The Valparaiso Beacons baseball team is a baseball team that represents Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. The Beacons competed in the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship five times before 1970. After returning in 2012 for the first time in 44 years, the Beacons' first round game was almost delayed an additional day, because the preceding game was the second-longest in NCAA tournament history.Delayed fans rewarded with second-longest NCAA tourney baseball game The Beacons game against the Purdue Boilermakers began at approximately 10:40 pm only 20 minutes before a curfew.The game that would never end In their second game of the NCAA tournament, the Crusaders played the Kentucky Wildcats, who lost the marathon game to the Kent State Golden Flashes. The games were played at U.S. Steel Yard in Gary, Indiana.
The 2012 Beacons team tied a school record with 35 wins.Valpo's Season Ends with NCAA tournament Loss to #11 Kentucky
The Beacons are coached by Brian Schmack and play their home games at Emory G. Bauer Field.
Valparaiso in the NCAA Tournament 1958 1–2 District 4 1963 0–2 District 4 1966 1–2 District 4 1967 0–2 District 4 1968 0–2 District 4 2012 0–2 Gary Regional 2013 1–2 Bloomington Regional 3–14
Beacons in the Major Leagues = All-Star = Baseball Hall of Famer
Athlete Years in MLB MLB teamsHank Olmsted1905Boston AmericansGrover Baichley1914St. Louis BrownsFreddy Spurgeon1924-1927Cleveland IndiansWally Gilbert1932Brooklyn Robins, Cincinnati RedsAl Pilarcik1956-1961Kansas City Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White SoxDick Phillips1962-1964, 1966San Francisco Giants, Washington SenatorsLloyd McClendon1987-1994Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates Taken from Baseball Reference. Updated June 28, 2021.
See also List of NCAA Division I baseball programs
References