May 4, 2007

Contact: Alan Ashby

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Upcoming Games:
at Detroit
May 5 (DH) -- 1:00 p.m.
May 6 -- Noon
Detroit, Mich. -- Buysse Ballpark

Leading Off: Cleveland State wraps up the regular season with a three-game series at Detroit over the weekend. Currently tied for sixth in the Horizon League, the Vikings can still finish as high as second or as low as seventh as they head into the weekend just a game-and-a-half behind second-place Butler.

More On The Standings: Heading into the final weekend, only two spots have been secured for the upcoming Horizon League Championship: Loyola (13-3) at the top and Detroit (3-11) at the bottom. Second-place Butler stands at 7-5 -- a mere game-and-a-half ahead of Cleveland State and Youngstown State, who are tied for sixth at 5-6. Following closely behind the Bulldogs are UIC (6-6), Wright State (7-8) and UW-Green Bay (6-7).

Reversal Of Fortune: Cleveland State emphatically snapped its longest losing streak in more than two years, by rattling off a season-high seven straight victories. The Vikings broke their six-game skid with three consecutive one-run victories over UIC and then followed it up with doubleheader sweeps of Robert Morris and Oakland.

More On UIC: Cleveland State continued its recent success against the Flames with its first-ever three-game sweep last weekend in Chicago. The Vikings have now won six of the last eight regular season contests after claiming just two of the first 24 meetings.

Coppus Comes On Strong: While sophomore Christa Coppus has been consistent all year at the plate for the Vikings -- collecting at least one hit in all but six contests, she was never hotter than during her career-best eight game hitting streak from March 31-April 14. The Tiffin, Ohio native was 11-for-24 (.458) during the skein to raise her average to .402 at the time. Now hitting .379, Coppus also paces Cleveland State in hits (47), doubles (10) and RBI (29) while ranking second in home runs (3) and slugging percentage (.576).

...And She's Rocketing Up The Career Charts: Despite donning a Viking uniform for less than two seasons, Christa Coppus is already tied for fifth in Cleveland State annals with nine home runs while ranking sixth with 66 runs batted in. In addition, her .344 batting average would be good for third all-time.

Favorable First Impression: Freshman Amanda Macenko has been nothing short of amazing in her first season of collegiate action. The Brunswick, Ohio native has posted a 1.70 ERA with a 20-8 record, two saves and 121 strikeouts in 173.0 innings -- ranking among the top three in the Horizon League in each category. She has appeared in 32 of Cleveland State's 38 contests, tossing 19 complete games and four shutouts, while walking just 18. Opponents are hitting a lowly .238 off of Macenko and she has allowed more than two earned runs just six times all season, thanks largely in part to her nearly 7:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Macenko Eyes Season Leaders: With the season winding down, Macenko has placed herself among some lofty company in the Cleveland State single season records with 20 victories. Amy Kyler (24 in 1997 & 22 in 1995) and Grace Luginbuhl (23 in 2006) are the only other players in school history to top the 20-win plateau. In her last six appearances, Macenko is 5-0 with a save and a 0.97 ERA.

A Real Bear At The Plate: Known as "Bear" to her teammates, sophomore Amanda Houchin has helped put some claws in the middle of the Cleveland State line-up. She leads the team in batting average (.381), doubles (10), home runs (4) and slugging percentage (.568) and ranks second in RBI (23). She garnered the Horizon League's Player of the Week accolades on Feb. 27 after going 4-for-10 with a double, two home runs and three RBI at the Longwood Spring Classic. The performance is even more impressive considering the fact that the Lima, Ohio native went 3-for-30 with three RBI her entire freshman season.

The Young And The Restless: Sophomore right fielder Danielle Young didn't get much of a chance to show off her ability at the plate last season, garnering just two at-bats, while appearing in 19 contests mostly as a pinch runner. The Upper Sandusky, Ohio native has made the most of her opportunity this year, posting a .310 average, while ranking third on the team in RBI (16) and fourth in doubles (6) and stolen bases (5).

Climbing The Ladder: Senior Sarah Milosek has improved every season since arriving on Cleveland State's campus four years ago. A .111 hitter as a freshman, that number grew to .176 the following year before jumping to .321 as a junior. So far this season, the trend has continued as the Brighton, Mich. native is fourth on the team with a .349 average. In addition, she ranks fourth in stolen bases (5) and fifth in runs scored (16).

Swierz Bolsters Staff: Named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week on April 16, junior Christina Swierz has stepped up in the circle for the Vikings this year. As of April 30, she ranked second in the league in ERA (1.99) and sixth in opponent batting average (.253). On the year, she has given up more than one earned run just twice in 14 appearances this season. Unfortunately, her 4-3 record is due largely in part to the fact that the Vikings have dropped three one-run contests in her 10 starts.