CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland State softball team is slated to play five games down south this week during Spring Break.
The Vikings, who enter the week with a 10-5 record, will open the week with a single game at Louisiana Tech at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday (March 10). After a doubleheader at Southeastern Louisiana that starts at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday (March 11), the Vikings will play a single game at 5:00 p.m. at Southern Mississippi on Thursday (March 12) and a single game at Southern on Saturday (March 14) at 3:00 p.m.
The Vikings started their trip over the weekend, winning three of four games in Canton, Ga. CSU knocked off Eastern Illinois and Northern Kentucky on Saturday, before falling to Saint Louis and defeating Northern Kentucky again on Sunday.
CSU's offense has gotten off to a hot start this spring, hitting .316 as a team with 26 home runs. Five of CSU's regular starters are hitting .300 or better, led by junior catcher Erica McNew who is hitting .528 (19-36) with five home runs and 19 RBI.
McNew's 29 career home runs rank second in CSU history, while her 81 runs batted in are ninth all-time in school history.
Senior third baseman Nena Doran has earned a pair of Horizon League Player of the Week honors this year and is batting .481 with team-highs in hits (26), doubles (4) and home runs (7). In Saturday's win over NKU, Doran set a CSU single-game record with three home runs.
Senior shortstop Cynthia Woodard (.362), junior outfielder Alyson Broschk (.324) and junior outfielder Katelind Phillips (.318) are all hitting better than .300 this year.
Woodard ranks second on the team with six homers and has moved up to third on the all-time list at CSU with 25. She has also driven in 10 runs this season.
The Viking pitching staff has combined to post a 2.80 ERA, led by the duo of junior Susan Knight and senior Alex Radjen.
Knight is 4-2 with a 1.75 ERA and 33 strikeouts, while Radjen has posted a 4-1 record with a 2.76 ERA, one save and 42 strikeouts. Freshman Mackenzie Joecken has been solid in her first season in the circle, going 2-1 with a 3.45 ERA and 22 strikeouts.
Following this week's five games, the Vikings are back in action on Wednesday (March 18) when CSU heads to Notre Dame for a doubleheader that is slated to begin at 4:30 p.m.
CSU SOFTBALL SCHEDULE
Tuesday, Mar. 10 - at LA Tech, 1:00 pm
Wednesday, Mar. 11 - at SE Louisiana (DH), 5:00 pm
Thursday, Mar. 12 - at Southern Mississippi, 5:00 pm
Saturday, Mar. 14 - at Southern, 3:00 pm
