Page 16-Wenesday, May 31, 1978-The Michigan Daily
Michigan unscathed in Regionals;
moves on to College World Series
By GARY KICINSKI
Another Michigan team is heading
west in search of a national champion-
ship.
After three convincing wins in the
NCAA Mideast Regional held here last
weekend, the Michigan baseball team
is headed for Omaha, Neb. for the 1978
College World Series.
The Wolverines, who have won it all
both times they have made it to the
final eight, grabbed the Series berth by
defeating Texas A&M in the champion-
ship game, 3-0 Sunday behind the nine-
hit pitching of junior righthander Tom
Owens.
Michigan and A&M had advanced to
the finals in the double-elimination
tourney with victories on Saturday. The
Wolverines had defeated MAC con-
ference champion Eastern Michigan, 6-
WUOM will be on hand at the College
World Series Friday evening to broad-
cast Michigan's opening game against
Baylor in the eight-team double-
elimination contest. Air time is 6:00
p.m.
4, while A&M eliminated Missouri, 5-1.
Excellent pitching and some clutch
hitting by rightfielder Mike Parker,
paced the weekend sweep. Parker was
named the tournament's Most Valuab-
le Player and joined teammates Scott
Anderson, Jim Capoferi, George Fous-
sianes and Steve Howe on the all-
tournament team.
Parker, the senior from Lexington,
S.C., was outstanding at the plate and in
the field, going 5-for-10 on the weekend
and making several fine catches in the
outfield. Parker's offensive tallies in-
cluded two game-winning hits, three
RBI's, five runs scored and a homer
and a double.
Solid pitching performances were
turned in by righthander Steve Perry,
who relieved a wild Craig McGinnis in
the first inning of Saturday's game, as
well as Owens and Howe. Perry allowed
just one run in 8 and % innings,
allowing the Wolverines to overcome a
three-run first inning deficit. Starter
McGinnis had walked four of the first
five batters and wild-pitched a couple of
runs in.
Michigan coach Moby Benedict was
never more proud of his batsmen. "I've
never coached or seen a Michigan team
play any better than this team played
last weekend. The young men played
beautiful baseball. The pitchers got the
ball over the plate and the defense went
out and caught the ball and made the
plays. That's the way this game is sup-
posed to be played.
"This is a veteran team that has been
battling all year. We've overcome some
injuries and illnesses and I'm just very,
very proud of them."
Benedict served as an assistant coach
under Don Lund on the 1962 baseball
team that won the Series and played on
the team immediately following the
Wolverine's first appearance in 1953.
This year marks the fourth straight
year that Michigan has played in the
NCAA's, but in the previous years the
Wolverines never made it past the
regionals.
More sports
on the inside-
See pages 14, 15
Michigan's first-game opponent in
the double-elimination tournament will
be the Baylor Bears, champions of the
South Central Regional. Baylor enters
the Series with a 32-17-2 record and has
a team batting average of .300 with 50
HR's in 51 games.
The other six series berths went to
Miami, Fla. (48-10), Southern Cal (49-
9), North Carolina (36-15), Oral Rober-
tsd (44-10), St. John's (40-16) and
Arizona State )53-10). Accordingly, the
Wolverines, now 29-15, should find the
going tough as they are the team with
the worst record.
The Series begins Friday and can
run all the wayr through until next
Friday.
Daily Photo by PETER SERLING
TOM OWENS (left), who was the winning pitcher in Sunday's NCAA Regional
Championship game, is congratulated by freshman relief hurler Mark Clinton.
Michigan pitching will be a key factor during the College World Series, with the
Wolverines' first opponent being-Baylor Friday evening.
Wolverine Averages
G AB
Leach....................42 139
Capoteri ............... 40 111
Chapman ............... 41 134
Ray .....................38 105
Foassianes............... 41 13
Anderson ............... 44 162
Mason ................. 8 21
Parker ..................41 128
Hoo ............. 6 13
Wasewski ............. 40 109
Berra-.................. 41 12i
McEldowney ............ 19 26
Wroten.............7
cooperrider ............. 11 22
Pitchers ................ 44 0
'0' TOTALs............44 1229
Opponents .............. 44 1215
BATTING
R H 2B 38
36 57 5 2
22 34 5 1
19 37 9 1
16 29 2 3
26 33 5 2-
30 39 6 1
3 5 1 0
22 30 12 1
2 3 0 0
19 24 4 0
14 26 3 0
2 4 0 0
3 2 1 0
2 3 t 0
0 0. 0 0
216 326 54 11
140 270 34 12
HR
0
5
1
0
6
2
0
4
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
19
251
so
3
is
19
15
15
2
2
12
.22
3
3
3
147
156
BR
17
22
14
12
19
13
1
15
1
23
20
5
0
0
0
172
32
SR
5
a
3
1
0
a
a
10
RBI
22
22
13
28
18
.3
24
1
12
19
2
0
3
0
186
AVE.
.410
.306
.270
.276
.268
.241
.238
.234
.231
.220,
.213
.154
.143
.136
.265
.222
Opponents............44 1215 140 270 34 12 12 251 156 32 120
PITCHING
G Gs-GC W-L iP
Thomas (RH).. . . . ...... 2 0-0 0 4%
Howe )ih .................... '...........13 11-11 104-2 88
McGinnis )l h) ........................... 11 11-5 6-3 561'
Bryant (RH)......3 2-1 0-3 15%
clinton (RH)......9 2-0 2-0 21 V
Owens (RH) -.............................. 8 74 3-3 45%
Perry (RH)5.............,................. 9 4-1 3-1 43
'M'TOTALS -..............................44 44-26 29-05 323%
Opponents................................44 44-17 1529 317%
H
S6
67
43
12
21
42
43
270
326
K
3
23
23
7
10
29
23
149
216
ER
17
17
6
19
20
10
176
so
20
86
47
5
15
31
36
251
147
BB
3
24
37
10
8
24
26
156
172
ERA
0.000
1.73
2.72
2.30
2.53
3.74
4.19
2.84
4.98
Happness- is. . .Omaha!