Vikings Open 2010 Season At UNC-Greensboro
    CSU Ended The 2009 Season With A Record Of 21-31
    Head coach Kevin Kocks returns for his fourth season at the helm of the Vikings.

    Head coach Kevin Kocks returns for his fourth season at the helm of the Vikings.

    Feb. 18, 2010

    Contact: Renee Adam

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    AROUND THE HORN: The Cleveland State baseball team will begin the 2010 season when the Vikings travel to Greensboro, N.C. to face UNC-Greensboro in a three-game series this weekend. The series is set to begin on Friday, February 19 at 4:00 p.m. with mid-day games on Saturday (Feb. 20) and Sunday (Feb. 21) slated for a 1:00 p.m. start. CSU ended last season with a 21-31 record, the second most wins in a season since the 2001 season. UNC-Greensboro posted a record of 20-29 last season, their 18th straight season with 20 or more wins.

    2010 SEASON PREVIEW: Following a year in which Cleveland State recorded 21 victories, head coach Kevin Kocks believes that he has the right group of student-athletes to finish what he started three years ago when he first came to Cleveland. One of the deepest parts of the team will be the pitching rotation where Kocks has 12 available arms. Leading the charge on the mound will be juniors Anthony Sambula (3-4, 6.29 ERA, 32 SO) and Coty Bates and sophomore Nate Blankemeyer. The trio of Jimmy Cowhy (1-2, 26 SO), Joey Gradney and Nate Dick (4-1, 4.13 ERA, 11 SO) are knocking on the door to fill starting roles on the mound during weekend contests, with freshmen Brandon Cooper, Pat Shedlock and Dylan Schwegler coming out of the bullpen as relief pitchers and junior Travis Miller (1-0, 4 Saves) returning as the closer. Sophomore Alex Johnson (.307, 13 2B, 32 RBI) has centerfield locked down for the Vikings this season, with 2009 all-newcomer honoree Ryan Franks (.380, 12 2B, 20 RBI) set in leftfield, and Vince Marquard and Miller (.228, 5 2B) battling for time in rightfield. CSU enters the 2010 season with multiple options at all infield positions, starting at first base with a combination of Brent Casto, Josh Lowe (.333, 9 2B, 6 HR) and Kyle Shaffer (.261, 7 2B, 14 RBI) all being able to fill the role. The duties up the middle will be split between the duo of junior Tom Carter (.302, 6 2B, 4 HR) and sophomore Jason Haditsch, with 2009 all-newcomer honoree Tyler Wynn (.303, 5 2B, 11HR) as the mainstay at third base after spending last season as CSU's first baseman. Shaffer and Bob Suitca will split the duties behind the plate this season.

    A 20-20 VISION COMPLETED: For the first time since the 2000 and 2001 seasons, the Vikings recorded back-to-back 20-win seasons after posting a 21-31 record last spring. CSU's 22 wins during the 2008 season marked the first time the Vikings had won at least 20 games since the 2001 season when the Vikings won 23.

    THE BIG 3-0: The Vikings and head coach Kevin Kocks have set a goal for themselves of posting 30 wins during the 2010 season. If they were to reach 30 wins it would be the highest win total in school history. The current record is 28, which was set by the 1982 squad.

    TEAM LEADERS: The Vikings return three statistical leaders from last season, Alex Johnson, Ryan Franks and Tyler Wynn. The trio led the team in doubles, triples, homeruns and batting average. Johnson led the way with 13 doubles and six triples, Franks had a team high .380 batting average and Wynn was tied for the lead in homeruns with 11.

    ...SUPER SOPHOMORE: Alex Johnson returns after a stellar freshman season in which he led the team in doubles (13) and triples (6). Johnson's six triples also tied the CSU single-season record first set by Larry Goodwin during the 1982 season.

    All-League Honors: Two out of four 2009 All-Horizon League honorees return for the Vikings this season, as both Tyler Wynn and Ryan Franks earned all-newcomer team honors after their first seasons at CSU. Franks earned the honor after a brilliant season in which he hit .380 with 17 runs, 11 doubles, two homers and 17 RBI. Wynn had a breakout spring, hitting .315 with 28 runs, five doubles, 11 homeruns and 34 RBI. Also earning league honors were seniors Josh Hungerman (first team) and Brad Buell (second team).

    ...WYNN LEADS TEAM IN HOMERS: In his first season as a Viking, Tyler Wynn's 11 homeruns were tied for tops on the team with senior Josh Hungerman. The duo were also tied for second in the Horizon League, just one homerun behind Wright State's Quentin Cate (12).

    MILLER SAVES THE DAY: After starting the season in the outfield, Travis Miller made a huge impact on the mound recording a team high-tying four saves. Miller's four saves was also tied for fifth in the league with teammate Drew Fronczek. Miller ended the season second on the team with a 3.48 ERA, and is slated to open the season as CSU's closer.

    PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: CSU was honored six times last season with Horizon League Player of the Week accolades, Josh Hungerman earning the award three times (2/23, 3/16 & 4/6), and Josh Lowe (3/9), Nate Dick (5/11) and Anthony Sambula (5/18) each receiving recognition once.

    VIKINGS TABBED SIXTH: For the third consecutive season, Cleveland State was picked to finish sixth out of seven team in the Horizon League Preseason Poll. The Vikings totaled 12 points to finish ahead of Butler (7). Wright State earned six first place votes and 36 points and was selected as the preseason favorite. UIC followed in second place receiving the other first place vote and 31 points, with Milwaukee (24), Valparaiso (22) and Youngstown State (15) rounding out the top five.

    HUNGERMAN SELECTED IN MLB DRAFT: For the second straight year, CSU lefty Josh Hungerman was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the Major League Baseball draft. Hungerman was selected in the 17th round with the 511th overall pick after being CSU's No. 1 pitcher in each of his last two seasons. He currently plays for the Tri-City Dust Devils, previously playing for the Casper Ghosts.

    SUCCESS OFF THE FIELD: The Cleveland State baseball team continued its trend of strong performances in the classroom this past fall with a semester grade point average of 3.07, which helped the overall team GPA improve to 3.10. Nine players were named to the Dean's List after making a 3.25 GPA or better.

    A NEW PLACE TO CALL HOME: After three seasons at the Pipe Yard Stadium, the Vikings will call All Pro Freight Stadium in Avon, Ohio home for the first time this season. The state-of-the-art facility, which houses the Lake Erie Crushers, seats 5,000 and has artificial turf which will allow CSU to play more games despite the inclement weather. The Viking home opener is slated for March 24 against Eastern Michigan, just 37 days away!

    NEXT UP: The Vikings will stay on the road and travel to Cookeville, Tenn. for a three-game series at Tennessee Tech on Friday (Feb. 26), Saturday (Feb. 27) and Sunday (Feb. 28).