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%" *Bagels *Pasta Salads 'Muffins 'Soups *Frozen Yogurt 'Vegetable Salads (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