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Softball Ready For Busy Week
April 18, 2006 Contact: Alan Ashby Complete Release in PDF Format
Upcoming Games: Leading Off: After playing eight of its last nine contests on the road, second-place Cleveland State (21-9, 6-4 HL) is at home for five of its seven games this week. The Vikings will step out of the league on Tuesday (April 18) to host St. Francis in a doubleheader beginning at 4:00 p.m. at Viking Field. After a trip down to Athens on Thursday (April 20) for a pair of games against Ohio, CSU returns home to host Butler in a three game league series over the weekend. The teams will play a twin bill on Saturday (April 22), followed by a single game the next afternoon. Head Coach Julie Jones: In her 10th year at the helm of the Vikings, Julie Jones has directed Cleveland State to a 227-254-2 overall record (.472), including a 70-63 (.526) mark in Horizon League play. A member of the NCAA Regional Softball Committee and the winningest coach in school history, she has tutored 36 all-conference selections and three players who went on to play professionally during her tenure in Cleveland. The 1997 Midwestern Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year, she guided the Vikings to the league championship that season and to a berth in the NCAA Tournament. A 1992 graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College in nearby Berea, she was inducted into the Yellow Jacket Hall of Fame in 2003. While at B-W, she was an all-region selection, an all-conference pick both on the field and in the classroom and a four-year starter. Fast Out Of The Gates: At 21-9, the Vikings are in the midst of their best regular season since the 1997 team won 23 of its first 30 games on its way to claiming the Midwestern Collegiate Conference championship. The 1995 squad holds the mark for the best record after 30 games, posting a 24-6 record. Not so coincidentally, those two teams are the only ones in the history of the program to top the 30-win plateau for a season. ...And Fast On The Basepaths: Cleveland State leads the nation in stolen bases per game (2.19) in the latest NCAA statistics which include games through April 9. Nationally-ranked Alabama stands second at 2.08 per game. Individually, Grace Luginbuhl ranks 19th in sacrifices per game (0.36) and 30th in stolen bases per game (0.50). Balance Key To Success: One of the main reasons for Cleveland State's continued success this season has been its solid play in every facet of the game. Heading into the week, the Vikings lead the Horizon League in batting average (.284), ERA (2.33) and fielding percentage (.963). The steady performance has contributed heavily to the fact that CSU has dropped back-to-back games just twice this year (on March 14-15 at the Rebel Spring Games and at UW-Green Bay last weekend). Luginbuhl Garners League Award: For the second time this year, and the sixth time in her career, senior Grace Luginbuhl has been named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week. The Lima, Ohio native helped keep the Vikings in second place in the league, posting a 2-1 record and a 0.97 ERA in three complete-game efforts last week. She limited Youngstown State to just a first inning run while fanning six at Viking Field last Wednesday (April 12). On Friday (April 14) at UW-Green Bay, she was on the wrong end of a 2-1 loss in which she struck out five in 8.2 innings of work. Luginbuhl didn't leave anything to chance the next day against the Phoenix, hurling a one-hitter. She struck out four and walked just one en route to tossing her fourth shutout of the season. Vikings To Aid In Fight Against Breast Cancer: The softball squad is teaming up with the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Women's Law Students Association (WLSA) and the Cleveland Clinic to raise money for breast cancer research. WLSA will make a donation for every strikeout the Vikings record in the doubleheader against St. Francis on April 18. The funds will be donated to the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center to honor the group's advisor, Assistant Professor Kathleen Engel, who has been diagnosed with the disease. WLSA will seek donations at the gate in addition to selling special t-shirts. Members will also distribute information about breast cancer and self-exam kits to promote awareness of the disease. Hammer Time: At the midway point of the league schedule, Whitney Willard (.429 average), Michele Penney (.400), Michelle Nicholas (.391), Grace Luginbuhl (.389), Christa Coppus (.367) and J.J. Thornberry (.333) are destroying opposing pitching to the tune of a .386 combined average. The sextet is a big reason why the Vikings are in a second-place tie with Youngstown State, just a game-and-a-half behind UIC. Luginbuhl Leads The Way: Grace Luginbuhl is putting together another banner season for the Vikings, both in the circle and at the plate. Her 14 victories are five better than any other hurler in the Horizon League, and she also paces the league in innings (134.0), shutouts (4) and complete games (18) and is second in strikeouts (139). At the plate, she is hitting .351 overall and .389 in league play while posting a .415 on-base percentage and 12 stolen bases to rank second in the league. A Penney For Your Thoughts: Junior clean-up hitter Michele Penney is having the best year of her career at the plate. A .278 hitter her first two seasons, she currently ranks fourth in the league with a .359 average. The Ravenna, Ohio native also stands fifth in hits (33), second in doubles (8), third in triples (2) and ninth in runs scored (18). A .400 hitter in league play (12-for-30), she saw her team-high 10-game hitting streak come to an end in Saturday's first game at UW-Green Bay. Freshman Efficient Offensively: Though only a freshman, Christa Coppus has been solid in the number three spot in the line-up for the Vikings. A .326 hitter, she ranks among the league leaders in seven of 12 offensive categories. She has shown an impressive eye at the plate, drawing 11 walks while fanning just 10 times in 86 at-bats. The Tiffin, Ohio native has stepped up her play in league action, hitting .367 with seven RBI. Where There's A Willard, There's A Way: Sophomore designated player Whitney Willard almost redshirted this year following off-season shoulder surgery. It's safe to say it's a good thing she didn't. The Nova, Ohio native leads the Vikings in league play with a .429 average (12-for-28) and is hitting .520 (13-for-25) during her current eight-game hitting streak. She has five multi-hit contests during the run and is 10-for-11 on the year in stolen bases. Milosek Breaks Out: Junior Sarah Milosek entered the March 28 doubleheader at Robert Morris with four RBI in 67 career at-bats. Just a few hours later, that total was significantly higher, as the Brighton, Mich. native went 5-for-6 with two doubles, a pair of home runs and eight RBI. She is hitting .320 on the year and ranks third on the team with 16 RBI. Swierz Comes Up Big: With three seniors on the staff, Christina Swierz has been the odd pitcher out this season. However, the Amherst, Ohio native made her first appearance in the circle this year one to remember. The sophomore hurler gave up just an unearned run in 4.1 innings in relief on April 1 as the Vikings rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to claim the second game of a doubleheader from UIC. Nicholas Raining Hits In April: It took about a month, but it appears that Michelle Nicholas is back to the form that made her one of the Vikings' most dangerous hitters two seasons ago. The Perrysburg, Ohio native hit just .087 in March (2-for-23), but has rebounded in a big way with an 11-for-27 performance so far in April (.407) to raise her season average to .260. Get Ahead, Stay Ahead: Cleveland State has been quick out of the blocks offensively this season. The Vikings have scored first in 21 of 30 games, including 14 times in their first at-bat. That early production led to CSU playing its first 24 games without being shut out, the longest streak to open a season in school history. Dating back to last year, the Vikings had scored in 59 consecutive contests before an 11-0 loss at Loyola on April 8. Senior Hurlers Dominate Opposition: Seniors Grace Luginbuhl (14-5, 2.35 ERA) and Kortney Spidell (5-3, 1.84 ERA) have combined to give opposing hitters fits, as opponents are hitting just .228 (157-for-690) against the duo. The futility at the plate is a big reason why the pair has allowed the opposition to score more than three runs just six times in 29 starts. Grand Larceny: Cleveland State has been a force on the basepaths thus far, swiping 63 of its 75 attempts (84.0%), while its opponents are a meager 16-for-26 (61.5%). The Vikings stole 15 in a row over their last four games in Florida. Senior Grace Luginbuhl is the team leader with 12 thefts, while Whitney Willard (10), Shannon Graves (9) and Christa Coppus (8) follow closely