May 25, 2004

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Cleveland State head coach Jay Murphy was named Horizon League co-Coach of the Year, with three Viking players garnering all-league honors as well at the league's annual awards banquet on Tuesday evening. Murphy, in his eighth season at Cleveland State, wins his first league award after leading the Vikings to the third seed in this weekend's Horizon League Championship.

Murphy shares the 2004 award with Wright State's Ron Nischwitz, who is in his 30th and final season coaching the Raiders. Murphy guided Cleveland State to third place in the league after the league's preseason poll had the Vikings picked for sixth.

Though the Vikings finished third in the Horizon League in 2004, Cleveland State was shut out of the league's first-team honors. Two Vikings, senior catcher Doug Besozzi and sophomore utilityman Gian Testa were both named to the league's second team. In addition, freshman outfielder Marc Sikora was named to the league's all-newcomer team.

The Vikings open the 2004 Horizon League Championship on Wednesday (May 26) when they take on the sixth-seeded Detroit Titans at 2:30 p.m. at Eastwood Field in Niles, Ohio.

2004 ALL-HORIZON LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM
First Team
C- Bryan Vickers, Wright State, JR
1B-Tim Poley, Detroit, SR
2B-Bryan Russo, UIC, JR
3B/P-Ben Stanczyk, UW-Milwaukee, JR
SS-Jordan DeVoir, UIC, SR
OF-Dale Mueller, Butler, SO
OF-Charlie Anderson, Detroit, SR
OF-Mike Hughes, UIC SR
DH-Andy Bulla, Butler, SO
UT-Justin Johnson, UIC, JR
P-Ryan Zink, UIC, FR

Second Team
C- Doug Besozzi, Cleveland State, JR
1B-Ross McCoy, UW-Milwaukee, FR
2B-Justin McKinley, Butler, SR
3B-Nelson Gord, UIC, SR
SS-Ross Oeder, Wright State, FR
OF-Matt Crews, Butler, SR
OF-Matt Alexander, UW-Milwaukee, SR
OF-Kendall Schlabach,Youngstown State, SR
DH-Brian Shoup, Wright State, FR
UT- Gian Testa, Cleveland State, SO
P-David Haehnel, UIC, JR
P-Justin Thomas, Youngstown State, SO

PLAYER-OF-THE-YEAR
Ben Stanczyk, UW-Milwaukee

PITCHER-OF-THE-YEAR
Ben Stanczyk, UW-Milwaukee

CO-COACHES-OF-THE-YEAR
Ron Nischwitz, Wright State
Jay Murphy, Cleveland State

2004 All-Newcomer Team
C- Joe Dempsey, Butler, FR
1B-Ross McCoy, UW-Milwaukee, FR
3B-Dan Biedenharn, Wright State, FR
SS-Ross Oeder, Wright State, FR
OF- Marc Sikora, Cleveland State, FR
OF-Charlie Anderson, Detroit, SR
OF-Ross Vagedes, Wright State, FR
INF-Kyle Crepeau, Detroit, SR
DH-Brian Shoup, Wright State, FR
UT-Justin Johnson, UIC. JR
P-Tom Szalewski, UIC, JR
P-Ryan Zink, UIC, FR

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Charlie Anderson, Detroit