April 9, 2007
Contact: Brian McCann
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Vikings Hope For Break In The Weather...
Softball & Baseball At Home After Having 11 Games Cancelled By April Snowstorm
One week after Mother Nature reared her ugly head to the tune of double-digit snowfalls around the Greater Cleveland area, the Viking spring sports are hoping for warmer temperatures in order to continue their respective spring schedules.
The softball team, which lost seven games to weather over the last eight days, will continue Horizon League play with five games this week, including three at home against Horizon League foes. The Vikings will play a Tuesday (April 10) doubleheader at IPFW before returning home to host Niagara for a 4:00 p.m. doubleheader on Thursday (April 11). CSU then closes the week with a three-game series with Wright State this weekend. The Vikings host the Raiders for a doubleheader on Saturday (April 14) before closing out the series with a single game on Sunday (April 15). Action begins both days at 1:00 p.m.
The Viking baseball team has six games scheduled for the week, three of which will be played at home. CSU opens the week with a Horizon League doubleheader at Youngstown State on Tuesday (April 10) and a single game at Niagara on Wednesday (April 11) before returning to Pipe Yard Stadium for a three-game series with Butler, playing a 5:15 p.m. game on Friday (April 13) and a 12:00 noon doubleheader on Saturday (April 14).
Both tennis teams are in Wisconsin this weekend, the men squaring off with UW-Green Bay on Friday (April 13) and the women facing UW-Milwaukee on Saturday (April 14) and UW-Green Bay on Sunday (April 15).
Softball Hopes To Get Back On The Field...
Vikings Have Five Home Games Scheduled As Part Of A Busy Week
The softball team (17-6, 2-2 HL) will attempt to get back in the swing of things after losing seven games last week to the unseasonably cold weather. The Vikings will play a doubleheader at IPFW on Tuesday (April 10) at 2:00 p.m. before returning home to host Niagara for a 4:00 p.m. doubleheader on Thursday (April 12) . CSU then welcomes Wright State to Viking Field for a three game set over the weekend, playing a twin bill on Saturday (April 14) beginning at 1:00 p.m., followed by a single game Sunday at the same time.
"It was tough sitting around most of last week, but there was nothing we could do about the weather," head coach Angie Nicholson said. "Hopefully we can get all of the games in this week -- it will be nice to play a lot at home. I know I keep saying this, but we need to come out and be aggressive at the plate."
Cleveland State played just one of its six scheduled games last week, dropping a 4-2 decision at Youngstown State on Tuesday (April 3). The Vikings out-hit the Penguins, 8-5, but YSU used a pair of two-run home runs to pull out the victory. Sophomores Amanda Houchin and Christa Coppus both went 2-for-4 with a RBI to pace CSU.
Baseball Faces Busy Slate With Six Games On The Books...
Vikings Host Butler For Weekend Series At Pipe Yard Stadium
The Cleveland State baseball team (5-21, 2-2 HL) is slated to play six games this week, with five of them coming against Horizon League foes. The Vikings have a 3:00 p.m. doubleheader at Youngstown State on Tuesday (April 10) before traveling to Niagara for a single game the next day. CSU then concludes the week with a three-game set against Butler at Pipe Yard Stadium.
"After so many games on the road, it's nice to play at home and develop a home field advantage," head coach Kevin Kocks said. "It's nice not to have to play on the road and travel all the time."
The Vikings spent last week derailed by snow, losing four games against Ohio State and UIC. CSU managed to get just one game in last week, a 14-11 win over Kent State in the home opener on Tuesday. Sophomore Matt Madrid had four RBI and senior Pat McKitrick got the win to lead the Vikings. Senior John Westra continues to lead the Vikings with a .308 batting average and 15 RBI. Juniors Wallace Richardson and Bobby Cash are hitting .293 and .292, respectively. McKitrick's 3-2 record with a 2.36 ERA in 15 relief appearances leads the pitching staff while fellow senior Stephen Procner has a 4.17 ERA and has pitched nine innings in each of his last two starts.
Golfers Take A Break From Their Springs Schedules. . .
