t12 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, March 22, 1996 Michigan opens Big Ten season hoping to give record a boost By Jim Rose Daily Sports Writer It wasn't enough that the Michigan baseball team had trouble getting started down south. Thirteen losses in ,14 games is not exactly a blazing beginning. i Upon returning north, the Wolver- Anes were snowed out yesterday, in what should have been their home opener. Hardly a home field advantage. So now, instead of traveling all the way down to the warm-weather cli- ,mates - where the baseball teams ,,have been practicing all year long - And since Ray Fisher Stadium would Abe better suited for ice skates than baseball spikes, Michigan will try to split the difference. The Wolverines are going to Purdue. The Big Ten season begins tomor- .°row for Michigan, when Purdue (7-11) hosts the 1 p.m. doubleheader in West ;Lafayette. The series will continue Sun- day with another twinbill at the same time. . Although the Wolverines are anx- _ious to. play ball, they probably wouldn't mind easing their way into the conference season, rather than ;jumping aright in against an experi- #enced Boilermakers' squad. r Purdue returns 21 lettermen from itast year's team, which finished third in the Big Ten. Seven of the returners Kare starters in the field, and 11 are ,pitchers. After a dismal 1994 campaign when Purdue finished in the conference cel- lar, 1995 featured a mature, talented group of Boilermakers. Purdue sat atop the Big Ten standings for the first half of the spring, before stum- bling and winding up in third place. Senior catcher Beau Baltzell has paced the Boilermakers in the early going this season, hitting .348 to lead 66 "Right now it looks like (junior Brian) Steinbach will Start the second game. " -- Chris Harrison Michigan assistant baseball coach the team. Senior Rick Galle is hitting at a .344 clip while handling duties at the hot corner. Another threat in the Purdue lineup is switch-hitting shortstop Rod Metzler. After an impressive sopho- more season (.324), Metzler has been mentioned as a possible candidate for Big Ten player of the year honors. The junior is off to a slow start, however, hitting just .203 with 16 strikeouts. After playing second base each of the past two seasons, Metzler has had a rough time adjusting to short, committing an atrocious 16 er- rors in 17 games. Purdue's pitching staff has been its strength thus far, with six pitchers posting ERAs under four. Junior righties Mike Hedman (3-1, 2.57 ERA) and Chris Bloomer (2-3, 3.60) are the top two starters. The Wolverines' pitching, on the other hand, has struggled. Sophomore Mike Hribernik (1-2) has the staff's lowest ERA, at 4.70. Hribernik will get the nod for Saturday's first game, said Michigan assistant coach Chris Harrison. "Right now it looks like (junior Brian) Steinbach will start the second game," Harrison said. "We're not sure about the rest ofthe weekend, though." Sunday's starters will probably be either freshmen Luke Bonner or J.J. Putz, or senior Mark Temple, who was slated to take the mound for yesterday's snow-out. Junior Mike Cervenak is pacing the Wolverines at the plate, hitting.355. He is followed closely by freshman out- fielder Jason Alcaraz, at .347. "Mikewill definitely be inthelineup, but we don't know exactly where yet," Harrison said. Cervenak has seen action at third, first and DH thus far. For now, the coaches are more concerned with keep- ing his bat in the lineup than finding him a permanent home in the field, Harrison said. "(The positions in the field) will be determinedby several factors," Harrison said. "(Outfielder) Derek Besco is com- ing off a wrist injury, but hopefully he'll be able to play. And (Brian) Kalczynski has been playing well de- fensively at third. So we still have some decisions to make." The Michigan women's swimming and diving team could only dive into sixth place in the first day of the NCAAs. Lutheran Campus Ministry Presents: 14th Annual Kauper Lecture Body, Holy, Sex: Religious Faith and Sensuous Feast Dr. Elizabeth Bettenhausen Social Ethicist, Theologian, Writer Boston, Massachusetts Sunday, March 24,4:00 P.M. Squire, Sanders and Dempsy Auditorium Room 120 University of Michigan Law School Reception Following The Public is cordially invited to attend Other Events in Connection with Lecture Sunday, March 24, 10:00 A.M., Dr. Bettenhausen will preach and lead an "Afterword" on "The Church's Impasse on Sex." Lord of Light Lutheran Church, 801 S. Forest at Hill 668-7622 dence won) their tournament, and leader with 10 goals and 50 assists, the first five. TOU N EY~ Minnesota also won their tournament. has been one of Michigan's most con- And Michigan's defensive unit But we play pretty good defense, and sistent contributors all season. The been as potent as its offense. Over!c Continued from Page 11 I like our goaltending and special senior suffered a deep thigh bruise in past six games, Michigan has givei But this year, Providence will not teams." the CCHA championship game last up just 11 goals (five in one game have to sit at home. The Friars im- If Minnesota advances, it will be in- Saturday. He did not return to the and have recorded two shutouts in thf pressed the selection committee after teresting to see game and was span. The Wolverines have eight shut winning the Hockey East tournament, how Boni n t deemed ques- outs for the season and have allowe( upsetting Boston University, 5-4, in matches up to I think we tionable at the one goal in 11 separate games the semifinals and Maine, 3-2, in the Michigan's pair time forthe early Michigan's defense averages onl: finals. of centers, match Up pretty rounds of the 2.34 goals against per game, tops it Providence is led by Joe Hulbig, B r e n d a n NCAAs. How- the nation. who was named player of the week Morrison and well agaist either ever, Hilton re- Netminder Marty Turco is the 1 and tournament MVP for his efforts. Kevin Hilton. F! turned to prac- link in Michigan's defensive ch The junior forward had five total M o rr i s o n , t Eed tice this week The sophomore goaltender holds points in the two games, including the also a Hobey - Red Berenson and will skate 2.20 goals-against average and is see game-winner against Maine. Baker finalist. Michigan hockey coach, on. Sunday. ond in the nation in goaltending. So how do the Wolverines stack up grabbed one as- "I f w e play Michigan's tournament experiene against the competition? sist against the Providence and Minnesota Providence, then may give it the edge over Providence "I think we match up pretty well Gophers in the they're the un- but possibly not Minnesota, whic against either team," Michigan coach College Hockey Showcase. It was only derdog," Berenson said. "If it's Min- has made 11 straight playoff appeai Red Berenson said Saturday after the his sixth game of the year after suffer- nesota, they are a team we have seen ances, the longest such string of an seedings were announced. "(Provi- ing a knee injury at the start of the and respect. Both are top teams. We college hockey program inthe natio ,.... Y +yy« yp