Monday, May 10, 2004

Valparaiso University's softball team will face Southern Utah on Friday morning beginning at 10 a.m. in the first round of the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament held in Macomb, Ill.

The Crusaders (19-32, 13-11 Mid-Con), the tournament's fourth seed, set a school record for conference victories this season and are appearing in the tournament for the first time since 2000.

Southern Utah (38-16, 19-5), the top seed and regular season champion, swept a four-game series against Valpo in Cedar City earlier this season.

The other first round game will be between second-seeded Centenary (33-26, 16-8) and the third seed and tournament host, Western Illinois (25-27, 14-10). That game will begin at 12:15 p.m.

In the double-elimination event, the two winners will meet at 5 p.m. on Friday, with the losers meeting in an elimination game at 2:15 p.m. Play will conclude on Saturday, with the tournament champion earning the Mid-Con's bid to the NCAA Tournament.