Baseball Game Notes. On the Air: A free video stream of both games will be available courtesy of Big West TV. The games will also have live stats.

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1 2018 Crusader Baseball Game Notes Contact: BRANDON VICKREY Office: Valpo Sports Media Relations Athletics-Recreation Center 1009 Union Street Valparaiso IN Schedule and Results Date Opponent Time/Result Feb. 16 at Alabama L 16-2 Feb. 17 at Alabama L 6-5 Feb. 18 at Alabama L 12-6 Feb. 23 vs. Holy Cross# CCD Feb. 24 at Oklahoma W 11-4 Feb. 25 vs. Holy Cross# W 20-6 Feb. 25 at Oklahoma L 3-2 (F/10) March 2 vs. CSUN& L March 3 at Grand Canyon W 12-6 March 4 vs. CSUN& L 6-5 March 4 at Grand Canyon W 11-7 March 6 at UC Riverside 8 p.m. March 7 at UC Riverside 8 p.m. March 9 at Loyola Marymount 8 p.m. March 10 at Loyola Marymount 8 p.m. March 11 at Loyola Marymount 3 p.m. March 16 at Arkansas Pine Bluff 3 p.m. March 17 at Arkansas Pine Bluff noon March 17 at Arkansas Pine Bluff 3 p.m. March 20 at Chicago State 3 p.m. March 23 at Butler 3 p.m. March 24 at Butler 1 p.m. March 25 at Butler 1 p.m. March 27 Ball State 3 p.m. March 28 at Purdue 5 p.m. March 30 Bradley* 3 p.m. March 31 Bradley* 1 p.m. April 1 Bradley* 1 p.m. April 3 Western Michigan 3 p.m. April 6 at Southern Illinois* 1 p.m. April 7 at Southern Illinois* 2 p.m. April 8 at Southern Illinois* 1 p.m. April 11 Milwaukee 3 p.m. April 13 at Michigan State 2 p.m. April 14 at Michigan State 3 p.m. April 15 at Michigan State 1 p.m. April 17 at Illinois 6 p.m. April 20 at Evansville* 6 p.m. April 21 at Evansville* 2 p.m. April 22 at Evansville* 1 p.m. April 24 at Notre Dame 5:05 p.m. April 27 Dallas Baptist* 3 p.m. April 28 Dallas Baptist* 1 p.m. April 29 Dallas Baptist* 1 p.m. May 1 at Northern Illinois 3 p.m. May 4 Missouri State* 3 p.m. May 5 Missouri State* 1 p.m. May 6 Missouri State* 1 p.m. May 8 at Western Michigan 1 p.m. May 11 at Illinois State* 6:30 p.m. May 12 at Illinois State* 2 p.m. May 13 at Illinois State* 1 p.m. May 15 Chicago State 3 p.m. May 17 Indiana State* 3 p.m. May 18 Indiana State* 1 p.m. May 19 Indiana State* 1 p.m. May MVC Championship% All Times Central * - MVC Game Home games in bold and played at Emory G. Bauer # = in Norman, Okla. & = in Phoenix, Ariz. % = in Dallas, Texas Valparaiso (4-6, 0-0 MVC) at UC Riverside (4-7, 0-0 Big West) Riverside Sports Complex (2,500) Riverside, Calif. Tuesday, March 6, at UC Riverside, 8 p.m. CT Currier (L) v. TBD Wednesday, March 7, at UC Riverside, 8 p.m. CT TBD Next Up in Crusader Baseball: The Valparaiso University baseball team has long stocked its roster with talent from the state of California. For the first time since the opening series of the 2015 season, the Crusaders will make an appearance in the Golden State on Tuesday night, the first of five games in California this week, starting with back-to-back midweek affairs with UC Riverside. Last Time Out: Valpo split four games in Arizona this past weekend, topping preseason WAC favorite Grand Canyon 12-6 and 11-7 while falling in a pair of one-run games to CSUN. Maybe the most memorable inning of the weekend came in Friday s loss, when the Crusaders scored nine times in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 13, only to see the Matadors walk off in the bottom of the inning. The Valpo offense continued to thrive, scoring 11 runs or more in three of the four games and racking up no fewer than 12 hits in any of the four contests. On the Air: A free video stream of both games will be available courtesy of Big West TV. The games will also have live stats. Series Notes: Tuesday will be the first ever meeting between the two teams. A Happy Homecoming: Jayden Eggimann made sure his trip to his home state ended on a high note, as the Mesa, Ariz. native slugged a three-run homer to highlight a six-run ninth inning for Valpo on Sunday against Grand Canyon, the team Eggimann played for his freshman season. The prosperous inning snapped a 5-5 tie and helped Valpo to an eventual 11-7 win. Eggimann s long ball was his first of the season and the third of his Valpo career, and his five RBIs in the game marked a career high. He now owns the team lead in RBIs with 14 and has already driven in more runs than he did all of last season in 30 fewer at-bats. Offense Keeps Surging: It was another noteworthy week for the Valpo offense, as the Crusaders now own a.339 batting average that ranks 11th nationally despite being a cold-weather team that has played nearly all warm-weather opponents thus far this year. Nine players are hitting.294 or better, led by newcomer Blake Billinger, who is hitting.444 with a.733 slugging percentage. Billinger is tied for sixth nationally with seven doubles, three of them coming in one game against CSUN on Friday, allowing him to become the first Crusader since 2008 with three doubles in a contest. Home Sweet Home: Valpo has a long history of success recruiting the state of California, making this week s trip to the Golden State a special one on many levels. Valpo has 11 players on the active roster that hail from California, plus a large alumni base within the state. The Crusaders play two games at UC Riverside on Tuesday and Wednesday before meeting Loyola Marymount for a three-game weekend series. Debut Day: Freshman left-handed pitcher Josh Currier will make his first collegiate start on Tuesday against UC Riverside. Currier, whose sister Kayla is a member of the Valpo volleyball team, comes with a unique backstory after being cut from his high school baseball team as a junior. He put in the work to make the improvement necessary to earn a spot on a Division I roster following his senior season. Currier has thrown one

