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The Cleveland State softball team will kickoff the 2012 season this weekend at the Palmetto Classic, hosted by the University of South Carolina. The Vikings will play four games in three days with Western Kentucky (10:00 a.m.) and Winthrop (12:30 p.m.) getting things started on Friday (Feb. 10). CSU will battle Tennessee State at 5:00 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 11) and conclude with the host Gamecocks at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday (Feb. 12).
Free live stats will be available through GameTracker, easily accessed by visiting the team's online schedule. South Carolina will provide audio for Sunday's game.
Below is a preview of the 2012 Vikings, lead by sixth year head coach Angie Nicholson.
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.
They're young, and Nicholson doesn't try to hide that.
"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."
Bashak Gets Her Chance To Lead Staff
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.
She recorded 17 strikeouts and eight walks in 27 innings but head coach Angie Nicholson is quick to praise Bashak's control.
"Megan is not a strikeout pitcher," Nicholson said. "She's a movement and finesse pitcher. People will put the ball in play against her and we'll rely on our defense."
Last year, Bashak allowed 27 hits but only four of them went for extra bases.
Behind her are returners Brandy Holmes and Brittany Bate, both of whom are trying to get healthy. Holmes has torn her ACL twice while Bate has battled two shoulder surgeries.
New to the mix are freshman Alex Radjen and transfers Sara Shields and Kelsi Reed.
Radjen is a power arm from Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School. She doesn't hit, but Nicholson likes having a hard thrower in the rotation.
Shields is a transfer from Lake Erie College where she made 21 starts for the Storm. She recorded 105 strikeouts in 121 innings and was the victim of poor play behind her in the field. Almost a quarter - 23 of 94 - of the runs she allowed were unearned.
Like Bashak, Shields is a hitting pitcher and provides Nicholson some flexibility to get creative when making in-game decisions.
Reed spent the last two seasons at Wabash Valley Community College. Last year, she made 28 appearances and went 16-6 with four saves. She threw 141 2/3 innings and recorded a 1.78 ERA. Her 160 strikeouts were more than the combined numbers of hits (130) and walks (21) she allowed.
Freshmen Behind The Dish
With the loss of Amy Powell to graduation, the Vikings will rely on a pair of freshmen to handle the duties behind home plate and oversee a pitching staff with not a lot of experience in a Viking uniform.
True freshman Erica McNew heads into the season as the favorite to start behind the dish.
She comes from GlenOak High School where she primarily saw time as a corner infielder.
Nicholson is thrilled with the transition that McNew has made and has high expectations for the future.
"She's very strong and very powerful," Nicholson said. Erica has had to learn small things like framing, blocking and footwork but she's been a quick learner and we have no reservations about putting a freshman back there."
Offensively, hopes are high for McNew.
"As a coaching staff, we think Erica can put up big numbers and be a big bat in the middle of the lineup from day one."
Salena Kauffman, another true freshman from Brookside High School, will head into the season as the back-up catcher and has the confidence of the coaching staff.
Newcomers, Old Faces in New Places Make Up Infield
Dara Toman, 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. When not in the circle, Bashak can slide over to first base and provide a nice glove.
Toman was a second team all-league pick last year in her sophomore season after hitting .284 with a team-best 10 home runs and 27 RBI. The 10 homers - which tied her for third in the Horizon League - moved her into a tie with Lia Gordon for first place on the all-time list at Cleveland State with 26. Half of her 44 hits went for extra bases to earn her a .568 slugging percentage, the best on the team and fifth in the league.
The Vikings will count on Toman in the middle of the lineup, but also to play solid defense after struggling some in the field last season.
"Dara seems to have a different mindset this season," Nicholson said. "She has always been a kid who works extremely hard, but I would say she is working harder than I've ever seen her work before."
Immediately to her right will be Andrea Nagy, a fifth-year senior, who has played a lot of shortstop for the Vikings but looks to be the second baseman in 2012. Nicholson was quick to compliment Nagy as a shortstop and pointed out how the transition has been seamless.
