Valparaiso (6-18, 0-3 MVC)
March 29 - Bradley (15-14, 5-1 MVC) - 3 p.m.
March 30 - Bradley - noon DH
Next Up in Valpo Softball: The long wait is over - the Valpo softball team will finally step on the field for 2024 regular season action at the Valpo Softball Complex this weekend. The Beacons welcome Bradley to town for a three-game set, with one game Friday afternoon and then a twinbill Saturday afternoon ahead of Easter Sunday.
Previously: Precipitation and cold temperatures combined to completely wipe out the Beacons' scheduled three-game series at Drake last weekend.
Looking Ahead: The eight-game homestand continues next weekend when Belmont comes to Valpo for a three-game series.
Following Valpo Softball: This weekend's games will not have video streams. All games will 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 an 8-12 record all-time against Bradley, but it's been a closer series since Valpo joined the Valley, as the Braves hold just an 8-7 edge since 2018. This will be the third series between the two programs in Valpo: Valpo earned a three-game sweep in 2018, while Bradley swept three games in 2022. Last season, the Beacons took two of three games in Peoria, as Easton Seib opened the series with a one-hit shutout in a 2-0 win, followed by Caitlyn Kowalski tossing the 12th no-hitter in program history in a 1-0 win. Bradley salvaged the third game of that series by a 3-2 final.
Scouting the Opposition: The Braves enter the week at 15-14 overall and 5-1 in MVC play, with a midweek twinbill against Illinois State before they travel to Valpo. Most recently, Bradley swept a three-game series from Missouri State last weekend - a sweep which included a no-hitter from Sydney Kennedy, who was named MVC Pitcher and Newcomer of the Week. Kennedy is 11-4 on the year with a 1.53 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 100.1 innings of work. Kennedy also owns the team's highest batting average (.386) in part-time action at the plate, while four regular starters are above the .300 mark as well.
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.
Finally Home: Seven straight weekends on the road means Valpo's home opener this weekend has been a long time coming. Originally scheduled to play 30 games over trips to Texas A&M, Presbyterian, Chattanooga, Indiana, Omaha, Evansville and Drake, the Beacons got 24 of those games in. Now the script flips, as over the regular season's final six weeks, Valpo is slated for 18 home games and just seven road games.
Simply Hitting: In her first season of D-I softball, sophomore Kam Utendorf has been tremendous from the left side of the plate. Utendorf is 57 points clear atop the Valley in batting average, entering this weekend hitting at a .455 clip - good for 20th nationally. She is on pace to become the fourth player in Valpo softball history to hit .400 in a season, while her current batting average would break the school record by 25 points. In Valpo's MVC-opening series, Utendorf reached base in six of nine plate appearances at Evansville, going 4-for-7 with a pair of walks. 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.
Wily Wilming: Freshman Anna Wilming enjoyed her best start of the year in the circle in Valpo's series finale at Evansville. Wilming went the distance for the first complete game of her career and carried a shutout into the sixth inning before eventually taking the tough-luck loss. She surrendered just six hits and two runs, while striking out a season-best six batters.
Hecker Hacking: Senior outfielder Regi Hecker has carried her form from the end of the 2023 season into the 2024 campaign. 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. To date this season, Hecker ranks second on the team with a .348 batting average - good for 10th in the Valley - and has driven in a team-high 13 runs.
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 12-for-15 in the stolen base department this year, just five thefts shy of Valpo's single-season top-10 chart. Her 12 stolen bases are tied for second-most among Valley players, while she also paces the Beacons with 13 runs scored this year. In Valpo's MVC-opening series, Johnson had a pair of multi-hit games against Evansville to boost her season batting average above the .300 mark.
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 30-for-38 this season. Johnson leads the way with her 12 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 10 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 11-for-28 at the plate with three runs scored, six RBIs, a double, a triple and three walks. Her .343 average this year ranks 11th in the Valley.
Preconference Improvement: Entering Valley play, this year's squad had 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 was 6-15 entering MVC action, a 119-point improvement in winning percentage. The Beacons' batting average was 40 points better in preconference play this year as compared to last year, while the pitching staff's ERA was 1.21 runs lower.
Offensive Bests: This year's team 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
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.
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.
