Softball
vs. Western Michigan
Tuesday, 3 p.m.
Varsity Softball Diamond

SPORTS

Baseball
vs. Adrian
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Ray Fisher Stadium

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The Michigan Daily

Friday, March 28, 1986

Page 9


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'M'hurlers wind up

for big weekend

By SCOTT G. MILLER
Before the start of the season,
baseball coach Bud Middaugh felt pit-
ching was the strength of his team.
This thought can gain validity this
weekend as the Wolverine's pitching
depth will be tested by playing three
doubleheaders in three days.
"I look forward to playing so many
games because it gives us the oppor-
tunity to use most of our pitchers,"
said Middaugh. "It gives me a chance
to look at them in preparation for the
Big Ten season."
MICHIGAN travels to Oxford, Ohio
to face Miami University today and
tomorrow. The team returns to Ann
Arbor on Sunday to face Adrian.
Game time is 1 p.m. at Ray Fisher
Stadium.
It is a homecoming of sorts for Mid-
daugh who coached the Redskins for
12 seasons from 1968-1979. "It is kind
of nicesto go back," said the Wolverine
head man. "But when it comes bell
time there is no feeling there for
Miami University. It is all for
Michigan."

Others enjoying a homecoming are
pitchers Dan Disher of Dayton and
Chris Lutz of Fairfield. Both are in the
starting rotation against Miami along
with Jim Abbott and Scott
Kamieniecki.
DESPITE the Redskins 7-11 mark
this season, the Wolverines aren't
taking them lightly. "They will treat
us like the World Series," said Mid-
daugh. "It is a tough place to play
because the crowd is right on top of
you. They are very vocal so it is a very
distracting situation."
Looking to take advantage of the
distractions is pitcher Ben Burnau.
The Miami ace is 2-1 with a 2.22 ERA.
"He has pretty good speed and has
command of his breaking pitches,"
said Redskin coach John Pavilsko.
"He is just a good left-handed pitcher
and competitor."
ANOTHER OF Miami's best com-
peitiors is shortstop Tim Naehring.
Just a freshman, Naehring is hitting
.346.
"He had an outstanding spring trip,
came to the forefront and took over

that job," said Pavilsko. "He doesn't
play like a freshman."
The Redskins' good competitors
may be no match for the 9-2
Wolverines, but coach Pavilsko thinks
the competition on their Southern trip
has prepared them for a squad of
Michigan's caliber.
"WE AREN'T going out to throw in
the towel," said the Miami coach. "I
feel we can play with Michigan."
One team that shouldn't feel that
way is Adrian. Last season the
Bulldogs were 3-17. A victory over the
Wolverines may be as likely as Libya
defeating the United States in a
nuclear confrontation.
"We are going up there with a
realistic approach," said second-year
head coach Steve Christian. "It is not
a do-or-die game, and we don't want
to make it one.
"RATHER than losing the game,
we want to make Michigan win it. If
we execute cleanly, make the defen-
sive plays and get our offense going'
then we will accept what happens. If
we are outplayed, and they win the

game, fine. But we don't want to lose
by throwing it away."
The Bulldogs are led -by third
baseman Rob Liva and catchers
Craig Rainey and Brian Brownell.
Right-hander Scott Straub is the
team's leading pitcher.
All opposing pitching will face a
variety of Wolverine hitters as Mid-
daugh looks for a set lineup and con-
sistent offensive production. "I will
play some different people and still
try to remain competitive at the same
time," said Middaugh. "We're not as
aggressive offensively as I would like,
but I think the layoff has had a little to
do with that.
"Hitters are up and down like pit-
chers. We did enough to win both
games on Monday, but we weren't
awesome by any means. I don't know
if we will ever be awesome, though I
hope we will be. a little more
aggressive this weekend."
Weak opposition should be just the
cure for this lack of aggression.

