coffeyville before coming to Valpo for the 2019 season… Hobbies include hunting, snowboarding and wakeboarding… Hit his first home run (and extra-base knock) in a Valpo uniform on March 12, 2019 at Tennessee Tech… Drove in the go-ahead run with a bases-loaded squeeze bunt in the top of the 10^th of Valpo’s 5-3 victory at Western Kentucky on Feb. 17, 2020. That completed the first three-hit day of his Valpo tenure… Started all 14 games in 2020 and ranked second on the team in batting average at .264… Had two hits in the Saturday game at UAB on Feb. 20, his 10^th career multi-hit output… Returned to the lineup and didn’t miss a beat March 12-14 at Middle Tennessee after missing the previous series with an injury. He hit a team-high .375 in the four-game set to go along with a .563 slugging percentage. Launched his first home run of the season and the third of his Valpo career in Game 1 of the doubleheader on March 13… Combined with Jeremy Drudge to hit back-to-back home runs on March 19 at Western Kentucky, his second of the season and the fourth of his collegiate career… Had multiple hits in all three games at Western Kentucky on March 19-21, posting a team-best .500 batting average for the series.
• Jonathan Temple, OF, Sr. (Turlock, Calif. / Turlock [Modesto JC]) – The junior college transfer joined the program for the 2020 season… Attended Oregon State as a freshman…Was named the MVP of the Central California Conference in 2016 after earning first-team all-conference honors in 2015 and second-team all-conference as a sophomore on varsity in 2014… Is from the most agriculturally diverse area in the nation with over 400 commodities grown in the region… Enjoys golfing and snowboarding… Started all 16 games last year during the COVID-19 shortened season and tied for the team lead with three doubles.
• Nolan Tucker, 2B, So. (Cedar Lake, Ind. / Hanover Central) – Forms an all-local right side of the infield alongside Kyle Schmack… Earned all-conference honors in three high school seasons in baseball and was a two-time conference champion in wrestling… Was the 2019-20 President of Brandt Hall (dorm)… Hobbies include kayaking… Can juggle and walk on his hands… Can drink a bottle of water in 1.5 seconds… Was a three-year class president in high school… Spanked a home run and drove in four in a Feb. 23, 2020 game at No. 3 Louisville. He had three hits while becoming the first Valpo freshman with a four-RBI game since Grant Yoder on April 24, 2012 at Purdue Fort Wayne (then IPFW)… Collected 10 hits and drove in six runs during the 2020 campaign… Played in the Collegiate Summer Baseball Invitational on June 4, 2020 on ESPN2 in the first live baseball event since the pandemic.
• Angel DiFederico, C, So. (New Haven, Ind. / New Haven) – Projected to share starting catching duties with Kapers… Earned a spot in the 2019 North/South All-Star Game after his senior year at New Haven in Indiana… Had the highest batting average on the team in a limited sample size in 2020, hitting .348 in seven games (six starts).
• Alex Ryan, OF/DH, Fr. (Lake Mills, Wis. / Lakeside Lutheran) – Made his first career start at DH in the series finale at UAB… Three-time all-conference pick in high school… Milwaukee Brewers fans… Has a twin sister, Olivia… Hobbies include hiking and playing card games.

Bullpen Bits

• RHP Jon Tieman, R-Sr. (Crystal, Lake, Ill. / Prairie Ridge) – Three-time MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team, 2018 All-MVC Honorable Mention selection, 2017 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Freshman All-American… Racked up 78 strikeouts to lead the team in 2019, the most by a Valpo pitcher since 2015… Led the team in strikeouts for three consecutive seasons (2017-2019), becoming the second consecutive Valpo pitcher to do so as Dalton Lundeen led the team in that area from 2014-2016. Before Lundeen, the last pitcher to lead Valpo in strikeouts in three straight years was Shawn Barker from 1988-1990… Has lived in Missouri, Georgia and Illinois… Logged three innings over two appearances during the opening weekend of the season at UAB … Took the defeat on Feb. 26 at Jacksonville State, allowing a run on one hit in 2/3 of an inning… Nailed down the eighth save of his collegiate career and first since his freshman year of 2017 in Game 2 of the March 13 doubleheader at Middle Tennessee. The strikeout that secured a 3-2, extra-inning victory for the Brown & Gold was the 200^th of his career, making him the 11^th member of the program’s 200-strikeout club… Earned the victory with 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief and struck out five to move into the Top 10 in program history in career strikeouts on March 20 at Western Kentucky… Struck out two in a scoreless bottom of the eighth on March 23 at No. 14 Notre Dame.
• LHP Jake Miller, R-Fr. (Chester, N.Y. / Don Bosco Prep) – Was a 2018 Rawlings Perfect Game Preseason All-American… Is just the second Valpo player to hail from the state of New York since 2005, joining Zack Leone… Redshirted last season in his first year on campus.
• RHP Nathan Chasey, Jr. (Ames, Iowa / Gilbert [Indian Hills CC]) – Joined the program for the 2021 season after two years of JUCO baseball… NJCAA Region 11 Honorable Mention in 2019… Enjoys fishing… Favorite MLB team is the Atlanta Braves and player is Chipper Jones… Worked three scoreless innings in relief in the series finale on March 14 at Middle Tennessee, extending his scoreless innings streak to six over his first four appearances of the season.
• RHP Nolan Lebamoff, Jr. (Fort Wayne, Ind. / Carroll [Kankakee CC]) – Joined the program for the 2021 season as a JUCO transfer… Majoring in political science… 2019 Second Team All-Region Four NJCAA… 2019 Kankakee CC Pitcher of the Year… Tied for third in the nation in NJCAA D-II in saves in 2019… Finished third on Kankakee’s all-time saves list.

Inside the Assistants: Brian Schmack’s staff will have a familiar feel in 2021 as all four coaches return from the 2020 campaign.  

• After spending three seasons as a volunteer assistant, Kory Winter was hired as Schmack’s top assistant and hitting coach beginning with the 2019 campaign. Winter played collegiately at Wittenberg and has completed coaching stints at Muskingum University and Shippensburg University. He is also Valpo’s outfield instructor.
• Casey Fletcher is in his third year as an assistant coach. He spent the previous two seasons at Illinois, where he was a volunteer assistant. Prior to joining the Fighting Illini staff, Fletcher played professionally for two seasons with the Joliet Slammers of the Frontier League. He enjoyed a prosperous collegiate playing career that featured two seasons as an All-Big Ten honoree at Illinois (2014-2015) and helped Illinois to the NCAA Super Regional for the first time in program history by hitting .326 with 48 runs, three homers and 33 RBIs as a senior. Fletcher was an outfielder in college before moving to catcher in the professional ranks. His father Darrin played in the big leagues from 1989-2002 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays. His grandfather Tom also reached the big leagues with the Detroit Tigers in 1962 and his great grandfather Glenn spent 10 seasons in the minor leagues.
• A familiar name to Valpo fans took over as the volunteer assistant coach prior to the 2020 season. Sam Shaikin spent the previous four years on the left side of Valpo’s infield while earning a degree in business management from the University in 2019. He clubbed 21 home runs and drove in 106 over 187 career games. Shaikin finished ninth in program history in runs scored with 133, while his home run total ranks tied for ninth. He had a propensity for drawing walks during his playing days, ranking third all-time with 104 bases on balls. Shaikin, who ranks fifth in program history with 392 assists, is the team’s infield coach.