April 26, 2005

Contact: Chris Urban

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Setting the Scene: The recent spell of winter weather will hopefully not be a factor in three CSU road games this week, as the Vikings are slated to play Duquesne on Wednesday (April 27) at 3:00 p.m. ET before heading to Notre Dame for a 7:05 p.m. ET game on Friday (April 29) and a 2:35 p.m. ET contest on Saturday (April 30). Cleveland State's home game with Toledo, scheduled for Tuesday (April 26), was cancelled due unplayable field conditions.

Previewing the Vikings: CSU got off to a fast start against UW-Milwaukee last weekend, scoring a 13-5 win in the opener on Friday (April 22) for their third straight victory. The CSU offense that averaged nearly 12 runs and 16 hits in their three wins was unable to provide enough for victories in the final three. No team has been able to cool off the bat of infielder Dominic Erney (.339, 27 RBI, 7 HR) , who was named the Horizon League Player of the Week after ripping nine hits, including four homers and two doubles, last week. Outfielder Mike Ochwat (.321, 27 H, 7 SB) has continued to be an offensive threat, collecting 15 hits during a nine-game hitting streak. Freshmen Steven Procner (1-1, 4.30 ERA) and Nathan Schaefer (1-1, 4.50 ERA) have been two of the strongest pitchers in their first full seasons with the Vikings, while senior Matt Kaltenbach (3-4, 4.78 ERA) anchors the staff. Head coach Jay Murphy is in his ninth season with the Vikings and holds a 168-292 record.

Previewing the Dukes: The Vikings hold a decisive 19-6 advantage over Duquesne since 1990, with CSU's last win coming in a 9-6 contest on April 15, 2003. CSU will meet Duquesne for the second time in Pittsburgh after CSU dropped a 6-3 contest at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio on April 6. Since then, the Dukes have gone 7-6 for a 13-22 record heading into a 3:00 p.m. game with Akron on Tuesday (April 26). The offense has been fueled by speed, as the Dukes have stolen 55 bases while hitting only 12 home runs. Meanwhile, the pitching staff touts a 6.62 ERA with only three regular pitchers under 5.00. Steve Maiolo (.348, 22 R, 47 H, 24 RBI, 6 SB) leads the team in batting average and RBI, while Bill Torre (.294, 17 R, 37 H, 15 RBI, 11 SB) paces the squad in steals. Head coach Mike Wilson is 240-354-1 in his 12th season with Duquesne.

Previewing the Fighting Irish: CSU scored one of its biggest wins in recent memory against No. 8 Notre Dame last season in a 12-5 victory, marking the first win in 13 tries for the program. This season, the Irish are 24-15-1 and will battle Manchester College on Wednesday (April 27) before welcoming Cleveland State to Frank Eck Stadium this weekend. Offensively, the team holds a .301 average with 31 home runs and 45 stolen bases. Twelve of the team's homers have come off the bat of Matt Edwards (.361, 41 R, 57 H, 53 RBI) who is slugging .671 with 106 total bases. Tom Thornton (5-4, 3.84 ERA, 65.2 IP, 29 SO, 16 BB) has been the top starting pitcher, limiting opponents to a .269 average. Paul Mainieri is in his 10th season at the helm of Notre Dame and holds a 474-185-2 mark with the school.

Ern-ing His Keep: Catcher/first baseman Dominic Erney certainly earned his spot in the middle of the Viking lineup this past week, as the senior has been one of the hottest bats in the Horizon League. Erney collected nine hits in the past six games, including four home runs and two doubles, while scoring seven runs and nine RBI. He currently leads the Vikings in hitting (.339), home runs (7), RBI (27), slugging percentage (.578) and total bases (63).

We're Going Streaking!: The Viking offense has been aided over the past two weeks by the consistent play of seniors Mike Ochwat and Ben Smith, with both players riding lengthy hitting streaks. Ochwat has recorded a hit in nine consecutive games, while Smith has found success in eight straight. During that time, Ochwat has boosted his average over 75 points (.245 to .321), while Smith has continued an upward trend from .231 to his current .253.

The End is Near: After playing 11 of the last 12 games away from home, the Vikings are close to ending a three week stretch of the schedule that has seen them criss-cross the state of Ohio with stops in Indiana, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Cleveland State's contest with Akron on April 19 at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio will have been the lone stop at home during that span after Tuesday's home game with Toledo was cancelled due to inclement weather. After stops in Pittsburgh and Notre Dame, CSU will be able to put away the luggage as 12 of the final 13 regular season games will be at home.

One Inning at a Time: Cleveland State has taken advantage of the big innings in their last five wins. The Vikings tallied five runs in the first inning against UW-Milwaukee on April 22 and a nine run second against IPFW on April 20 en route to a pair of 13 run wins. 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 few weeks 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 and Kelly diving 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 so far this season - 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 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 are poised to climb into the top five in the Cleveland State career charts in several categories:

Erney Jumps Up: A five-RBI day against IPFW on April 20 propelled him past Dale Horba, Mike Wintersellar and Brian Beaumier into sixth place all-time with 102 career RBI. Clint McCoon (122) is next while Mark Zofka (124) and Luis Martinez (127) are within striking distance. Meanwhile, a six-hit performance against UW-Milwaukee pushed Erney into fifth-place all-time with 207 hits, passing McCoon with 203.

Katlen Makes Up for Lost Time: After undergoing shoulder surgery early last season, Jeff Katlen has returned to the Viking lineup to post a .259 average in 21 starts in center field and three 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. He returned to the lineup in the home opener with Bowling Green and has continued to be a standout in the lineup, ranking fourth on the team with a .358 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 the April 15 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 highlight of the Vikings' home schedule gets underway on Tuesday (May 3) when CSU hosts Ohio for the annual Jacobs Field Game beginning at 6:00 p.m. Cleveland State then heads down I-71 to Columbus for a 12:00 p.m. contest with Ohio State on Wednesday (May 4).