After a stellar outing during the season’s opening weekend, Valparaiso University baseball right-handed pitcher Connor Lockwood (Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville) has earned Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week honors, as announced by the league office on Monday.

Lockwood pitched the team to a power-5 victory on Saturday, logging seven shutout innings of two-hit ball while walking none and striking out six in an 11-3 victory over Kansas. Lockwood was the winning pitcher after the longest outing of his career. The six strikeouts shattered his previous personal best of four. The sophomore sent down the final 16 Jayhawk batters that he faced in the game, helping Valpo to its first power-5 win in five years. 

After an encouraging showing over the first weekend of the season, Valpo will visit UT Martin for a three-game series beginning on Friday. Lockwood joins Jake Miller, Colin Fields (twice) and Easton Rhodehouse as the only Valpo players to earn MVC Pitcher of the Week honors since the program joined the Missouri Valley Conference.