April 21, 2008

Contact: Greg Murphy

Complete Release in PDF Format

Spring Sports Begin Championship Play. . .
Tennis & Golf Ready for Horizon League Championships As Baseball & Softball League Play Heats Up

The spring championship season begins this week as the men's and women's tennis teams and women's golf team take center stage and attempt to bring championships to Cleveland. In addition, the baseball and softball teams continue their busy late season stretch, while the men's golf team competes in its final tournament leading up to next week's league championship.

Both tennis championships are scheduled to run from Friday through Sunday (April 25-27) in Indianapolis, Ind., while the women's golf championship will take place in Carmel, Ind. on Saturday and Sunday (April 26-27).

The big story is the men's tennis team which will enter the Horizon League Championship as the top-seed after finishing the regular season with a 5-1 record and earning the No. 1 seed via a tiebreaker. The women's tennis squad begins the league tournament as the No. 3 seed after posting a 5-3 mark in league play this spring.

After finishing fourth at the league championship last season, the women's golf team will attempt to improve upon that showing at the 54-hole event at the par-72, 5,756-yard Plum Creek Golf Course. The Vikings will play 36 holes on Saturday and conclude the championship with 18 holes on Sunday.

The softball team, which is in first place in the Horizon League, is slated to play seven games this week with four coming at home. The week begins with a doubleheaders on Tuesday (April 22) and Wednesday (April 23) against IPFW and Toledo and concludes with a three-game series at Loyola on Saturday and Sunday (April 26-27).

The baseball squad will play all six of its games at home this week at The Pipe Yard, starting with a twinbill against Canisius on Tuesday (April 22) and a single game on Wednesday versus Mount Vernon Nazarene. The week concludes with a three-game series against Youngstown State on Friday and Saturday (April 25-26).

The men's golf team has one final tune-up before next week's Horizon League Championship when the Vikings compete at the 36-hole Kent State First Energy Invitational on Saturday (April 26).

Softball Takes To The Road. . .
First-Place Vikings Play Four Non League Home Games and Three League Games on Road

The Viking softball team (23-11, 10-3 HL) continues its busy schedule with seven games this week, four of which will be played at home. The week opens with a 2:00 p.m. doubleheader against IPFW on Tuesday (April 22). CSU remains at home on Wednesday (April 23) when the Vikings host Toledo for a doubleheader at 3:00 p.m. at Viking Field. The week concludes when the Vikings travel to Chicago, Ill., for a three-game series at Loyola on Saturday and Sunday (April 26-27) beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. The series concludes on Sunday with a single game at 12:00 p.m.

Cleveland State begins the week with a 23-11 overall record and in first place in the Horizon League with a 10-3 (.769) mark. The Vikings hold a slim lead on top of the standings as Valparaiso is percentage points behind in second place at 6-2. Loyola and UIC are tied for third place with 9-4 records.

"We have another important week ahead of us and they will become more important the deeper we get into the season," head coach Angie Nicholson said. "We have put ourselves in great position to contend for the league title, but we have another tough trip back to Chicago this weekend agaisnt a good Loyola team. If we play every game like we are capable of doing, everything will work out in the end."

The Vikings went 5-2 last week, including a 4-1 mark in league games to overtake first place in the Horizon League. After sweeping a doubleheader at Youngstown State on Tuesday (April 15), CSU split a twinbill with St. Francis before winning the final two games at UIC over the weekend after losing the opening game of the series.

Amanda Macenko was the winner in all five games last week, posting a 2.20 ERA in 35 innings of work. She struck out 30 and walked just eight batters. Jessica Burt was CSU's hitting star last week, batting .476 (10-21) with five runs scored, three doubles, two homeruns and four RBI. Katelyn Ciminelli drove in eight runs last week and hit .364.

Baseball Plays All Six Games at Home This Week. . .
Vikings 7-6 In Horizon League Play

The Cleveland State baseball team (15-18, 7-6 HL) will be in action six times this week with all six games slated to be played at home at The Pipe Yard. The schedule will begin with a doubleheader on Tuesday (April 22) against Canisius, followed by a game against Mount Vernon Nazarene on Wednesday (April 23) at 5:00 p.m. The week ends with the Vikings hosting a three-game series against Youngstown State on Friday and Saturday (April 25-26).

"This past weekend was all about mental focus and preparation," head coach Kevin Kocks said. "We were finally able to get some clutch hits and got several outstanding performances on the mound. If we are able to maintain our focus and play our system of baseball, we have the ability to be a great team."

The Vikings went 3-4 last week, losing three straight games before rebounding to win three of four league games over the weekend. CSU fell to Kent State, at Niagara and against Tiffin, but came back to split a Saturday (April 19) doubleheader with Milwaukee and sweep a twinbill with Butler on Sunday (April 20).

CSU batted .314 as a team in the six games, led by Bobby Cash (.444), Alex Kerins (.397) and Brad Buell (.387). Kerins also drove in 10 runs, while Kyle Bischof contributed eight RBI. But it was John Brown who provided the biggest hit at the plate as he delivered a two-run, walk-off double to lead the Vikings over Butler, 10-9, in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader.

The Vikings also received three outstanding performances on the mound over the weekend, including complete games from Brian Long and Anthony Sambula and a near complete game by Josh Hungerman who went 8.2 innings.

