May 5, 2005

Contact: Chris Urban

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Setting the Scene: Cleveland State resume its Horizon League slate this weekend with a four-game series against UIC at Forest Hill Park. The Vikings and Flames will play a 4:00 p.m. contest on Friday (May 6), a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday (May 7) and a 12:00 noon game on Sunday (May 8).

Time Change: The Friday contest against UIC was originally scheduled for 6:00 p.m. but was moved up two hours earlier this week.

Previewing the Vikings: Cleveland State is 9-27 overall and 2-10 in the Horizon League after dropping their last four games. CSU lost a 7-2 contest to Ohio at Jacobs Field on Tuesday (May 3) before Ohio State took advantage of nine Viking miscues to claim a 12-4 win in in Columbus. Senior outfielder Mike Ochwat (.324, 35 H, 8 SB) had his 13-game hitting streak come to an end against OSU, while senior shortstop Ben Smith (.275, 30 H, 5 2B) ended his 12-game streak. Senior catcher/first baseman Dominic Erney (.323, 42 H, 7 HR) remains the Vikings' top power threat with a .531 slugging percentage and 69 total bases. Senior right-hander Matt Kaltenbach (3-4, 4.92 ERA, 65.1 IP) is the Vikings' top starter, while junior righty Gary Ball (2-4, 4.20 ERA) and freshman righty Nathan Schaefer (1-2, 4.83 ERA) compliment the starting corps. Head coach Jay Murphy is in his ninth season with the Vikings and holds a 169-296 record.

Previewing the Flames: The Flames enter this weekend with a 25-17-1 overall mark and a 6-6 record in the Horizon League. UIC took three of four from Butler last weekend before picking up a 4-2 win over Illinois Tech on Tuesday. In addition to hitting .300 as a team, the Flames are aggressive on the base paths, swiping 81 stolen bases with four players stealing 10 or more. Larry Gempp is the team's top offensive threat, batting .355 with seven homers, 29 RBI, 12 stolen bases and a .587 slugging percentage. Despite having a combined 4.77 ERA, the pitching staff has been hit for a .309 opponent batting average for nearly six runs a game. Zach Peterson leads the team with a 7-1 record and a 3.56 ERA. Head coach Mike Dee is in his seventh season with UIC and holds a 221-156-1 career record. The Flames lead the all-time series versus the Vikings 48-37.

Cashing In: Prior to the Vikings' contest with Ohio at Jacobs Field on Tuesday, freshman infielder Bobby Cash was awarded the 27th annual Luke Easter-Wahoo Club Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship was established in September 1979 by the Wahoo Club, the Cleveland Indians' official baseball booster group, to honor the memory of Luke Easter, home run-hitting star of the Cleveland Indians from 1949-1954, who was killed on March 30,1979 while being robbed. The award is presented annually to the CSU baseball underclassman who exemplifies the spirit of Luke Easter through Leadership, Unselfish concern for his teammates, Keen loyalty and Enthusiasm for the game of baseball. Cash verified his enthusiasm for baseball just a few hours later, going 3-for-3 with a run scored against the Bobcats.

Ern-ing His Keep: Catcher/first baseman Dominic Erney certainly earned his spot in the middle of the Viking lineup, as the senior was one of the hottest bats in the Horizon League during the past month. Erney collected 27 hits, including all seven of his home runs, in 21 games during April. He currently leads the Vikings in home runs (7), RBI (28), slugging percentage (.531) and total bases (69).

The End is Here: After playing 14 of the last 15 games away from home through a 4-11 stretch, the Vikings are about ready to put away their luggage. Cleveland State's contest with Akron on April 19 at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio was the lone stop at home during that span after Tuesday's home game with Toledo was cancelled due to inclement weather. Wednesday's contest with Ohio State marked the final CSU regular season road game this year, as the Vikings will play their last 11 contests at home before heading to Indianapolis for the Horizon League Tournament.

Let's Play Two!: While doubleheaders are a common occurance in the Horizon League, Cleveland State will take part in a unique twin bill on May 17 at Classic Park in Eastlake. The Vikings will take on Purdue in a 12:00 noon contest before the Lake County Captains, the Single A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, will take on Greensboro beginning at 6:35 p.m. for the first college-professional doubleheader in school history.

All Good Things Come to an End: A pair of hitting streaks came to an end against Ohio State on Wednesday (May 4) as seniors Mike Ochwat and Ben Smith went hitless against the Buckeyes. Ochwat ended his streak at 13 games, tied for ninth-longest all time with Clint McCoon. Smith stopped at 12-straight games. Jeff Haase holds the longest hitting streak in Viking history when he hit in 33 straight games from March 24 to May 9 in the 2000 season.

One Inning at a Time: Cleveland State has taken advantage of the big innings in their last six 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 solidify a 13-3 win over the Zips at Canal Park. Wednesday at Duquesne, the Vikings used a four-run eighth inning to send the game to extra innings before taking the win in the 10th.

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:

Kaltenbach is Tied -- For Now: Matt Kaltenbach notched a pair of strikeouts in his first relief appearance of the season against Ohio on Tuesday (May 3) at Jacobs Field, giving him 219 career punch-outs. He is now tied for third in school history with Jim Rieke and Sean Powell, but with a scheduled start against UIC coming up on Friday, the mark shopuld be his outright before long. Second place is a ways off, however, as Dave Boyza rung-up 278 during his four-year career.

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 appearances (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.

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 and Darren Greene, have all been sidelined during the season 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.

Katlen Returns 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 celebrated 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: Cleveland State takes on Pittsburgh at Classic Park in Eastlake next Wednesday (May 11) beginning at 6:00 p.m. The Vikings will then have nearly a week off before their next contest - a doubleheader with the Lake County Captains at Classic Park in Eastlake - when they take on Purdue at 12:00 noon.