Webb Paces Crusaders on First Day at Twin Oaks
The Valparaiso University men’s golf team cranked up the Twin Oaks Intercollegiate in Springfield, Mo. by competing in the first two rounds on Monday. The Crusaders finished the day at 598 as a team, led by Peter Webb (Madison, Wis. / James Madison Memorial), who carded a 144 (+2) on the first day of competition.
How It Happened
- Webb finished the day in a three-way tie for sixth in a 69-player field. He boasted a 69 in Round 1 before finishing the second round at 75.
- Nick Seitz (Xenia, Ohio / Carroll) also finished the day tied for 15th, just four strokes above par. He stroked a 76 in Round 1 before improving to a 70 in the second round.
- Zach Cutler (O’Fallon, Mo. / Timberland) was third on the team, tied for 28th at +7. He turned in a 72 in the first round followed by a 77 in Round 2.
- Golfing as an individual, Michael Doherty (Lisle, Ill. / Naperville North) stroked a 77 in the first round and a 75 in the second. He is tied for 43rd at +10.
- Freshman Jeremy Wu (Medford, Ore. / St. Mary’s) and redshirt junior Adam Baracani (Normal, Ill. / University) had identical scores in both rounds, stroking an 80 followed by a 79. They’re tied for 59th.
Inside the Rounds
- The Crusaders turned in a 297 in Round 1 before carding a 301 in Round 2. They sit in eighth place of 11 teams at +30, three strokes in back of Horizon League foe Green Bay and two strokes ahead of Creighton.
- The Crusaders had 15 birdies in the first round to lead the 11-team field. Six of those birdies came from Webb, who close the front nine with three consecutive birdies.
Thoughts from Head Coach Dave Gring
"Our game plan for the first two rounds was to really concentrate on playing the Par 3s as close to par as possible and take advantage of the Par 5s. We also had an emphasis on playing holes 15-18 as close to par as possible. We had a slight improvement in our second round on the Par 3s, but we need to play those much better tomorrow. We improved our scoring on Holes 15-18 in the second round, but we still need to minimize mistakes during that important stretch."
"We improved in our Par 5 scoring today over our past handful of team rounds. We took advantage of some nice opportunities to make up strokes on the Par 5s and I liked our aggressive play. If we can combine more of that attitude on the Par 3s tomorrow, our scoring will be much improved."
Up Next The Crusaders will finish the Twin Oaks Intercollegiate at Twin Oaks C.C. in Springfield, Mo. on Tuesday with the final round of the event. A link to live stats can be found on ValpoAthletics.com.
Grossmann Named Horizon League Pitcher of the Week
Valparaiso University junior pitcher Kenzie Grossmann (Perry, Mo./Mark Twain [Morehead State]) has been named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week after a pair of strong performances helped lead the Crusaders to two wins to close out the Hawkeye Invitational.
After the Crusaders dropped their first two games of the tournament, Grossmann came out of the bullpen against South Dakota and was stellar, surrendering just one hit in 2.2 innings of shutout work while striking out four. The junior held the Coyotes at bay as Valpo eventually rallied in the bottom of the seventh for the walk-off win. Grossmann followed with a complete-game five-hitter, striking out seven and allowing just one runner past second base, as the Crusaders closed out the weekend with a 3-1 win over South Dakota State.
For the week, Grossmann earned a pair of victories – giving her a league-best seven on the season – and struck out 11 batters in 12.1 innings of work.
Softball Game at Loyola Moved Up to Tuesday
With a high temperature barely projected to hit the freezing mark on Wednesday, the Valparaiso University softball team has had its non-league encounter at Loyola moved up to Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.
The game is slated to be the Crusaders’ final non-league contest before starting up Horizon League play this weekend at Northern Kentucky. Links for live coverage will be available at ValpoAthletics.com.
