Life in the Valley

Let’s take stock of where The Valley’s 10 conference teams stand after 3 weekends of college baseball. Hard to believe we are almost a quarter of the way down the road to the NCAA Tournament already. This season goes by so fast.

Valparaiso (6-3)
The Beacons saw a 5-game winning streak come to an end on Sunday in an 18-8 loss at Little Rock. But Valpo has taken back-to-back weekend series and held their own to start the season, taking 1 of 3 games against Kansas.

During the 5-game win streak, Valpo scored 48 runs, good for an average 9.6 per game. Nolan Tucker and Kyle Schmack lead the Beacons with 12 RBIs each, while the appropriately named Schmack also leads the club with 4 homers. Valpo has hit 17 homers in 9 games, with Tucker’s .412 average and 1.251 OPS good enough to lead Valve’s offense charge.

Pitcher Connor Lockwood continues to shine for Valpo on the mound. He’s picked up 2 wins in 3 starts and pitched to a 2.33 ERA, while walking just 5 in 19 1/3 innings (15 strikeouts). Relievers Nathan Chasey and Bobby Nowak each have a save and have combined to allow just 2 earned runs in 14 1/3 innings (1.26 ERA).

Valpo is scheduled for a tough upcoming stretch, with a game at 2021 College World Series champions Mississippi State on Tuesday, then 3 at #22 Southern Miss (8-3) over the weekend.

Missouri State (7-4)
The Bears took 2 of 3 over the weekend at Arkansas State, dropping the finale, 8-7, after 5-3 and 6-4 wins to start the season. Spencer Nivens leads a powerful Bears lineup with 5 homers and 14 RBIs. Missouri State has gone deep 23 times already this season, while Bears pitchers have allowed just 9 homers. Along with Nivens (.826), Missouri State has 3 other batters with high slugging percentages, including Taeg Gollert (.762), Nick Rodriguez (.688), and Zack Stewart (.660). Missouri State is averaging just a shade more than 7 runs per game offensively.

Missouri State’s top 3 starters – Brandt Thompson, Hayden Minton, and Jake Eddington – have combined to go 4-0 in 42 2/3 innings with 43 strikeouts. They’ve combined for a 4.10 ERA – more than respectable for a weekend rotation. Perhaps most importantly, the trio has allowed only 1 homer this season.

Evansville (7-5)
While UE’s overall record is still a modest 2 games over .500, how the Purple Aces got here is notable. Evansville is The Valley’s hottest team, having won 7 games in a row after a 4-game weekend sweep of Bowling Green. UE has turned a stumbling, 0-5 start into a stunning streak that’s featured 69 runs (9.9 per game) on offense to just 28 allowed (4.0).

UE outscored BGSU, 41-10, over the weekend, powered as much by its starting pitching as its offense. Nick Smith got the ball rolling Friday, showing the stuff many expected from him on a night in, night out basis, beating Bowling Green with a 7-inning complete game on 109 pitches. Smith walked just 1 and fanned 12, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits. In Game 2, Tyler Denu went 5 innings, allowing 0 runs on 3 hits with 1 walk and 4 strikeouts on 78 pitches. In the second doubleheader, Donovan Schultz (0 ER in 5 IP, 5 K, 87 pitches) and Jarrett Blunt (4 IP, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 Ks, 73 pitches) polished off a strong weekend for the purple gang.

Offensively, there were plenty of stars for Evansville over the weekend. Chase Hug had a stellar series finale, going 4-for-4 with a double, homer, 3 runs, and 3 RBIs. Hug was 8-for-12 (.667) for the weekend with 8 runs and 7 RBIs. Simon Scherry also had 4 hits in the finale, going 4-for-5 to top off a 9-for-14 (.643) weekend with 4 runs and 5 RBIs. Kip Fougerousse went 6-for-16 (.375) with 7 runs; Danny Borgstrom hit 6-for-10 (.600) with 4 runs and 4 RBIs; and Eric Roberts was 4-for-10 (.400) with 5 runs and 8 RBIs.

UE, which has scored 98 runs in 12 games, plays at Vanderbilt tomorrow before traveling to Middle Tennessee for 3 this weekend.