2 2018 Crusader Baseball Game Notes Contact: BRANDON VICKREY Office: Valpo Sports Media Relations Athletics-Recreation Center 1009 Union Street Valparaiso IN inning so far this season, allowing one run on one hit in the ninth of a 20-6 victory over Holy Cross on Feb. 24. Defense Wins Championships: The Valpo offense has received plenty of attention this season and deservedly so but the Valpo defense has been outstanding as well. Valpo ranks atop The Valley in field percentage at.979 after breaking a program record that had stood since 1998 by finishing with a.971 fielding percentage in In The Other Dugout UC Riverside: The Highlanders were swept by San Francisco in a Sunday doubleheader, dropping the first game 2-1 and the second game 4-1. Riverside is under the direction of Troy Percival, a name familiar to any baseball fan as he finished his big league career with 358 saves, ninth in MLB history. He spent 14 years in the big leagues, 10 of them with the Angels, and nailed down the save in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series against the Giants. Percival s son Troy is a freshman RHP at UC Riverside. The team is led by Colby Schultz (.342 AVG) and Dean Miller (.341 AVG), while Connor Cannon is their leader in the power categories with three home runs and 10 RBIs. Head Coach Brian Schmack: Brian Schmack, the 17th head coach in Valparaiso University history, is in his fifth season at the helm of the Crusaders. He led Valparaiso to 25 wins in his inaugural campaign, a school record for victories by a first-year skipper. The former big leaguer followed that up with a 22-win season in 2015, then guided the team to its first winning record since 2013 in In 2017, Schmack continued his success despite guiding a youthful roster that featured 11 freshmen and 15 total newcomers. He led the Crusaders to 24 wins, including a strong finish to the regular season that saw them win eight of their last 11. Schmack, a member of the 2003 Detroit Tigers, served as pitching coach/associate head coach at Valpo for seven seasons prior to his promotion. Looking Back: Valpo finished 2017 with a record and a mark in the Horizon League. Three Crusaders earned all-league freshman team honors, the first time Valpo had three players on the all-freshman team since 2013 and the seventh straight year the Crusaders had multiple players on the all-freshman squad. After posting a 4-1 record, 2.93 ERA and seven saves, right-handed pitcher Jon Tieman was named a Freshman All-American, becoming the first Crusader to earn that high honor since shortstop Spencer Mahoney in The 2017 season also saw the Crusaders set the program record for team fielding percentage, as they put together a.971 fielding percentage that bested the previous mark of.968, which had stood since The Valpo offense has enjoyed a significant statistical uptick over the last three seasons. The Crusaders held a combined average of.279, slugging percentage of.387 and on-base percentage of.372 from , all improvements from a.265/.351/.337 slash line from Preseason Poll: The Crusaders were picked to finish eighth in the preseason poll in their first season in The Valley. Dallas Baptist is the preseason favorite to win the league and is ranked 18th nationally by D1Baseball.com, 20th by the NCBWA and 17th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Missouri State, picked second in The Valley, is ranked 35th nationally by the NCBWA and received 35 votes in the USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll Valley Standings Team MVC Pct. Overall Pct. Bradley Missouri State Dallas Baptist Illinois State Indiana State Evansville Valpo Southern Illinois Around the Missouri Valley Tuesday, March 6 DBU at Oklahoma, 6:30 p.m. Valpo at UC Riverside, 8 p.m. Southern Illinois at SEMO, 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 7 Oklahoma State at Missouri State, 3 p.m. Bowling Green at Evansville, 3 p.m. Southern Illinois at Murray State, 4 p.m. Valpo at UC Riverside, 8 p.m. Friday, March 9 Arkansas State at Missouri State, 3 p.m. Evansville at Florida Gulf Coast, 4:30 p.m. Illinois State at Washington, 8 p.m. Valpo at Loyola Marymount, 8 p.m. Northern Illinois at Southern Illinois, 3 p.m. Bradley at Jacksonville, 5 p.m. Oral Roberts at DBU, 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 10 Western Illinois at Indiana State, 1 p.m. Florida Gulf Coast at Evansville, 1 p.m. Arkansas State at Missouri State, 2 p.m. Valpo at Loyola Marymount, 3 p.m. Illinois State at Washington, 4 p.m. Northern Illinois at Southern Illinois, 2 p.m. Oral Roberts at DBU, 2 p.m. Bradley at Jacksonville, 5 p.m. All Times Central

