April 21, 2005

Contact: Chris Urban

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Setting the Scene: Cleveland State continues Horizon League play this weekend at UW-MIlwaukee with a 4:00 p.m. ET game on Friday (April 22), a 2:00 p.m. ET doubleheader on Saturday (April 23) and a 1:00 p.m. ET game on Sunday (April 24) at Henry Aaron Field. Friday's game has been moved up from a scheduled 7:00 p.m. ET start time due to threatening weather in the area.

Previewing the Vikings: Things have turned for the better for Cleveland State this past week, as the Vikings claimed strong victories over non-conference opponents Akron (April 19) and IPFW (April 20). CSU sprung to life offensively in both games, tallying a combined 22 runs on 30 hits while starting pitchers Nathan Schaefer (1-0, 4.42 ERA, 18.1 IP, 11 SO, 11 BB) and Matt Kaltenbach (3-3, 3.88 ERA, 53.1 IP, 34 SO, 10 BB) held the opposing bats in check. Infielder Dominic Erney (.326, 14 R, 31 H, 24 RBI, 5 HR) is the team's top hitter, while outfielder Mike Ochwat (.309, 10 R, 21 H, 6 RBI, 5 SB) has been the hottest offensive threat of late, raising his average 64 points in the past week thanks to a five-game hitting streak. Lefty Steven Procner (1-1, 4.57 ERA, 21.2 IP, 19 SO, 12 BB) and righty Gary Ball (0-4, 5.08 ERA, 28.1 IP, 15 SO, 10 BB) have supplemented the starting rotation. Head coach Jay Murphy is in his ninth season with the Vikings and holds a 163-289 record.

Previewing the Panthers: UW-Milwaukee touts a 14-17 overall record and a 5-3 mark in the Horizon League heading into this weekend. The Panthers dropped a pair of doubleheader contests to Creighton on Wednesday (April 20), falling 3-2 in the opener and 9-1 in the finale. After opening the conference season going three-for-four against Butler (April 8-10) before splitting four games at UIC last weekend (April 15-17). The Panthers are batting .283 as a team with 29 home runs and 33 stolen bases. Zak Rivera (.359, 17 R, 23 H, 14 RBI, 4 HR) and Joe Nowicki (.355, 17 R, 27 H, 18 RBI, 5 HR) have been two of the team's best hitters, slugging .672 and .632, respectively. Mike Goetz (.361, 24 R, 39 H, 15 RBI) leads the team in batting and steals (8). The pitching staff has been somewhat of a question mark, with a 6.42 ERA thanks in part to yielding nearly four walks per game. Each of the Panthers four regular starter tout an ERA above 5.00, with Rick Cavaiani holding a 5.08 ERA. UW-Milwaukee is led by Jerry Augustine, who is 303-258-1 in his 11th season.

One Inning at a Time: One inning was all it took for the Vikings to secure their last four wins. Against IPFW on Wednesday (April 20), CSU jumped on the Mastodons for nine runs on nine hits in the second inning and came away with a 13-9 victory. The day before (April 19), a five-run sixth inning did in the Zips in a 9-6 game, while CSU used a five-run ninth on April 10 to come from behind against Youngstown State for a 9-8 win. In the Vikings' first meeting with Akron on April 5, CSU used a six-run eighth to solidfy a 13-3 win over the Zips at Canal Park.

Missing in Action: The injury bug has been overstaying its welcome with the Vikings this season. Right-hander Gian Testa, along with infielders Ben Smith, Brian Lombardi and Darren Greene have all been sidelined during the past week with ailments. Outfielder/right-handed pitcher Jeff Katlen made his return to the lineup for the first time in over a year when he suited up for the first week of the season before a case of pneumonia kicked him to the bench for three weeks. Additionally, Marc Sikora and Kolin Kelly have narrowly dodged the injury bug, with Sikora being hit in the face by a pitch on April 15 against Wright State before Kelly dove head-first into a chain link fence in pursuit of a foul ball on April 17.

The Ben Smith Experiment: A sore shoulder cost shortstop Ben Smith five starts last week, two more than he has missed during the previous three seasons, and limited him to a reserve role against Youngstown State. After three successful pinch-hitting apearances (3-for-3), he returned to the starting lineup against Wright State on April 15, but started on the opposite side of the infield at second base to provide him with a shorter throw to first. The experiment did not last long, however, as Smith returned to his natural position in the following day. Smith took a break from the starting nine only once in both 2003 and 2004 after starting in all 52 games his freshman year in 2002.

