CLEVELAND – After she helped secure the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the upcoming Horizon League Championships for Cleveland State, senior backstop Courtney Fernette was named the Horizon League's Softball Player of the Week, made official by league offices on Monday.

The Davis Junction, Ill. native powered the Vikes to a 2-1 weekend that clinched second place for CSU. Fernette hit a home run in all three games against Detroit Mercy as she went 3-for-9 (.333) with three homers, six RBI, three runs scored and two walks. 

She is now ranked in a tie for ninth in the conference for most home runs this year with six overall.

"Courtney stepped up big this weekend when the team needed it most," head coach Amy Kyler said. "She was focused on what she had to do and she got the job done in a big way."

It is the first Horizon League Player of the Week selection for the Vikings since Feb. 23, 2021. It is also the first weekly honor of Fernette's CSU career.

Fernette and Cleveland State will get their bags packed for the 2022 Horizon League Championships, set for Wednesday, May 11 – Saturday, May 14 at Youngstown State's YSU Softball Complex. The Vikings received a first-round bye and are slotted to play in their first game on Thursday, May 12 at 2:30 PM ET. The contest, like all games in the tournament, will be featured nationwide on ESPN+. 

It is the first time the Vikes have advanced to the conference championship tournament since 2016. 

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