Contact: Tim Ertle
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Cleveland State (7-19) vs. UIC (12-13)
Dates: Saturday, March 24, at 2:00 p.m. -- Saturday, March 24, at 4:00 p.m. -- Sunday, March 25, at 1:00 p.m.
Site: Flames Field (500) - Chicago, Ill.
SETTING THE SCENE: After 26 games spread out over five tournaments in South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and (two in) Florida, the Cleveland State softball team (7-19) returns to familiar territory this weekend when they open Horizon League play at UIC (12-13), the defending league tournament champions. UIC was voted the favorite to repeat, receiving six of nine first-place votes and 60 points in voting of the League's head coaches. The Flames bring back four of the five players who earned All-Tournament Team accolades in 2011.
The Vikings just returned from the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Fla. where they went 5-3 - including a pair of extra inning losses. Despite the 7-19 overall record, Cleveland State is 5-5 in its last 10 games. Dara Toman led the offense at the Rebel Games, finishing 10-for-24 (.417) with three home runs, four doubles, eight RBI and nine runs. Sara Shields, who hit .348 (8-23) in the eight-game span, was terrific in the circle, racking up a 4-2 record with a 2.42 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 34.2 innings.
2012 SEASON PREVIEW: The Vikings were picked to finish sixth in the Horizon League in the annual preseason poll, but when you talk to head coach Angie Nicholson, you get the sense this is a team that very well could sneak up on some people.
"We're a young team with four seniors and nine underclassmen, but this is a hard-working group that has a lot of talent and has shown me a lot in the fall," she said. "There is a lot of young talent who we're excited to get into our program, and we have a lot of players who have been a part of our program that we're looking to take on bigger roles and help us out."
Lefty Megan Bashak has waited her turn, and now she gets the opportunity to be the ace of the pitching staff. She made five starts in the circle in 2011 as a junior and compiled a 2-0 record with an ERA of 2.59. This year, she's 2-10 with a 2.87 ERA heading into league play. Sara Shields, a sophomore transfer from Lake Erie College, has become a reliable pitcher and has a 5-4 record and an ERA of 3.30 in her first 15 appearances.
New to the mix on the staff are freshman Alex Radjen (0-3, 5.63 ERA), transfer Kelsi Reed (0-0, 3.86 ERA) and they pair with veterans Brittany Bate and Brandy Holmes, both of whom are 0-1 so far this season.
With the loss of Amy Powell to graduation, the Vikings will rely on freshman Salena Kauffman (17 starts) to handle the bulk of the load behind the dish. Her classmate Erica McNew (.136 BA) started seven games before suffering a knee injury that ended her season.
Dara Toman (.368, eight home runs, 21 RBI), a preseason first team All-Horizon League selection, is one of two returners in the infield, but she spent a lot of time at second base in 2011 and figures to see the majority of time at first base this year.
Immediately to her right will usually be Andrea Nagy (.266, nine runs, nine RBI), a fifth-year senior, who has played a lot of shortstop for the Vikings but looks to be the second baseman in 2012.
An injury to true freshman Cynthia Woodard (.273, 10 RBI, 11 runs) has moved her classmate Nena Doran (.256, two home runs, 10 runs, 10 RBI) from third base to shortstop.
Hannah Yoe (.231, three runs) will see time at third, as will Bashak (.288, eight runs, eight RBI) when she isn't in the circle.
The Vikings have two of the three outfield spots locked up: Caila Ferro (.244, 11 runs, nine RBI) in center field and Alicia Nichols(.292, nine runs, seven stolen bases) in right. Who takes over in left field on a full-time basis remains to be seen.
Luckily, Nicholson feels good about the cast of candidates she has at her disposal and hopes one of the underclassmen can develop into a piece she can count on. Nagy has spent time in the outfield, as has Afton Allred (.125, eight RBI). Jasmin Filiaggi(0/6, one run) - another member of the talented freshmen class - will provide outfield depth. Nicholson calls her one of the fastest players on the team and says she has learned a lot in the preseason since stepping foot on campus. Brittany Newsome (0/1) could also see time in the outfield.
UP TO THE HYPE: After being tabbed as a first team preseason All-Horizon League performer, Dara Toman has proved to be more than worthy of the accolade. She leads the team in batting average (.368), slugging percentage (.763), RBI (21), home runs (eight), total bases (58) and hits (28). Her totals rank her 27th in the country in home runs and 56th nationally in slugging percentage (as of March 18).
SUPER SHEILDS: Last year, Sara Shields made 21 starts in the circle at Lake Erie College, finishing with a 5-16 record and an ERA of 4.11. In 2011, she had just 35 at-bats and drove in a pair of runs. Since making the jump to Division I softball, she's hitting .310 in 17 games and has scored nine runs. She's 5-4 with an ERA of 3.30 in 15 appearances in the circle, including 53 strikeouts - tying her for third most in the league.
BASHAK'S BEEN GOOD: Ace Megan Bashak has a 2-10 record this season, but a look at her stats show she really has had a good year. Of the 48 runs scored on her, 19 of them are unearned. Her 2.87 ERA ranks seventh in the Horizon League and she is also tied for seventh in the league with 36 strikeouts.
NEXT UP: After kicking off league play, the Vikings will go out of conference on Wednesday (March 28) with a doubleheader at Robert Morris that begins at 3:00 p.m. CSU returns to Horizon League action next weekend with a three-game series at Youngstown State starting on Friday (March 30).
