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April 28, 2008
Contact: Brian McCann
Complete Release in PDF Format
Spring Championship Play Continues. . . The spring sports season begins to wind down this week as the fourth spring championship (Men's Golf) will be held and a fifth sport (Softball) ends regular season play. One sport still competing at CSU is men's tennis, which won the Horizon League Championship for the first time in school history last weekend. The Vikings will compete in the NCAA Championships on May 9 with the bracket being announced on Tuesday, April 29. The men's golf team is in Lebanon, OH on Monday-Tuesday (April 28-29) to take part in the Horizon League Championship. The 54-hole tourney will feature two rounds on Monday and the final round on Tuesday. The softball team has a busy week ahead, playing five of seven games at Viking Field. The Vikings end Horizon League play by hosting Valparaiso for a three-game series over the weekend, needing to win just one game to clinch the school's first-ever regular season title. CSU will play mid-week doubleheaders at Niagara on Tuesday (April 29) and at home against Kent State at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday (April 30) before entertaining the Crusaders for a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday (May 3) and a 12:00 noon contest on Sunday (May 4). The baseball team will play five games this week, including mid-week single games at Akron on Tuesday (April 29) and Pittsburgh on Wednesday (April 30). The Vikings then return home to host UIC for a three-game series over the weekend, starting with a 6:00 p.m. game on Friday (May 2) and a 12:00 noon doubleheader on Saturday (May 3). Softball Hosts Valpo With Regular Season Title On The Line. . . The Viking softball team (28-13, 13-3) will attempt to give CSU its fourth Horizon League title of the year this week when they host Valparaiso for a three-game series at Viking Field as part of a seven-game week. CSU opens the week with a twinbill at Niagara on Tuesday (April 29) and then hosts Kent State for a 4:00 p.m. doubleheader on Wednesday (April 30). The Horizon League schedule concludes when the Vikings host Valpo for a pair of games on Saturday (May 3) and a single game on Sunday (May 4). Action begins at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday and 12:00 noon on Sunday at Viking Field. Cleveland State needs to win just one of the three games against the Crusaders (11-4) to win the regular season league title and claim the top seed in next week's Horizon League Championship. "This is obviously a big week for us because we have worked hard all year to put ourselves into a position to achieve one of our team goals and now we just need to go out and finish the job," CSU head coach Angie Nicholson said. "We are really starting to put things together and I am happy with the development of the team over the last couple of weeks. We really did well playing in a championship-type atmosphere last week at Loyola so that will hopefully carry over to this week." Forgive Nicholson if her mind is elsewhere early in the week as she will miss the two mid-week doubleheaders in order to take time to give birth to her fourth child. She is expected to return to the dugout for the weekend series. After splitting a pair of mid-week twinbills last week, the Vikings swept a three-game series at Loyola to take control of the Horizon League race. Amanda Macenko went 5-1 during the week to earn Horizon League Pitcher of the Week honors for the third time this season and seventh in her career. Freshman Amy Powell provided the punch in the lineup last week, hitting three homeruns in the seven games to lead CSU with seven RBI and a .412 batting average. Baseball Plays Two On The Road Before Hosting UIC This Weekend. . . The Cleveland State baseball team (19-20, 9-7 HL) continues begins its stretch run with five games this week, beginning with road games at Akron on Tuesday (April 29) and Pittsburgh on Wednesday (April 30). The Vikings will then return home to host a three-game series with UIC, who is tied for first place in the Horizon League with Wright State at 11-5. The Vikings enter the week tied for third place in the league with Youngstown State, two games back of the league leaders. "This is another big week for us, especially with three league games against UIC this weekend," head coach Kevin Kocks said. "Our bats are starting to come around, but our defense cost us some games last week. We are right in the thick of the league race and need to continue to fight and maintain our mental toughness to put ourselves in position for a good seed." The Vikings went 4-2 last week, sweeping a doubleheader from Canisius on Tuesday (April 22) before falling to Mount Vernon Nazarene on Wednesday (April 23). CSU then took two of three games from Youngstown State over the weekend. Brad Buell paced the Viking offense, collecting 10 hits in 20 at-bats, including the game-winning double in Tuesday's first game against Canisius. CSU hit .315 as a team with 13 doubles and eight homeruns in its six games last week. Senior Alex Kerins has been CSU's top offensive player this season, ranking first in the league with 11 homeruns and 47 runs batted in, while ranking just outside of the top-10 with a .333 batting average. Men's Tennis Claims First-Ever Horizon League Title. . . The men's tennis team captured its first-ever Horizon League Championship and automatic bid to the NCAA Championship by defeating Green Bay, 4-0, in the semifinals and UIC in the championship, 4-1, over the weekend (April 25-27) at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, Ind. By virtue of winning the league championship, the Vikings earned the Horizon