April 21, 2011
(NOTE: Schedule for weekend changed on April 21 to reflect concerns about weather in Chicago this weekend. The change is reflected below.)
Contact: Brian McCann
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Games 38-40
Cleveland State (21-16, 6-5) at UIC (18-17, 8-5)
Date: Fri., April 22 at 3:00 p.m.& Sat., April 23 at 12:00 noon (2)
Site: Flames Field (500), Chicago, Ill.
SETTING THE SCENE: Fresh off a sweep of Loyola over the weekend, Cleveland State continues Horizon League play this week with a three-game series at UIC. The Vikings did have a doubleheader scheduled at Kent State on Wednesday, but it was canceled because of rain. CSU will travel to Chicago to continue league action with a single game at 3:00 p.m. on Friday (April 22) and a doubleheader on Saturday (April 23) at noon. The Vikings enter the weekend with a 21-16 record and in sixth place in the league standings with a 6-5 mark. CSU has 12 league games remaining, nine of which will come on the road, and will need to finish strong in order to move up and claim one of the top two seeds for the upcoming Horizon League Championship. UIC enters the weekend with an 18-17 record and in third place with an 8-5 record. The Vikings are 10-5 against UIC in the first four seasons under head coach Angie Nicholson.
2011 SEASON PREVIEW: The Vikings return all but two regulars from last years team that went 44-15 and won the Horizon League regular season crown. Tabbed as the favorites to win the league title this year, CSU has had to replace three-time Horizon League Pitcher of the Year Amanda Macenko and CSU career home run leader Lia Gordon. Reigning Horizon League Player of the Year Tess Sito moves to the circle to take over for Macenko, who won 118 games during her Vikings career including 38 last year. Sito has pitched well, going 18-13 with a 1.50 ERA in 214.2 innings, striking out 226 batters while walking just 51. Junior Megan Bashak (1-0, 2.14 ERA), senior Kala Allred (1-0, 4.77), junior Brittany Bate (1-2, 6.77) and sophomore Brandy Holmes (0-1, 7.00) have also seen time in the circle. The outfield is deep, featuring five returners, with Jessica Burt (.276, 7 HR, 23 RBI, 21 runs, 8-10 SB) starting every game including 33 at the two corner spots, Alicia Nichols (.204) starting 35 times in center and Megan Bashak (.128), Caila Ferro (.160) and Macall Sheppard (.200) each starting around half of the games. The starting infield will depend on who is starting in the circle as Sito (.360, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 22 runs, 15-19 SB) can start anywhere but third. The left side of the infield has been consistent as Andrea Nagy (.237, 2 HR, 14 RBI) has started every game, most at shortstop, after missing the 2010 season because of injury, and Gabby Gillilan (.255, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 11 runs) has started all but two games at third. Dara Toman (.286, 6 HR, 22 RBI, 17 runs) has split her time between first and second and Katelyn Ciminelli (.143) has been the primary starter at first base. Amy Powell (.242, 2 HR, 7 RBI), a second team all-league pick last year, has started every game behind the plate.
A STEADY STREAM: For the first time in program history, Viking softball games are being streamed live on the internet via the Horizon League Network. Six of the seven home games have been streamed so far with plans being in place to broadcast the remaining seven regular season home games. The streaming, which is available for free, is part of an initiative by the CSU athletic department to broadcast approximately 100 live sporting events this season.
CSU IN THE NCAA STATS: The VIkings received several mentions in the most recent NCAA statistics, which were released on Tuesday (April 19) and include games played through Sunday (April 17). Individually, Tess Sito ranks sixth nationally in shutouts (9), 17th in strikeouts (226) 34th in ERA (1.50) and 50th in fewest walks allowed (1.66/g). As a team, CSU was 20th in double plays per game (0.41) and 41st in ERA (2.13).
SITO EARNS THIRD LEAGUE HONOR: A pair of two-hit shutouts against Loyola, the second coming in 10 innings, was enough to earn sophomore Tess Sito her third Horizon League Pitcher of the Week honor this season. In four games last week, Sito was 2-1 with a 1.21 ERA. She threw 29 innings, giving up six runs (five earned) while striking out 39 and walking just two.
