The Buena Vista University Athletics Hall of Fame welcomes its Class of 2025 during an induction ceremony this Friday, Sept. 26. Before the induction ceremony, we shine the spotlight on each of the four individual inductees and the team inductee. TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT: Luke Probasco, Class of 2011.

Luke Probasco was a stand-out starting pitcher for the Beaver baseball team under current head coach Steve Eddie from 2008-11. He was a First Team All-Conference performer as both a junior and senior and also landed All-Region accolades by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) in both years, including First Team honors as a senior.

As a junior in 2010, the righthander helped lead the Beavers to the regular season and tournament titles in 2010 which marked the first time in program history that BVU had captured both. He went 8-1 during the regular season and picked up a no-decision during his start against Simpson College in the IIAC Tournament. In that game, he pitched seven innings, allowing two runs (one earned) and struck out for as BVU went on to win 3-2. He got the ball to begin the Regional Tournament and pitched a season-high nine innings against Illinois Wesleyan, allowing two runs and six hits, but suffered a hard-luck 2-1 defeat.

A year later, BVU leaned on the right arm of the Ankeny, Iowa, native, as it helped carry the team to the Central Regional Championship and into the College World Series. BVU finished second in the regular season standings that year at 16-8 and would go on and post a 1-2 record during the tournament.

As the Beavers learned of their fate of being selected to the postseason, the team went on and made the most of the opportunity. Probasco got the start in the regional opener against No. 20 Carthage College and pitched a complete-game, allowing only one run and scattering eight hits, as the Beavers scored runs in each of the final four innings to break a 1-1 game and go on and win 8-1.

Probasco took the ball again three days later in the winner-take-all championship game when he came on in relief in the first inning with one out and BVU already trailing 3-0. The first batter had a 2-run single to third base which made it 5-0 but from there, Probasco settled in. He went on to pitch 6.2 innings of relief and was charged with only one run and three hits while striking out three. The Beavers chipped away at their deficit and would plate the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth inning to win 7-6 and secure the CWS berth.

After a few days to recover from the thrill of the regional championship, Probasco took the hill to begin the CWS for BVU at Appleton, Wis., against No. 12 UW-Whitewater. As he did all season, the senior pitched another gem by tossing 7.2 innings and allowing only two runs and 10 hits and departed with his team in front, 4-2. UW-Whitewater scored a pair of runs in the top of the ninth inning to spoil his final collegiate appearance, but the Beavers pushed across the game-winning walk-off run in the bottom of the inning for a 5-4 victory. 

Probasco finished his career ranked second all-time on the program’s career wins list with 23 and in innings pitched with 229.2.

Probasco currently resides in Muscatine, Iowa, where he is employed by Bayer. He and his wife, Cassidy, have two children: Grant and Mila.