The Michigan Daily-Friday, April 8, 1988- Page 11
'M' hopes to bury Gophers

BY PETER ZELLEN
After a week of non-conference games, the Michigan
baseball team (20-6) will resume their battle against
the Big Ten this weekend, facing Minnesota. The Go-
phers come into this weekends double-headers, their
first Big Ten games, with a 7-10 record..
One thing that will be visible from the Minnesota
squad will be its offense. As a team, the Gophers are
batting .336, with 118 runs scored. That's an average
of seven runs, and over 11 hits per game.
Leading Minnesota will be junior outfielder J.T.
Bruett. Bruett is batting .500 to go along with 15
walks in his first 17 games. He was also the team's
defensive player of the year in his rookie season.
Also formidable at the plate is senior Bruce Bates.
In 39 at bats, Bates has collected four home runs, 14

RBIs, and 13 walks. He is batting .391 with a sltg-
ging percentage of .821. He has seen action at catcher,
first base, rightfield, and designated hitter.
With such an offense, why should the Gophers have
a losing record? It might just be their pitching.
Their team earned run average is 6.49. In 136 in-
nings the Gophers have allowed 16 of their namesake
pitches to leave the park. They've given up 172 hits
and allowed 88 walks. Minnesota doesn't have a starter
with an ERA under 4.50.
Head coach John Anderson hopes to lead Minnesota
to days of glories past. The Gophers were champions
of the Big Ten in 1985 and were runner-up in 1986.
It's been down hill since then and 1988 doesn't look
any better as they come into Fisher Stadium.

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Micigan
bags big
scorer for
next year

By JEFF RUSH
The Michigan basketball team
yesterday signed Rob Pelinka, one of
the Chicago area's leading scorers, to
a national letter of intent, said
assistant coach Steve Fisher.
Pelinka had a narrowed his list
down to four or five schools,
including Yale and Wake Forest, but
"basically it came down to either
here or Illinois," said Fisher.
Pelinka, a 6-5 shooting guard
from Lake Forest High School in
Lake Forest, Ill., averaged just under
30 points a game, with a season
high of 45.
Fisher called him "a legitimate

three-point shooter." Pelinka also
shot 90 percent from the free-throw
line this past season.
He is the Wolverines' third recruit
for next season. Eric Riley, a 6-11
center from Cleveland, and James
Voskull, a 6-7 forward from Grand
Rapids, also have signed.
In addition, 6-3 guard Michael
Christian may join the Wolverines.
A highly touted high school player,
Christian was troubled with injuries
at Georgia Tech before transferring
to Washtenaw Community College.
He currently lives with former
Detroit Piston John Salley, who
also played for Georgia Tech.

Larry Gotcher, here in action at the Big Ten Championships, became an All-American through hard work and
discipline.
Wrestler Gotcher has a quest
for excellence beyond the mats

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By STEVEN COHEN
There is a Michigan wrestler referred to as "Psycho"
by his teammates because of his aggressive wrestling
style. His name is not Francis Sawyer, but Larry
Gotcher.
But it seems as if the Washington native derives his
inspiration not from the sociopathic private in Stripes,
but from the driven wrestler Louden Swain in Vision
Quest. Like Swain, Gotcher sets high standards for
himself both academically and athletically.
"I have a lot of goals, a whole lot of things I would
like to accomplish", said Gotcher.
GOTCHER, a sophomore in eligibility, reached
one of his objectives in March at the national champi-
onships. By finishing in the top eight in the 142-
pound weight class, he earned All-American status.
Gotcher's outstanding finish may have been some-
'what of a surprise, as Gotcher was unseeded, but it cer-
tainly wasn't an accident. Gotcher earned his fifth place
standing by defeating the previously unbeaten and No.2
seed Kurt Shedenhelm of North Dakota, and No.7 seed
Laurence Jackson of Oklahoma State.
His showing at the nationals only strengthened his
intense ambition.
"I guess I'm a lot more sure of myself now, and
though I thought I could do it this year, be an All-
American, and win the nationals, now I know I can do
i1t."
With great accomplishments come even greater
goals, but Gotcher always has demanded a lot of him-
self. Recently admitted to the business school, he car-
ries a 3.35 grade point average.
IN ADDITION, he was named to the Academic
All Big Ten team and received the Donahue award, an
honor accorded to the Michigan wrestler who excels in.
both wrestling and in the classroom. After graduation,
he hopes to run his own business and retire by age 30.
a Currently, Larry is concentrating on several
Olympic qualifying tournaments this summer. First,
he will wrestle at a prepartory tournament in Reno,

Nevada on April 27-30. The following week he will
wrestle in a regional tournament in Topeka, Kansas. If
he does well in these tournaments he will further his
chances at earning a spot on the U.S team.
"The Olympics have been a goal for a long time. I
don't really feel like I'm ready for the Olympics this
year, but I feel like I can make it to the Olympic train-
ing camp by finishing in the top six," said Gotcher.
It wont be easy. Gotcher will have to wrestle at
149.5 pounds, a weight at which he is a bit
uncomfortable, and against world class competition.
However, it is unlikely that Gotcher will enter these
tournaments half-hearted. He never undertakes anything
at a speed less than the maximum.
HIS HARD-NOSED wrestling style belies the
quiet easygoing manner he conducts himself with in
the more civilized world.
"He's business oriented," said teammate Will Wa-
ters. "He comes to practice in shirt and tie but on the
wrestling mat he gets all bruised up. We call him
psycho'.
"That's one of the big reasons he went that far in
the NCAA's because he doesn't quit. He doesn't know
when he's supposed to lose. He expects to win every
time. He's always in every match."
Losing is an experience late in coming for Gotcher
and one which will never sit well with him. In high
school, he won nearly all of his matches and in his se-
nior year he won the Junior Nationals.
Next, Larry travelled to the University of Montana
where he went 20-9 in his first year. After anredshirt
season, it was time for him to transfer as Montana
dropped their wrestling program. Heavily recruited, he
decided to attend Michigan.
"I chose to attend Michigan because I knew I would
have great workout partners like John Fisher and Joe
Pantaleo, and for their business school. Now our
wrestling team is sixth nationally and the business
school is fourth."

Trigers beat Boston
BOSTON (AP) - Matt Nokes
drove in five runs with a pair of
homers and a single and Pat Sheridan
and TomsBrookens had four hits
apiece yesterday to pace a 21-hit
Detroit attack as the Tigers beat the
Red Sox, 11-6.
Brookens drove in four runs and
Alan Trammell and Jim Morrison
had three hits each, while every
Detroit starter had at least one
single.

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