fballers aim for two Titanic wins by David Schechter Daily Sports Writer The University of Detroit Titans might be the oil can the Michigan softball team has been looking for to loosen its squeaky joints. The Wolverines boast a career record of 18-3 over the Titans and hope to widen that gap with two wins in today's doubleheader at Detroit. With the Big Ten schedule commencing this weekend, Michigan is looking to run and hit themselves out of their recent sluggish play. Coach Carol Hutchins isn't taking the Titans lightly though. "U of D has probably their best team ever. They're a very confident team. But what we need to do is get ready for the Big Ten season, and this is our last pre-season game, and we want to get on a role and sweep them." However lopsided the opponent, Hutchins refuses to take any competi- tor lightly. "Softball is a funny game. Anyone can beat anybody on any given day," she said. And so the Wolverines will attack U of D with their standard game plan -consistent defense and hopefully some explosive offense. "As opposed to just playing against Detroit, we need to play and get ourselves going, and not worry about Detroit, but play just as we would, any other opponent," Hutchins said. Team captain Jenny Allard agrees. "I take this game as a step toward Big Tens. Even though Detroit is not a powerhouse, they are a potential threat. We need to go in and get both these games." Senior Sara Dyksterhouse looks at today's game in a similar light. "They usually ploy us pretty hard. We usually play pretty close with them. We need to get in two good games where we can really explode of- fensively so we can be ready for this weekend." Minnesota will challenge the Wolverines in Ann Arbor on Friday and Saturday. Michigan would like to enter the Big Ten schedule with two solid wins under its belt. Consistency is something the team is trying to regain as they have been up and down on a competitive roller coaster, los- ing when they're favored, winning when they're not. Michigan has struggled both offesively and defensively and hopes a thourough thrashing of the Titans can set them straight. The Michigan Daily -Wednesday, April 4, 1990 - Page 9 SOFTBALLER DYKSTERHOUSE DESERVES SPOTLIGHT: Senior moves out of shadows by Sarah Osburn __________ Daily Sports Writer Every team has its stars - the players that win the awards, get named captain and get the recogni- tion. Team-oriented players are needed for a team to be successful, skilled, and consistent. Sara Dyk- sterhouse, a senior on the Michigan softball team, is this type of player. "Jenny (Allard) has won a lot of well deserved awards and Sara has a lot to do with it," softball coach Carol Hutchins said. "It happens in all sports: you always have an un- sung hero, and Sara happens to be the unsung hero of our team." Dyksterhouse doesn't seem to mind playing in the shadow of Al- lard. "I'm not really too interested in individual goals, as long as the team does well and we win the Big Ten," she said. "To be here three years, and come in second every year is frustrat- ing. I just want to finish it with a win." But saying that Dyksterhouse is playing in anybody's shadow is mis- leading. In the Wolverine's some- what disappointing start, she has stood out as the most reliable player on the team. She returned from the spring break trip batting close to .500 and currently boasts an average of .444. She also leads the team in RBIs. According to Hutchins, her first-year student, and has held onto it ever since. A highly recruited player out of Jenison High School, Dyksterhouse was a three-time all-conference selec- tion and was twice named female conference athlete-of-the-year. In her senior year, she was named to the all-state team. Michigan was her first choice based on academics and location. "It's far enough away from home, but my family can still make it to my games," she said. "The first two years were really a big adjustment," Dyksterhouse said.. "I had trouble adjusting to the bat- ting here. If you hit .300, you're do- ing well. But that means that you aren't going to hit the ball 7 out of ten times. This can get frustrating and I lost some of my confidence." Hutchins attributed Dykster- house's hitting struggles in her first couple years to this loss of confi- dence. "Not only did she lose confidence in herself, but I think that she also thought the staff was losing confidence in her," Hutchins said. "Once she found out that we hadn't M lost our confidence in her, things started to improve. It's nice to see her hitting so well now." With all of her experience, a suc- cessful senior season will hopefully grant her the post-season recognition she deserves. "The last three years have been kind of disappointing," Dyksterhouse said. "Last year wasn't as bad. I made second team all-Big Ten, but this year I'd like to make first team." The Kinesiology major has no plans of giving up softball after this year. She plans to squeeze it in around her profession in cardiac re- habilitation. "But I am going to slow pitch," she stated. "My body is just getting too old for this!" Dyksterhouse prowess hasn't just been on offense. "She has been a rock at first base," she explained. "She has been solid and consistent, and she is what makes our slap defense work." Though Dyksterhouse has really made a strong showing thus far in her senior year, she has been a valu- able player since her first season. She earned a starting position as a Distinguished Lecture Series 0 DR. REGINALD JONES U- "Psycology and African Americans: the Decade Ahead" Wednesday, April 4, 4:00 p.m. 1270 Business Administration Bldg. 2 Reception immediately following the lecture WU This series is sponsored by the Center for Afroamerican and LUi African Studies, the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, and the " Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs Carmen Otte Embry-Riddle University NASA trainee Carmen Otte and her favorite space vehicle. When Aeronautical Engineering junior Carmen Otte talks about her 1982 Volkswagen Jetta, it's only natural that she begins with space. "I like its size, especially the trunk. A big trunk is important when you go away to school and have to carry practically everything you own. "And I love Jetta's space inside. It's roomy, comfortable. Last year I drove 200 miles each way to a summer job at NASA. I'm glad I was in my Jetta." Of course, there's more to Carmen's Jetta than space. "My car has over 200,000 miles on it. It doesn't cost much to operate and it's good looking. I think Volkswagens are excellent cars for college students." Since Carmen hopes to design spacecraft someday, we had to ask her what kind of vehicle she envisions in the future. "That's easy. A red Volkswagen Cabriolet convertible. I've already got one picked out for graduation." The VCI College Graduate Finance Plan makes owning or leasing a Volkswagen easier than ever before. And you may not need a credit history to qualify. Visit your authorized Volkswagen dealer for details. ::?::4: