The Cauldron

Junior Brad Buell takes a look at a ground ball before he decides to make the dash to third base during the Vikings 9-7 loss to Kent State.

The Cleveland State baseball team is already 17 games into the 2008 season under second-year head coach Kevin Kocks and with wins over College World Series qualifier Louisville, strong MAC opponent Central Michigan, and Horizon League foe Valparaiso, the squad is confident for the rest of the year, but knows they are even better than their 7-10 record may illustrate.

A losing record is never something to brag about, but the Vikings have been in virtually all their contests to win, but somehow could not come away with victories. However, the overall quality of play that Kocks' squad is boasting on the field is something CSU baseball has not seen for a number of years.

Rain and bad weather have cancelled their games of late, but prior to the bad weather spell the Vikings fell to Kent State 9-7, a game in which CSU led 6-1 and Alex Kerins hit two home runs and drove in three runs. After their game at Kent State, the Vikings traveled to Athens, Ohio to take on the Bobcats of Ohio University. Although behind the entire contest, Cleveland State scored six runs in the top of the ninth inning all with two outs to knot the game up at 8-8, but in the bottom half of the final inning, the Bobcats got a sacrifice fly from Chris Klimko that drove in the winning run to prevail over CSU 9-8.

Despite some setbacks early on to some very quality opponents, the Vikings took two out of three games from the Valparaiso Crusaders winning by scores of 4-2 and 7-5. In the final game juniors Josh Hungerman and John Foco combined to go 7-for-9 scoring three runs and driving in three runs. The Vikings are 2-1 in Horizon League Conference play.

Kocks expressed that the team feels confident that they can do well in conference play. "To get two out of three to open conference play feels good," he added.

Ahead for the Vikings are road games at Eastern Michigan and Canisius, followed by a home game against Malone. Kent State visits the Pipe Yard on Apr. 15 when the Vikings will look to avenge their frustrating loss to the Golden Flashes.

Even when they have not won this season, good baseball is all one can ask for, and that is exactly what the 2008 CSU team is putting out onto the diamond, great players and quality baseball.

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