3 2018 Crusader Baseball Game Notes Contact: BRANDON VICKREY Office: Valpo Sports Media Relations Athletics-Recreation Center 1009 Union Street Valparaiso IN Valparaiso University Baseball Roster # Name Pos. Yr. B/T Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School (Previous School) 1 Chase Dawson IF Jr. L/R Chesterton, Ind./Andrean 3 Jayden Eggimann IF/OF Sr. R/R Mesa, Ariz./Desert Ridge (Central Ariz.) 4 Patrick Donohue IF/OF Jr. L/R Arlington Heights, Ill./Prospect 7 Brent Jones OF/IF Jr. L/R Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny Centennial (Iowa Ce) 8 Scott Kapers C Jr. R/R Schererville, Ind./Mt. Carmel 9 Steven Fitzsimmons OF So. L/L Golden Valley, Minn./Robbinsdale Cooper 10 Easton Rhodehouse RHP So. R/R Gilbert, Ariz./Highland 11 Josh Currier LHP Fr. L/L Mokena, Ill./Lincoln Way Central 14 Alex Dirienzo RHP Sr. R/R Somerset, Pa./Somerset (Akron) 15 Ryan Wickman OF Fr. R/R Spring Green, Wis./River Valley 16 Montana Quigley RHP Jr. R/R Lake Forest, Calif./El Toro 17 Michael Hardtke RHP So. R/R Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley 18 Blake Lutgen OF/IF So. L/R Strafford, Mo./Strafford 19 James Meyer RHP So. R/R Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville Community 20 Hayden Kissee RHP Sr. R/R Cumberland, Ind./Greenfield Central (Kaskaskia) 21 Kevin Barry OF/IF Fr. L/R Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin 22 Riley Dent OF So. L/R Long Beach, Calif./Wilson 24 Kevin Forde RHP So. R/R Western Springs, Ill./Fenwick (St. Joe s) 25 Sam Shaikin IF Jr. R/R West Hills, Calif./Chatsworth 26 Garrett Hill RHP So. R/R San Marino, Calif./San Marino 27 Giovanni Garbella OF Sr. R/R San Diego, Calif./Cathedral Catholic 28 Jon Tieman RHP So. R/R Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge 29 Wes Gordon RHP Sr. R/R Gurnee, Ill./Warren (Lake County) 30 Christian Barczi C So. R/R Naperville, Ill./Naperville North 31 Chet Joslyn LHP Sr. L/L Battle Creek, Mich./Lakeview 32 Zack Leone C/IF Sr. R/R Pelham Manor, N.Y./Fordham Prep 33 Luke VanLanen RHP Sr. R/R Pulaski, Wis./Pulaski 34 Nick Leaverton LHP Jr. L/L Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley 36 Blake Billinger OF/IF Jr. R/R Los Gatos, Calif./St. Francis (Mission) 37 Trey Ferketic RHP Sr. R/R Laguna Niguel, Calif./JSerra (U.C. San Diego) 38 Chad Jacob IF Sr. L/R Irvine, Calif./Woodbridge 40 Michael Mommersteeg LHP So. L/L St. Thomas, On., Canada/St. Joseph s 41 Jake Larson RHP So. R/R Irvine, Calif./Woodbridge 42 Jarrett Hammel LHP So. L/L Brook, Ind./South Newton (St. Joe s) Head Coach: 13 Brian Schmack 5th season Assistant Coach: 6 Ben Wolgamot 5th season Assistant Coach: 35 Nic Mishler 5th season Volunteer Assistant: 2 Kory Winter 3rd season Student Assistant: Ryan Fritze - 2nd season Athletic Trainer: Jake Feldman - 2nd season Scott Kapers: Cape (like Cape Cod)-ers Alex Dirienzo: Duh-RENN-zoh Sam Shaikin: SHAKE-in Trey Ferketic: Fur-KET-ick Pronunciation Guide - Valparaiso (Val-puh-RAY-zo) Blake Lutgen: LOU-chin Jon Tieman: TEE-men Jayden Eggimann: Jay-den EGG-eh-men Ben Wolgamot: WOLL-guh-mot Steven Fitzsimmons: Fit-sim-ins Christian Barczi: BAR-zee Hayden Kissee: Ka-SEE Zack Leone: Lee-oh-nee

