April 29, 2008

Contact: Brian McCann

Complete Release in PDF Format

Games 42-43
Kent State (34-10) at Cleveland State (28-13)
Dates: Wed., April 30, 4:00 p.m. (2)
Site: Viking Field (500), Cleveland, Ohio

Games 44-46
Valparaiso (29-15, 11-4) at Cleveland State (28-13, 13-3)
Dates: Sat., May 3, 1:00 p.m. (2); Sun., May 4, 12:00 noon (1)
Site: Viking Field (500), Cleveland, Ohio

SETTING THE SCENE: The Horizon League regular season title will be on the line this week when the Vikings close the regular season with five games, all of which will be played at Viking Field. CSU will host Kent State for a pair of games on Wednesday (April 30) beginning at 4:00 p.m. at Viking Field and then square off with second-place Valparaiso in a three-game series over the weekend. The two teams will play a twinbill on Saturday (May 3) at 1:00 p.m. before ending the series with a single game on Sunday at 12:00 noon. The Vikings (13-3) need to win just one of the three games against the Crusaders (11-4) in order to clinch the regular season title for the first time in program history and earn the top seed in next week's Horizon League Championship, which will be played at Loyola. A Tuesday twinbill at Niagara was cancelled because of wet grounds.

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 had a deep and experienced roster that has allowed her many options when filling out the starting lineup. Like all good teams, the Vikings are strong up the middle. The right side of the infield combination of shortstop Christa Coppus (.371 avg., 25 RBI) and Amanda Houchin (.248) at third base each earned first team all-league honors a year ago. CSU has first-year starters on the right side of the infield as junior transfer Natalie DeMatteis (.210) takes over at second base with freshman Katelyn Ciminelli (.286, 2 HR, 20 RBI) starting at first base. Junior Haley Keller (.250, 4 HR, 20 RBI), who started every game behind the plate last year, shares time with freshman Amy Powell (.280, 4 HR, 11 RBI). Jessica Burt (.288, 22 runs, 15 RBI, 11 SB) moves from left to right with Danielle Young (.318, 21 RBI, 25 runs) taking over in center field. Whitney Willard (.306, 23 RBI, 27 runs, 17 SB), who missed the last third of the 2007 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 (23-10, 1.49 ERA, 3 saves), who set CSU records for wins (26) and innings pitched (227.1) as a freshman, is the ace of the pitching staff. Freshmen Brittany Bate (3-2, 1.91 ERA) and Kala Allred (2-1, 3.45) are expected to both see time in the circle to help alleviate the burden of Macenko pitching every inning.

REVIEWING LAST WEEK: The Vikings split mid-week doubleheaders with IPFW and Toledo and swept a three-game series at Loyola to go 5-2 last week and improve to 28-13 on the year. Here is a summary of those games:

Game 35: CSU 11, IPFW 3 (6 Inn.)
Whitney Willard had three hits and drive in four runs and Amy Powell and Christa Coppus each had a pair of RBIs as CSU routed IPFW, 11-3 in six innings. Jessica Burt and Danielle Young each scored a pair of runs and Amanda Macenko picked up the win, striking out seven and walking just one.

IPFW 0 0 0 0 0 3 - 3-4-1
Cleveland State 3 0 1 2 0 5 - 11-11-3
WP: Macenko (19-9). LP: Staschuk (4-7).

Game 36: IPFW 4, CSU 1
Kristina Karpun drove in three runs, two coming on a bases loaded double in the third as IPFW rallied to claim the nightcap, 4-1. Amanda Olender went the distance for the Mastodons, scattering eight hits and walking just one. Whitney Willard, Lia Gordon and Jessica Burt each had two hits for the Vikings.

IPFW 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 - 4-5-0
Cleveland State 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 1-8-1
WP: Olender (7-8). LP: Bate (3-2)

Game 37: Toledo 5, CSU 2
The Rockets scored five runs in the first three innings and then held the Vikings to just five hits to claim the first game of the doubleheader, 5-2. Amanda Macenko allowed eight hits, seven coming in the first three innings, and struck out nine in a losing effort.

Toledo 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 - 5-8-1
Cleveland State 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 - 2-5-1
WP: Rockhold (7-9). LP: Macenko (19-10).

Game 38: CSU 8, Toledo 0 (5 Inn.)
Amy Powell hit a pair of two-run home runs as CSU routed the Rockets, 8-0 in five innings. Danielle Young homered as part of a five run third inning and Powell ended the game in the fifth with her second blast of the game. Amanda Macenko picked up her 20th win of the year, allowing three hits in five innings of work.

Toledo 0 0 0 0 0 - 0-3-5
Cleveland State 0 1 5 0 2 - 8-6-2
WP: Macenko (20-10). LP: Szypka (6-2).

Game 39: CSU 5, Loyola 3
Five Loyola errors led to three unearned runs as CSU claimed the first game of the three-game series, 5-3. Whitney Willard and Danielle Young drove in runs for the Vikings and Amanda Macenko allowed nine hits and struck out 11 to pick up her 21st win of the year.

Cleveland State 2 1 0 1 1 0 0 - 5-7-1
Loyola 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 - 3-9-5
WP: Macenko (21-10). LP: Solava (11-11).

Game 40: CSU 4, Loyola 2
Whitney Willard and Amy Powell each drove in runs as part of a three-run second inning as the Vikings claimed a 4-2 win to sweep the doubleheader from Loyola. Amanda Macenko allowed just five hits, striking out seven in picking up her 22nd win of the year.

