Valparaiso (0-0, 0-0 Missouri Valley)
at Gardner-Webb (0-0, 0-0 Big South)
 
SERIES SCHEDULE
Friday, February 13, 1 p.m. (Game 1) – RHP Chance Mako
Friday, February 13, approx. 4:30 p.m. (Game 2) – RHP Oliver Ellison
Saturday, February 14, 1 p.m. (Game 3) – LHP Reid Bertram
Saturday, February 14, approx. 4:30 p.m. (Game 4) – RHP Matt Stuart
Bill Masters Field at John Henry Moss Stadium | Boiling Springs, N.C.
 
Baseball is Here in the Springs: Opening week is here for the Gardner-Webb baseball team as it opens the 2026 campaign with a 4-game weekend series versus Valparaiso of the Missouri Velley Conference. The Beacons are the first of two MVC teams on the schedule for GWU as the Runnin' Bulldogs host Bradley later in the season. Friday's first game marks the start of head coach Jim Chester's 7^th season at the helm of the Diamond Dawgs.
 
Last Season in Review: The 2025 season did not go as planned for the Runnin' Bulldogs with Gardner-Webb finishing 17-36 overall and 6-18 in Big South action. Over the course of the season, the Runnin' Bulldogs picked up thrilling come-from-behind wins, including an 18-15 victory against St. Bonaventure. In that game, Gardner-Webb trailed 13-1 heading into the fifth inning before scoring 13 unanswered runs for a 14-13 lead.
 
How to Follow Gardner-Webb Baseball: Friday's doubleheader will be streamed on ESPN+ while the remaining two games of the series will not be live. For links to video and stats, visit gwusports.com. For in-game updates, follow @GWUBaseball on X.
 
Series Notes: Valpo and Gardner-Webb have gotten together on eight previous occasions, with GWU owning five wins in the series. The Beacons took the most recent matchup 5-2 on March 12, 2024. Gardner-Webb played a three-game series against the Beacons in 2015, a single game in 2012 and a three-game series in 2010. Most of the matchups in the series have been tight, with three games decided by two runs or fewer and six marking the largest margin of victory between the two teams.
 
New Faces in Town: Chester announced the addition of 30 student-athletes to the Runnin' Bulldogs squad ahead of the 2026 season. Via 64 analytics, the Gardner-Webb recruiting class ranks 52^nd nationally as well as 16^th among non-Power 4 schools and 1^st within the Big South Conference
 
Key Additions:

• Zack Thompson – Catcher - Thompson was the 2022 Georgia Dugout Club 4A Player of the Year and led his team to the Region 2 4A Championship as captain. He earned All-Region honors in both junior and senior years. In college, Thompson was a MINK League All-Star, two-time GCAA All-Conference selectee, and Academic All-District honoree. He also earned NECBL Week 1 Player of the Week in 2025. Thompson consistently hit above .330 and was known for his strong defense, catching numerous runners stealing.
• Oliver Ellsion – Right-Handed Pitcher - Ellison was a four-year varsity player and earned First Team honors in the Valley League in 2024, posting a 1.2 ERA over 22 innings pitched. He spent two years at Coastal Carolina, where he recorded a 4-2 record over 46 innings pitched, striking out 28 batters and walking 15. 
• Colby Putnam – Right-Handed Pitcher/Utility - Putnam helped lead his team to a 2023 state championship. In 2024, he was named 2A Player of the Year, posting a remarkable .495 batting average and a 0.63 ERA with 136 strikeouts on the mound. His strong performance continued into 2025, earning him the title of 2A Pitcher of the Year, solidifying his reputation as one of the top two-way players in the state. 
• Chance Mako – Right-Handed Pitcher - Mako is a standout baseball prospect from Salisbury, N.C., ranked among the top 200 players in the 2023 MLB Draft by multiple scouting services, including No. 155 overall by Kiley McDaniel and No. 162 by MLB.com. He competed in the 2023 MLB Draft Combine and boasts impressive high school stats, including a 4-0 record with a 1.45 ERA as a sophomore and an 8-1 record with a 1.62 ERA and 83 strikeouts as a junior at East Rowan High School.  
• Matt Stuart – Right-Handed Pitcher - Stuart was a top player in New England, earning multiple Player of the Year awards and setting school records with a 21-4 pitching record and .371 batting average. He led his team to its first MIAA state championship with a dominant 0.61 ERA in the tournament including throwing a complete game 9-innings leading his team to its first-ever MIAA state championship on short rest.  
• Allan Camarillo – Infield - Camarillo earned 1st Team Mesa League All-Conference honors and was selected as a San Diego Padres All-Star at Otay Ranch High School, where he hit .411. He continued his success in the Northwoods League, batting .314 against top collegiate competition. 
• Kelvin Agosto – Outfield - Agosto developed his skills under Denise Perez at the Carlos Beltrán Baseball Academy, earning Most Valuable Player honors and being voted the best outfielder while hitting .412 with six doubles. He then played two seasons at Trinidad State College under Jason Veyna, appearing in 104 games with a .431 batting average, 30 doubles, 11 triples, 14 home runs, and 36 stolen bases. In 2023, Agosto set a school record with nine triples and hit .431 while stealing 10 bases. As a sophomore, he hit .384 and stole 24 bases. 

• Ryan Kennell – Infield – Kennell is back for the 2026 season after being named to the Big South All-Conference Team last year. Kennell turned in a solid year for the Runnin' Bulldogs, starting all 52 games while batting .311 at the plate. The junior from Westland, Michigan totaled 66 hits, including nine doubles, a triple, and three homeruns. He also tallied 44 RBIs and 86 total bases. Kennell turned in 20 multi-hit games, including a 5-for-5 effort on March 15 against conference foe UNC Asheville. He notched a season-high four runs batted in on March 11 versus Western Carolina. Defensively, Kennell finished with a .971 field percentage after making only six errors in 204 chances.
• Merik Carter – Outfield - Carter finished the 2025 campaign with a .309 batting average, collecting 51 hits, including 13 doubles, two homeruns, and a triple. Carter finished sixth on the team with 25 RBIs.
• Matt Ilgenfritz – Infield – Ilgenfritz started in 41-of-46 games for the Runnin' Bulldogs last season, finishing the year with a .255 batting average and team third-best eight homeruns to go along with 26 RBIs.
• Reid Bertram – Left-Handed Pitcher – Bertram made 17 appearances while starting 13 games for the Runnin' Bulldogs. His best performance of the season came on February 21, 2025, against Mercyhurst, tossing 7.0 innings of shutout baseball.
• Jerek Hobb – Left-Handed Pitcher – Hobb made 27 appearances out of the pen for the Dawgs, tallying a team-high four wins in 32.1 innings pitched and 42 strikeouts. Hobb held batters to a .174 batting average, allowing 19 hits in 109 total at-bats.

• Head coach Brian Schmack is in his 13^th season
• Owns an overall record of 212-371
• Finished 10-40overall, including a 5-22 mark in MVC play
• Picked up wins over Big Ten conference opponents Ohio State and Illinois
• Players to watch in the MVC – RHP Spencer Boynton, RHP Adam Guazzo, RHP Connor Lockwood, and C Eli Riley
• Top six pitchers from last season in terms of ERA are back for 2026