The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, March 31, 1987 - Page 11
INFIELDERS:
Youth fills infield
Father figure
S. Peter leads
team, family
By PETE STEINERT
Michigan's infield will undergo
a-facelift this season, taking on a
new and youthful look.
Three freshmen and three
sophomores will see action with
junior Steve Finken being the only
upperclassman among the group.
Sophomore Bill St. Peter returns
at third base to anchor the infield.
His strong bat and glove makes
him an ideal third baseman.
Through the Wolverines' first 11
games St. Peter has batted .406 and
gone errorless in the field.
HE CAN also play shortstop if
needed."Right now I'd like to keep
him at third because I think he'll
hit a little bit better if I keep him
over there," head coach Bud
Middaugh said.
Next to St. Peter, sophomore
Doug Kaiser appears to have the
inside track on the shortstop job.
Kaiser saw limited action last
season, but his playing time should
increase as soon as he returns from
his hamstring injury that he
suffered midway through the spring
trip.
"I felt that Kaiser deserved an
opportunity to play," Middaugh
said, "and he did nothing down
south that would not allow him
that opportunity."
WHILE KAISER has been
out, freshman Chris Gagin has
filled in admirably for him. Despite
his size (5-6, 145 pounds), the
Southfield native has shown good
range, and Middaugh has been
hitting him in the leadoff spot in
the batting order.
The eighth-year coach would
'ventually like to move Gagin to
second base when Kaiser gets back.
"Gagin's been bumped around,"
Middaugh said. "That's tough when
you're a young guy, and you play
second one game and short the
next."
Price
... new position
Another freshman, first baseman
Phil Price, rounds out the infield.
Price faces the task of replacing
All-Big Ten performer Hal Morris.
So far he has responded well at the
plate, batting .429 and driving in
11 runs in Michigan's first 11
games.
DEFENSIVELY, however,
he needs time before he can match
Morris' glove. Price, a shortstop in
high school, never played first base
before this year.
"It's different," he said. "I like it
because you get more time. If you
boot the ball, you can still get (the
baserunner) out at first, where at
short if you boot it, you're done."
Finken, as well as sophomore
Jim Durham, and freshman Rich
Samplinski provide depth and
versatility. Middaugh would prefer
to place Finken, his top returning
hitter, in the outfield despite using
him at second base last year.
When Middaugh plays Finken in
the outfield, he fields an entire
freshman-sophomore infield.
"Our biggest problem right now
is we're so young, Gagin said,
"and it's just going to take a little
while until everybody kind of gets
used to playing with each other."
By ADAM SCHEFTER
Being a student at the University
of Michigan carries along with it a
lot of responsibility.
Being a varsity athlete as well
entails even more.
Now imagine all this in addition
to being married and having a child.
IF YOU'RE Michigan's third
baseman Billy St. Peter, you don't
have to imagine. You live with this
triad of responsibility each and
every day of your life.
"It's hard to do all three," the
sophomore said. "When you should
be studying, there are other things
that have to be taken care of in the
family. There's certain limitations
to what you can do.
"When you're by yourself, you
have only one person to please-
yourself. When you have a family,
you have other people to please and
then yourself. I'm third in line."
THE PLIGHT of St. Peter and
his family has caused him to make
many adjustments. For instance,
when he goes to play baseball in
Cape Cod this upcoming summer,
specific arrangements will be made
so that his family can be by his
side. A job will be lined up for him
so that he has the opportunity to
earn some additional money to help
feed the extra two mouths. Special
provisions for special
circumstances.
From a personal standpoint, head
coach Bud Middaugh also realizes
the nature of the situation, and he
attempts to lend a helping hand
whenever it is possible.
"There are some things that I
have to understand as a coach. Say
Billy's kid has to go to the doctor
during practice and Billy needs to be
there. It's things like that that
you've got to be understanding
about."
THE SITUATION has also
been a trying one for and his wife.
For it has been Billy's one wish to
play baseball ever since he was a
little boy. In fact, in 1985 when he
"When we played Grand Valley,
he was sicker than a devil,"
Middaugh said. "I don't even know
how he played. And wouldn't you
know he was always on the bases,
running out whatever he was
hitting. When we ran in practice
drills after the game, I had to kick
him off the field, he was so sick."