League's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. The official announcement is scheduled for Tuesday (April 29), with opening round action of the NCAA Championship slated for May 9 at campus sites. "This is a monumental step for our program and I could not be more proud of the team," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "We entered the championship with a little extra pressure as the No. 1 seed, but every player stepped up and came through when needed. This is unchartered territory for us and we are just going to enjoy what we accomplished and prepare for the postseason." Sophomore Phil Orno, who will carry a 19-match win streak in singles play to nationals, was named the Horizon League Player of the Year and earned a spot on the first team All-Horizon League after posting a 19-2 record at No. 1 singles this season. Classmate Ryan Hamning also garnered a spot on the all-league first team after going 18-13 at No. 2 singles, while freshman Robert Fox was named to the All-Horizon League second team after tallying a 25-7 mark, including 7-0 in league play, at No. 5 singles. Fourth Place Showing For Women's Tennis At Horizon League Championship. . . The Cleveland State women's tennis team concluded its season by winning two of four matches in Indianapolis, Ind. to claim fourth place at the Horizon League Championships over the weekend (April 25-27) at Lawrence North High School. CSU finished its season with an 18-9 overall record. "I am extremely proud of what this team accomplished this season," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "We really wanted to beat Detroit in the third place match, but couldn't pull it out. We finished strong at the league tournament and I feel that we are getting much closer to the top of our conference." The Vikings opened the Horizon League Championship by defeating Valparaiso and Green Bay, 4-0, to advance to the semifinals where CSU dropped a 4-2 decision to top-seeded UIC on Saturday (April 25). The Vikings then lost a close 4-3 match to Detroit in the third place match on Sunday (April 26). CSU will return the nucleus of its team, including freshmen Melissa Holzinger and Jackie Tabb who both earned second team All-Horizon League accolades. The duo combined to go 11-3 at No. 1 doubles, while Holzinger was 12-10, playing predominantly at No. 1 singles. Senior Morgan Ungerott, the winningest doubles player in CSU history (85) concluded her career by receiving the Herb Foster Sportsmanship Award, which recognizes student-athletes who display admirable conduct both on and off the court. It is the third straight year that a student-athlete from CSU received the award. Men's Golf Heads To Horizon League Championship. . . Cleveland State will compete at the Horizon League Championship on Monday (April 28) and Tuesday (April 29) at the par 72, 6,926-yard Shaker Run Golf Club in Lebanon, Ohio. CSU, which finished third at the league championship last season, will play 36 holes on Monday and conclude the tournament with 18 holes on Tuesday. "This is what we have been working toward all season," head coach Steve Weir said. "We are going to tweak the lineup a bit and hope to get off to a quick start to build some momentum. We need to make smart decisions and manage the course in order to be successful." The Vikings had one final tune-up for the league championship when CSU competed in the 36-hole Kent State Invitational at Windmill Lakes on Saturday, April 26. CSU finished fourth of 12 teams as the event counted the top five scores out of six golfers. Junior Jake Scott won the tournament by six strokes, posting rounds of 69-65 (134) to win his second career tournament and first this season. His 65 in the second round was the second lowest in school-history. Women's Golf Finishes Fourth At The Horizon League Championship. . . The season came to a close for the Cleveland State women's golf team at the Horizon League Championship over the weekend. Held at the par-72, 6,113-yard Plum Creek Golf Course, the Vikings finished fourth out of six teams. CSU opened the tournament with rounds of 347 and 334 on Saturday (April 26), but responded with a school-record tying 318 in Sunday's (April 27) final round. "This was a great way for us to end the season, especially with our final round," head coach Steve Weir said. "It will give the team something to build on as we continue to grow toward next season. With our top four finishers returning next season, we should have a great chance to improve upon our finish." Junior Mallory Wyderka placed third at the league championship, carding rounds of 79-81-77 (237). Despite her third place finish and success throughout the season, Wyderka was denied a spot on the all-league team by league coaches. Viking High Fives Jake Scott: The men's golf junior shot a 65 in the final round of the Kent State Invitational, the second lowest round in school history, to win the event by six shots. Phil Orno: The men's tennis sophomore was named the Horizon League Player of the Year and will carry a 19-match win streak into the NCAA Championships. Alex Kerins: The baseball senior is three RBI shy of becoming just the fourth player in school-history to drive in 50 runs in a season. Ashley Davidson: The women's golf sophomore fired a career-best 77 in the final round of the Horizon League Championship. Amanda Macenko: The softball sophomore won five games last week to improve to 23-10 this year and become the first player in CSU history with two 20-win seasons. The Schedule Ahead For The Vikings April 28-29 (Mon.-Tues.) April 29 (Tuesday) Softball at Niagara (2) April 30 (Wednesday) Softball hosts Kent State (2) May 2 (Friday) May 3 (Saturday) Baseball hosts UIC (2) May 4 (Sunday)
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