Life in the Valley

Previewing the Weekend and Seeing Whose Killing It Early

On this, another busy weekend of non-conference action for Missouri Valley Conference baseball teams, I wanted to take a bit to highlight some of the players in the conference who have gotten off to really good starts, even in cases where their teams are still trying to get things going in the early season.

Here’s this weekend’s slate with some players highlighted.

Bradley at Dayton
Today, 11 a.m. (ESPN+) and 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, 11 a.m. (ESPN+
Who’s Killing It: Bobby Atkinson is leading the Braves (2-4) in all 3 offensive Triple Crown categories, batting .478 (11-for-23) with 2 homers and 8 RBIs. He’s also scored 6 runs and has 19 total bases with an OPS of 1.364. A senior from Darien, Ill., Atkinson already has a 4-hit game vs. Siena and a 3-hit game at Alabama.

Southern Indiana at Southern Illinois
Today, 4 p.m.; Sunday 4 p.m.
Bowling Green at Southern Illinois
Saturday, Noon
Sunday, Noon
Who’s Killing It: Let anyone think we’re not going to include pitchers on this list, SIU’s (4-3) Alec Nigut has definitely been The Man so far for the Salukis. In 2 starts, Nigut has allowed just 1 run and 3 hits with 6 walks and 12 strikeouts. Nigut sports a 0.90 ERA and 0.90 WHIP. Opponents are hitting just .100 off him. He and his Saluki teammates have a tremendous 3.00 team ERA through 7 games.

UIC at Tennessee Tech
Today, 3 p.m.
Saturday, 2 p.m.
Sunday, Noon
Who’s Killing It: A key returner from last year’s successful Flames team, Jackson Bessette is off to another good start for UIC (2-7). Bessette is 8-for-26 so far this season, one of 4 Flames regulars hitting above .300 (.308). He’s homered twice and driven in 7, while also drawing 8 walks. He’s at least at .500 in both on-base percentage and slugging percentage of a 1.038 OPS, and leads the team in runs with 8.

Illinois State at Lindenwood
Today, 3 p.m.
Saturday, 1 p.m.
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Who’s Killing It: Veteran slugger Daniel Pacella is having a stellar start to the season for the Redbirds (1-5). Pacella is hitting a robust .480 so far, with 12 hits in 25 at-bats. Pacella has a homer and 5 RBIs to go with a 3 doubles and a triple. Pacella is slugging .800 and has a 1.319 OPS. He’s also struck out just 4 times in 27 plate appearances.

Louisiana-Monroe at Missouri State
Today, 3 p.m.
Saturday, 2 p.m. (ESPN+)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Who’s Killing It: Canadian freshman Michael Yusypchuk (Edmonton, ALB) has been a revelation for the Bears (2-5). After a workmanlike 4 2/3-inning stint in his debut at Sam Houston where he allowed 2 runs on 6 hits but walked no one and fanned 6, he went full Superman in next start, pitching 7 shutout innings at #18 Mississippi State – one of the most raucous environments in all of college baseball. He fanned 8 and walked 1, allowing just 2 hits. For the season, Yusypchuk has no record, but sports a 1.54 ERA and a minuscule 0.77 WHIP. He has a 14:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and opponents are hitting just .190 off him.

Murray State at Little Rock
Today, 3 p.m. (ESPN+)
Saturday, 2 p.m. (ESPN+)
Sunday, 1 p.m. (ESPN+)
Who’s Killing It: In a lineup averaging 11.5 runs per game with 4 hitters batting at least .400, it’s easier to ask who isn’t killing it. But leading the way for average and power has been Will Vierling. Vierling leads the Racers in OPS (1.625), homers (3), and total bases (18). He’s slugging 1.125, helped by games featuring 2 doubles and a homer and one with 2 homers against Western Illinois. The Louisville transfer has scored 7 runs in 4 games, all Murray State wins.

Notre Dame at Belmont
Today, 4 p.m.
Saturday, Noon
Sunday, Noon
Who’s Killing It: Ty Allen has been Belmont’s best hitter so far, even as the Bruins are still looking to get out of the starting gate at 1-7. Allen leads Belmont with a .394 average (13-for-33) in 8 games, with an OPS of 1.171. Allen has 3 homers and has already knocked in 11 – a pace of 77 RBIs for a full season. Allen is hitting .565 on balls in play. The sophomore from Franklin, Tenn., has been held hitless just once this season, and is coming off a 4-for-6 outing vs. Lipscomb where he homered and drove in 5 runs.

Evansville at Missouri
Today, 5 p.m. (SECN+)
Saturday, 1 p.m. & 4 p.m. (SECN+, both)
Sunday: 1 p.m.
Who’s Killing It: One of the holdovers from Evansville’s (1-6) Super Regional team a year ago, Ty Rumsey knew he’d be a focal point of the team (and opposing pitchers) this season. But so far, that hasn’t fazed the hometown senior who played at North High School, as he’s gone 11-for-28 (.393) at the plate in 7 games with a double and 4 RBIs. He’s also 5-for-5 stealing bases. Rumsey is currently on a 4-game hitting streak, going 8-for-16 (.500) in that span.

Indiana State vs. Virginia Tech (Today, Noon, at Greenville, N.C.)
Indiana State at East Carolina (Saturday, 4:30 p.m., ESPN+)
Indiana State vs. Kent State (Sunday, 11 a.m., at Greenville, N.C.)
Who’s Killing It: Carter Beck leads the Sycamores (5-3) in OPS at 1.143, with 2 homers and a team-high 10 RBIs. Beck has 4 extra-base hits and is 9-for-28 (.321) on the season. He’s also stolen 2 bases, walked 6 times, and been hit 4 times for a .500 on-base percentage. Beck, a sophomore from Saskatchewan, Canada, has a 3-hit game vs. Wagner this season and went 6-for-11 in Indiana State’s first 3 games of 2025.

Niagara vs. Valparaiso
Today: Noon, Granderson Stadium, Chicago
Saturday: 3:30 p.m., Granderson Stadium, Chicago
Sunday, 1 p.m. at Valpo (ESPN+)
Who’s Killing It: Case Sullivan has been a very tough out so far for the Beacons (1-5). Sullivan is hitting .429 to lead the team. He’s also the Beacons’ main man in OPS (1.205), runs (7), total bases (14 – tied with Ryan Maka), and walks 5. He carries a .538 on-base percentage. Sullivan is a redshirt freshman from Carmel, Ind., who already has a pair of 3-hit games this season.

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.