Cleveland State 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 - 4-6-2
Loyola 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 - 2-5-4
WP: Macenko (22-10). LP: Crosson (4-10).

Game 41: CSU 1, Loyola 0
Katelyn Ciminelli doubled to drive in Christa Coppus in the fourth inning and Amanda Macenko hurled a nine-hitter as CSU won 1-0 to sweep the weekend series. Loyola had a baserunner in each of the seven innings.

Cleveland State 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 - 1-3-1
Loyola 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0-7-1
WP: Macenko (23-10). LP: Solava (11-12).

CALLING IN SICK: Second year Cleveland State head coach Angie Nicholson will miss the the Wednesday doubleheader against Kent State after giving birth to her fourth child. Darrian Lee Nicholson, who was born at 12:10 p.m. on Tuesday (April 29), checking in at seven pounds and two ounces and 19 inches long. Angie and her husband Richard, who wrestled as an undergraduate at Cleveland State, previously had three daughters Taylor (6), Mackenzie (4) and Payton (2). She is expected to be back in the dugout for the regular season ending three-game series with Valparaiso this weekend.

MACENKO EARNS LEAGUE HONOR. . . AGAIN: After going 5-1 last week and claiming wins in all three of CSU's league games, sophomore Amanda Macenko has been named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week. It is the third time this year and seventh in her career that she has received the award. For the week, she was 5-1 with a 1.44 ERA. She threw 43.2 innings, allowing nine earned runs on 36 hits, striking out 49 and walking seven.

BETTER GET THEM EARLY: CSU opponents hold a 29-22 edge in scoring in the first inning of games this year, the only inning that the Vikings have been outscored. CSU has dominated in the rest of the innings, holding at least a +8 run edge in innings two through seven. The good news ended there however as CSU has been outscored, 7-4 in extra innings.

. . . BECAUSE THE VIKINGS ARE STRONG FINISHERS: One statistic that just jumps off the sheet this season is that CSU is 18-0 this year when leading after five innings and a perfect 19-0 when leading after six innings. The Vikings have outscored their opponents, 28-14, in the sixth inning this season and an amazing 23-5 in the seventh inning. The seventh inning total has allowed CSU to rally from behind three times in the seventh inning this season and once when the score was tied going into the seventh.

. . . AND ARE PERFECT ON FRIDAY: The good news, bad news statistic of the year is that Cleveland State has not lost a game played on Friday this year, owning a perfect 6-0 mark on that day. The bad news is that the Vikings will not play another Friday game until May 9th, the second day of the Horizon League Championship. To date, CSU has outscored its opponents 40-12 on Friday, owning wins over James Madison (8-0), Niagara (2-1), Wagner (9-0), Rider (13-5) and two wins over Wright State (4-3 & 4-3).

NICHOLSON WINS HER 100TH GAME: It took her a little less than four seasons, but when the Vikings routed IPFW on April 22, Angie Nicholson recorded her 100th win as a head coach. Nicholson, who is 61-27 in two seasons at CSU, owns a 104-74-1 mark that includes a 17-30-1 record in her one season at Butler and a 26-17 record at Ursuline in 2005.

VIKINGS EYE 30TH WIN: CSU enters the week with a 28-13 record and within reach of winning their 30th game in a season for the fifth time in school history and third year in a row. The Vikings were 33-14 last year and set a record with 38 wins in 2006 (38-15).

ROAD WARRIORS: One of the main reasons why Cleveland State is sitting atop the Horizon League standings this year with a 13-3 record is because of their ability to win on the road. The Vikings own a Horizon League best 9-2 record in road league contests this year, including a three-game sweep at preseason favorite Loyola, 2-1 series wins at UIC and Wright State and a two-game sweep at Youngstown State. The trend actually started last year when CSU went 6-0 on the road in league action.

MACENKO CLOSES IN ON 50: With a 23-10 record this season, Amanda Macenko is one win away from becoming just the third pitcher in school history to win 50 games in a career. Combined with a 26-10 record last year, Macenko is 49-20 in her career.

. . . AND WINS BACK-TO-BACK 20: The five wins posted by Macenko last week allowed the sophomore to become the first Viking to win 20 games or more in consecutive seasons. She also joined Amy Kyler (1995 & 1997) as the only pitchers to win 20 games or more in multiple seasons.

141 & COUNTING FOR COPPUS: Junior shortsop Christa Coppus enters the week having started every game during her Viking career. . . 141 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 five Vikings to start all 41 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 (159-437) with a school-best 38 doubles while also ranking fourth with 12 homeruns and 92 RBI, fifth with 88 runs scored and sixth with 159 hits.

A BALANCED ATTACK: Angie Nicholson knew going into the 2008 season that from top to bottom, the Vikings featured one of the most experienced and talented lineups in school history. As the season winds down, the statistics back this up as the roster features five players with 20 or more RBIs with Christa Coppus leading the way with 25. Four players have scored 20 or more runs with Whitney Willard leading the team with 27 five Vikings have 29 or more hits (Coppus has a team-high 46).

HIBERNATION APPEARS OVER FOR BEAR: After struggling to hit .196 in the first 18 games, junior Amanda Houchin, who is nicknamed Bear, appears to have come alive at the plate, going 19-for-66 (.288) with six doubles, and 13 runs scored in 20 games over the last month to raise her season batting average to .248. Last year, she was second on the team with a .383 batting average and 29 RBI to earn first team All-Horizon League honors.

NEXT UP: The Vikings take a short break for finals before heading to Chicago for the Horion League Championships.