Baseball
vs. Oakland
Today, 3 p.m.
Fisher Stadium
SPORTS
Softball
vs. Northwestern
Tomorrow, 3 p.m. (DH)
Varsity Field
Weather ruins baseball
team's day - again
f
----------------
I
I
-]I
Tennis trounces
Mchigan St., 6-1
By BRETT JOHNSON
DAILY BASEBALL WRITER
Ho, hum. Another beautiful day
for baseball.
Well, maybe if you attend Miami,
Fla., where it was 86 degrees and
sunny yesterday.
Once again, the snows came down
in Michigan, and for the fourth time
this season, a Michigan baseball game
vas canceled due to bad weather.
Tuesday, the Wolverines -played just
over three and a half innings before
the game was called for freezing rain.
Yesterday, Michigan didn't even
bother going to the field at Western
Michigan. Tuesday night's snow
ended any chance of baseball being
played in Kalamazoo, yesterday.
The first cancellation, due to rain,
game during the spring trip to Florida,
and last week in the second game of a
double header against Siena Heights,
the game was canceled because of
snow.
However, with the Big Ten season
in full swing and Michigan coach Bill
Freehan desperately wanting innings
for his ballclub, the Wolverines sched-
uled a game with Division U Oakland
(11-9) for today. The home contest
will start at 3 p.m.
Oakland boasts a strong offense.
In fact, nine Oakland players are hit-
ting over .300, and the team comes
into today's game with an overall
.305 batting average.
Leading the way are infielders Jeff
Harwood with an even .400 batting
average and Ted Allessie at .388.
Actually, Jeff Carron leads the team
in average at .750, but he has only
recorded four at bats.
Either Harwood or Allessie leads
the team in every offensive category
except batting average and home runs.
As for the long ball, Tom Kretschmer
leads Oakland with two.
The pitching staff has also been
solid so far this season. Jason Edwards
and Ralph Nuglia have recorded five
victories each.
For the Wolverines, the team bat-
ting average continues to climb. After
a weekend explosion against Michi-
gan State, the team batting average
rose to .289. Seven Wolverines are
hitting over .300.
By JOSH KAPLAN
DAILY SPORTS WRITER
Something must have switched on
inside the heads of Michigan's Pete
Pusztai and John Costanzo midway
through yesterday's meet against
Michigan State.
Pusztai and Costanzo came from
behind to win their matches, leading
the men's tennis team (2-1 Big Ten,
6-5 overall) to a 6-1 victory over the
Spartans (0-3, 5-8).
The Wolverines jumped out to a
quick 3-0 lead with solid doubles play
and decisive victories from Adam
Wager and Geoff Prentice.
Pusztai's victory slammed the door
on Michigan State.
"Peter picked up that fourth point
for us just like he did against Iowa,"
Michigan coach Brian Eisner said.
"He's like money in the bank."
Down a service break in the first
set, Pusztai jumped on State's Rich-
ard Watson, winning, 6-4, 6-0.
"In the first set, I was playing his
game," Pusztai said. "It was just con-
stant back and forth. I eventually got
sick of it, and I went back to my game.
I knew I'd blow right over him."
Costanzo found himself in adeeper
hole, down a set to State's Kevin
Seckel, and losing in the second, 4-1.
"Kevin Seckel has one of the best
returns of serve perhaps in the coun-
try," Eisner said. "What we did is we
slowed (Costanzo) down."
Staying at the baseline rather than
serving and volleying, the sophomore
took away Seckel's strength. Costanzo
powered his way to a 4-6, 7-5, 2-1
lead before Seckel was forced to re-
tire with a sore wrist.
"John really won by doing things
that aren't what he usually does to
win," Eisner said. "But that's what
we had to do."
Michigan's Dan Brakus completed
the trouncing with his win over
scrappy Mashiska Washington,
younger brother of former Michigan
star MaliVai Washington, 6-3, 7-5.
"Brakus and Mashiska are the two
best players in this part of the country
right now," Eisner said. "Washington
never quits. He stays at you all the
time, so that's a great win for Brakus."
After grappling with three of the
top teams in the Big Ten, Eisner feels
his team has begun to close out tough
matches to secure victories.
"When you cut away everything
else," Eisner said, "all the strategy, all
the techniques, it boils down to who
really wants to stay out there and grind,
who wants to go after the match."
