Valparaiso University softball head coach Kate Stake announced today the Crusaders’ 2017 schedule as they embark on the defense of last season’s Horizon League Championship, including 15 home games at the Valpo Softball Complex.

The Crusaders open the 2017 campaign on the third weekend of February, making the trip to Greensboro, N.C. for the Aggie Invitational, where they will face UMBC, Howard and Appalachian State in addition to a pair of games against host North Carolina A&T. After a weekend without competition, spring break action begins with a tournament at Lipscomb Mar. 3-5, with two games versus Stony Brook and one against Eastern Illinois as well as the one against the Bison.

In between tournaments, Valpo will make a stop at perennial power Alabama on Mar. 8, facing a Crimson Tide squad which won 51 games and advanced to the WCWS a season ago – its third consecutive WCWS appearance. Play continues for the Crusaders in Oxford, Ala. at the Choccolocco Invitational Mar. 10-12, where they will face Belmont, SE Missouri State, Tennessee State, Eastern Illinois and Alabama State. The spring break swing concludes at Iowa’s Hawkeye Invitational Mar. 17-18, with two games versus South Dakota State and one against Creighton before finishing up with the host Hawkeyes.

Once back in the Midwest, Valpo continues non-league action at Loyola Mar. 22. Outside of league play, the Crusaders are slated to host IUPUI for a single game (Mar. 29) and Central Michigan for a doubleheader (Apr. 18), while also traveling for a twinbill at Northern Illinois (Apr. 26).

The Horizon League slate opens for Valpo at Northern Kentucky Mar. 24-25, as the league schedule features one three-game series against each of the other eight league squads. The Crusaders are scheduled to also go on the road to Green Bay, Cleveland State and Detroit Mercy, while welcoming Youngstown State, UIC and Oakland to Valparaiso. The regular season concludes May 5-6 as the Crusaders host Wright State at the Valpo Softball Complex.

The Horizon League Championship is scheduled for May 10-13, at the bracket’s highest seed which meets the league’s facility requirements. The winner of the league tournament earns the league’s automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Last season, Valpo reeled off four consecutive wins at the Horizon League Championship to earn its third tournament title in a five-year span.