Valparaiso University Sports Update, June 14, 2017

VU-Ward-Earns-NCAA-Postgraduate-InternshipWard Earns NCAA Postgraduate Internship
Former Valparaiso University men’s golfer Matt Ward has been selected as one of 31 members of the 2017-18 NCAA postgraduate internship class.

The NCAA postgraduate internship program annually provides on-the-job learning experiences at the national office in Indianapolis to college graduates who are passionate in their pursuit of a career in college sports administration. Ward will spend the next 12 months at the NCAA national office working in Division II governance.

Ward was a four-year member of the Crusader men’s golf program, helping the team capture the Horizon League title and earn an NCAA Tournament berth in 2013. He also helped lead the way as Valpo was honored by the Golf Coaches Association of America as the Division I Academic National Champion for the 2015-16 academic year.

Ward was an active member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) during his time at Valpo, serving as a team representative his first two years before working his way up to vice president and president during his junior and senior year, respectively. As Valparaiso’s SAAC president, Ward represented the Crusaders on the Horizon League SAAC and Valparaiso’s Council of Intercollegiate Athletics.

In 2015, Ward was selected to represent the Horizon League on the Division I national SAAC. In 2016, he was appointed to the Division I Legislative Committee as the representative for Division I student-athletes while serving his postgraduate year on the national SAAC.

Following his graduation with a bachelor’s degree in sports management in May of 2016, Ward spent the 2016-17 academic year as an intern at The Summit League office, focusing on compliance and administration.

Valparaiso University to Join Summit League in Men’s Tennis, Men’s Swimming
Director of Athletics Mark LaBarbera has announced that Valparaiso University has accepted an invitation to join the Summit League as an affiliate member in men’s tennis and men’s swimming beginning with the 2017-2018 academic and athletic year.

Valparaiso was a founding member of the Summit League, then known as the Mid-Continent Conference, in 1982 and competed in the conference until 2007.

“We are very excited about returning to the Summit League as an affiliate member in men’s tennis and men’s swimming,” LaBarbera said. “The Summit League is a great home for both programs and we look forward to seeing our teams compete beginning this season.”

The men’s tennis program will join the University of Denver, Oral Roberts University, the University of Nebraska Omaha, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), South Dakota State University, Drake University and Illinois State University in the Summit League. Drake and Illinois State will also be first-year affiliate members during the 2017-2018 season.

The men’s swimming program will join the University of Denver, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), South Dakota State University, the University of South Dakota, Western Illinois University and Eastern Illinois University in the Summit League.

The Valpo men’s tennis team is the midst of its most successful stretch in program history. The Crusaders finished the 2017 season at 23-4 overall, shattering the program’s single-season wins record for the fourth consecutive year. The Crusaders went undefeated in Horizon League play each of the last two seasons, garnering back-to-back regular season and league tournament championships.

Valpo reached the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year in 2017, earning a No. 3 seed in the four-team pod played at Stanford. The Crusaders fell 4-0 to No. 17 Michigan in the first round of the tournament. Valpo’s No. 1 doubles team of Jeffrey Schorsch and Charlie Emhardt finished the season ranked 21st nationally after reaching the Elite Eight of the NCAA Doubles Tournament and becoming NCAA/ITA All-Americans.

Valparaiso head men’s tennis coach Jim Daugherty was named the Horizon League Coach of the Year each of the last two seasons and also earned the Mid-Continent Conference Coach of the Year Award in 1988, 1998 and 2002. The 2017-2018 season will be his 33rd in charge of Valparaiso men’s tennis.

“This is an exciting change for our team,” Daugherty said. “The Summit League has a number of high-level programs that will provide us with quality competition. We look forward to meeting up with some old rivals and creating some new ones.”

Since Howard Hunte took over as Valparaiso head men’s swimming coach in 2008, the program’s record book has been almost entirely rewritten. Of the 19 men’s swimming program records, 18 have been set under Hunte’s watch.

The Summit League Swimming Championships are held at the IU Natatorium, one of the marquee swimming and diving venues in the world. The Natatorium, located in Indianapolis, has hosted countless nationally recognized events, including the U.S. Olympic Trials. IUPUI has called the Natatorium home since the program’s inception in 1998.

“We’re very excited about joining the Summit League for the coming season,” Hunte said. “It will be an amazing opportunity for our student-athletes to compete at the Natatorium. Competition-wise, it’s going to be great for us. We’re familiar with teams like Eastern Illinois and Western Illinois from competing against them in dual meets. The move to the Summit League is very positive for our program.”

Valpo Baseball Announces Youth Camp
The Valparaiso University baseball program has announced dates for its annual Youth Camp, which will take place from July 17-19 at Emory G. Bauer Field.

The camp will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 3 p.m. each day. The camp is open to ages 6-13. The cost is $235 to attend all three days

Early drop off and late pick up (8 a.m. and 4 p.m.) is available to help accommodate work schedules for parents for an additional fee ($300 for camp and early drop off/ late pick up accommodation).

All campers will be given a Valpo Baseball Camp T-Shirt. Campers will be responsible for packing their own lunch to eat during the daily lunch break from noon to 12:30 p.m. Concessions will also be available at that time.

Players will be broken into age-appropriate groups for the morning portion of the camp in which they will participate in fundamental instruction on pitching, hitting, defense and baserunning. After lunch, player will participate in team-conception instruction (run downs, bunt defense, pop-fly communication) before applying said instruction in a game-type setting.

The camp will be run by the Valparaiso University baseball staff as well as local high school coaches, former Valpo baseball players and other baseball professionals.

Parents can sign up their child for the Valparaiso University Baseball Youth Camp online (http://www.valpobaseballcamps.com/youth-camp.cfm). Payment will be accepted through the website upon signing up.

Any questions or concerns can be directed to Valpo assistant coach Kory Winter via email at kory.winter@valpo.edu.

Tieman Named Freshman All-American
Valparaiso University freshman Jon Tieman (Crystal Lake, Ill. / Prairie Ridge) received a distinct honor on Wednesday as he was tabbed a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.

Tieman finished the season with a 4-1 record, 2.93 ERA and seven saves, logging 46 innings over four starts and 16 relief appearances. He racked up 51 strikeouts against just 15 bases on balls.

Tieman shared the team lead in wins with fellow freshman Easton Rhodehouse, led the Crusaders in strikeouts and paced the squad in saves despite moving to the starting rotation for the final month of the season. Even with his limited duty in the bullpen, Tieman is already tied for eighth in program history in career saves after just one year.

Tieman joined Wright State pitcher Ryan Weiss as the only two players from the Horizon League to receive this high honor. Two Missouri Valley Conference players – Bradley’s Brendan Doherty and Illinois State’s John Rave – were named Freshman All-Americans.

Tieman becomes the first Crusader to be named a Freshman All-American since shortstop Spencer Mahoney in 2012.