Contact: Tim Ertle

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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - For the second time in three weeks, Cleveland State junior first baseman Dara Toman has been named the Horizon League Softball Player of the Week. She earned the honor for the week of April 9-April 15 after sharing the honor with Valparaiso's Jordan Rutkowski two weeks ago, the league office announced on Monday afternoon.

"I'm so happy to see Dara earn this honor as she's been battling nagging injuries all season," head coach Angie Nicholson said. "Teams have been pitching around her and not giving her anything to hit but she's stayed true to her approach. In the past, she may have swung at those pitches but she's matured to the point where she takes her walk and really helps out our team. It's been really fun watching her develop and produce at such a high level all season."

Toman, who was named the league's Player of the Week once last season (Feb. 21), helped the Vikings to a 3-2 record last week. Cleveland state split a home doubleheader with St. Francis (Pa.) on Thursday (April 12) and then took two of three from Loyola in Chicago over the weekend.

She was officially 6-for-9 (.667) with a double, three homers and six runs. Toman drove in four of CSU's 21 runs in the five-game stretch and was successful in her only stolen base attempt.

Her three homers give her 18 for the year - equaling Tess Sito's mark for the most in a single season set in 2010. 

In the past five games, Toman has drawn 10 walks to bring her season total to 32, two shy of J.J. Thornberry's school record of 34 that she totaled in 2006. With walks figured in, Toman reached base at an .842 clip last week.

The Vikings visit Notre Dame on Thursday (April 19) for a 5:00 p.m. game in South Bend before a weekend series against Green Bay. Cleveland State concludes the season with nine home games against Horizon League opponents.