Page 4 --The Michigan Daily - Sports Monday - April 16, 1990
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by Theodore Cox
Daily Baseball Writer
Last year Michigan's pitching staff was tops in the
Big Ten with an ERA of 2.55 and a 21-6 record. The
professional draft recognized the talent by stripping four
seniors from the team: Ross Powell (10-0), Mike
Grimes (9-3), Tim Lata (7-2) and John Locker (4-0; 5
saves).
There is little doubt the Wolverines have felt the
effect - the ERA has ballooned to 3.74 and their Big
Ten record is 3-7. Yet, one can hardly expect the
pitching staff to play up to the potential last year's did
when three new starters had to be found.
But Michigan's pitching has improved with each
outing. Plus, several hurlers have stepped forward to
replace the departing seniors. The biggest surprise is the.
throwing of Rick Leonard.
The senior righthander has placed his bid for the
fourth starting position by overpowering hitters. Leo-
nard has pushed his ERA down from 7.59 to 2.29, third
on the team.
Challenging Leonard for the last starting position is
first-year student Dennis Konuszewski. The righthander
has been solid this spring, with an ERA of 4.40.
Yesterday, the top two throwers showed their power
against Minnesota. Both Russell Brock and Kirt Ojala
completed their respective games by lasting seven
innings each. The problem for Brock was the Michigan
bats were silent the first game, as the Wolverines lost
4-1. The second game was all Ojala as he shut out the
Golden Gophers to pick up his fourth win on the year.
Pitching nears
last year's form
"The whole game is pitching," Minnesota coach
John Anderson said. "Pitching and defense dictate the
pace and who has the momentum. We came out in the
first game and set the pace with our defense and pitch-
ing. And we got some timely hitting off of a pretty
good pitcher, Russell Brock, who threw well.
"Then the lefthander (Ojala) came out and set the
pace for them the second game like our lefthander (John
Lowery) did in the first. So I really think pitching was
the difference."
The relief staff has also produced as of late. After a
terrible start this season, Jeff Tanderys and Terry Woods
came on strong last week for Michigan. Woods picked
up his first win of the spring in the marathon 13 inning
victory over the University of Detroit last Wednesday.
"I was impressed with both Leonard and Tanderys,"
Michigan coach Freehan said. "It was probably the best
Tanderys has pitched."
The only pitcher who is struggling of late is relief
ace Todd Marion. The sophomore started off the season
on fire with six saves, but he was guilty of the worst
Wolverine pitching breakdown this year.
The right-hander then redeemed himself, Wednesday,
by pitching a solid inning of relief against the Titans.
It is no secret solid pitching can win games. Thus
far, the staff has come through for several wins. Now
the squad just needs a supporting cast of hitters to push
the team past mediocrity.
BASKETBALL HOTNBOOK
Basketball personnel
coming and going
GOPHERS
Continued from page 1
The Gophers eventually got to
starter Russell Brock (4-3) in the
fourth inning. Centerfielder Ryan
Lefebvre opened with a single to
center and shortstop Brent Gates'
two-run homer put Minnesota ahead,
2-0.
Minnesota scored again in the
fifth as Brian Raabe hit an RBI
single to rightfield. Raabe's single
tied him for first place on the all-
time Minnesota hit list with 228,
but he spoiled the accomplishment
when he was thrown out trying to
stretch his hit into a double.
Michigan wasted a fine hitting
performance from designated hitter
Scott Winterlee. Winterlee went 2-
for-2, but was left stranded on second
base twice.
The Wolverines and Gophers
battle again today at Fisher Stadium
in a doubleheader slated for 1 p.m.
by Steven Cohen
Daily Basketball Writer
As the 1989-90 college basket-
ball season has concluded, both the
past and the future of Michigan
basketball have been on the minds of
many Wolverine observers. Though
the decision by junior Sean Higgins
to forgo his senior year, announced
last Wednesday in a press conference
at the Omni Hotel in Detroit, has
received the majority of the atten-
tion, the futures of four other
Wolverines are also hanging in the
balance.
SAYONARA?: Michigan senior
forward Mike Griffin, an Academic
All-Big Ten selection in the Mich-
igan business school, has received an
inviting proposition. A corporation
in Tokyo has offered the 6-foot-7
Griffin a contract to play in a league
composed of various other Japanese
companies. Griffin would play in the
league while also working for the
corporation.
Each corporation can only field
one American player and Griffin is
an ideal candidate. As someone who
has started for two years on a Big
Ten team, including a national
championship squad, Griffin can
clearly hold his own in Japan.
