Cleveland State vs. Oklahoma
NCAA Norman Regional
Love's Field - Norman, OK
8:00 p.m. EST, ESPNU
Cleveland State Game Notes | Oklahoma Game Notes
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State Softball team earned a berth in the NCAA Norman Regional, the third appearance for the program in the NCAA Tournament. The Vikings won the Horizon League Tournament this past weekend with a victory over Northern Kentucky. Cleveland State is making its first tournament appearance since 2009. The Vikings will take on the Oklahoma Sooners in the opening round of the regional. Oklahoma is the no. 2 national seed and has won seven national championships, including the last three in a row.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/OKLAHOMA SERIES
Friday's game marks the first ever meeting between Cleveland State and Oklahoma. The Sooners are playing a team from the Horizon League for the first time this season.
CLEVELAND STATE EARNS HORIZON LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP WITH WIN OVER NKU
Cleveland State defeated Northern Kentucky on Sunday in the second game of the day to win the Horizon League Championship for the first time in 15 years. The Vikings won the winner's bracket and needed one victory on the final day of the tournament to clinch the tournament title. Cleveland State won 6-1 thanks to a five-run fifth inning which featured clutch hits from Brooke Albaugh with a two-RBI triple and Tournament MVP Melissa Holzopfel who provided a two-run home run that capped the rally. The Vikings fell in the first game of the day 5-4 as a late NKU run in the seventh inning pushed the Norse to victory. Cleveland State had runners at second and third in the bottom of the seventh but could not push a run across, forcing the deciding second game of the championship final.
CLEVELAND STATE IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Cleveland State has appeared in the NCAA Tournament twice in prior years in program history. The Vikings last appeared in the tournament in 2009. Cleveland State fell to Notre Dame and Miami(OH) in the regional round. The first tournament appearance for the program came in 1997. That year the Vikings fell to Michigan and Michigan State in the regional round. Cleveland State has yet to win an NCAA Tournament game in the history of the program.
FIVE STUDENT-ATHLETES NAMED TO #HLSB ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Cleveland State was well-represented on the Horizon League Softball All-Tournament Team. Brooke Albaugh, Becky Hurosky, Kylie Gorsuch, and Kiera Frascone all earned spots on the team, with Melissa Holzopfel taking home Tournament MVP honors. Albaugh led the way offensively for the Vikings in the tournament hitting .389 with seven hits, three of which went for extra bases, and four RBI. Frascone finished the tournament with a .375 average collecting six hits and recording at least one hit in every game of the tournament. Gorsuch hit .333 with two doubles and one RBI, and was the anchor for CSU behind the plate. Hurosky hit .294 with five hits and led the team with six RBI, including the game-winning hit in the Vikings' 12-inning win over no. 2 seed Oakland on Friday.
HOLZOPFEL WINS #HLSB TOURNAMENT MVP AWARD
Melissa Holzopfel was named the 2024 Horizon League Softball Tournament MVP after a standout performance in the pitching circle and at the plate for Cleveland State. The junior pitched all 40 innings of the tournament for CSU, allowing just five earned runs for a 1.12 ERA. She totaled 35 strikeouts against just 12 walks and opponents batted .200 aganst her for the week. Holzopfel was also strong at the plate throughout the tournament hitting .294 with five hits including a home run and four RBI.
FOUR STUDENT-ATHLETES NAMED TO #HLSB ALl-LEAGUE TEAMS
Cleveland State was well represented on the Horizon League Postseason all-league teams. Melissa Holzopfel and Brooke Albaugh were named to the first team with Becky Hurosky and Emma Gilkerson named to the second team. Holzopfel became the first player in league history to be named to the first team as both a pitcher and a position player. Albaugh batted .402 in league play which was the eighth-best average among eligible players. Hurosky batted .385 and Gilkerson hit .391 to land on the second team.
DEANG AND ALBAUGH NAMED TO #HLSB ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Jenna Deang and Brooke Albaugh were named to the Horizon League Softball All-Academic team. They represent two of 15 student-athletes honored by the Horizon League for their efforts in the classroom and on the field. Deang earns All-Academic recognition for the third consecutive year. She carries a 3.9 GPA as a Marketing major and was recently named the Valedictorian for Cleveland State's Monte Ahuja College of Business. Albaugh earns All-Academic recognition for the first time as she holds a 3.97 GPA as a Health Science Pre-PA major.
UP NEXT
The NCAA Norman Regional continues on Saturday with three games scheduled. The winners of the first round games between Cleveland State and Oklahoma as well as Oregon and Boston University will meet in the winner's bracket game on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. EST. The two losing teams will play an elimination game at 5:30 p.m. EST. The third and final game on Saturday will pit the loser of the winner's bracket game against the winner of the elimination game. The winner of the final game advances to Sunday's regional final.