Daily Photo by DAN HABIB
Senior outfielder Chris Gust gets tagged out at the plate during Monday's
7-0, 6-2 doubleheader sweep of Grand Valley. The Wolverines play three
doubleheaders this weekend, including Sunday's twinbill at home versus
Adrian.
Raveling heads wes t

The NCAA Championship...
THE SPORTING VIEWSr
...women's style
By DEBBIE deFRANCES of sports and those involved in it. Who had heard of iceboxes with Budweiser and slide into their
THE ROAD to the Final Four ends this week- David Robinson of Navy before the Midshipmen favorite Lazy Boys for a few hours of relaxing spor-
end in Lexington, Kentucky at Rupp Arena. made it to the final eight in this year's tournament? ts entertainment.
For the second straight year, the NCAA Cham- If women's sports, especially team sports like Entertainment is what sports on television is all
pionships will be held at the University of Kentucky basketball, receive more publicity, they will receive about. By promoting teams like number one-ranked
site. Last year, Villanova squeezed by national more attention from sports fans. A few years ago, Texas and defending national champion USC, CBS
powerhouse Georgetown, 66-64, in the finals of the when Nancy Lieberman led the world of women's is confident that sports fans will sit up in their
men's collegiate basketball championships. This basketball, a professional league was started. After lounge chairs and take notice of.women's sports.
season, however, the Adolph Rupp homestead will one quick season, it died out. Why? Because nobody Indeed, last year's ratings for the women's finals
be re-decorated with the female touch as four of the knew it existed, nobody cared. were higher than regular season men's games.
finest women's colegiate teams square off in the By televising the final game, CBS Sports attempts This weekend traditionally starts the most ex-
NCAA Championships. to change the general apathy that surrounds citing and watched weekend of colegiate basketball
The fact that Southern California, Texas, Ten- women's athletics today. on television. Most basketball fans are all ready for
nessee and Western Kentucky, have the opportunity While watching the men's regional finals on CBS Saturday afternoon's semi-final games to begin.
to compete in one of the nation's most well-known last weekend, I repeatedly saw advertisements for But, what they don't know is that the action actually
arenas is progress for women's athletics in itself. the championship game, the women's champion- begins Friday night at 7:10 p.m. (on ESPN) as the
But, what makes the championship final even more ship game. With players like super-senior Cheryl women take the court at Rupp Arena.
special is that it will be nationally televised. Miller of USC adorning television commercials, Hopefully viewers will open their minds and their
Highlights of the final game will not just be shown CBS is trying to capture the excitement of women's eyes to see Miller, Texas' point guard Kamie
on the 11 o'clock news, as was the case in the 1970s. collegiate basketball and entice viewers to tune in. Ethridge and a host of others who will try to prove
But for the fifth straight year, CBS will broadcast CBS Sports has strategially scheduled the that women's basketball can be just as exciting al
the women's finals. It will be aired Sunday at 1:10 women's national final during a time when white- men's basketball.
p.m. on national television-a prime time slot for collared sports fanatics are most likely to be set- It's not true that all roads lead to Dallas th i
sports enthusiasts. tling into an afternoon of television sports. They'll weekend. Many will be rerouted towards Lexingto
There is no doubt that television aids the progress don their alma mater's sweatshirts, fill their and the women's NCAA Championships.

LOS ANGLES (AP) - The Univer-
sity of Southern California named
George Raveling as its basketball
coach yesterday, marking his return
to the Pacific-10 Conference after
guiding Iowa for three years.
The 48-year-old Raveling replaces
Stan Morrison, who resigned two
weeks ago to become associate
athletic director at Southern Cal.
RAVELING led Iowa to records of
13-15, 21-11 and 20-12. His team
finished sixth in the Big Ten this
season with 10-8 record that gave him
an overall head coaching record

of 221-74.
The Hawkeyes played in the NCAA
tournament the past two years, but
lost in the first round each time. This
year, the Hawkeyes fell to North
Carolina State.
Raveling went to Iowa to replace
Lute Olson after achieving an overall
record of 167-137 in 11 years at
Washington State.
In 1980 he coached Washington
State to its first NCAA appearance
and wrapped up his WSU stint with a
23-7 performance in the 1982-83
season.



