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Page F-2-Thursday, September 4, 198O-The Michigan Daily

IDDAUGH

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Rookie coach guides Blue to Series

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By MARK MIHANOVIC
Coach Bud Middaugh called Mich-
igan's first round College World Series
win over California "our whole season
wrapped into one," and the analogy of
the 9-8, 11-inning heartstopper to the
overall 1980 campaign.. is quite ac-
curate. '.
Rightfielder Jim Paciorek blasted his
team-leading tenth roundtripper to give
the Wolverines a 4-3 edge in the seven-
th. All-American designated hitter
George Foussianes came through with
a two-out, game-tying single in the top
of the ninth. Freshman shortstop Tony
Evans doubled to score catcher Gerry
Hool in the tenth. And the Blue batsmen
finally triumphed on a two-out, three-
run double by Hool, whose season-long
clutch hitting earned him the team's
Most Valuable Player award as well as
the Mideast Regional MVP trophy.
Michigan had beaten a team (third-
ranked Cal) that it wasn't supposed to
beat. It was the story of the Wolverines'
season.
WHEN MIDDAUGH took over
coaching duties from 17-year veteran
Moby Benedict, he decided he was
going to win or lose with young pit-
chers. He won with them. Freshman
Scott Dawson (9-2), Steve Ontiveros (8-
6), and Scot Elam (6-0) teamed up with
junior Mark Clinton (7-4) to make the
names Steve Howe and Steve Perry slip
from the tongues of Ann Arbor diamond
followers. Michigan's 2.68 ERA in
Big Ten play was an astounding full
run better than that of Iowa, which was
next at 3.64.
It was this brand of pitching which
started the Blue nine on its winning
path. The hurlers absorbed their share
of bruises on a mediocre 6-7 spring trip
to Florida, but underwent a complete
transformation upon their return north.
Clinton set the tone with a 3-0
blanking of Grand Valley. Dawson and
Elam threw a pair of shutouts at
Bowling Green. It was Clinton and On-
tiveros with two more against Wayne
State. Clinton again with a 7-0 decision
over Michigan State. Incredibly, the
pitching staff had tossed six shutouts in
eight ballgames since flying back nor-
th, and proved more than ready to test
their throwing limbs against Big Ten
competition.
THE WOLVERINES were never
headed off as they compiled a 14-2 con-

ference slate. They won with pitching, "
defense, hitting, and aggressive base
running, the last home doubleheader
with Indiana perhaps serving as the;
best indication of the type of season it
was.
Ontiveros and the Hoosiers' John
Jansen, also a frosh, locked in a pit-
chers' battle in the opener. Ontiveros
allowed only three hits, but Jansen was
looking even better, with a no-hitter en-
tering the Michigan seventh. However,
Michigan's Randy Wroten led off with a
walk, Foussianes followed with a
double, and senior Chuck Wagner's
base hit gave the Blue their 1-0 triumph.
The Wolverine sluggers then decided it
was time for laughter and cracked line
drives all over Fisher Stadium in an 18-
4 circus nightcap.
Not that line drives in Fisher
Stadium, or anyplace else for that mat-

AS A SOPHOMORE, the 6-3, 265-
pound Paciorek decided to give up foot-
ball and concentrate on the "grand old
game," and he ended up breaking ex-
Wolverine and Detroit Tiger great Bill
Freehan's 1961 record of 44 RBI with 49
in the regular season.
Michigan was also strong in one othe
area in which baseball teams must be
strong in order to be successful: the
middle of the defense. Schulte covered
a lot of ground in center field and was
sure with the glove. Foussianes started
the season at shortstop, but when injur
problems forced him to first base a
DH, Evans moved in and teamed with
second baseman Jeff Jacobson, another
freshman, to give Middaugh a very ef-
ficient double play combination. Jacob-
son was awarded the team's Golde
Glove for his slick infield play.
And behind the plate, Hool was .a

ARIZONA'S TERRY FRANCONA,
above, slides safely past Michigan
catcher Gerry Hool for a run in the
Wildcats' 8-0 victory over the Wol-
verines in a Collge World Series game
last June. At left, Steve Ontiveros
shows the form which made him an
awesome hurler his freshman year.

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k

ter, were an unusual accomplishment
for Michigan's hitters. Michigan outhit
its Big Ten opposition .324 to .246. Eight
Wolverines batted better than .300 in
conference play: Wagner (.424),
Paciorek (.413), Evans (.400), Greg
Schulte (.382), Hool (.358), Fred Er-
dmann (.333), Foussianes (.327), and
Tim Miller (.317).

gem. Keeping the infield on its toes,
handling the young pitching staff, and
throwing runners out trying to steal con-
tributed as much to his MVP awara
did his five game-winning hits in con-
ference play.
MICHIGAN DIDN'T just stop with
the Big Ten trophy in hand, though.
See BATSMEN, Page 9


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