L ine Drives
Dransfeldt begins to
adjust to college ball
*0y RYAN WHITE
DAILY BASEBALL WRITER
Michigan freshman Kelly Dransfeldt's college baseball career wasn't
supposed to start the way it did. After all, personal success followed him
throughout his early playing days. Baseball America ranked him as the No. 1
incoming freshman in the country, and that was just one credential on a
baseball resum6 longer than the list of subpoenaed witnesses for Whitewater.
During his senior year at Morris High School in Morris, Ill., Dransfeldt
racked up 62 hits, 63 RBIs and 20 home runs. He was also 12-1 on the mound.
Both the Chicago Sun Times and the Chicago Tribune named Dransfeldt the
tate's player of the year.
In addition, he earned the 1993 Gatorade Circle ofChampions Illinois State
Player-of-the-Year. Then in June, the Minnesota Twins drafted Dransfeldt in
the seventh round of the Major League Baseball draft.
But with those kinds of accolades come a lot of expectations and a lot of
pressure - especially for someone who is only 19 years old.
The pressure got to Dransfeldt. He started three games, and appeared in one
other, for the Wolverines on the team's spring trip to Florida. He hit .083.
"I felt that I had to do everything, make all the plays, get the base hit when
everyone was on," Dransfeldt said. "I felt like that was my job, and I had to live
up to (the No. I ranking)."
0 It took Dransfeldt until his 11th official at bat, in his third start, to finally
record his first hit in a Michigan uniform, and he got his first RBI on a ground
out against Central Florida on March 12.
It was what, at best, could be described as a slow start for such a heralded
player. And, just like every other time expectations aren't met, questions are
raised.
"Why is the No. 1 freshman in the country only hitting .083?" people asked.
The answer is simple.
On its spring trip, Michigan competed against teams that already had
between 10 and 15 games under their belt. Michigan's experience, at that point
n the season, consisted of drills inside Oosterbaan Fieldhouse.
As a result, the entire team headed into those games at a disadvantage.
Everyone had trouble, but it was especially difficult for a freshman. Add that
to the pressure Dransfeldt placed on himself and the pressure of being No. 1,
and it resulted in that dismal .083 batting average.
However with some experience now under his belt, Dransfeldtis beginning
to look like the baseball player he was predicted to be when he came to the
Wolverines.
He upped his batting average to .176 and is hitting .222 in Big Ten play.
Most importantly, Dransfeldt looks more comfortable both in the field, where
e has played third base and shortstop, and at the plate.
Dransfeldt chalked up the first multiple-hit game of his career against Siena
Heights on March 29 when he went 2-for-3. He has currently hit safely in four
straight games.
In Tuesday's rainout against Eastern Michigan, Dransfeldt doubled in a
run. He also made a solid defensive play on a trickler, charging in from third
base to throw out the runner. Unfortunately, no statistics counted, due to the
game's cancellation.
According to Dransfeldt, there are a number of reasons for his turn around.
"(The key has been) playing my own ball, and the guys helping me out,"
he said. "Not always going for the long ball, not making the great play, but
naking the routiner."
He may be making the "routiners" now, but the ability is there to hit the long
ball and make the big play.
As this season wears on and he gets more and more experience, Dransfeldt
should become a major part of a Wolverine team looking to make the Big Ten
tournament for the first time since 1989.
Roberts suspended for
negative comments
JONATHAN LURIE/Daily
The Michigan baseball team got snowed out again yesterday in Kalamazoo.
Women's trackfaces
competitioni Oxford,
By BRIAN SKLAR
DAILY SPORTS WRITER
The Michigan women's outdoor
track and field team has two goals for
this season to win a conference champi-
onship and to qualify more members
for the national championships than it
did for this past indoor season.
One of the keys for the Wolver-
ines to do this is to make the adjust-
ment to competing outside.
But, lately the Wolverines, who
head to Miami (Ohio) this weekend,
have not had much of a chance to do
this.
The Alabama Relays two weeks
ago are the only meet in which Michi-
gan has competed so far.
The recent inclement weather has
also hindered the adjustment.
"We're dealing with the elements,"
assistant coach Mike McGuire said.
"We planned on practicing outside
(yesterday). But we had to move un-
dercover."
Even though the team has been able
to make use of their facilities inside, the
weather has caused the team concerns
about the upcoming meet.
