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Softball Opens Season At Spartan Classic
Feb. 13, 2008
Contact: Brian McCann
Complete Release in PDF Format
Games 1-4 Tournament Schedule Saturday, Feb. 16 Sunday, Feb. 17 CSU vs. Central Michigan, 10:00 a.m. SETTING THE SCENE: Cleveland State opens the 2008 season when the Vikings travel to Greensboro, N.C. to take part in the UNCG Spartan Classic. The three-day, six-team tourney begins on Friday (Feb. 15) with CSU taking on James Madison at 10:00 a.m. and Niagara at 12:00 noon. The Vikings then play Maryland-Baltimore County on Saturday (Feb. 16) at 10:00 a.m. and Central Michigan on Sunday (Feb. 17) at 10:00 a.m. All games will be played at the UNCG Softball Field. PREVIEWING THE VIKINGS: Under the direction of second year head coach Angie Nicholson, the Vikings enter the 2008 campaign with few questions that need to be answered. With seven starters returning from last year's squad that posted a 33-14 record and the addition of nine first year players, Nicholson has a deep and experienced roster that will allow her many options when filling out the starting lineup. Like all good teams, the Vikings are strong up the middle. The double-play combination of shortstop Christa Coppus (.405 avg.) and Amanda Houchin (.383) at second base return after each earned first team all-league honors a year ago. CSU will have first-year starters at the corners as junior transfer Natalie DeMatteis takes over at third base with either sophomore Lia Gordon (.327) or freshman Katelyn Ciminelli starting at first base. Junior Haley Keller (.300), who started every game behind the plate this year, will share time at catcher this spring with freshman Amy Powell and also play some at first base. Jessica Burt (.297) moves from left field to center with Danielle Young ( returning in right field. Whitney Willard (.371, 27-31 SB), who missed the last third of the season with a concussion, is the lone senior on the roster and returns to start in left field. Second team All-Horizon League honoree Amanda Macenko (26-10, 1.79 ERA), who set CSU records for wins and innings pitched (227.1) as a freshman, returns as the ace of the pitching staff. Freshmen Brittany Bate and Kala Allred are expected to both see time in the circle, alleviating the burden of pitching almost every game that Macenko endured last year. WHAT TO DO FOR AN ENCORE? Sophomore Amanda Macenko returns as the most-dominant pitcher in the Horizon League. As a freshman last year, Macenko set a school record by pitching 227.1 innings (out of a possible 322). She went 26-10 with a 1.79 ERA to break Amy Kyler's school record for wins in a season. She also ranked second all-time in appearances (41) and games started (35), was sixth in shutouts (5) and seventh in strikeouts (153). . . . BUT WILL MACENKO GO TO THE PLATE MORE: One improvement in the Viking batting order that Angie Nicholson envisions to happen at some time in the future is allowing Amanda Macenko to bat for herself in the lineup and use the DP slot for another position. In limited opportunities at the plate last year, Macenko hit .385, going five-for-13 with a double, one RBI and one run scored. YOUTH & EXPERIENCE: The 20-player Vikings roster features a mix of 11 returners and nine first-year players, giving Angie Nicholson a deep and experienced roster to work with. Despite the fact that eight of the 11 returners were starters last year, CSU has just one senior on the roster (Whitney Willard). . . . BUT DON'T MENTION THE JUNIOR CLASS TO NICHOLSON: Although Angie Nicholson is excited about the opportunities for success ahead, especially considering that CSU has just one senior, she is well aware that she has some work to do to get ready for the 2010 season. After all, five of the eight juniors on the roster are expected to start this season, leaving a huge hole to fill in 2010. (But we promised Coach Nicholson that we wouldn't mention this after this week. TINKERS TO EVANS TO CHANCE. . . THE CSU VERSION: The double play combination of shortstop Christa Coppus and Amanda Houchin at second base return this year after helping the Vikings finish 14th nationally in double plays with 21. TRYING TO TOP 33: With eight regulars returning from last year's team that 33-14, the Vikings will be attempt to surpass the 30-win mark in consecutive seasons for the third straight season and fifth time in school history. CSU won 37 games in 1995, 36 in 1997 and 38 in 2006. A TOUGH OUT: Viking opponents will find that their isn't an easy out in the CSU lineup this year as the majority of the lineup that allowed Cleveland State to finish seventh nationally with a .322 batting average returns. Led by shortstop Christa Coppus, who was 44th with a .405 average, the Vikings boast nine players returning who hit .297 or better, seven of whom will be in the regular starting lineup. 2B Amanda Houchin hit .383 and Whitney Willard hit .371. Also included in the list are Amanda Macenko (.385), Lia Gordon (.327), Haley Keller (.300), Amanda Kern (.300), Jessica Burt (.297) and Danielle Young (.297). WHEN IS A SINGLE LIKE A DOUBLE? Anytime that senior Whitney Willard gets on base. After all, the Nova, Ohio native was successful on 27 of her 31 stolen base attempts (in 29 games) last year to lead the Horizon League. She begins her final season ranked fifth in CSU history with 54 stolen bases. WILLARD PREFERS TO BE THE HEADACHE: After being a headache to Viking opponents for the first 29 games last year, a headache sidelined Whitney Willard for the final third of the season when she suffered a concussion when she slid head first into the knee of a Loyola player in a 7-1 loss to the Ramblers on April 22. The owner of four 11-game hitting streaks during her career, she was fourth on the team hitting .371 a year ago, having at least one hit in 23 of the 29 contests with 10 multi-hit efforts. More impressively, she struck out just six times in 97 at bats. COPPUS CARRIES HITTING STREAK INTO OPENER: Shortstop Christa Coppus will put a 12-game hitting streak on the line when the Vikings head to Greensboro this weekend. Coppus, who hit a team-best .405 last year, finished the season on a tear. She was 20-for-44 (.455) with 13 runs scored over the final dozen games, including multiple hits in each of the last six contests. . . . AND COPPUS ON THE CHARTS: Christa Coppus begins her junior campaign having started all 100 games during her career, hitting a school record .361 (113-313) and ranking fifth with nine homeruns, sixth with 67 RBI and 10th with 64 runs scored. KELLER EARNS IRONWOMAN AWARD: After playing in just five games as a freshman in 2006, Haley Keller knew that her playing time was going to increase during her sophomore year as she was going to replace all-league catcher J.J. Thornberry behind the plate. What she didn't know was that that she was going to get all of the playing time, starting all 47 games. She performed well, hitting .297 (39-130) with 18 runs scored, 14 RBI and six doubles. Defensively, she threw out 17 of the 53 runners attempting to steal. A BEAR OF A PERFORMANCE: One of the reasons for the success of the Vikings last year was the play of Amanda Houchin at second base. Houchin, who is nicknamed "Bear" by her teammates, started 43 games at third base as a freshman but excelled after moving to second base last season. Her batting average jumped from .100 (3-30) as a freshman to .383 last year (57-149). THE HOMERUN TROT: The good news, bad news statistical note of the 2007 season was that the Vikings went the entire season winning every game it hit a homerun in. On the bad side, CSU hit just 22 dingers during the campaign, going a perfect 17-0 in those contests. NEXT UP: The Vikings take a week off before resuming early season tournament play with contests against Eastern Kentucky, Dayton and Appalachian State at the Eastern Kentucky Tourney from March 1-2.
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