Preseason Spotlight on the CSU Vikings Baseball Team

Feb. 17, 2005

Cleveland State head coach Jay Murphy has the Horizon League Championship on
his mind.  It's safe to say that the thought of a league title is bouncing
around in his head every year, but this season's squad, combining a balanced
mix of pitching, hitting and defense, has everyone on the Vikings thinking
about a trip to an NCAA Regional in May.

"Our goal is to be in a position on the last day of the season to come away
with a league championship," Murphy said.  "It's that simple.  To get that
point, we need to practice and play well every day during the season, to
compete and improve in all aspects of the game and, at the end of the day,
come away with wins."

CSU is coming off of a campaign that saw them go 11-12 in the Horizon
League, finishing third in the regular season and second in the league
tournament after topping 2003 champion UIC to advance to the championship
game.  The Vikings will return three of their four starting pitchers from
last year that recorded a league second-best 4.87 ERA and posted an
outstanding 1.9 strikeouts-to-walks ratio (350 to 189).  Additionally, the
batting order will feature starters who, in 2004, accounted for 73 percent
of the hits and 74 percent of the runs.

The Roster



When going down the Cleveland State roster, the one thing that stands out
above all else is the depth at each position.  Murphy has built up the CSU
roster with 11 newcomers, including nine freshmen.  While the lineup appears
to be young, the Vikings will be guided by six seniors and six juniors who
will see the majority of the playing time throughout the season.

The strongest facet of the Vikings this season will be its pitching.  Last
year's staff featured five pitchers in the top 20 in the league in ERA with
40 or more innings pitched, or a quarter of the seven-team league's best
pitchers.  Four of those pitchers return this season to anchor the starting
rotation.

Senior right-hander Matt Kaltenbach will be the Vikings' number one starter
for the third straight year after tossing 88.0 solid innings a season ago. 
At 6-3, 195, Kaltenbach is a workhorse who can pitch deep into ballgames and
uses devastating slider to offset his high-80's fastball.  Junior Gary Ball
will use his extensive repertoire of pitches to baffle hitters as the second
starter.  The righty allowed only 51 hits in 59.2 innings of work last year.

After serving as the Vikings' closer for the past two seasons, junior
right-hander Gian Testa moves to the three-hole in the starting rotation
this season.  In 47.2 innings of work in 2004, Testa went a spotless 3-0
with a 3.78 ERA and 54 strikeouts.  Senior Mike Ochwat will figure in as the
left-handed option after splitting time between starts and the bullpen last
year.  Ochwat's 1.70 ERA was best in the league for pitchers with over 10
innings, as he went 3-2 in 47.2 innings of work.

Redshirt sophomore Brandon Hewitt served as the first left-hander out of the
bullpen last season and could continue to fill that role in addition to
earning some starts, while redshirt senior Jeff Katlen could also get the
start during mid-week games.  Hewitt tallied a 3.44 ERA in 36.2 innings of
work, including 5.0 innings against Detroit in his only start.  Katlen, who
sat out last season due to shoulder surgery, saw limited time on the mound
in 2002, striking out one in 1.1 innings.

Senior Jimmy Gulden likely will be the key right-hander out of the bullpen,
coming off of an injury that limited him to 19.0 innings last season. 
Additionally, the Vikings will see contributions from right-handers Jason
Bartnicki, Carmen DeChristofaro and Nathan Schaeffer, while balancing out
the southpaw options with Ryan Dukovich, Vasili Pahoulis and Stephen
Procner.

CSU will have three options to close games.  Testa, the Vikings' closer last
season, may also finish games this season when not starting.  With 13 saves
to his credit in two seasons, Testa is tied for second in school history and
needs only seven to pass career-leader Mickey Moses (19).  After sitting out
last season, Kolin Kelly will provide a lefty option at the back end of the
pen.  In 2003, he recorded nine strikeouts in 11.0 innings, mostly out of
the bullpen.  Darren Greene could also see time as closer in his first
collegiate season.

Last season's infield corps will remain largely intact this year with the
addition of three prominent newcomers.

The Vikings' top hitter last season, junior Steve Chinn will find himself
playing largely at third base with occasional stints at second.  He paced
CSU with a .335 average, 27 RBI and 27 runs scored and will likely bat
towards the front of the lineup.  Senior Ben Smith provided the Vikings with
some pop in the lineup last year with a team-best five homeruns while
batting a career-high .283.  A three-year starter at shortstop, Smith will
again be looked upon for his defense and leadership skills in the field.

CSU will use a platoon of right-handed senior Dominic Erney and left-handed
sophomore Ryan Dukovich at first base, providing solid defense and power
from both sides of the plate.  Erney has been one of the Vikings' top
hitters since his freshman year, hitting over .300 in each of his three
seasons.  Last year, he batted .306 from the cleanup position, scoring 21
runs and driving in 20.  Dukovich, a Horizon League all-tournament team
member in his freshman season, will fill the position against right-handed
pitching.  After hitting .293 a year ago, Dukovich will likely bat in the
middle of the order this season.