Bradley (4-4)
The Braves have had a bit of a stuttering start due to weather as they only got 2 games in at Little Rock a week ago. But over the weekend, Bradley took 2 of 3 at Jacksonville State, including a 4-3 win on Friday night. Jackson Chatterton tied the game in the 9th inning with a solo homer. In the 11th, Bradley used more power to take the lead for good, as Connor O’Brien homered to make it 4-3.

In the bottom of the 11th, Jacksonville State got 2 runners on via a single and a batter reaching on a strikeout/wild pitch, but Connor Langrell struck out the final 3 batters he faced to secure the victory. O’Brien’s 4 homers and 13 RBIs lead Bradley. Ryan Vogel (.455 average; 1.052 OPS) leads the Braves in both those categories. He has 15 hits in 8 games and a .513 on-base percentage.

In 5 innings this season, Langrell has 2 saves and has allowed just 2 walks and 2 hits, with 0 runs, while striking out 11.

The Braves will hope for nice weather in the Sunshine State this weekend as they visit Jacksonville University for 3 games.

Southern Illinois (6-6)
Like their old rivals Evansville, SIU has reversed things toward a positive direction lately, overcoming a 3-6 start with a 3-game weekend sweep over Ohio University. SIU outscored the Bobcats, 29-16, in the series, scoring 11 runs in each of the first 2 games before winning the finale, 7-4.

Steven Loden starred in Game 1, going 3-for-4 with a run, double, and 4 RBIs. He had 3 more hits in Game 2, homering while scoring 3 times and driving in 4. Loden went 1-for-4 in the series finale to finish a 7-for-12 weekend (.583). Loden leads the Salukis with 5 homers and 16 RBIs for the season. Nathan Bandy also continues to hit for SIU, leading the Salukis with a .441 average and a 1.119 OPS.

There’s been no shortage of runs when SIU is involved, as the Salukis and their opponents have each scored 86 runs this season. But top starting pitchers Easton Dermody, Ben Chapman, and Paul Bonzagni have struck out 46 batters in 45 1/3 innings.

SIU is at SIU-Edwardsville on Tuesday before a 3-game series at Kentucky this weekend.

Illinois State (5-6)
To say the Redbirds have had an eventual 7-10 days or so would be an understatement. Combine that with it all coming in a 7-game roadie against teams in Arkansas, and you go from the ridiculous to the sublime.

I, of course, highlighted Illinois State’s tough loss at #8 Arkansas in the mid-week last week, which for my money is still the best college baseball game I’ve watched so far this season. But on top of that, the Redbirds went 2-1 at Arkansas State and this past weekend, 1-2 at Central Arkansas. Four of the first 6 games in the stretch ended with scores of 12-8, 14-10, 10-9, and 8-6, with the latter being the lone win. So one could excuse the Redbirds if they ran out of gas on Sunday, falling to UCA, 22-10. But what will stick in Illinois State’s craw a little bit about the latest loss is that it was 6-0 Redbirds before Central Arkansas even came to bat. Daniel Pacella, who I’m now convinced could hit a ball out of Yellowstone, pounded a grand slam in that 6-run 1st, but UCA scored 8 in the 2nd to take the lead. Innings of 4, 4, and 5 runs the rest of the way powered the hosts to their 12-run triumph.

Illinois State used 9 pitchers in the game and only 2 – Joey Wilmoth (1 IP) and Ryan Borberg (2/3 IP) – emerged unscathed. On the bright side, however, Pacella finished the game with 5 RBIs. He’s hitting .304 on the season with 6 HRs and 15 RBIs, leading the team in slugging at .696. All of Pacella’s extra-base hits this season have been HRs.

Life doesn’t get any easier for Illinois State this weekend, as the Redbirds play a 3-game series at Nebraska.

Belmont (5-7)
The Bruins put a tough 4-game stretch that featured losses to Western Kentucky and 3 at #19 N.C. State (12-0) behind them by taking 2 out of 3 over the weekend against Kansas. Belmont won the bookend games in the series 7-5 and 7-4, to sandwich a 5-0 loss on Saturday. There’s been no shortage of competition for the Bruins this season, and that’s with single games still to come later against #7 Vanderbilt (8-4) and #3 Tennessee (11-2).

