Softball Preview, Part 8: Cleveland State

Feb. 7, 2008

To say that second year Viking softball coach Angie Nicholson is ready for the 2008 season to start is an understatement. She's been ready since the last out of the 2007 Horizon League Championship game, the one that saw the Vikings leave Viking Field disappointed with only the second place trophy.

She is often noted for saying, "Don't tell me what you are going to do. Show me." The 2008 season will be time for Viking' actions to speak louder than words.

Nicholson knows that if CSU wants to improve on last year's second place regular season finish and 33-14 overall record, they are going to have to earn it.

Despite being picked to finish fourth in the Horizon League this year in the preseason coach's poll, Nicholson and the Vikings are undaunted.

"Preseason awards are based on guesses of what you will be," Nicholson said. "Postseason awards are determined by what you have done."

"I understand the reason we were picked fourth is because the three schools ahead of us (Loyola, UIC & Wright State) have each shown over the past couple of years that they are capable of winning the league."

From a quick glance, the Vikings return eight of the 10 starters from last year's team that won more than 30 games for only the third time in program history. CSU went 33-14 overall and finished tied for second in league play with an 8-6 record that included a perfect 6-0 mark on the road.

Add to the mix the addition of nine first year players, and the Vikings potentially have their deepest and most-talented lineup ever.

"I can't help but get excited about this season," Nicholson said. "We have a great group of veterans that the team is built around and the newcomers have stepped in and filled some problems that we had in the lineup last year.

"The results so far have been outstanding. We had an awesome fall. We played some very good teams and hit the ball very hard against them. I couldn't have asked for more out of them.

"If championship teams are built up the middle (catcher, pitcher, SS, 2B & CF), then I see good things ahead for us because our best players are at those positions," Nicholson added.

Improved Depth To Help Pitching Staff
In Nicholson's eyes, more will be less on the pitching staff as the addition of two quality freshmen will help sophomore Amanda Macenko to be a better pitcher.

A second team all-league selection as a freshman, Macenko went 26-10 with a 1.79 ERA, setting school season marks for wins, appearances (41) and innings pitched (227.1). She was also second all-time in game started (31) and seventh in strikeouts (153).

Taxed at times as a freshman because of overwork on a pitching-thin squad, Macenko will be called on to pitch less innings this season, allowing her to maintain her strength throughout the year.

"Amanda is without a doubt one of the top pitchers in the league this year," Nicholson said. "We've worked on fine-tuning some facets of her delivery that should make her more effective but most importantly, she has a little more support around her on the pitching staff which should help her immensely."

Joining Macenko on the staff are freshmen Brittany Bate and Kala Allred.

Bate, a native of Grosse Point Woods, Mich., was 24-1 with a 0.15 ERA and 312 strikeouts in 186 innings pitched as a junior. She also hit .406 with 20 runs scored and 20 RBI.

Allred, a native of Spirit Lakes, Idaho, was one of the top pitchers in Idaho last year, posting a 22-6 record and 0.67 ERA, striking out 294 in 177.1 innings pitched. She threw four no-hitters and two perfect games. She owned a 58-16 record with a 0.81 ERA for her career, striking out 695 in 545 innings of action.

"Brittany is a little ahead of Kala right now but I expect that both will see time in the rotation," Nicholson said.

All-League Double-Play Combo Leads Infield
With the first team all-league duo of shortstop Christa Coppus (.405, 27 runs, 30 RBI) and Amanda Houchin (.383, 20, 29) at second base returning, the Viking offense should be strong once again this year.

The lone loss comes at first base where Sarah Milosek has graduated, leaving the trio of juniors Lia Gordon and Haley Keller and freshman Katelyn Ciminelli to share the position in the lineup.

Gordon, who was primarily used at DP last year, is the most-proven of the three offensively, hitting .297 last season. Her versatility will permit her to also play in the outfield.

Keller, who is the returning starter at catcher, is expected to see time at first base when she isn't catching. She started every game last year, hitting .300 with 18 runs scored and 14 RBI.

Ciminelli, a native of St. Clair Shores, Mich., is the leading candidate to claim the spot after hitting .600 with 47 runs scored, five home runs, 51 RBI and a .690 on-base percentage as a high school junior.

Houchin, who has started all 99 games she has played in during her Viking career, made the transition from third base to second last year and immediately stood out. After hitting .100 as a freshman, she improved to a stunning .383 last year to rank seventh in the Horizon League.

Coppus has been the anchor of the infield the last two seasons, earning second team all-league honors as a freshman two seasons ago and first team honors last year, starting all 100 games during that span. She was fourth in the league a year ago, batting .405, the third-highest single season average in Viking history.

The Vikings will have a new starter at third base as junior Natalie DeMatteis takes over at the hot corner. A transfer from Mercyhurst North East, she set school records for career hits (107), runs (73), doubles (29) and batting average (.532) in her two seasons, finishing fifth in school annals in RBIs (54) and seventh in at-bats (201), striking out just five times during her career.