Sambula, who was making just his third career start, held Butler to just one run, which came in the ninth inning, on seven hits, while striking out seven and walking zero to improve to 3-1. Long's complete game came in a losing effort to Milwaukee in Saturday's second game.

Men's Tennis to Compete at Horizon League Championship as Top Seed. . .

The Cleveland State men's tennis team (16-5) heads to Indianapolis, Ind. for the Horizon League Championship, which lasts from Friday, April 25 to Sunday, April 27. CSU earned the No. 1 seed for the tournament after posting a 5-1 mark in league play this season.

"The guys went out and played strong this weekend," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "We played big went we needed it and we're looking forward to the tournament this weekend."

The men swept Valpo 7-0 on Saturday, before defeating UIC 5-2 on Sunday. The victories improved the squad to 5-1 in Horizon League action.

Sophomore Phil Orno has a 23-9 record at No. 1 singles, while classmate Ryan Hamning has a 15-13 record at No. 2 singles. Senior Brad Groleski is 14-9 at No. 3 singles while freshman Chris Klepatz has gone 15-13 at No. 4 singles. Junior Rob West and freshman Robert Fox are 14-17 and 23-7, respectively, to wrap up the bottom of the Viking lineup. Orno has won 17 consecutive singles matches, while Fox has won 14 straight.

Women's Tennis Gearing Up for Horizon League Championship. . .

The Cleveland State women's tennis team (16-7) begins the Horizon League Champion on Friday, April 25 in Indianapolis, Ind.

"We played well this weekend and season, finishing in a tie for third in the conference," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "It is our best finish in the regular season and shows the improvement of the program in the six years I have been here."

The Vikings went 1-1 for the weekend, sweeping Valpo, 7-0 and falling to UIC, 4-3, putting CSU at 5-3 against Horizon League opponents.

Freshmen Melissa Holzinger (15-17) and Jackie Tabb (11-18) form the top of the Viking lineup. Senior Jenn Myers is 16-14 at No. 3 singles, while freshman Sanda Bjelan is 23-10 at No. 4 singles. Sophomores Charlotte Gibbons and Denisa Muntean hold down the bottom part of the lineup, with 18-5 and 22-10 records at No. 5 and 6 singles, respectively. Gibbons was undefeated (7-0) against Horizon League opponents.

Men's Golf to Play at Kent State Prior to Horizon League Championship. . .

The Cleveland State men's golf team will play in the 36-hole Kent State Invitational on Saturday, April 26 before competing at the Horizon League Championship on Monday and Tuesday (April 28-29). The 54-hole league championship will be played at the par 72, 6,926-yard Shaker Run Golf Club in Lebanon, Ohio. CSU will play 36 holes on Monday and conclude the tournament with 18 holes on Tuesday.

The Vikings finished third last season, while junior Jake Scott was the runner-up in the individual race.

"We couldn't ask for a better event to prepare us for the league championship," head coach Steve Weir said. "This is what we have been working toward all spring and we need to come out and play like we are capable of doing. If we can put together some good rounds, I feel that we should be able to put ourselves into contention."

CSU finished third out of nine teams at the Detroit Titan Invitational on Friday and Saturday (April 18-19), posting rounds of 303-299-295. Senior Doug Barber recorded his second straight top-five finish as he carded rounds of 72-73-75 to finish tied for fourth. Sophomore Patrick Elber tied his season-low with a 70 in the final round and finished tied for 15th place.

Barber, who won the Wright State Invitational two weeks ago, has lowered his scoring average by over one stroke in the last two weeks. He is currently third on the squad with a 75.3 average, trailing Jake Scott (73.0) and Kent Monas (74.3).

Women's Golf Preparing for Horizon League Championship. . .

Following a two-week layoff, the Cleveland State women's golf team will return to action on Saturday and Sunday (April 26-27) when the Vikings compete in the Horizon League Championship in Carmel, Ind. The 54-hole event is slated to take place at the par-72, 5,756-yard Plum Creek Golf Course, with teams playing 36 holes on Saturday and 18 on Sunday.

Last season, CSU finished fourth at the conference championship, as Katie Broere tied for fourth place in the individual race with a three-round total of 250.

"We haven't played like we are capable of our last two times out," head coach Steve Weir said. "But we have used the last two weeks to work on some things and hopefully we will have them straightened out and have a good showing at the league championship."

CSU has been out of action since finishing 12th at the Ball State Classic on April 13-14 at the par-71, 5,909-yard Delaware Country Club.. The Vikings opened the tournament with a 344, but came back to shave four strokes off and finish with a 340 in Monday's final round. Sophomore Katie Broere and junior Mallory Wyderka each shot 85-80 (165) to tie for 38th place.

Viking High Fives

Phil Orno: The sophomore men's tennis player posted a perfect 6-0 league mark this season to lead the Vikings to the top-seed in the Horizon League Championship.

Patrick Elber: The sophomore tied his season-low with a 70 in the final round of the Titan Invitational to tie for 15th.

Anthony Sambula: The freshman southpaw threw his first career complete game in Sunday's 8-1 win over Butler.

Jessica Burt: The sophomore hit .476 out of the ninth spot and earned Horizon League Player of the Week accolades.