0 Baseball at Michigan St. Tomorrow, 1 p.m. East Lansing SPORTS Softball vs. Western Michigan Today, 3 p.m. Varsity Diamond The Michigan Daily Me/ike Gill Tuesday, April 24, 1990 Page 10 _0 Softballers look to extend hot streak .: r" < Assorted thoughts for. te erm's end Items on my mind before finals... Greg McMurtry surely won't be placing Leroy Hoard or any other of his junior classmates from around the country on his Christmas card list. McMurtry found draft day not to his liking Sunday when he sat and waited until finally receiving the phone call hours later than expected. It wasn't until the third round when McMurtry was drafted, after being projected as a late-first rounder or sure second round pick. * What happened? Did clubs worry McMurtry still had secret ambitions of baseball looming in his mind? Was he unimpressive in tryouts? Who knows. But one thing is certain. Since this is the first year juniors could come out for the NFL without begging on hands and knees - and they did so in flocks - McMurtry's stock fell victim to a strong draft. With such stars as Illinois' Jeff George, USC's Junior Seau, and Houston's Andre Ware declaring their desire to spurn their education for the big bucks, McMurtry was forced into a waiting game which will cost him heavily when signing a new contract. As McMurtry waited, he watched his signing bonus and contract-worth slip... and slip... and slip away. Sean Higgins had to be disappointed he wasn't selected in the first round, too. Oh wait. I'm supposed to save that comment for a couple months. Do they have a draft for the Italian league? Speaking of Higgins, how could a person be so bold as to decide to go pro after hearing expert after expert say it would be a drastic mistake? Could it be possible that Higgins made a decision long before hearing such negative comments, and slacked off in his studies, leaving him with little choice? Being ineligible for the first half of the basketball season would be very embarrassing and also put a damper on the chance of being a high pick in next year's draft. It's just a hypothesis, but it doesn't seem all that far fetched. In Weekend Magazine's Best of Ann Arbor issue last Friday, readers voted the Michigan football team the best athletic team on campus and the hockey team the worst. The football team's recognition is expected - a high profile team which went to the Rose Bowl - especially when considering the other successful teams on campus, including men's and women's swimming, do not attract the 105,000 faithful that migrate to Michigan Stadium on a fall Saturday afternoon. What is surprising is the hockey team's dubious distinction. After its most successful season in years and coming within inches of an NCAA tournament bid, it is obvious more than the won-lost record went into the vote. The volleyball program's 1-17 Big Ten record fits the bill as the worst athletic team-on campus. What this proves is how much one player or one incident can hurt the reputation of an entire team. The Todd Copeland affair, which dragged on by David Schechter Daily Sports Writer Coming off a four-game sweep against Northwestern last weekend, the Michigan softball team is riding a winning current of momentum and hopes to leave Western Michigan in their undertow today in Kalamazoo. Traditionally, the Wolverines have done well against the Broncos. In the last twenty games played between the two schools, Michigan has won thirteen times. Last year, Michigan split the Western Michi- gan series by winning the first game, 5-2, and losing the second game, 2-1. Today's doubleheader is not only a chance for Michigan to widen that margin, but an opportunity for the team to gain added confidence before playing current Big Ten powerhouse Iowa. Catcher Julie Cooper would like to see her hitting improve to insure a victory over Western. "I'm not in a slump but I'm not hitting out of my mind either." But she is satisfied with her defensive game, "I've been catching a good game, no one stole on me last weekend, so I guess I'm happy with the way I'm playing," she said. In recent weeks, Michigan has played strong defense through most of the game, but has a habit of sliding during one inning. Michigan opponents have done much of their scoring inside that one inning. "It happens to us quite a bit; we have to keep up the intensity throughout the game," Cooper said. Another shortcoming is runners left on base. "We left a lot of run- ners on base last weekend and that's one thing I'd like to see us improve on," captain Jenny Allard said. "We'd like to win by hitting a lot more, a lot of offensive power is what we need," Allard said. While Western is not a strong team, the Wolverines have never been ones to write off an opponent. "Anybody can win on any given day, though traditionally they're not a strong team, and they're not a team that dominates the game," Cooper said. The weekend sweep against Northwestern was coach Carol Hut- chins' first four-game sweep of any opponent since she became coach in 1985. However, if the team is to keep up its hopes of winning a Big Ten title, it basically must win all remaining conference games. Iowa, Michigan State and Indiana are the last three Big Ten games remaining. Softball team captain Jenny AllardI Northwestern last Saturday. KENNETH SMOLLER/Daily pitches in the second game against and on, proved that one black mark, which draws the ire of an entire campus, can quickly erase all the positive work 20 other individuals put into rebuilding a program back to a respectability. Andre Ware seems a likable character and is perfectly fit for the Lions' Silver Stretch offense. Yet, you have to feel sorry for Rodney Peete, a very affable guy who everyone pronounced as the Lions quarterback of the future. Then again, what would the Lions be without a quarterback controversy? The Tigers aren't going to win the the AL East this year, but this summer at the ballpark may prove to be much more exciting than last season. At times, the Tigers look like their old self, able to play steady consistent baseball for a game. Then they turn around, make all kinds of mistakes, and walk half the neighborhood. Wiver inest Con n10NLraf G..s ...M.......N.w.En...n..Pat.io.s.3... :::: ::.::.: :<::<.::::::::.>.:":.: . .... D rrick alke : San4ie : :Charer.......... .....:... Brent W hite:C... .:::..: .:... 11/284..... .......... On an optimistic side: In 1987, the Tigers started When do playoff tickets go on sale? out 11-19. I 9 0