1-0: The back-to-back wins over Loyola on Sunday marked the first time in program history that the Vikings won consecutive games with a 1-0 score and just the third time that CSU played back-to-back 1-0 contests. All three occurrences have come in the five seasons under head coach Angie Nicholson with CSU sweeping once, being swept once and splitting the two games on the third occasion. The Vikings are 42-26 all-time in games decided with a 1-0 score.
BATE CLAIMS PRESIDENT'S AWARD: The 21st annual John Konstantinos Athletics Academic Honors Luncheon was held on Tuesday (April 20) with Viking senior pitcher Brittany Bate walking away with one of the biggest honors of the day. Bate, who will graduate in May with a 3.93 GPA in criminology, sociology and psychology, received the President's Award which is given to the graduating senior with the highest GPA. Bate received an additional distinction by being one of four seniors who made the Dean's List in all seven semesters at CSU.
. . . AND 12 EARN ACADEMIC HONOR: Bate wasn't the only Viking to be honored at the luncheon on Tuesday as 12 softball student-athletes were recognized for having a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better, the fifth-highest total among the 17 CSU intercollegiate sports. The honorees included Afton Allred, Jessica Burt, Gabby Gillilan, Brandy Holmes, Samantha Kash, Andrea Nagy, Amy Powell, Tess Sito, Ashlee Stolarski, Dara Toman, Hannah Yoe and Bate.
FOUR NOMINATED FOR ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA: The success of the Vikings in the classroom has resulted in four starters being nomined for the Capital One Academic All-America team, which is selected by the College Sports Information Director's of America (CoSIDA). The nominees include seniors Jessica Burt (3.39, psychology & communications) and Amy Powell (3.44, psychology) and sophomores Tess Sito (3.72, communication) and Gabby Gillilan (3.91, journalism and promotional communcation). The four will first appear on the all-district ballot, which will be announced on May 5, with the first team members advancing to the national ballot. The Academic All-America team will be announced on May 26. To be eligible for the team, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA, be a starter or important reserve and be in their second full year at the school.
SITO ON THE PITCHING CHARTS: With three weeks to go in the regular season, sophomore Tess Sito is already having an impact on the CSU single season pitching charts. She enters the week ranking third all-time in shutouts (9), sixth in strikeouts (226) and innings pitched (214.2), seventh in strikeout ratio (7.4), eighth in wins (18), appearances (35) and games started (27) and 10th in ERA (1.50). She leads the Horizon League in wins, innings pitched and strikeouts.
A TOUGH TEAM TO COME BACK ON: One trend that has continued regarding the Viking pitching this season has their ability to hold a lead. CSU is 70-0 over the last three seasons when it takes a lead into the seventh inning, including a 16-0 record this year. Going back even further, CSU is 91-1 over the last four seasons, with the lone loss coming to Wright State in the semi-finals of the 2008 Horizon League Championship when CSU couldn't hold a 4-3 lead in the final frame, falling, 6-4.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES: The quintet of Amy Powell, Jessica Burt, Andrea Nagy, Dara Toman and Tess Sito have started every game for the Vikings this season. . . with 37 starts, Burt has now started all 190 games she played in during her career, missing just four games during her career, all coming as a freshman in 2007. . . there is an interesting race in the stolen base department as Burt ranks fifth all-time with 58 steals while Sito has 54 steals in her season and a half of play, good for seventh place. . . Sito also has 119 hits in 304 career at-bats for a .391 career batting average, 36 points higher than the current record of .355 by Tenille Whiteside (1994-97). . . senior Jessica Burt moved into fourth place on the CSU career charts with 185 hits, including 37 this season. . . Burt also ranks second in triples (12), third in RBI (108), runs scored (112) and at-bats (612), fourth in doubles (35) and eighth in games played (194). . .
NEXT UP: The Vikings return home to start a seven-game home stand to close out the 2011 home schedule, starting with a doubleheader against Eastern Michigan on Tuesday, April 26 beginning at 3:00 p.m. at Viking Field