"The weather will have an effect
on our performance," thrower Ronda
Meyers said. "We can work on tech-
nique inside but you don't get the
same feel."
However, McGuire is confident
the Wolverines will make a suc-
cessful transition to competing out-
doors.
"There's a big adjustment when
you go outside. We'll get sharper
each week, though," McGuire said.
Michigan competes against host
Miami, Purdue, Bowling Green and
Western Michigan. The toughest com-
petition should come in the throwing
events. There will be two national
qualifiers in the discus and one in the
shot put.
Sophomore Ronda Meyers said
she is up to the challenge. After achiev-
ing a personal best in the discus of
over six feet at the Alabama Relays,
Meyers is confident she can continue.
her high performance level.
"The throwing events will be
strong, but I expect to do well," she
said. "I'd like to achieve another per-
sonal record this weekend."
As for the rest of the team,
McGuire hopes for positive results.
"We're basically looking forover-
all team improvement," McGuire said.
By SCOTT BURTON
DAILY BASKETBALL WRITER
Michigan handed women's bas-
ketball coach Trish Roberts a one-
game suspension Monday,in response
to "unsportsmanlike" comments she
made after an Ohio State basketball
game in Columbus, Feb. 20.
In a press conference following an
80-73 loss to the Buckeyes, Roberts
told a group of six to eight reporters
that, "I think this game was taken
away from us. I told my kids it took
three not-so-good officials and 12,000
fans to do it."
Those comments violated the Big
Ten's Sportsl ike Conduct Agreement,
which includes "publicly and unduly
criticizing a game official" as a pun-
ishable offense.
The Big Ten commissioner's of-
fice was made aware of the offense
when it was sent - from an unnamed
source - a fax of the comments as
they were contained in the Columbus
Dispatch.
The Daily also published the re-
marks, along with Roberts saying that
"They were protecting (Buckeye star)
Katie Smith all night," and "We don't
get any respect in the Big Ten."
The Big Ten notified Michigan of
Roberts' published comments two and
half weeks ago. In an accordance with
Big Ten policy, Michigan was allowed
to determine whether the comments did
indeed} violate the conference's
Sportslike Conduct Agreement.
Last week, a panel of Associate
Athletic Director Peggy Bradley-
Doppes, faculty adviser Percy Bates,
Athletic Director Joe Roberson and
Roberts concluded that they did.
Michigan was allowed to assess
the penalty: a public reprimand, and
either a $10,000 institutional fine
taken from television revenues or a
one-game suspension for Roberts. The
Big Ten will not follow Michigan's
penalty with one of its own.
"I don't think the institution should
pay the price," explained Bradley-
Doppes in why they opted for a sus-
pension. "We felt we handled this in
a very positive manner. The Big Ten
felt what we did was proactive."
Roberts - on a recruiting trip
until next week - was not available
for questions, and her assistant
coaches had no comment. Bradley-
Doppes said Roberts was cooperative
in the process and in agreement with
the suspension. The coach will miss
Michigan's first game next year.
ampl- - - ME%"
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(Gish-Glace) *Fruit Salads
p4
ANNOUNCING
A NEW SET OF COURSE OFFERINGS IN
MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY
BEGINNING THE FALL OF 1994
The Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the De-
partment of Biology will be offering a new series of courses set in
modular format. Each module will run for one third of a semester
and will be a one credit course. In many cases multiple modules
can be combined to make up a traditional course. Students may
choose from the various modules to create a program that best fits
their educational objectives and interests.
Microbiology 501, 502, and 503 collectively provide an advanced
introductory course designed for upperclass undergraduate and
beginning graduate students interested in health sciences. The
three modules will be offered consecutively and will meet MWF
from 10:00 to 11:00 AM.
Prerequisite-first year biochemistry or permission of course director
Module 1 (9/9-10/10)
Microbiology 501-Introductory Microbiology (1 credit)
Module II(10/12-11/9)
Microbiology 502-Introductory Immunology (I credit)
Module III (11/11-12/12)
Microbiology 503-Introductory Virology (I credit)
'Deli Sandwiches
715 N. University
hh.
U U
Department of Recreational
Sports
INTRAMURAL
SPORTS PROGRAM
11
IdHIN YOUl BH
CROSS COUNTRY RUN