Sam Kilpatrick (.432) continues to hit a torrid clip for Belmont. He has 19 hits in 12 games, including a homer and 7 RBIs. Mason Landers has provided the power for Belmont, tagging 4 homers and driving in a team-leading 10. But Belmont could stand to make more contact. The Bruins have an impressive looking stat of having hit into only 3 double plays this season. But Belmont’s team on-base percentage is only .301 and they have struck out 95 times in 12 games.

On the other hand, however, Belmont pitchers are dishing out strikeouts themselves, having fanned 100 batters so far. Andy Bean has fanned 19 in 17 innings to lead the Bruins. Opposing hitters on only batting .210 against Bean, who is carrying a 1.18 WHIP despite an 0-2 record and 5.29 ERA in the early going.

Belmont will play a game at Lipscomb on Wednesday before hosting Western Illinois for 3 games this weekend.

Illinois-Chicago (4-6)
UIC’s 3 wins at Saint Mary’s to start the season allowed the Flames to hold promise of what kind of a year they might be in store for, but struggles have followed, as Illinois-Chicago has dropped 6 of its last 7 games, including 5 straight. The last 3 were tough assignments, though, as the Flames went on the road to play #18 Alabama (12-0). The other two losses came on the back end of a 3-game series against Lipscomb.

Contact has also been an issue for UIC, as Flames hitters have fanned 100 times in 10 games. But the Flames are 11-for-13 on stolen-base attempts this season, led by Cole Conn, who has yet to be caught in 2023 in 4 attempts. A.J. Henkle (.333) leads the team in hitting, RBIs (7), and total bases (17).

Reliever Aiden Pavoris has been noteworthy on the mound for UIC, pitching to a 1.35 ERA in 6 2/3 innings. Pavoris has allowed just 1 run and 3 hits so far this season, with opposing hitters batting just .150 against him.

UIC tries to get things going in the right direction Tuesday at Northwestern before playing 4 at home vs. St. Thomas (1-8, Summit League).

Murray State (4-8)
Despite their overall record, the Racers come into the new week off a 2-1 series win over Northern Kentucky last weekend. Carson Garner is one of 4 Racers to have 2 homers on the season, and he leads the team in hitting, as well, at .325. Garner also leads Murray State with 11 RBIs. Dustin Mercer (.302) is also over the .300 mark for Murray State.

Murray State is 4-8 despite a run differential of only -1. Lead starter Jacob Pennington is 1-1 on the season with a 3.71 ERA in 3 starts and 17 innings. He’s allowed just 10 hits and 6 walks while fanning 16, which leads a staff that has whiffed 109 opposing batters so far this season.Bryce Valero has a save and an 0.87 ERA in 3 appearances, including 1 start. Valero has allowed just 1 earned run in 10 1/3 innings, with 15 strikeouts.

Murray State visits Kentucky for one tomorrow, before hosting Milwaukee this weekend for 3.

Indiana State (2-8)
It’s been a tough start for the Sycamores but it’s early yet. Offense has been the issue for Indiana State, as the Sycamores are hitting just .223 as a team. That ranks the Sycamores 273rd in the country out of 295 teams in batting average. (Notre Dame, which went to the College World Series in ’22, is last in the nation at .179.)

Extra-base hits haven’t been a big problem for ISU, which has 16 doubles and 8 homers. Unfortunately, there aren’t often runners on base when those hits happens because the Sycamores only have 50 singles (5 per game) this season. They have picked up that slack a bit thanks to 37 walks and 22 hit batters, but it hasn’t often equaled run production for Indiana State, which has scored 4 or fewer runs in 4 games, albeit against a tough schedule that has featured series against Kentucky & Northeastern, and single games against #23 Iowa (9-1) and Miami-Fla.

Mike Sears leads Indiana State with 3 homers and 12 RBIs. Cameron Holycross has a great 1.13 ERA through 8 innings.

Indiana State plays a 2-game midweek series at Southeast Missouri State before visiting Memphis for 3 this weekend. The road doesn’t get any easier for the Sycamores beyond that, with a single game against Illinois, 3 vs. Michigan State, and 1 at Indiana.