The starting role at second base will likely be a battle between junior
Brian Lombardi and freshmen Bobby Cash and Darren Greene.  Lombardi earned
the starting nod in the second half of last season, batting .193 with 12
runs.  Greene was tabbed as a Louisville Slugger all-American as a junior
and senior while batting .464 in four seasons at Benedictine High School in
Cleveland.  Cash earned all-conference first team honors as a junior and
senior at Hudson High School, batting .320 in his three seasons at varsity.

Cleveland State will have added depth at each infield position with the
contributions of redshirt freshmen Theo Hudson and Carlos Laboy, as well as
true freshman Matt Madrid.

The outfield will be comprised mostly of talented veterans this season,
including the return of a pair of key contributors who were absent from the
lineup last year. Junior Cory Rojeck will get the start in center field after batting .284 from the lead-off position last year.  He finished the 2004 campaign tied
for the team lead in runs scored (27) and stolen bases (seven).

After missing last season due to injury, Jeff Katlen will return to the
lineup as the Vikings' top option in right field.  The righty was limited in
playing time during his last season with CSU in 2003 but still batted .311
with 23 hits in 74 at bats.  Senior Mike Ochwat is tabbed to be the opening
day starter in left after batting .233 in 27 games.

Sophomore Marc Sikora, the starter in right last season, could see
significant playing time in both corners and provide a solid bat from the
right side.  Redshirt sophomore Kolin Kelly returns to the field after
sitting out last season.  The lefty batted .277 with 31 hits in 2003. 
Redshirt junior Anthony Hurley adds speed off the bench as a defensive
specialist, while Dukovich, Lombardi, Vasili Pahoulis, Nate Radke and Jeff
Schellhammer could also see playing time.

Catcher could be the team's only question mark, but CSU has plenty of
options to handle the position.  Erney will be the most experienced option
for the Vikings at the start of the season and will likely be the starter
for the duration of the season.  When Erney is at first, however, freshmen
Sam Clyde and Josh Geric will be able to step in.  Clyde was an
all-conference first team member as a sophomore and junior at South Side
Beaver High School in Georgetown, Pa., while Geric was first team all-league
as a senior at Canfield High.

The Venues

The Vikings will call three facilities home this year, with Forest Hill Park
in East Cleveland serving as CSU's main field for the second straight
season.  The partnership between the Vikings and East Cleveland's Shaw High
School benefited both organizations last season, providing the college club
with a local venue for practice and games and the high school team with a
renovated press box, dugouts, bullpens and infield.

In addition, the Vikings will play six games at Eastlake Ballpark, the home
of the Cleveland Indians' single-A affiliate Lake County Captains.  The
7,273-seat facility, located off of Ohio Route 2 in Eastlake, will host
Cleveland State for the third consecutive season.  CSU will welcome Horizon
League foe Youngstown State for three games at the stadium, as well as
regional foes Akron, Duquesne and Pittsburgh.

The Vikings' relationship with professional baseball will be emphasized
further this season when CSU celebrates its 10th anniversary of the annual
Jacobs Field game under the lights on May 3 against Ohio.

"This is a privilege for our players to have this opportunity to play in
such an outstanding facility and on the field of the team that we all root
for," Murphy said. "Holding this annual game for the past 10 seasons shows
how strong the relationship between the Cleveland Indians organization and
Cleveland State University is."

The Vikings will also once again play Akron at Canal Park, home of the
Indians' double-A affiliate Akron Aeros.

The Schedule

Coach Murphy has traditionally provided a challenging schedule for the
Viking baseball team, and this year is no exception.  CSU will play some of
the regions' best teams in Notre Dame, Ohio State, Pittsburgh and Purdue, as
well as Mid American Conference squads Akron, Bowling Green, Kent State and
Ohio.

Cleveland State opens up the season with 12 games on the road before hosting
IPFW for a weekend series on March 25-27 at Forest Hill Park.  Youngstown
State comes to Eastlake Ballpark and Forest Hill Park for the first Horizon
League series on April 8-10 before the Vikings head to Wright State and
UW-Milwaukee the following two weekends.  The final 12 of the final 13 games
of the season will all be played in Northeast Ohio, as CSU hosts conference
rivals UIC and Butler, as well as Pittsburgh at Eastlake Ballpark and Ohio
at Jacobs Field.

"Our schedule is competitive and challenging, like every season," Murphy
said.  "But with this group of players and the success we had last year, it
is a schedule filled with wins if we play to our capabilities."

The Bottom Line

With the strength of the pitching staff coupled with the depth at every
position in the field, the Vikings are in a prime position to not only
contend for first place in the league but to come away with a championship.

"We have to stay healthy," Murphy said.  "That is a big key to our success
this season.  If we are able to get consistency from our pitching and hit
from the top to the bottom of the lineup, we will be in good shape come the
Horizon League Championship.

"Above all, we have to have the mentality to come out for every game
expecting to win.  We have a lot of talent on this team.  The players are
capable of doing extremely well.  But we have to also step onto the field
knowing that we can come away with a win."