Contact: Jeff Sattora

Weekly Release 

SETTING THE SCENE: The CSU softball team will be home this week for six games vs. two Horizon League opponents. The Vikings will first take on Detroit in a three game series Wednesday and Thursday, before then hosting Loyola Saturday and Sunday.

Cleveland State will face Detroit in a doubleheader Wednesday beginning at 4:00 p.m. followed by a Thursday 2:00 p.m. game. The weekend series vs. Loyola will begin with a doubleheader at 1:00 p.m. Saturday and conclude with a single game Sunday at noon.

LAST TIME OUT: CSU is coming off a busy week that saw the team play seven games in six days, going 2-5 in that stretch. The Vikings fell in all four games in doubleheaders vs. Akron and St. Francis (Pa.) to start the week. Following that stretch they took home consecutive wins at Youngstown State (5-4 and 11-6) Saturday before falling 2-1 on Sunday.

Senior Dara Toman had the highlight of the week for CSU, as a solo home run Saturday gave the first baseman the Cleveland State career RBI record with 132.

Redshirt Freshman Erica McNew also shined during the seven game stretch at the plate. The catcher hit .478 on the week with four home runs and eight RBI's. She currently leads the Vikings on the year in batting average (.386), home runs (12) and RBI's (24).

CLIMBING THE CHARTS: With two RBI's this past week, senior first baseman Dara Toman has moved into first place on the Cleveland State career RBI list with 133. She surpassed Christa Coppus who had 131 from 2006-09.

Toman is also second on the Horizon League career home runs list with 50 for her career. She is only trailing Amanda Rivera from UIC who had 52 from 2001-04.

SHINING KNIGHT: Freshman Susan Knight currently is leading the Vikings on the mound with seven wins on the year. In 22 total appearances in 2013 Knight has a 7-7 record with a 3.06 ERA and a team-leading 78 strikeouts.

RADJEN STEPPING UP: Alex Radjen has been one of the Vikings' most impressive pitchers in 2013. She has a 4-4 record on the season, with a team and league leading 1.60 ERA. In 48 innings of action she 39 strikeouts and has allowed just 11 earned runs.

McNEW LEADING THE WAY: CSU catcher Erica McNew is currently leading the Vikings offensively in 2013. On the year she leads CSU in batting average (.386), home runs (12), RBI's (24),

VIKINGS TEAM HITTING THE LONG BALL: The Vikings' team is second in the Horizon League in home runs with 30. Nine players have at least one home run, with five of those players blasting multiple homers on the year.

NICHOLSON REACHES 200: CSU Head Coach Angie Nicholson has earned 201 wins as the head coach of the Vikings. With her two wins last week Nicholson became only the second coach in Vikings' history to reach the 200-win mark.

NEXT UP: Looking ahead to next week CSU will play seven games, five at home with two on the road. The Vikings will first host Green Bay in an 11:00 a.m. doubleheader Monday before going to Niagara for a doubleheader Wednesday at 3:00 p.m., closing the week they will host Valparaiso Saturday and Sunday for three games.

2013 SEASON BREAKDOWN BY POSITION: (2013 stats in parentheses)
Pitchers- With only Sara Shields (1-2) returning to the Vikings who picked up a win last season, CSU is looking for a balanced team effort on the mound in 2013. Head Coach Angie Nicholson mentioned four players who she expects to be factors for CSU in the pitching spot in Sara Shields and Alex Radjen (4-4) as returners, and Briana Combs (0-5) and Susan Knight (7-7) as freshman.

Catcher- Erica McNew (.386 BA, 12 HR, 24 RBI) will be leading the way at this position for the Vikings this season. After starting the first seven games of the year last year in the green and white (batting .136), she went down with a torn ACL and is ready to bounce back in 2013. Freshman Lauren Look is also looking to compete for time behind the plate this year.

Infield- Dara Toman (.341 BA 30 hits, 5 HR), a 2012 Horizon League First Team selection, and Nena Doran (.242 BA), a 2012 All-Newcomer League selection will be returning in 2013 to lead a group with high expectations.

Toman led the CSU last season in batting average (.405), home runs (19), runs batted in (42), slugging percentage (.892), and on-base percentage (.553) and will be looking to do the same in 2013. While Doran, who filled in at shortstop for an injured Cynthia Woodard, was seventh in the Horizon League in assists with 94.

Filling out the infield is expected to be Cynthia Woodard (.247 BA, 24 hits) at shortstop and Janessa Rivera-Keahi (.254 BA) at second.

Outfield- Senior Caila Ferro (.229 BA) is expecting to lead the way for the Vikings in the outfield. After hitting .266 in 52 games last season she unfortunately went down with an injury and is ready to bounce back this year as a senior.

Others who will be competing to fill starting roles alongside Woodard are freshman Katelind Phillips (.227 BA, 7 doubles), Alyson Broschk (.213 BA, 17 hits), Darien Ward, and Allisha Silva, as well as Nena Doran (when she is not in the infield), Afton Allred, and Hannah Yoe as returning players.