Final Four:

Three powers and LSU

,, -M
*1

DALLAS (AP) - Duke enters the
NCAA Final Four with the No. 1
ranking but many basketball coaches
feel Louisville may leave with the
national championship.
"I rank the teams in this order -
Louisville, Kansas, Duke," Syracuse
Coach Jim Boeheim said yesterday.
"Don't even count LSU. But Duke's
going to win. They've done it all year.
"THEY DON'T match up defen-
sively and they don't scare you. They
just beat you."
Duke, 36-2 and riding a 20-game

Duke

S

great,

but

coaches like Cards

winning streak, plays second-ranked
Kansas, 35-3, winner of 16 straight, in
tomorrow's second game of the NCAA
semifinals at the Reunion Arena.
Seventh-ranked Louisville, 30-7,
winner of 15 straight, faces unranked

Louisiana State in the opener, which
has a 3:42 EST start. The final will
be played Monday night.
"IF I HAD to pick, I'd probably pick
Louisville and Kansas, then
Louisville," said Georgetown Coach
John Thompson, whose Hoyas, led by
Patrick Ewing, made it to the Final
Four three times in four years, winning
the title in 1984.
"But Duke's great. They have the
chemistry and play with experience
offensively and defensively. Teams
play to prevent themselves from
losing. They say 'we know we should
beat these guys.' Every pass, every
basket, they're extra careful."
Michigan Coach Bill Frieder agreed
with Thompson that any team can win
the title, but said he was leaning
toward Louisville because "they're
playing extremely well and (coach)
Denny Crum has experience in the
Final Four."
Villanova coach Rollie Massimino,
one of three Big East teams in the
Final Four last year and the only
unranked one, said, "Kansas can beat
Duke and Louisville will win it all."
Five Louisville players have been
averaging double figures this season,
led by 6-7 Billy Thompson and 6-5
guard Milt Wagner, both seniors, with
14.8 points.
According to the NCAA computer,
Louisville has played the toughest
nonconference schedule in the nation,
twice losing to Kansas.
DUKE COACH Mike Krzyzewski
likens Kansas to "a pro team."
"They have a great player in Danny
Manning," Frieder said. "They have
two very good shooters in (Ron)
Kellogg and (Calvin) Thompson, a 7-1

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -
Louisiana State coach Dale Brown
says he's willing to play the under-
dog right up to the national champion-
ship.
"I relish the role," he said. "I'm
more comfortable in that position. I
guess I'm more familiar with the
territory."
BROWN SAYS he feels more con-
fident this year, leading the only
unranked team in the Final Four,
than he did in 1981, when his Tigers
had the best record in the nation.
LSU lost to Indiana in the opening
round that year, but Brown says he
expects better luck tomorrow in the
semifinals against seventh-ranked
Louisville, a 5 -point favorite.
The Tigers finished in a fifth-place
tie in the SEC, lost to Kentucky in the
conference tourney final, then won all
four of its NCAA games as the No. 11
seed in the Southeast Regional.
JOHN WILLIAMS, a 6-8 sophomore,
tops three Tigers in double figures
with a 17.9 average.
"There are some things that aren't
figured in the polls or the latest line,"
he said. "Your image and reputation
are only what other people think of
you. Your character is what you are."
It wasn't superior size or talent that
carried LSU to victories over Top 10
opponents Georgia Tech and Ken-
tucky in the regional finals, he said,
but a combination of intense defense
and high emotion.
BROWN HAS talked a lot in recent
days about the "magic" his team has,
about its "character" and "mental
toughness."
Meanwhile, he's been drilling his
players on the fine points of the
guerrilla-warfare defense he
developed to cope with the midseason
loss of some key starters.
The constantly changing zone
defense which Brown calls "the
freak" has proven its ability to stymie
stronger teams. He concedes
Louisville will be a tough team to

season to calm his temper, curb his
tongue and not let his team's setbacks
get the best of him. But his natural
flamboyance can't be stifled.
"I don't want to sound arrogant,
brash or abrasive," he said, "but we got
here doing it my way. Nobody owns

Underdog Brown
'relishes the role'

me."
"All my life has been a struggle,'
he says. "I've got to get used to being
on top. My wife said to me the other
day, 'I hope you're as gracious at
winning as you have been at losing.' I
hope so too."

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