Life in the Valley

Valley Teams Involved in 15 Games on First Friday of ’25

It’s been 230-some arduous days but we made it, ladies and gentlemen … our favorite sport and our favorite conference is back. It’s a baseball sunrise in The Valley! What was Valentine’s Day for most was New Year’s Day for all of us Valley fans who have been waiting for our true love to come back ever since Evansville’s run to Game 3 of the Knoxville Super Regional ended last spring.

Overall, the results weren’t great for the conference, but just getting back out on the field and facing live pitching from opponents had to be a thrill for everyone. Many teams not only got that thrill but they ended up feeling it twice. Bad weather forecast across the nation this weekend led to a flurry of doubleheaders Friday, leading to the Valley’s 10 teams competing in no less than 15 games.

As the season goes on, we’ll have much more detailed wrap ups and previews, along with the return of regular features such as Valley stat leaders, the Valley Notebook, and others. But with 15 games to go over, it’s just a quick sample tonight – a smorgasbord of results to cover as Valley teams shake off the rust and get back to business.

Defending MVC Tourney Champs Drop Two: Everyone knew Evansville had spots to fill in its lineup after its hard-hitting group came within a win of Omaha last season. That process won’t happen in 2 games, and much like last season, UE will be a better team in the 2nd half of the season than it will be early. The Purple Aces dropped a pair of games at Little Rock Friday, 5-4 and 5-1. The opener ended on a walk-off wild pitch, as the Trojans scored 3 in the 9th to erase a 4-2 deficit. In the nightcap, Harrison Taubert’s 9th-inning homer was the lone marker for UE. Ty Rumsey had 3 hits in the doubleheader. Kenton Deverman pitched the nightcap, giving up just 2 runs on 5 hits with 1 walk and 7 strikeouts over 7 innings (80 pitches). But Little Rock’s mound duo of Brody Bunting and Blake Van Cleve combined to allow just the 1 run on 3 hits, striking out 9.

New-Look Sycamores Split with Wagner: With transfers and other departures from last season, plus a new head coach, you might have wondered about Indiana State’s offense. Well, Wagner found out the Sycamores are still lethal in 2025, as Indiana State used an 11-run 5th inning to rout the Seahawks, 16-0, and gain a split of their doubleheader. Wagner won the opener, 3-2. State hit 6 doubles and 3 homers in the win, as Carter Beck, Carlos Pena, and Jorge Cartagena all drove in 3 runs each. Thomas Emerich had 3 hits. Grant Parson fanned 6 in 5 innings to get the victory. Earlier, Wagner walked off the Sycamores when Diego Targez hit a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 9th to give the Seahawks the 3-2 win. State pitchers struck out 9 but walked 8 in the loss.

Racers Rock and Roll to 2-0 Start: On Daytona 500 weekend, the Racers of Murray State wasted no time dropping the hammer and going atop the MVC non-conference standings. Murray walloped Western Illinois, 16-0 and 10-5, picking up right where it left off offensively last season. Will Vierling homered in each of the first 2 innings of the opener, including a 3-run shot and 4 RBIs in the 10-5 victory. Returning sluggers Jonathan Hogart and Carson Garner each doubled, while Hogart was plunked twice. Vierling put on another show in the nightcap, doubling twice and homering in the 16-0 rout. Luke Mistone drove in 4 runs, while Hogart and Dan Tauken knocked in 3 each. Like the Sycamores, Murray State posted an 11-run inning and the game was called after 7. Isaac Silva and Dylan Zentko combined on the shutout.

Redbirds Topped Twice at Western Kentucky: The Hilltoppers scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to take a 9-7 lead and close the scoring in a season-opening win over Illinois State. The rally featured a 2-run single, a bases-loaded walk, and a run scoring on a throwing error. Judah Morris’ 3-run homer in the 5th inning had given the Redbirds a 7-4 win. Tanner Perry fanned 6 in his Friday start, going 5 innings and allowing 5 runs on 6 hits with a no-decision. The teams went 11 innings in the finale, with Western prevailing, 4-3, on Carlos Vasquez’s ground-rule double. Hilltopper pitchers struck out 21 Redbirds and walked just 1 in 11 innings. ISU hit .400 on balls put in play, but 21 strikeouts will stymie any offense.

Beacons Fall Twice at Samford: Valparaiso opened its season dropping a doubleheader at Samford by scores of 4-2 and 14-4. The story of Game 1 was Beacons’ ace Connor Lockwood. Despite taking the loss, Lockwood pitched a complete game and didn’t walk anyone. He struck out 7, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 7 hits. Ryan Maka provided the Valpo offense, hitting a 2-run homer. In the nightcap, it was all Samford, as the Bulldogs opened up an 8-1 lead after 2 innings and cruised to the 14-4 win. Maka hit another homer in the finale for the Beacons. Leadoff man and shortstop Case Sullivan went 3-for-3 with a walk and a run.

That wrapped up the doubleheaders on Friday, but 5 Valley teams were in action with a single game on the day. Here’s a quick wrap of those finals:

Missouri State 11, Sam Houston 6: The Bears opened their final season in The Valley with a good victory at Sam Houston. The expected quality offense of Missouri State didn’t disappoint, posting 11 runs on 15 hits – 10 of which went for extra bases, including 8 doubles. Caden Bogenpohl, batting 6th, homered, while Nick Rodriguez and Carter Bergman each doubled twice. They both had 3 hits. Bear pitchers fanned 14 Bearkats.

Alabama 10, Bradley 6: Bobby Atkinson’s 3-run homer in the top of the 1st gave the Braves a fast start in Tuscaloosa, but Alabama sustained that early haymaker and went on to a 10-6 win. Mason Breidenbach had 2 runs and 2 hits for Bradley. Matthew Kitzman pitched 2 innings of scoreless relief in the loss.

The Citadel 9, UIC 1: A new look Flames lineup without last season’s Valley Player of the Year in Kendal Ewell struggled on Opening Day, posting just a run on 3 hits in a 9-1 loss at The Citadel. All 3 hits were singles. UIC drew 2 walks and struck out 9 times. Matthew Lively homered twice and drove in 3 runs in the win for The Citadel.

Texas-Rio Grande Valley 8, Southern Illinois 4: SIU led 4-2 after 3 innings, but couldn’t hold on as UTRGV (that’s quite the acronym), rallied for an 8-4 win. The Vaqueros (that’s quite a nickname, too) scored 4 runs in the 6th inning to take the lead for good. SIU starter Jordan Huskey struck out 6 over 5 innings, needing just 66 pitches (4.4 pitches per out, which is really good). Michael Mylott doubled and drove in 3 runs for the Salukis.

Georgia State 9, Belmont 3: With a new looking lineup, the Belmont Bruins had to be hoping for a good outing from veteran Will Pryor in its season opener against Georgia State. Pryor will have much better outings this season, but Georgia State was on point today, taking a 5-0 lead after 3 innings and chasing Pryor after 2 2/3 innings. The Bruins were held to 4 hits but did draw 7 walks, despite striking out 12 times.

Looking Ahead: Weather permitting, there are 7 games on the schedule for Saturday, but we’ll see how that plays out as the day goes along. UIC is the only team playing a new opponent, as the Flames take on Charleston Southern. Murray State, Evansville, and Valparaiso are off Saturday.

Ed Morgans is the founder of MVCBaseball.com. An Evansville graduate, Ed has written about and broadcast college baseball, while following the sport for 40 years.