Record Watch: Viking seniors Dominic Erney and Matt Kaltenbach, along with junior Gian Testa, are poised to climb into the top five in the Cleveland State career charts in several categories:

Erney Jumps Into Sixth: A five-RBI day against IPFW on Wednesday (April 20) propelled him past Dale Horba, Mike Wintersellar and Brian Beaumier into sixth place all-time in career RBI output with 102. Clint McCoon (122) is next while Mark Zofka (124) and Luis Martinez (127) are within striking distance.

Sikora Kicks It Up a Notch: Right-fielder Marc Sikora has cooled off of late, but he was one of the hottest players in the league a week ago. After collecting just two hits in his first seven games (.094), the sophomore rapped out 18 hits in 11 contests, including seven multi-hit games and a game-tying grand slam against Youngstown State, to push his average to its highest at .305 heading into last weekend's Wright State series before being held to one hit in four games. He has shown signs of returning to form, however, collecting three hits in the last two games to move to a .275 average on the season.

Katlen Makes Up for Lost Time: After undergoing shoulder surgery last season, Jeff Katlen has returned to the Viking lineup for the first time in over a year to post a .267 average in 17 starts in center field and two on the mound. After opening up with a 6-for-8 performance against Cincinnati, Katlen's luck seemed to run short as he missed the next three series with pneumonia. The CSU center fielder returned to the lineup in the home opener with Bowling Green and has continued to be a standout in the lineup, ripping his first home run of the season against IPFW and notching a team third-best .371 slugging percentage.

...And Makes His Return to the Mound: It had been over three years since Jeff Katlen toed the rubber in a college baseball game, but against Kent State on April 13, the Lyndhurst, Ohio native was the starting pitcher for the first time since Feb. 24, 2002. After working through trouble in first, Katlen yielded only two hits over the next three innings while striking out four against the Golden Flashes. It was a far superior outing compared to his last time on the mound when he allowed five runs in 1.1 innings in a start against Charlotte.

Hall of Famer Brian Donohew: Viking assistant coach Brian Donohew was absent from Friday night's game at Wright State while being honored as an inductee into the Georgetown (Ky.) College Athletics Hall of Fame. As a shortstop, outfielder and pitcher with the Tigers, Donohew was named the 1988 Area 7 MVP while helping the team to a fifth-place finish in their first and only NAIA World Series appearance. He led the team with a .392 average as a freshman and was an all-district performer in 1990 and 1991.

Eastlake Ballpark Gets A Name: After just two seasons, the home of the Lake County Captains has become a "Classic." The Lake County Captains and Classic Automotive Group announced a landmark, 15-year partnership on April 11 that includes naming-rights to the 7,200-seat stadium. Formerly known as Eastlake Ballpark, the facility is now known as Classic Park.

Forest Hill Hosts Vikings Again: Cleveland State returns to Forest Hill Park in East Cleveland for the second season this year. Forest Hill Park, which is shared by the cities of Cleveland Heights and East Cleveland, occupies 235 acres of green space east of downtown Cleveland. The land the park sits on was originally donated to the cities by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., in 1938. The park, while not located on campus, is a much closer venue than Memorial Field in Euclid, the home of the Vikings for the eight seasons prior to 2004.

...While Two Others Add a Professional Touch: Cleveland State has always benefited from a strong relationship with professional baseball, and this season is no different as the Vikings will host games at both Jacobs Field and Classic Park. CSU will celebrate a decade of baseball at the home of the Cleveland Indians with the annual Jacobs Field game under the lights on May 3 against Ohio University. The Vikings will also play seven games at the home of the Lake County Captains, the Cleveland Indians' single-A affiliate. CSU welcomed Horizon League foe Youngstown State for three games on April 8-9 and will host the school's first-ever college-professional double-header on May 17, when the Vikings take on Purdue at 12:00 noon before the Captains battle Greensboro at 6:35 p.m.

Next Up: The Vikings will attempt to get their Horizon League season back on track this weekend at UW-Milwaukee when the Panthers host CSU in a 7:00 p.m. ET game on Friday (April 22), a 2:00 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday (April 23) and 1:00 p.m. contest on Sunday (April 23) at Henry Aaron Field.