With the departure of Hal Morris
and Casey Close from last year's
squad, Middaugh looks for players
like St. Peter to step in and be a
guiding force on his team.
Leadership is a must, and in St.
Peter he trusts.
"Billy can step into the
leadership role," the eighth-year
coach said. "I think the younger
guys look to him as someone they
respect on the baseball field."
THE 6-0, 195 pound St.
Peter would gladly welcome this
newfound role, but to be the leader
that coach Middaugh wants, his
actions will have to speak louder
than his words. And already they
have.
"Billy's been great," said
freshman Rich Samplinski. "I came
in here as a third baseman out of
high school. He's been nothing but
supportive as far as telling me what
I've been doing right and wrong.
People at the same position often
don't want you to do that well. Not
Billy. I really admire him a lot."
Some may claim that St. Peter
has too many obligations already.
The thought of one more
responsibility, the leadership duties ,
may just be too much for a 20 year
old to handle. This assumption,
however, is quickly refuted by the
only other married member of the
team, Greg Everson.
"When you get on the field, you
block everything out of your mind
and its all baseball. That's the way
you have to do it if you want to go
anywhere."
Student, athlete, father- and
leader. Now that's carrying more
than your fair share of the load.
Daily Photo by SCOTT IJTUCHY
Bill St. Peter has many responsibilities off the field. Now head coach Bud
Milddaugh is looking for more on
baseman.
was a fifth round draft pick of the
Cincinnati Reds, he almost chose
the minor league circuit over the
University of Michigan.
"She knows how important
baseball is to me," the soft-spoken
Linwood native said. "It's my
ticket. A lot of people want to get
jobs and work in a business. I don't
really want to work in a business
unless I have to. Baseball has been
my life and she understands."
the field from his standout third
With good reason. St. Peter has
shown what a tremendous player he
can be. During the recent spring
trip to Te,.as, he hit .406, tied for
the team lead in RBI's with 11, and
played errorless baseball. He has
shown brute force at the plate and a
defensive prowess in the field.
BUT MORE than that, he has
shown hard work and determination,
characteristics not usually seen in
the average player.
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Line Drives
Baseball and football...
...a tough combination
NEWCOMERS:
Filling the voids
By SCOTT SHAFFER
Playing one major sport at a Division I
school is tough enough. Playing two at a
school like Michigan where classes aren't
always just a mere formality can be downright
scary.
Consider the case of an athlete trying to play
baseball and football. Football season starts in
early September and ends in late December.
That leaves about two and a half months to
prepare for baseball's opening day, something
the rest of the club has been doing all fall while
you were on the gridiron. Just when baseball
season begins, though, spring practice starts
and time must be divided between the two.
Baseball practice and occasionally even games
must be missed.
TAKE THE case of Greg McMurtry.
Drafted in the first round by the Boston Red
Sox, he turned down a six-figure offer to atttend
Michigan on a football scholarship. He also
plays centerfield for the baseball team.
Football has taken its toll on McMurtry's
hitting. By all accounts he is struggling at the
plate. "My timing just isn't there right now and
I don't think it will be there until I'm finished
playing spring football," he said.
One person who understands what McMurtry
is going through is Mike Gillette, who spends
his falls kicking field goals and springs behind
the plate as a catcher. "You really can't take off
so many days from hitting and come back and
expect to do well," said Gillette, a .203 hitter as
a freshman last year.
As a sophomore, Gillette is excused from
spring practice more frequently and his batting
average has responded, reaching .267 after
eleven games.
AND MCMURTRY feels that missing a
portion of spring practice will slow his football
development as well. "It (missing practice)
hurts a little bit in terms of the footwork
involved, running patterns and getting a feel for
the the quarterback."
Why would the football staff allow
McMurtry or anyone else on a football
scholarship to distract himself from football?
Well, for one thing, promising an athlete the
chance to play two sports can be a very
effective recruiting tool, especially when both
teams are Big Ten champions. In fact, head
coach Bud Middaugh has led the baseball team
to five of the last seven Big Ten titles.
"To a great player, it (baseball) is just part
of the package," said Fritz Seyferth, the football
recruiting coordinator for Michigan. "You're
not going to get a Greg McMurtry if you don't
let him play baseball." McMurtry chose
Michigan over Iowa, UCLA and Notre Dame.
ONCE A player is landed, Middaugh is at
the mercy of football coach Bo Schembechler
when it comes to the player's availability.
