Post-Tribune

Pope: Enjoy ND-Michigan rivalry while it lasts

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:04:19 -0500

Is it too early to start the countdown to Sept. 7? It’s only May, but with all the chatter this week, it sure felt like the latest football clash between Notre Dame and Michigan was just days away. Michigan coach Brady Hoke began the fun with comments made at a luncheon in Grand Rapids, Mich. “We have unbelievable rivalry games at Michigan,” Hoke said Monday, according to the Detroit Free Press. “The Notre Dame, that rivalry, which they’re chickening out of … they’re still going to play Michigan State, they’ll play Purdue, they don’t want to play Michigan.” The quote …

Colllege softball: Valparaiso manages two hits in shutout loss to Michigan

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:39:13 -0500

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It’s hard to win without strining together some hits. Valparaiso University ran into a buzzsaw in Michigan pitcher Sara Driesenga on Friday night in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Crusaders didn’t produce their first hit until junior Amanda Wisniewski singled with two outs in the top of the sixth inning, and totaled just two for the game as the seventh-ranked Wolverines improved to 17-0 at home with a 5-0 win over Valparaiso. “She kept the ball down nicely and mixed it good in and out,” third-year Valparaiso coach Jordan Stevens said. “She had …

College football: Irish land another 4-star recruit

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:03:00 -0500

Another offensive lineman has made an oral commitment to Notre Dame for the Class of 2014. Alex Bars, from Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tenn., tweeted Friday that he would be attending Notre Dame. “I have officially committed to The University of Notre Dame! #playlikeachampiontoday,” Bars tweeted. Bars is the fourth offensive lineman for Notre Dame’s Class of 2014. The 6-foot-6, 290-pound Bars is a four-star recruit, according to Rivals.com. He is ranked No. 6 at his position (offensive tackle) and No. 55 overall, according to Rivals.com. His father, Joe, played linebacker at Notre Dame. Bars is the 10th member …

College softball: Angie Doerffler is coming up big in postseason for Valparaiso

Fri, 17 May 2013 02:05:34 -0500

Junior shortstop Angie Doerffler is getting hot at the right time. And it should only help Valparaiso University in its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Doerffler, who is hitting .199 with 37 hits, 22 runs and 18 RBI in 59 games, finished 8-for-18 from the plate in the Horizon League tournament as the Crusaders came out of the loser’s bracket to win five straight contests and their second straight HL tournament title. VU (34-25) is hoping she can stay hot as it tries for its first NCAA tourney win in school history when it faces seventh-ranked Michigan (45-10) at 6 …

College baseball: Valpo tunes up for final HL series, rolls past Toldeo

Wed, 15 May 2013 02:04:28 -0500

VALPARAISO — Kyle Wormington gave himself a dose of self confidence Tuesday. And that’s good news for Valparaiso University, with the Horizon League tournament coming up next week. “It couldn’t have come at a better time,” VU coach Tracy Woodson said after the senior right-hander limited Toledo to five hits in 72/3 innings for a 6-1 victory. Coming after three straight losses at UIC, the rebounding Crusaders boosted their morale for a season-ending three-game series with Youngstown State. They’ve already clinched a spot in the league tournament, but a second-place finish would improve their bracket status. “If we win two …

On Campus: Valpo grad Crozier sparkles in Horizon League tourney

Tue, 14 May 2013 02:02:10 -0500

Valparaiso’s stirring and improbable run to its second consecutive Horizon League softball championship overshadowed the heroics of Youngstown State pitcher Casey Crozier. The 5-foot-10 junior from Valparaiso pitched consecutive shutouts against Loyola and Wright State before bowing out in the championship game. The Penguins wouldn’t even have qualified for the Horizon tournament without Crozier’s clutch performance on the final day of the regular season. She beat the Crusaders 3-2 in 11 innings, striking out 10 to earn the sixth and final seed. Eight of Crozier’s 16 victories came in league play. She was 3-2 in the tournament, including a 2-1 …

Mutka: Tom Church connects as SJC’s 18th hoops coach

Mon, 13 May 2013 02:02:17 -0500

RENSSELAER — College coaching takes more twists and turns than a mountain road. St. Joseph’s basketball coach Tom Church is a classic case of how networking can pay off in a dysfunctional job market. The 33-year-old newcomer spent the last three years at Florida Southern as the top assistant of Linc Darner, who left St. Joseph’s in 2006 after guiding the Pumas to a 31-3 record and the Elite Eight. “We’re all kind of intertwined,” said Church, who played guard for Darner at Ashland University in Ohio (1999-2003) and assisted deposed SJC coach Greg Davis from 2007-10. At the bucolic …

Softball: Valpo to face No. 8 Michigan in NCAA tournament

Mon, 13 May 2013 02:02:06 -0500

VALPARAISO — There’s nothing like going into the NCAA Division I women’s softball tournament on a hot streak. Maybe it will pay off for Valparaiso University this year, too. After earning the school’s first ever NCAA Division I tournament bid a year ago, the Crusaders won five straight must-win games in the Horizon League tournament — including a pair of victories over Youngstown State on Saturday 2-1 and 11-9 — earning the opportunity to play No. 8 seed Michigan (45-10) in the Ann Arbor Regional at 6 p.m. on Friday night. California (36-17) will face Central Michigan (33-18) in the …