"Andrea has always had a good glove, and she is someone were counting on because she brings a lot of speed to the table," Nicholson said. "She's really fast and that dimension to her game makes her someone who can make a big difference by putting pressure on the opposition."
Afton Allred figures to see time behind Nagy at second base.
A pair of true freshmen make up the left side of the infield.
Cynthia Woodard will start at shortstop and while not comparing her to the long list of greats that have played that position for Cleveland State, Nicholson oozes of excitement about Woodard.
"She has wide range, she is incredibly smooth and she has a cannon for an arm," the head coach said. "I first saw her playing center field in a high school game and she made one of the best catches I've ever seen. She's that type of athlete, one that can make you say, `Wow!'"
Woodard won a lot at Elyria High School and much of the same is expected at Cleveland State. Nicholson sees her as a two-three hitter in the Viking lineup and as someone who can produce big numbers offensively while stabilizing the defense from her shortstop spot.
Next to her is classmate Nena Doran to form a combination that Nicholson said has never been as strong.
The head coach says the freshman has wide range at the hot corner and can really hit with the potential to record a lot of extra base hits. A player with some speed, Nicholson sees her penciled in the five-six spot in the lineup.
Hannah Yoe, who missed much of last year with an injury, will provide depth as a utility player.
Veterans In The Outfield
Gabby Gillilan has been working in the outfield and Nicholson sees her in left field a lot in 2012.
It's a spot that is new to her, but the head coach says that she catches on quickly.
Last season, Gillilan started 49 of 50 games and hit .256 with seven extra base hits and 16 RBI. She was fourth on the 2011 team with 13 runs scored and did a nice job of getting on base with a .342 on-base percentage - tied for fifth on the team in her junior season.
Alicia Nichols, another one of the four seniors on the roster, is scheduled to be the starting center fielder.
When asked to describe Nichols, Nicholson made it really simple: "Fast."
She started 48 games last season and stole seven bases in 11 attempts. She hit .309 in 2010 and slipped to .227 last year, but Nicholson said that her stroke has come a long way and she could see her as a candidate to take over at the top of the lineup.
"In the fall, she was playing as well as I have ever seen her play offensively," Nicholson said.
Caila Ferro, who could see some time in the infield, is penciled in to start in right field in her second season with the program.
The coaching staff didn't see a lot of her last year as she appeared in 24 games and came off the bench in seven of those games.
"What stands out about Caila Ferro is how hard she works, especially in the weight room," Nicholson said. "She has worked hard to make herself into a nice player and we think she can hit the long ball consistently."
Jasmin Filiaggi - 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.
Outfield is new to Brittani Newsome, but she could see some time there. She had four at-bats last season as a rookie, but has made herself more versatile by learning another position.
Schedule To Provide Challenge For Vikings
The Vikings will play in five tournaments in February and March that will help prepare them for the Horizon League schedule.
Two teams that are ranked in the preseason top-25 are on the Vikings schedule: No. 12 Georgia and No. 25 Notre Dame, both of whom will host CSU.
CSU's first 35 games of the season are on the road - including the first six games of league play.
It isn't until April 3rd that the Vikings are scheduled to play a home game.
Toledo and Niagara start the home slate with doubleheaders at Viking Field before CSU welcomes Wright State for the first home Horizon League game.
The Vikings are home just 12 days all season - a span that includes 19 games.
Cleveland State will play 20 of its last 27 games at home - all in the months of April and May. Viking Field has been good to the program over the past three seasons as CSU has racked up a 35-12 (.745) record since the senior class stepped foot on campus.
2012 HORIZON LEAGUE PRESEASON VOTING (First place votes) -- Total Points
1. UIC (6) -- 60
2. Butler (2) -- 55
3. Loyola (1) -- 48
4. Valparaiso -- 45
5. Wright State -- 36
6. Cleveland State -- 33
7. Green Bay -- 21
8. Youngstown State -- 18
9. Detroit -- 8
