Memorable Basketball Season for Valpo Men

An exciting season for the Valparaiso University’s men’s basketball team ended with a loss to Iona in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament at the Athletic Recreation Center. It was Valpo’s 10th postseason appearance in 16 years.

The Crusaders finished the season 23-12, their winningest campaign since 2001-2002. Along the way, Valpo captured a pair of in-season tournament titles for the first time in program history while also setting program bests for Horizon League wins (12) and league finish. Valpo finished 12-6 in the Horizon League regular season and advanced to the league tournament semifinals, where the Crusaders lost to top-seeded Milwaukee.

Three seniors also completed their Crusader careers. The team and their coach, Homer Drew, will miss Cory Johnson, Michael Rogers, and Howard Little.

“They’ve made great contributions to our program over their time here,” said Drew, who was named National Association of Basketball Coaches 2011 Division I District 12 Co-Coach of the Year. “They never had a bad day of practice and worked hard to get better every day. They’ve made great contributions to our program over their time here. They never had a bad day of practice and worked hard to get better every day.”

Softball on a roll

The Valparaiso University softball team got off to a hot start in Horizon League play and set a team record for consecutive victories with 13 early in the 2011 campaign.

Under first-year coach Jordan Stevens, the Crusaders opened Horizon League play with a perfect 3-0 mark. Valpo went 5-1 at the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimee, Fla, including their final five of the trip, and returned to Indiana to win six straight.

Junior Alex Lagesse tossed a perfect game, retiring all 15 batters she faced, in an 8-0, five-inning victory over Detroit on March 26, part of a doubleheader sweep of the Titans.