"Even though we will probably have two new starters in the infield this year, I believe that we have strengthened our lineup considerably and improved on some area of concerns from last year," Nicholson said. "Natalie (DeMatteis) is going to be a special player here because she does so many things so smoothly. She's fun to watch."

Depth should not be an issue as Nicholson has reserves ready to go at every position. Danielle Young or Lia Gordon, who started in right field and at DP a year ago, respectively, are each capable of playing at first base with Tara Meyer, who started 32 games at third base last year, backing Houchin up at second. Amanda Kern and DeMatteis are the likely candidates to play behind Coppus at shortstop with freshman Shalyn Adams backing upo at third base.

Duo To Share Catching Duties
Catcher is another position where more will be less for the Vikings.

Junior Haley Keller returns after starting every game a year ago but she will share the playing time with freshman Amy Powell. When not behind the plater, Keller will see time at first base and Powell may be used as the designated player.

"It's hard to ask one catcher to play every inning, but that's what we had last year," Nicholson said. "By rotating two catchers, we should be able to get more production from them, especially in league play, because they won't wear down because of the demands of the position."

Keller was solid offensively, finishing the year with a .300 batting average. She picked off five runners during the year and threw out 17of the 53 runners attempting to steal.

Powell joins the program after earning Gatorade All-America honors as a high school junior. She hit .404 with 34 RBI, a .688 slugging percentage and a .582 on-base percentage.

Two Starters Return In The Outfield
The Vikings have an oddity in the outfield where, despite losing second team all-league centerfielder Michele Penney, CSU returns three experienced starters who combined to start 116 times last year.

Sophomore Jessica Burt moves from left field to center to replace Penney while senior Whitney Willard is expected to start in left field and Danielle Young in right. Add to the mix freshmen Andrea Nagy, Jaci Messmer and Christina Stoffer, who are each capable of playing either of the corner spots, and Nicholson has a unit that features both speed and defense in the field while providing a punch at the plate.

"I like the grouping that we have in the outfield right now," Nicholson said. "They worked well together during the fall which should carry over to the season."

After starting the majority of last season in left field, Burt will have the biggest adjustment to make. She played in and started 43 of the 47 contests last season, hitting .297 with 21 runs scored and 19 RBI.

The return of Willard, who missed the last 16 games after suffering a concussion vs. Loyola, should bolster the offense. She batted .371 with 27 runs scored, six RBI and 27 stolen bases from the lead off position.

Burt, who also saw significant action as DP a year ago, excelled in her outfield starts, emerging during the fall as the replacement for Penney in center. She hit .297 with 21 runs and 19 RBI in 43 games last year.

Young returns as the starter in right after hitting .297 with 16 runs and 22 RBI in 45 games, though it is possible that she could also see spot duty at first base.

Nagy is the leading candidate to break into the lineup among the newcomers, entering the year as the fourth outfielder. She set a school record with 48 hits as a high school junior, hitting 449 to earn all-league honors for the fourth straight year.

Versatility Exists At DP & Utility Spots
The depth of the Viking roster this season creates an opportunity for Nicholson to field several different lineup combinations, ultimately leaving the DP spot in the batting order open depending on who is playing where in the field that game.

Lia Gordon was the primary DP last season, hitting .327 while starting 18 games, though Burt, Tara Meyer, Erica Remshard and Amanda Kern each started at one point or another last year in the spot. Each could see time there again this year with newcomers Katelyn Ciminelli, Christina Stoffer and Jaci Messmer also possibly filling the role.

"We are going to hit the ball well this year," Nicholson said. "From the top of the roster to the bottom, one thing that each of our players have in common are strong offensive numbers. That means that on any given day, four or five players will be available to fill the DP slot. That will just make us better as a team.

Schedule Offers Variety
The early season schedule will offer a challenge to the Vikings as CSU are scheduled to play a minimum of 21 games in the first 32 days of the schedule, all away from home against as many as 19 different opponents.

The Vikings open the schedule against James Madison, Niagara, Maryland-Baltimore Country and Central Michigan in at a tournament at UNC-Greensboro (Feb. 15-17) before traveling to Richmond, Ky. for games against Dayton, Appalachian State and host Eastern Kentucky at the EKU Tourney (March 1-2).

The annual trip to the Rebel Spring Games in Orlando, Fla. over spring break (March 9-15) offers CSU 12 games over a seven-day span that will not only afford Nicholson an opportunity to play the entire roster, but in the process, get the Vikings ready for the northern portion of the schedule.

After a doubleheader on March 25 at Eastern Michigan, CSU plays 21 of its final 36 regular season games at home. The home opener will also serve as the Horizon League opener as Wright State visits Viking Field for a three-game series on March 29-30.

The 22-game Horizon League slate features three-game series at home against Butler, Wright State and Valparaiso, road series at Green Bay, UIC and Loyola, a home doubleheader vs. Detroit and road doubleheader at Youngstown State. In between, CSU will play doubleheaders at Robert Morris and Niagara and host Oakland, St. Francis (PA), IPFW and Kent State.

--Story provided by the Cleveland State office of sports information