behind. New Position? No Problem: J.J. Thornberry's first seven weeks behind the plate has gone exceptionally well. The senior from New Bloomington, Ohio has a lot of experience on the other half of the battery, making 59 career appearances in the circle, but had never played catcher until the season-opener. In 30 games, she is hitting .325 (25-for-77) with four home runs and 13 RBI, while leading the team in slugging (.558) and on-base percentage (.447). CSU's pitching staff seems to like throwing to her as well, as opposing hitters have put together just a .231 average, while she has also gunned down 10 of 26 potential base stealers (38.4%). Old Hat: Cleveland State may have just two fielders playing in the same defensive spot as last season (excluding pitchers), but the new look certainly hasn't been an issue, as the Vikings have made just 33 errors in 896 chances for a .963 fielding percentage -- good for first in the league. Even the left side of the infield, which is comprised of freshmen Christa Coppus at short and Amanda Houchin at third, has been steady, committing just 12 miscues in 202 chances -- a .941 mark. CSU posted a .941 fielding percentage in 2005. Singles Club: Senior outfielder/DP Shannon Graves has been a solid contributor at the plate the past two-plus seasons, posting a .268 average from the number two spot in the line-up. A true slap-hitter, all 97 of the Medina, Ohio native's hits have been singles. However, she has turned many of those into two-base hits with 42 career stolen bases -- including a nearly perfect 15-for-16 mark in 2005. Putting In Overtime: Prior to March 28, the Vikings had gone 14 games without having to go extra innings. However, in order to cap off its rally from an 8-0 deficit after three innings, Cleveland State pushed things into the eighth inning en route to topping Robert Morris in game one. The next day against Akron, the Vikings and Zips went 10 innings before CSU claimed the 2-1 victory with a walk-off walk. Vikings Corral League Honors: In the first month of play, Cleveland State had three players receive a total of four of the Horizon League's weekly awards. Kortney Spidell earned pitcher of the week honors on March 7 and 14, Michele Penney was named the player of the week on March 7 and Grace Luginbuhl garnered pitcher of the week accolades on March 21. Here's a recap of their outstanding performances:
Honorary Title: The reigning Horizon League Pitcher of the Year, Grace Luginbuhl could have also been named the baserunner of the year for going a perfect 15-for-15 in stolen base attempts. Her streak of 39 consecutive stolen bases, which dated back to April 15, 2003, came to an end in the fourth inning of the March 4 title game at the Eastern Kentucky Invitational. She is now 59-for-65 on her career -- a 91 percent success rate. Academic Excellence: The Cleveland State softball team excelled not only on the field last year but in the classroom as well. The Vikings were ranked in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Academic Division I top 20 for the 2004-05 school year, finishing third with a team GPA of 3.533, marking the 13th consecutive year that CSU has been ranked in the top 20. Last season was CSU's fourth top 10 finish, joining the 2004 (8th), 2002 (8th) and 1995 (5th) squads. Senior pitcher Grace Luginbuhl has earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors each of the last two years. Spidell, Luginbuhl Climbing Career Charts: Seniors Kortney Spidell and Grace Luginbuhl are very prominent in the Cleveland State career pitching charts. While neither will probably catch Amy Kyler in any category, the two will certainly go down among the best in school history. Here's a look at where they stand: She's A Winner: Head coach Julie Jones has nearly half of the program's 460 all-time victories (49.3 percent) despite coaching just over a third of the 28 seasons. The winningest coach in Cleveland State history, Jones collected her 200th victory last year and stands 227-254-2 in 10 seasons at the helm of the Vikings. Up Next: Cleveland State has seven games scheduled for the second straight week, although the Vikings will be on the road for the majority of next week. CSU will travel to Youngstown on Tuesday (April 25) to complete the season series with the Penguins. Following a twin bill the next day at home with Toledo, the Vikings will head to Fairborn for a three-game set with Wright State on April 29-30.
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