Both golf teams were in action last week, with the women earning a 12th-place finish at the Georgetown Hoya Invitational in Leesburg, Va. Junior Amanda Glatfelter paced CSU by tying for 53rd as Princeton claimed the team title by 11 strokes. Meanwhile, the men finished in a tie for 12th at the weather-shortened Marshall Invitational on April 6-7. Senior Ben Grandy carded a final round 70 to move into a tie for 14th to pace the Vikings. Penn State ran away with the title by 12 strokes after the tournament was shortened to 36 holes due to snow.
"I thought we competed fairly well on a couple of courses we'd never seen before," head coach Brian Varsey said. "Both teams are working very hard at building their games with an eye towards the league championship in a month."
The women are in action again on April 16-17 at the Loyola Wiscon Corporation Invitational in the Chicago area, while the men are off until heading to the Dayton Invitational on April 23-24.
Men's Tennis Heads To UW-Green Bay. . .
The Cleveland State men's tennis team (15-6) takes its 2-0 Horizon League record into Wisconsin this week as the Vikings will aim to solidify its league standing against UW-Green Bay on Friday at 2:00 p.m.
"We have had a lot of players step up for us in the lineup," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "But I still feel like we can get better in the last couple of matches."
The Vikings won their only contest last week, downing Wright State, 5-2, on Saturday (April 7). The Raiders won at the first two singles spots, but CSU controlled the rest of the match. Cleveland State has now won four of its last five contests since coming back from its spring break trip in Hawaii. If the Vikings win their remaining three matches, they will tie the 1989 Vikings' single-season school record of 18 wins.
Women's Tennis Takes On Wisconsin Schools...
The Cleveland State women's tennis team (11-9, 2-1) travels to UW-Milwaukee on Friday (April 13) at 5:00 p.m. before closing its Wisconsin trip with a 4:00 p.m. match at UW-Green Bay. The contests mark the final regular season road trip of the year for the Vikings.
"We did a lot to establish ourselves as contenders in the league this past weekend," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "The tournament seeds are starting to take shape and we can help ourselves a lot with wins this weekend."
CSU split two matches last weekend, losing a 5-2 decision to defending league champion UIC on Friday (April 6) before defeating Wright State, 6-1, on Saturday. Juniors Jenn Myers and Lindsay Sellers were the only Vikings to go 2-0 over the weekend, while freshmen Charlotte Gibbons and Denisa Muntean and sophomore Kristin Chamberlain split two matches. Senior Sarah Galon continues to lead the Vikings with a 21-11 singles record.
Viking High Fives
Women's Tennis Juniors - Lindsay Sellers and Jenn Myers came up big last weekend as each won two singles matches over UIC and Wright State. The wins against UIC were CSU's first points against the Flames in five years.
Ryan Hamning - The freshman defeated Wright State's Nick Camilleri 6-2, 6-2 to lead the Vikings to a 5-2 win over the Raiders. He also teamed with freshman Phil Orno to win an 8-4 decision at No. 1 doubles.
Matt Madrid - The sophomore went 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBI in CSU's 14-11 win over Kent State in the first game played at Pipe Yard Stadium to earn Horizon League Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career.
The Schedule Ahead For The Vikings
April 10 (Tuesday)
Softball at IPFW (2)
Fort Wayne, IN, 2:00 p.m.
Baseball at Youngstown State (2)
Youngstown, OH, 3:00 p.m.
April 11 (Wednesday)
Baseball at Niagara
Niagara, NY, 3:00 p.m.
April 12 (Thursday)
Softball hosts Niagara
Viking Field, 4:00 p.m.
April 13 (Friday)
Men's Tennis at UW-Green Bay
Green Bay, WI, 2:00 p.m.
Women's Tennis at UW-Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI, 5:00 p.m.
Baseball hosts Butler
Lorain, OH, 5:15 p.m.
April 14 (Saturday)
Baseball hosts Butler (2)
Lorain, OH, 12:00 noon
Softball hosts Wright State (2)
Viking Field, 1:00 p.m.
Women's Tennis at UW-Green Bay
Green Bay, WI, 3:00 p.m.
April 15 (Sunday)
Softball hosts Wright State
Viking Field, 1:00 p.m.