Valparaiso (5-4, 0-0 MVC)
March 4 - vs. Western Illinois (3-8, 0-0 Summit) - 10 a.m. CT
at Indiana (5-4, 0-0 B1G) - 1 p.m. CT
March 5 - vs. Western Illinois - 8 a.m. CT
at Indiana - 1:30 p.m. CT
Next Up in Valpo Softball: After a weekend away from competition, the Valpo softball team returns to the diamond this weekend with four games over two days in Bloomington. The Beacons will take on host Indiana and Western Illinois twice apiece. Please note that the games have been moved up one day, to Friday/Saturday, due to weather concerns.
Previously: Valpo was idle last weekend after going 4-1, the best record among the tournament field, the previous weekend at the Charleston Invitational. The Beacons earned three straight one-run wins and three of their four victories saw them overcome deficits. Junior Easton Seib was tabbed the MVC Pitcher of the Week as she recorded three of Valpo’s four wins in the circle.
Looking Ahead: Valpo will close out pre-conference play next weekend at the Bluegrass Classic, co-hosted by Louisville and Kentucky. The Beacons will play five games over three days at the tournament.
Following Valpo Softball: Live coverage for this weekend is still TBD due to the schedule change. All links for any coverage will be available at ValpoAthletics.com.
Head Coach Amanda Eberhart: Amanda Eberhart was hired as head coach of the Valpo softball program in July of 2021. She brings seven years of head coaching experience at the Division I level, most recently spending the last three years as the head coach at Omaha and previously leading the IUPUI program for four seasons. Eberhart, who owns 136 career victories as a head coach, also has eight seasons of experience on staffs at Big Ten programs.
Series Notes: Indiana - Valpo is 2-9 all-time against the Hoosiers. The last meetings came under unusual circumstances in 2014. That season, the programs were slated to play just once, on March 1 at Arizona’s Tucson Invitational. On that date, the teams waited out three hours of pre-game delays and fought through numerous in-game delays before the game was finally suspended in the top of the fifth inning. Nearly two months later, on April 30, the game was resumed in Bloomington, and the programs added another game to the schedule. The Hoosiers took both ends of that “doubleheader”, 5-0 and 8-0.
Western Illinois - The third-most common opponent in program history, Valpo is just 9-56 all-time against the Leathernecks. Valpo has won the last three meetings, however, including most recently a 3-1 win last season at the Dome in Rosemont. Caitlin Kowalski tossed a one-hitter in her collegiate debut to earn the win, while Ryan Milkowski went 2-for-3 with an RBI at the plate.
What’s Back: Valpo returns 14 of 19 letterwinners from last season’s squad for the 2022 campaign. In all, 77.6% of Valpo’s plate appearances are back for this season and 89.8% of last season’s inning pitched return as well.
Who’s New: After redshirting due to injury last season, Kylie Millhorn looks for her first collegiate action this spring. In addition, four true freshmen - Addi Weaver, Cheyenne Nietz, Kaiah Fenters and Lauren Sena - round out Valpo’s 19-player roster.
The Long and Winding 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. This is the third of four weekends of action on the road prior to the start of conference play. Then, Valpo’s first two weekends of MVC play are on the road at Indiana State and at Missouri State, with a non-conference game at Western Michigan thrown in there as well. All told, Valpo’s first 25 games of the year are scheduled away from home, as the home opener comes on April 2 - matching last year for the latest home opener since the 2003 season.
Reeling Off Wins: Valpo won each of its first four games at the Charleston Invitational en route to posting the tournament’s best record. Combined with the tournament-closing win over Western Michigan on opening weekend, the Beacons won five in a row - the program’s longest winning streak since a six-game winning streak late in the 2018 season. Valpo’s first three wins at Charleston were all by a single run, the first time since late 2013 the program has won three in a row, all by one run.
Rally After Rally: Three of Valpo’s four wins at Charleston were of the comeback variety. The Beacons overcame two-run deficits in both their second victory over the hosts and their win over Holy Cross. Most notably, Valpo trailed 5-0 to Lipscomb before rallying for the 7-6 victory - the program’s largest comeback since turning a 5-0 deficit into a 7-5 win over Indiana State in April 2019.
Offensive Explosion: Valpo’s win over Holy Cross saw the Beacons’ offense go off for 10 runs on 16 hits. The 10 runs marked Valpo’s highest single-game output since a 12-1 win over Stetson on March 1, 2020. Meanwhile, the 16 hits were just one base knock shy of the program’s single-game top-five, and five of Valpo’s hits were doubles, tying for fourth-most in a single game in program history. Five different Beacons posted multi-hit games in the win over the Crusaders - Regi Hecker registered her first career three-hit game, while Ryan Milkowski, Taylor Herschbach, Peyton Moeder and Kate Beckemeyer all tallied two hits each.
Seib Stands Out: Junior Easton Seib was named the MVC Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 22 after a stellar weekend at Charleston. Seib went a perfect 3-0 in her three appearances, posting a 0.95 ERA and scattering 16 hits over 14.2 innings of work, striking out seven and walking just two. Seib’s weekend was highlighted by her first career shutout in the 1-0 win over Charleston, where she surrendered just four hits and did not allow a runner past second base until two outs in the seventh. Seib, who also earned a pair of wins in relief on Saturday, is just the second Valpo pitcher to be named MVC Pitcher of the Week since joining the conference.