Not only does the offer provide
Griffin the chance to continue play-
ing basketball, it also gives him the
opportunity to move up the cor-
porate ladder. Griffin could play in
Japan for a few years and then work
for the corporation in the United
States, said Michigan assistant coach
Brian Dutcher, who handled the
inquiry from the American coach of
the Japanese team.
The company will fly Griffin out
to Japan to give him a taste of what
it would be like. Going to Japan is
just one option for Griffin, who last
summer worked for a real estate firm
in New York City.
"He' making career decisions
where he has control for where he
can go," Dutcher said, referring to
the fact that the Michigan players
entering the NBA draft are at the
mercy of the NBA franchises.
NBA NOTES: Last week, two
Michigan players - center Terry
Mills and forward Loy Vaught were
among the 33 players who partici-
pated in the NBA's pre-draft camp at
Orlando, Fla. Guard Rumeal Robin-
son chose not to attend the camp,
which is considered an important
evaluation period for NBA scouts.
Apparently Robinson felt the
camp could only serve to hurt his
value - as he is already regarded
higher than all of the guards who
attended the camp.
Oregon State's Gary Payton and
Illinois' Kendall Gill also did not
attend, making Robinson's decision
judicious. LSU sophomore Chris
Jackson, the only player other than
Higgins to go hardship at this point,
was not permitted to play because
the camp in Orlando was only for
seniors.
RECRUITING NOTES: The
spring signing period for basketball
recruits began April 11. Recruits can
sign with their prospective schools
from that date until the opening of
fall classes. Speculation has persist-
ed that Kevin Hrobowski, a 6-6
forward from Detroit Cody High
School, has committed to Michigan.
Hrobowski, a consensus All-Stater,
who averaged 21.4 points and 13.9
rebounds a game last season, appar-
ently wants to attend Michigan.
Hrobowski needs to score an 18
on his ACT exam to play next seas-
on. If not, Hrobowski would be
ineligible according to Proposition
48. Michigan has not accepted a
Prop 48 player since Terry Mills and
Rumeal Robinson, but coaches say
that decision is for the University's
admission department.
Another 6-6 performer, Eddie
Jones of Pompano Beach (Fla.) Ely
visited Ann Arbor this week. Jones
averaged 25 points and 10 caroms
per outing last season and has
narrowed his choices to Michigan,
Temple, and three southern schools.
The cream of the crop may be 6-5
Thomas Wyatt of East Aurora (Ill.)
High School, a three-time All-State
selection. Wyatt, who averaged 27
points and 9.8 boards a game last
season, would like to attend Mich-
igan, but like Hrobowski, is on
shaky ground academically.
Michigan could conceivably place
both Wyatt and Hrobowski in prep
schools, as it did with Sam Mitch-
ell, but that is dependent on th9
admissions department at the Univer-
sity as well. If the players signed
with a junior college, it is unlikely
they would ever wind up at Mich-
igan due to a Big Ten rule which
requires players to sit out a year after
transferring from a junior college.
OTHER BIG TEN RECRUIT-
ING: Though Michigan's recruiting
class thus far has inspired yawns
from some and mild praise from
others, the rest of the Big Ten hasn't
signed a great number of players
ranked among recruiting experts' top
50 lists.
Illinois' landing of-Jamie Brand-
on, a 6-3 standout from Chicago
King, who the Illini have been
recruiting since he was a fifth-grader
accords the school the fourth bes9
recruiting class in some national
polls behind North Carolina, Prov-
idence, and Arizona State.
Purdue's class, featuring the her-
alded Cuonzo Martin, a 6-6 standout
who bailed out of Illinois for fear of
future NCAA sanctions against the
school, is considered strong as well,
Michigan State signed Michigan'*
"Mr. Basketball" Anthony Miller, as
well as a few solid guards - the
athletic Kris Weshinskey of Virginia
and the steady Andy Penick of
Louisville.
Indiana, who like Michigan came
up short in the "Eric Montross
Sweepstakes," has employed assis-
tant coach Ron Felling in Europe to
search for talent. The Hoosiers re@
portedly will sign a 6-10 Finnish
center. With newcomer Damon Bail-
ey, and last year's class, the Hoos-
iers should be pretty solid.
Michigan rightfielder Phil Price ducks to avoid being struck by a wild
pitch. The Wolverines now hold a at 17-15 (3-7 in Big Ten) record.
0
of water?
to find a home
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