College track: CP grad Kleinaman recovering from injury for St. Joe’s

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:54:45 -0500

Athletics is about life lessons. Crown Point graduate and current St. Joseph’s College track standout Morgan Kleinaman knows that first hand. Kleinaman, who reached the IHSAA state championship meet with her 3200 meter relay team, came to college with the intention to be the Pumas 800- and 1500-meter runner. But coach Bill Massoels thought her services would be better suited running the 5000. “She came to us from Crown Point as a distance runner and swimmer from high school,” he said. “We were fortunate to get Morgan because of her academic success. There were some Top Division III programs after …

VU softball claims second straight Horizon title

Sun, 12 May 2013 02:03:15 -0500

CHICAGO — Quite simply, the Valparaiso softball team would not be denied its second straight Horizon League championship, thanks to a pair of wins on Saturday over Youngstown State, 2-1 and 11-9, to claim the title. The Crusaders had a season-best 16 hits in the championship game victory. “Obviously it’s great for the players, great for the athletic department and great for our university to win this championship today,” Crusaders coach Jordan Stevens said. “I’m just really happy for our team — the way they persevered throughout the year. They just continued to work hard and started playing their best …

College baseball: Crown Point graduate Nick Nauracy to pitch at Ohio

Sat, 11 May 2013 02:04:57 -0500

Morehead State and Western Michigan were among the schools that expressed interest in Nick Nauracy. But the 2011 Crown Point graduate wanted to lend a hand — or more specifically his right pitching arm — to the building process at Ohio University. After spending the past two seasons at Vincennes University, Nauracy will continue his baseball career with the Bobcats, where Rob Smith is completing his first year as the coach. “They are looking for me to be a big arm coming in the next years,” Nauracy said Friday. Nauracy went 2-5 with a 4.77 ERA at Vincennes this season. …

New chapter of VU-Oakland rivalry on Horizon

Wed, 08 May 2013 02:12:08 -0500

Each of the last three seasons has produced a dramatic men’s basketball game between Valparaiso and Oakland. Beginning in 2013-14, the former Mid-Continent Conference rivals once again will meet at least twice a season, as the Grizzlies will join the Horizon League from the Summit League, it was officially announced on Tuesday. For the 2007-08 academic year, the Crusaders made the move to the Horizon from the then-Mid-Con (the league’s previous most recent addition); now, the Grizzlies will follow suit, effective July 1, from the renamed Summit (as of June 1, 2007). This past season at Oakland, the Grizzlies reeled …

College baseball: Pumas enter postseason with eye on D-II playoff berth

Thu, 09 May 2013 02:05:39 -0500

If this trend continues, St. Joseph’s relievers will be modern-day version of the Maytag repairman, sitting around all day with nothing to do. That’s because the Pumas’ starters have been pretty good at finishing this spring. St. Joseph’s heads into the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament — which opens Thursday in Evansville — with a 29-16 record that includes 18 complete games. Four of those came in one weekend series against Lewis, which presented an interesting problem: how to keep those relievers sharp? “You can only do so many simulated games,” Pumas coach Rick O’Dette said. The staff is led …

Men’s golf: Boone Grove grad Taylor Noel in NCAA championships

Tue, 07 May 2013 02:03:58 -0500

University of Tampa men’s golfer Taylor Noel wasn’t sure something like this could ever be in the cards. Noel, a 2009 Boone Grove graduate and former P-T Golfer of the Year, earned a walk-on scholarship his freshman season for his steady play on the golf course and one of his goals was to reach the NCAA’s one day. But an injury to his left wrist junior year left him wandering if his high ambitions could ever be met. “It’s been a long rough road to get to this point,” Noel said. “My freshmen and sophomore years didn’t go to plan …

Local college roundup: Purdue Cal baseball lands Crystal Lake South standout

Mon, 06 May 2013 02:04:15 -0500

Purdue Calumet baseball coach Dave Griffin keeps building his new team as he landed the 17th member of his 2013 recruiting class. Crystal Lake South (Ill.) standout Lucas Schmidt agreed to continue his career with the Peregrines, joining high school teammate, Tom Gaede, as well as Clark graduate Micah Rooke, Bishop Noll grad Ryan Eger and Cole Garcia of Anaheim Hills, Calif. “A middle infielder by trade, Luke swings a very good bat,” Griffin said. “Luke has a quiet confidence which should enhance his ability to stay out of slumps, and to contribute his freshman year.” A 5-foot-10 middle infielder, …

Men’s golf: Valparaiso set for first NCAA tourney appearance

Sat, 04 May 2013 02:04:49 -0500

VALPARAISO — In its fourth season back in existence, the Valparaiso University men’s golf program has climbed from the bottom of the Horizon League to the top. In 2010, the Crusaders’ first season since they were reinstated after a nearly two-decade absence, they finished last. In 2011, they placed seventh of eight teams. Last season, they again were seventh. And this season? They won the league title, emerging from the seven-team field last weekend to clinch their first NCAA tournament berth. “We’re proud of where the program has been able to go, and to achieve one of our goals,” second-year …