But Middaugh is not complaining. "I'm very
gracious to Bo. It's phenomenal, unbelievable
that Bo would allow them to miss so much
practice," said Middaugh. On the nine-game
spring trip to Texas, McMurtry returned to
Ann Arbor early, missing four games. Gillette
was in Texas the entire time.
"Bo will make them available to start," said.
Seyferth, a former Wolverine fullback, "but
they are on'a football scholarship so if they're
gonna sit- baloney! They're gonna play
football."
The relationship between Middaugh and
Schembechler appears to be mutual admiration
society. Both teams have had great success
while sharing a few players over the years. But
there may be some drawbacks to this time-
sharing plan.
SCHOOLWORK will obviously suffer
and that is something that Middaugh does not
take lightly.
Then there is the exceptionally rare case of
McMurtry. He has equally bright prospects for
a professional career in either sport. Soon he
will have to make a choice and there is always a
possibility that four years of splitting time
between sports could keep him from fully
mastering the sport he chooses.
"It takes a special kind of fellow to handle
the mental burden and discipline," said Seyferth,
"but it can be done."
By ADAM SCHEFTER
When you have a baseball
program as successful as
Michigan's, talented players must
step in each year to help maintain
the longstanding tradition. This
year is no different. The Wolverines
have more than their fair share of
budding young stars being
groomed to fill the shoes of their
heirs.
The newcomers will all have the
opportunity to show head coach
Bud Middaugh the talents they
possess. This is good news for the
rookies, but playing time is not
just going to be handed to them on
a silver platter. They're going to
have to do it the old fashion way,
earn it.
'You're only going to be as
good as the guy beside you,
whether he's a freshman or not,"
Middaugh said. "If a young guy is
playing better than the old guy, the
old guy has to sit down. I believe
in a guy that works hard. If he
shows me he's working hard and he
shows me in practice that he's
doing things well, I'm gonna get
him in the lineup."
IT APPEARS that the young
people are hard workers because
their names have been penciled into
the lineup quite regularly.
One of those who has seen a lot
of action is the highly-touted
number-one pick of the Boston Red
Sox, Greg McMurtry. The star
athlete, however, has been unable
Gagin
... little big man
slot and is expected to lignt a fire
under the Wolverines attack.
"I guess they're looking for me
to be the sparkplug," the little
infielder said. "The one who gets on
base and sets the table for the big
guys."
ONE OF those big guys is
Phil Price, a power hitter who has
been switched from shortstop to
first base to get his bat into the
lineup and to fill the void left by
Hal Morris, last year's cleanup
hitter.
Rich Samplinski's bat is also
being counted on. Defensively, he
will provide depth both in the
infield and the outfield.
As far as pitching goes, Mike
Grimes has shown the potential to
be one of the stalwarts of the
starting rotation. The hard-throwing
Michigan Staistics 1987
(Through first 15 games)
Hitting
'~"'"" ~ :~7~-At least 13 at bats-
Name
Jim Durham
Steve Finken
Tom Brock
Phil Price
K. Thompson
Bill St. Peter
Eddie Woolwine
Greg McMurtry
Doug Kaiser
Chris Gagin
Mike Gillette
Rich Samplinski
Darrin Campbell
MICHIGAN
Opponents
G
13
14
14
15
11
14
10
11
6
14
10
11
11
15
15
AB
23
41
39
39
21
42
29
29
15
42
22
22
37
R
14
17
10
17
5
10
6
6
5
11
2
6
4
H
15
18
16
15
8
15
10
8
4
11
5
5
6
2B-3B-HR
1-1-1
4-2-1
4-1-1
5-1-1
0-0-1
7-1-0
0-1-1
3-1-1
1-0-0
4-0-0
0-0-0
1-0-1
0-0-0
SB
4
6
3
2
3
2
1
1
0
4
1
0
0
27
18
BB
3
9
5
12
8
13
2
7
4
6
3
7
1
83
55
RBI
7
9
13
17
9
13
6
8
1
4
2
8
1
102
48
AVG.
.652
.439
.410
.385
.381
.357
.345
.276
.267
.262
.227
.227
.162
.340
.232
412 117 140 31-8-8
392 54 91 10-3-3
Pitching
G CG S W-L IP BB SO ERA
Name
-- ~A. . . .,