CLEVELAND — It's been quite a long time since Cleveland State had anything to celebrate on the diamond, and we're talking multiple sports here.
With CSU's baseball program long since mothballed, it's been up to the softball team to pick up the slack, and that occurred on Sunday when the Vikings won the Horizon League Tournament championship. The triumph sends the squad to the NCAA Division I Softball Tournament, a place the Vikes haven't been since 2009.
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Truth be told, 2024 hadn't exactly been viewed as a banner year for Cleveland State, which finished the regular season with an 18-23 record. However, the Vikings entered the conference bracket in Youngstown as the No. 3 seed and won three straight games to reach the championship round, including a thrilling 2-1 win over 2-seed Oakland in 12 innings.
On Sunday, CSU lost its first attempt against Northern Kentucky 5-4, forcing a winner-take-all final game in the double-elimination tourney. In their second try, the Vikes crushed the Norse 6-1 for the title, led by leadoff hitter Brook Albaugh's homer and three RBIs.
Albaugh, a Tuscarawas Valley High School alum, batted .429 in the tournament with five runs scored. However, it was Stark County native Melissa Holzopfel who stole the show, pitching all of her team's 40 innings over the weekend to take home tourney MVP honors. The junior Perry grad notched four wins to improve her season record to 19-9, while also striking out 35.
Cleveland State now heads to Norman, Oklahoma, for the regional round, and will face No. 2 overall seed Oklahoma Friday night in the opening game. The Sooners (49-6) are the three-time defending national champions, and feature a lineup full of returning stars like Tiare Jennings (.368 AVG, 19 HRs) and Jayda Coleman (.386 AVG, .526 OBP, 62 Rs) along with elite pitchers like Kelly Maxwell (18-2, 1.96 ERA, 119 Ks) and Kierston Deal (12-1, 1.62 ERA).
First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday, with the loser taking on either Oregon or Boston University in an elimination game thereafter. The Vikings have never advanced past regionals in their history and are also seeking their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory, with an all-time record of 0-4 dating back to 1997.