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The Viking Report (April 30). . .

April 30, 2007

Contact: Brian McCann

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Baseball Faces Ohio For Only Home Game. . .
Vikings Also Play Mid-Week Game At Duquesne & Three At UW-Milwaukee

The Cleveland State baseball team (10-30, 7-10 HL) plays five games this week, starting with a 5:00 p.m. home contest Ohio on Tuesday (May 1) before playing at Duquesne at 3:00 p.m. the next day. CSU will conclude the week with its final long road trip of the season, a three-game set at UW-Milwaukee beginning on Friday at 7:00 p.m.

"We have gotten some good pitching performances, but we need to be consistent," head coach Kevin Kocks said. "We're still in the thick of the conference race and we're trying to position ourselves to compete in the conference tournament."

The Vikings, who are currently one game behind UW-Milwaukee for third place in the Horizon League standings, went 0-4 last week. After dropping a 5-1 contest at Toledo last Tuesday, Cleveland State was swept in a three-game series at league-leading UIC.

Junior Wallace Richardson leads the team with a .280 batting average, followed by senior John Westra at .274. Sophomore Matt Madrid, who leads the team with three home runs, had several big hits last weekend, highlighted by a pair of two-run singles at UIC. Sophomore Josh Hungerman continues to be the team's best starting pitcher, posting a 3.09 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 58.1 innings. Senior Stephen Procner, the team's No. 1 starter, leads the team with three complete games.

Softball Closes Regular Season With Five Games. . .
Vikings Can Still Finish As High As Second In The Horizon League

Fresh off of a sweep of UIC, the softball team (22-12, 5-6 HL) wraps up the regular season with seven games this week. The Vikings will host Robert Morris for a 3:00 p.m. twin bill on Tuesday in their final home action of the year. CSU will then travel to Oakland for a doubleheader on Wednesday, followed by a three-game set at Detroit over the weekend (May 4-5). The Vikings, who are tied for sixth in the Horizon League, are just a game-and-a-half out of second heading into the final week of play.

Freshman Amanda Macenko leads CSU with a 17 victories -- good for fourth in the school season annals -- and a 1.86 ERA. At the plate, sophomore shortstop Christa Coppus leads the team in batting average (.396), hits (44) and RBI (25).

"We know what we have to do this weekend," head coach Angie Nicholson said. "We put ourselves back in the thick of things with a great showing at UIC. Now we have to build on that momentum and carry it into the tournament next week."

After having both mid-week doubleheaders rained out, Cleveland State returned to action over the weekend, recording three one-run victories for its first-ever sweep over UIC. In the opener, the Vikings rallied from an early 4-0 deficit to pull out a wild 10-9 victory. CSU then won the second game, 2-1, and Sunday's finale, 4-3. Freshman pitcher Amanda Macenko went 2-0 with a save to lead the Vikings in the circle. At the plate sophomore Christa Coppus and freshman Jessica Burt both went 6-for-12, while senior Michele Penney was 5-for-10 with four runs scored, a pair of home runs and four RBI.

Third-Place League Finish Caps Outstanding Men's Tennis Season...

The Cleveland State men's tennis team completed its season last weekend with a third place finish at the Horizon League Championship. The Vikings finished the season with an 18-8 record, tying the school record for wins in a season.

"We had a great season. We played with a lot of character and pride," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "This was one of the best teams in school history."

The team's success this season led to the Vikings picking up a flurry of individual awards, including Etzkin being named Horizon League Men's Tennis Coach of the Year. Freshman Phil Orno captured first team All-Horizon League honors while junior Brad Groleski and freshman Ryan Hamning collected second team accolades.

CSU entered the Horizon League Championship seeded second and received a bye into the tournament semifinals. The Vikings lost to UIC, 4-2, Saturday but rebounded to win a 4-2 decision versus Wright State in Sunday's third place match.

Hamning led the team with a 28-11 singles record while sophomore Rob West finished 23-9. Orno was next with a 21-16 mark, followed by senior Dan Singer at 17-15. Hamning and Orno combined to lead the team with a 26-8 doubles record.

Women's Tennis Finishes Third At Horizon League Championship ...

The Cleveland State women's tennis team closed its season by winning two of three matches to place third at the Horizon League Championship. The Vikings finished 15-12, collecting the second most wins in school history. Last year's squad went 18-11.

"I'm very proud of the way we competed this season," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "We finished strong at the league tournament with two wins. I feel like we're getting closer to the top of our conference."

The Vikings split two matches on Saturday, shutting out UW-Milwaukee, 4-0, before losing to UIC by the same score. CSU defeated Detroit, 4-2, in Sunday's third place match.

Senior Sarah Galon etched her place in Cleveland State history by garnering first team All-Horizon League honors. Galon posted a 25-11 singles record this season, moving her career record to 79-48. Freshman Charlotte Gibbons was named second team All-Horizon League after finishing the season with a 20-13 record. Junior Jenn Myers, who went 7-0 against league opponents during the season, finished the year 18-8.

Golf Closes Season At Horizon League Championships...

The season comes to a close for the men's and women's golf teams with this week's Horizon League Championship. Held on Monday and Tuesday at Shaker Run Golf Club in Lebanon, Ohio, the men's field features seven teams with the Vikings attempting to defend their title. Sophomore Jake Scott leads the team with a 75.2 scoring average, while senior Ben Grandy is second at 75.6. The women's side features five teams, with CSU being led by sophomore Mallory Wyderka (84.9) and freshman Katie Broere (86.2).

"We've been building all spring towards these two days," head coach Brian Varsey said. "I think the men have a good chance to repeat, but we'll have to get good, solid performances from everyone in our line-up. Our ability to manage the course and make smart decisions will be crucial. For the women, this is part of the building process and I think we're playing some of our best golf of the year right now."

The men's squad was in action at pair of tournaments last week. The Vikings finished fifth at the Dayton Invitational (March 23-24) -- despite playing a man down due to injury. Scott came in seventh to post his fourth top 10 finish of the year, while Grandy earned his fifth straight top 15 finish by tying for 12th. CSU then finished 16th over the weekend at the Akron First Energy Intercollegiate, as Scott once again led the way by tying for 37th.

Viking High Fives

Sarah Galon - The women's tennis senior capped her illustrious career by being named first team All-Horizon League for the fourth straight year.

Softball -- After winning just four of the first 31 meetings with UIC, the Vikings have claimed seven of the last nine match-ups, including their first-ever sweep of the Flames last weekend.

Phil Orno - The Denmark native was rewarded for a fine freshman season, capturing first team All-Horizon League honors. He finished the season with a 21-16 singles record playing at the top of the lineup.

The Schedule Ahead For The Vikings

April 30 (Monday)
Golf at Horizon League Championship
Lebanon, OH

May 1 (Tuesday)
Softball hosts Robert Morris (2)
Viking Field, 3:00 p.m.

Baseball hosts Ohio University
Lorain, OH, 5:05 p.m.

Golf at Horizon League Championship
Lebanon, OH

May 2 (Wednesday)
Softball at Oakland (2)
Rochester, MI, 2:00 p.m.

Baseball at Duquesne
Pittsburgh, PA, 3:00 p.m.

May 4 (Friday)
Baseball at UW Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI, 7:00 p.m.

May 5 (Saturday)
Baseball at UW Milwakee (2)
Milwaukee, WI, 12:00 noon

Softball at Detroit (2)
Detroit, MI, 1:00 p.m.

May 6 (Sunday)
Softball at Detroit
Detroit, MI, 12:00 noon