4 2018 Valpo Baseball Overall Statistics for Valparaiso (as of Mar 05, 2018) (All games Sorted by Batting avg) Record: 4-6 Home: 0-0 Away: 3-4 Neutral: 1-2 MVC: 0-0 Player avg gp-gs ab r h 2b 3b hr rbi tb slg% bb hp so gdp ob% sf sh sb-att po a e fld% 4 Donohue,Patrick Billinger, Blake Leone, Zack Shaikin, Sam Kapers,Scott Dawson, Chase Garbella, Giovanni Jacob, Chad Eggimann,Jayden Barczi, Christian Dent, Riley Jones,Brent Lutgen, Blake Fitzsimmons,Steven Totals Opponents LOB - Team (85), Opp (95). DPs turned - Team (7), Opp (6). IBB - Team (0), Opp (3). (All games Sorted by Earned run avg) Player era w-l app gs cg sho sv ip h r er bb so 2b 3b hr b/avg wp hp bk sf sha 31 Joslyn, Chet / Kissee, Hayden / Ferketic, Trey / VanLanen, Luke / Gordon, Wes / Mommersteeg, Michael / Currier,Josh / Tieman, Jon / Hammel, Jarrett / Rhodehouse,Easton / Hill, Garrett / Larson, Jake / Totals / Opponents / PB - Team (0), Opp (4). Pickoffs - Team (2), Kapers 2. SBA/ATT - Kapers (2-6), Hammel (0-2), Tieman (0-1), Gordon (0-1), Ferketic (1-1), Mommersteeg (1-1).

5 2018 Valpo Baseball Overall Statistics for Valparaiso (as of Mar 05, 2018) (All games Sorted by Fielding pct) Player c po a e fld% dp sba csb sba% pb ci 8 Kapers,Scott Eggimann,Jayden Shaikin, Sam Dent, Riley Gordon, Wes Barczi, Christian Ferketic, Trey Hammel, Jarrett Donohue,Patrick Joslyn, Chet Lutgen, Blake Mommersteeg, Michael Tieman, Jon VanLanen, Luke Leone, Zack Dawson, Chase Billinger, Blake Jacob, Chad Garbella, Giovanni Kissee, Hayden Jones,Brent Hill, Garrett Currier,Josh Fitzsimmons,Steven Larson, Jake Rhodehouse,Easton Totals Opponents

6 2018 Valpo Baseball Games Summary for Valparaiso (as of Mar 05, 2018) (All games) Score by innings EX Total Valparaiso Opponents Record when... Overall 4-6 Conference 0-0 Non-Conference 4-6 Home games 0-0 Away games 3-4 Neutral site 1-2 Day games 2-6 Night games 2-0 vs Left starter 1-0 vs Right starter Run games Run games Run games 3-2 Extra innings 0-1 Shutouts 0-0 Scoring 0-2 runs runs runs runs 4-1 Opponent 0-2 runs runs runs runs 0-3 Scored in 1st inning 3-2 Opp. scored in 1st 0-3 Scores first 4-2 Opp. scores first 0-4 After 6 leading trailing tied 1-0 After 7 leading trailing tied 1-0 After 8 leading trailing tied 1-1 Hit 0 home runs home run home runs 3-1 Opponent 0 home runs home run HRs 0-3 Made 0 errors error errors 0-2 Opp. made 0 errors error errors 2-1 Out-hit opponent 4-3 Out-hit by opponent 0-3 Hits are tied 0-0 Record when team scores: Runs W-L Record when opponent scores: Runs W-L Record when leading after: Inn W-L Record when trailing after: Inn W-L Record when tied after: Inn W-L Current winning streak: 1 Longest winning streak: 2 Longest losing streak: 3 Home attendance : 0 ( 0 dates avg = 0 ) Away attendance : ( 10 dates avg = 1309 ) Total attendance: ( 10 dates avg = 1309 )

