April 26, 2005

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Hot Vikings Hit The Road For Five Contests: Winners of eight of its last 10 games, Cleveland State (14-21, 4-4 HL) continues its nine-game road swing with five contests this week. The Vikings will head to Toledo for a twin bill on Wednesday (April 27), followed by a three-game set at league-leading UIC over the weekend (April 30 - May 1). CSU heads into play this week in a four-way tie for third place in the Horizon League at .500 -- just three games behind the Flames.

Head Coach Julie Jones: In her ninth year at the helm of the Vikings, Julie Jones has directed Cleveland State a 196-240-2 record (.450). The 1997 Midwestern Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year, she guided the Vikings to the league championship that season and to a berth in the NCAA Tournament. A member of the NCAA Regional Softball Committee, she has coached 30 all-conference selections and three players who went on to play professionally during her tenure in Cleveland. A 1992 graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College in nearby Berea, she was inducted into the Yellow Jacket Hall of Fame in 2003. While at B-W, she was an all-region selection, an all-conference pick both on the field and in the classroom and a four-year starter.

Luginbuhl Collects League Weekly Honor: Junior pitcher Grace Luginbuhl was named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week on April 25 after dominating Cleveland State's opponents in her four appearances last week. This marks the third time in her career that the Bath, Ohio native has received the league's weekly honor. Luginbuhl was spectacular in the circle last week, picking up all four of the Vikings' wins. She allowed just one earned run in 25.1 innings (0.28 ERA), walked four and struck out 19. She started off by going the distance in a 13-inning victory over Youngstown State, allowing just one earned run and no walks while fanning 10. In the opener two days later against St. Francis, she tossed CSU's first shutout of the season, blanking the Red Flash on five hits and six strikeouts. She enters play this week having not allowed an earned run in 17.0 innings.

A Little More On Luginbuhl: A second team all-league pick in 2004, Grace Luginbuhl got off to a rocky start this season, giving up 17 earned runs in 18.1 innings over her first five outings. However, in her 23 appearances since, the Lima, Ohio native has surrendered just 24 earned runs in 117.1 innings for a 1.43 ERA. As of April 25, she ranked second in the league in strikeouts (113), third in ERA (2.12) and fourth in wins (9), opponent batting average (.228), innings pitched (135.2) and appearances (28). Her 1.17 ERA is tops in league games only. She has also been a valuable contributor at the plate, ranking second on the team with 11 RBI.

Cornelius, Penney Pace Streaking Vikings: Senior catcher Jackie Cornelius and sophomore center fielder Michelle Penney have spurred Cleveland State's recent success on the field with their superb performances at the plate. During the last 10 games, Cornelius is batting .414 (12-for-29) with five RBI, seven runs scored and five stolen bases. She has also thrown out five potential basestealers during the stretch. Meanwhile, Penney is hitting .382 (13-for-34) with nine RBI and nine runs scored. In the April 21 doubleheader with St. Francis, Penney either drove in or scored five of CSU's seven runs. In game two, she scored the tying run in the eighth, then knocked in the game-winner in the eighth.

Freshmen Bookend Line-up: In freshmen shortstop Amber Lowe and outfielder Whitney Willard, Julie Jones really has a pair of leadoff hitters. Batting in the top spot, Lowe is hitting .331 with 14 stolen bases and a pair of four-hit games. She batted .380 (19-50) during her team-best 14-game hitting streak that came to an end on April 11 at IPFW. Willard has been a spark from the nine-spot, leading the team with a .343 average. She batted .552 (16-29) with five multi-hit contests during her 11-game hitting streak that came to an end on April 10 at Butler.

Unlikely Power Source: Junior second baseman Kaitlin Guyette might be the most diminutive player on the Cleveland State roster, but that doesn't mean she isn't capable of packing a punch at the plate. The Mantua native leads the team with a .404 slugging percentage, thanks to a team-high 10 doubles (5th in the league) and a triple. She also has a trio of three-hit games and is third on the squad with a .283 batting average.

Keep It Close, Play It Quick: Cleveland State has made a habit of playing close, quick games this season. Of the Vikings' 35 games, 21 have been decided by one or two runs, with CSU going 11-10 in those contests. In addition, the Vikings have played just two regulation games (and three extra-inning contests) that have lasted more than two hours. Meanwhile, CSU has sprinted through five games that have lasted less than 90 minutes.

Singles Club: Junior outfielder Shannon Graves has been a solid contributor at the plate the past two seasons, posting a .259 average from the number two spot in the line-up. A true slap-hitter, all 64 of the Medina native's hits have been singles. However, she has turned many of those into two-base hits with 29 career stolen bases -- including a perfect 11-for-11 mark this season.

Academic Excellence: The softball team has proved once again that it excels not only on the field, but in the classroom as well. The Vikings were honored on April 14 at the 15th Annual CSU Academic Honors Luncheon as the "Best of the Best" for having the top team grade point average at CSU. The squad combined for a 3.49 GPA with all 14 players posting a 3.0 or better. The Vikings have been ranked in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Academic Division I top 20 for12th consecutive years.

Mother Nature Wreaks Havoc With Schedule: Cleveland State has fought a losing battle with Mother Nature so far this year. The Vikings had two games cancelled due to rain in Florida and lost both Horizon League series with Detroit and UW-Green Bay due to a pair of late-season winter storms. In addition, CSU's March 26 twin bill at IPFW was originally washed before being made up on April 11.

Pair Named To All-Tournament Team: Junior outfielder Shannon Graves and freshman pitcher Christina Swierz both earned a spot on the Charleston Southern Invitational All-Tournament team. Graves hit .333 (4-12) while Swierz went 1-1 with a 3.32 ERA.

Spidell, Luginbuhl Climbing Career Charts (Sort Of...): While senior Kortney Spidell is currently out with an injury, junior Grace Luginbuhl continues to move up the Cleveland State career pitching charts. While neither will probably catch current assistant Amy Kyler in any category, the two will certainly go down among the best in school history. Here's a look at where they stand:
Category Spidell Luginbuhl
Lowest ERA -- 3rd, 1.85
Innings Pitched 7th, 317.0 6th, 431.0
Wins 7th, 25 5th, 29
Winning Pct. 4th, .500 2nd, .518
Appearances 7th, 70 2nd, 100
Strikeouts -- 2nd, 370

Up Next: The Vikings close out their nine-game road trip with single contests next week at Youngstown State (May 3) and versus Kent State (May 5) at Firestone Park in Akron. CSU will then wrap up the regular season at home against Loyola with a Senior Day doubleheader on May 7 and an Alumni Game affair versus the Ramblers on May 8.