May 9, 2007
CLEVELAND - On the eve of hosting the Horizon League Championship, Cleveland State was recognized for a successful regular season by placing four players on the various All-Horizon League teams. Sophomores Christa Coppus and Amanda Houchin earned a spot on the first team, while senior Michele Penney and freshman Amanda Macenko garnered second team accolades. The league office made the announcement Wednesday evening.
"These student-athletes play with tremendous heart and have done everything that we've asked of them," CSU head coach Angie Nicholson said. "There's absolutely no panic mode with this group -- they just play hard on every pitch. They deserve every award that comes their way."
A second team honoree as a freshman, Coppus (Tiffin, Ohio) ranks among the league leaders in batting average (8th - .382), hits (5th - 52), doubles (8th - 10), stolen bases (10th - 9) and total bases (10th - 73). The starter at every game at shortstop, she hit .458 (11-for-24) during a career-best eight-game hitting streak from March 31 - April 14 and leads the team with 16 multi-hit and nine multi-RBI contests.
Houchin (Lima, Ohio) is hitting a team-best .385 to stand seventh in the league, while also ranking among the conference leaders in hits (6th - 50), doubles (7th - 11), home runs (10th - 5), total bases (8th - 76), on-base pct. (10th - .421) and slugging pct. (7th - .585). She started the season at third base before moving to second for the past 27 games and ranks second on the team with 14 multi-hit and seven multi-RBI games.
Coppus and Houchin have teamed up to form one of the top middle infields in the nation, helping CSU to rank 12th in the country in double plays turned.
Just the fifth three-time all-league selection in school history (second team, 2004 & first team, 2006), Penney (Ravenna, Ohio) has carried the Vikings during their current 10-game winning streak. During the run, she is hitting .406 (13-for-32) with 12 runs scored, four doubles, five home runs and 14 RBI. On the season, she is hitting .304 with 23 RBI while ranking fifth in the league in home runs (7) and ninth in runs scored (26).
Also a member of the all-newcomer team, Macenko (Brunswick, Ohio) has emerged as one of the top pitchers in the Horizon League in her first season as a Viking. A four-time league pitcher of the week, she leads the conference in ERA (1.70), wins (23), shutouts (5) and complete games (21), while standing second in innings pitched (189.1), strikeouts (132) and saves (2). In addition, her 23 victories rank 18th in the nation and are just one shy of Amy Kyler's school record set in 1997. Macenko has been nearly untouchable as of late, going 8-0 with a save and a 1.24 ERA in her last nine appearances.
Seeded second for the third time in the last four seasons, Cleveland State (29-12, 8-6 HL) will square off against No. 7 Wright State (21-33, 8-10 HL) at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday (May 10) in the opening game of the Horizon League Championship. The double-elimination tournament runs through Saturday (May 12) at Viking Field.
