Valparaiso Beacons baseball
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 [NCAA Division I baseball tournament|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. The Beacons game against the Purdue [Boilermakers baseball|Purdue Boilermakers] began at approximately 10:40 pm only 20 minutes before a curfew. In their second game of the NCAA tournament, the Crusaders played the 2012 [Kentucky Wildcats baseball team|Kentucky Wildcats], who lost the marathon game to the Kent State Golden [Flashes baseball|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.
The Beacons are coached by Brian Schmack and play their home games at Emory G. Bauer Field.
Valparaiso in the NCAA Tournament
Beacons in the Major Leagues
| Athlete | Years in MLB | MLB teams |
| Hank Olmsted | 1905 | Boston Americans |
| Grover Baichley | 1914 | St. Louis Browns |
| Freddy Spurgeon | 1924-1927 | Cleveland Indians |
| Wally Gilbert | 1932 | Brooklyn Robins, Cincinnati Reds |
| Al Pilarcik | 1956-1961 | Kansas City Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox |
| Dick Phillips | 1962-1964, 1966 | San Francisco Giants, Washington Senators |
| Lloyd McClendon | 1987-1994 | Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates |
Taken from Baseball Reference. Updated June 28, 2021.