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Softball Series Moved To Wright State
March 27, 2008
Contact: Brian McCann
Complete Release in PDF Format
Games 16-18 SETTING THE SCENE: Cleveland State will attempt to open the 2008 Horizon League schedule when the Vikings travel to Fairborn, Ohio for a three-game series against defending tournament champion Wright State (11-13, 1-0). The Vikings will play a doubleheader on Saturday, March 29 beginning at 1:00 p.m. and then play the series finale beginning at 12:00 noon on Sunday (March 30). The series were slated to be played in Cleveland this weekend but inclement March weather in the Greater Cleveland area left Viking Field in an unplayable condition. The weather also resulted in the cancellation of a planned doubleheader at Eastern Michigan on Tuesday (March 25). 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 (.383 avg., 14 RBI) and Amanda Houchin (.205) 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 (.239) takes over at third base with freshman Katelyn Ciminelli (.308) starting at first base. Junior Haley Keller (.278, 3 HR, 10 RBI), who started every game behind the plate last year, will share time at catcher this spring with freshman Amy Powell (.185) and also play some at first base. Jessica Burt (.262, 10 runs, 6 SB) moves from left to right with Danielle Young (.295, 8 RBI, 12 runs) taking over in center field. Whitney Willard (.353, 12 RBI, 13 runs), 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 (7-4, 1.57 ERA, 2 saves), who set CSU records for wins (26) and innings pitched (227.1) as a freshman, returns as the ace of the pitching staff. Freshmen Brittany Bate (1-0, 2.74 ERA) and Kala Allred (2-1, 3.18) are expected to both see time in the circle, alleviating the burden of pitching almost every game that Macenko endured last year. . . . NOT A BAD START TO ENCORE: Sophomore Amanda Macenko, the most-dominant pitcher in the Horizon League a year ago, has started her sophomore campaign out strongly, taking s 7-4 record and 1.57 ERA into the league opener. 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). . . . RANKING AMANDA: On the eve of opening the Horizon League schedule, sophomore Amanda Macenko has already made a place for herself among the league statistical leaders. She currently leads the league in wins (7), saves (2), strikeouts (85) and strikeouts looking (25) and is second in innings pitched (71.1), ERA (1.57), batting average allowed (.180) and appearances (14). HORIZON LEAGUE HONORS: The Vikings continue to bring home the Horizon League awards this season, earning three of the six weekly awards that they have been eligible for. Whitney Willard earned Horizon League Player of the Week and Amanda Macenko was tabbed as the pitcher of the week on Feb. 18 after CSU went 4-0 at the UNC Greensboro Tourney. Last week, shortstop Christa Coppus was named the player of the week after hitting .400 in eight games in Orlando. Last year, CSU players earned pitcher of the week honors five times and player of the week accolades twice during the year. 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). 115 & COUNTING FOR COPPUS: Junior shortsop Christa Coppus enters the week having started every game during her Viking career. . . 115 to date. She earned the starting nod in all 53 games as a freshman in 2006 and started 47 straight last season. This year, she is one of six Vikings to start all 15 contests. . . . AND COPPUS ON THE CHARTS: Christa Coppus begins the week ranked among the top 10 in school history in several categories. She is hitting a school record .364 (131-360) while also ranking fifth with 10 homeruns and 81 RBI and ninth with 73 runs scored. . . . AND COPPUS ANSWERS SLOW START: Coppus opened the season carrying over a 12-game hitting streak from the end of the 2007 season but couldn't buy a hit during the first weekend, going 0-10 in four games at UNC Greensboro. The hitting slump didn't even phase the junior as she banged out seven hits in nine at-bats during the first two games at Eastern Kentucky to start a stretch that has seen her go 18 for 37 (.486) with 14 RBI and seven runs scored. She had five multi-hit games, using four singles to drive in four runs against Appalachian State on March 1 and three doubles to register a season-high five RBI vs. Rider on March 14. Coppus begins the week seventh in the Horizon League in batting (.383), ranking fourth in RBI (14), fifth in on base percentage (.463) and ninth in slugging percentage (.532). WILLARD'S RETURN A SUCCESS: Senior Whitney Willard has shown no ill affects from the concussion that caused her to miss the final 17 games last year, earning Horizon League Player of the Week honors after leading the Vikings with a .500 batting average in the season-opening tournament at UNC Greensboro. Willard has continued her torrid pace, entering the week ranking third on the team with a .353 batting average. She leads the team and ranks fifth in the league with 13 runs scored and is second on the squad and eighth in the league with 12 RBI. She has at least one hit in 11 of the 15 games, posting six multi-hit games. QUALITY NOT QUANTITY FOR KELLER: Junior catcher Haley Keller enters the week making the most of her .278 batting average. She is 10 for 36 at the plate this year with six of her hits being for extra bases to lead the team and rank third in the league with a .667 slugging percentage. Keller leads the team and is fourth in the league with three homeruns, is second on the team (third in the league) with a pair of triples and has one double. Her 10 RBI is third on the team. A LINEUP SHAKEUP: After opening the annual spring trip to Orlando with just one win in the Vikings first four games, head coach Angie Nicholson shook up the starting lineup a bit, inserting junior Amanda Kern into the lineup at first base and taking the anticipated redshirt off freshman Katelyn Ciminelli to start her at the DP. The move paid off as CSU went on to win their final four games in Florida. Ciminelli had at least one hit in each of her first three games, hitting .308 in her four starts, while Kern, who had been used mostly as a pinch-runner, had five hits in her 11 at-bats to lead the team with a .455 average. A FLIP-FLOP IN THE OUTFIELD: The other lineup change made down in Florida was for Danielle Young and Jessica Burt to exchange outfield spots with Burt taking over in right field and Young moving to center. The duo has played well this season with Young ranking sixth on the team with a .295 batting average and second with 12 runs scored while Burt is hitting .262 with 10 runs scored, nine RBI and a team-high six stolen bases NEXT UP: The Vikings are slated to play seven games next week, including five at home. Weather permitting, CSU will open the stretch by hosting Oakland for a doubleheader on Tuesday (April 1) at 3:00 p.m. and then entertain Butler for a three-game series on Saturday-Sunday (April 5-6).
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