7 2018 Valpo Baseball Game Results for Valparaiso (as of Mar 05, 2018) (All games) Date Opponent Score Inns Overall MVC Pitcher of record Attend Time Feb 16, 2018 at Alabama L Tieman (L 0-1) :12 Feb 17, 2018 at Alabama L VanLanen (L 0-1) :27 Feb 18, 2018 at Alabama L Gordon (L 0-1) :28 Feb 24, 2018 at Oklahoma W Ferketic (W 1-0) :55 Feb 24, 2018 vs Holy Cross W Tieman (W 1-1) 0 3:35 Feb 25, 2018 at Oklahoma L 2-3 (10) Rhodehouse (L 0-1) 969 3:03 Mar 02, 2018 vs Cal State Northridge L VanLanen (L 0-2) 212 3:45 Mar 03, 2018 at Grand Canyon W Ferketic (W 2-0) 509 2:57 Mar 04, 2018 vs Cal State Northridge L Gordon (L 0-2) 174 2:28 Mar 04, 2018 at Grand Canyon W Hammel (W 1-0) 511 3:04 * = Conference game () extra inning game

8 2018 Valpo Baseball Team Game-by-Game for Valparaiso (as of Mar 05, 2018) Batting (All games) Date Opponent ab r h rbi 2b 3b hr tb bb ibb sb cs hbp sac sf gdp k po a e lob avg Feb 16 at Alabama Feb 17 at Alabama Feb 18 at Alabama Feb 24 at Oklahoma Feb 24 vs Holy Cross Feb 25 at Oklahoma Mar 02 vs Cal State Northridge Mar 03 at Grand Canyon Mar 04 vs Cal State Northridge Mar 04 at Grand Canyon Totals Valpo Baseball Team Game-by-Game for Valparaiso (as of Mar 05, 2018) Pitching (All games) Date Opponent ip h r er bb so 2b 3b hr wp bk hbp dp ibb score w-l sv era Feb 16 at Alabama Feb 17 at Alabama Feb 18 at Alabama Feb 24 at Oklahoma Feb 24 vs Holy Cross Feb 25 at Oklahoma Mar 02 vs Cal State Northridge Mar 03 at Grand Canyon Mar 04 vs Cal State Northridge Mar 04 at Grand Canyon Totals

9 Individual Career History Barczi, Christian TOTAL Billinger, Blake TOTAL Currier,Josh / TOTAL / Dawson, Chase TOTAL Dent, Riley TOTAL Dirienzo, Alex TOTAL / / TOTAL /

10 Individual Career History Donohue,Patrick TOTAL Eggimann,Jayden TOTAL Ferketic, Trey TOTAL / TOTAL / Fitzsimmons,Steven TOTAL Garbella, Giovanni TOTAL Gordon, Wes TOTAL / / TOTAL /

11 Individual Career History Hammel, Jarrett TOTAL / TOTAL / Hardtke, Michael / TOTAL / Hill, Garrett TOTAL / / TOTAL / Jacob, Chad TOTAL Jones,Brent TOTAL

12 Individual Career History Joslyn, Chet TOTAL / / / / TOTAL / Kapers,Scott TOTAL Kissee, Hayden TOTAL / / TOTAL / Larson, Jake TOTAL / / TOTAL /

13 Individual Career History Leaverton, Nick / / TOTAL / Leone, Zack TOTAL Lutgen, Blake TOTAL Meyer, James / TOTAL / Mommersteeg, Michael TOTAL / / TOTAL /

14 Individual Career History Quigley, Montana TOTAL / / TOTAL / Rhodehouse,Easton TOTAL / / TOTAL / Shaikin, Sam TOTAL Tieman, Jon TOTAL / / TOTAL /

15 Individual Career History VanLanen, Luke TOTAL / / / / TOTAL /