10 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, February 25, 1997 No soup for you! Michigan softball eats up Campbell field By B.J. Luria Daily Sports Writer To say that the Michigan softball team got off to a slow start at the Campbell/Cartier Classic on Friday might be a bit of an understatement. But then again, to say that the No. 5 Wolverines recovered to play well Saturday and Sunday would be even more of one. After losing two games and tying one on Friday, Michigan rallied for four wins in a row over the next two days, to push its season record to 4-2- 1. In their first three games of the sea- son, the Wolverines were outscored by a total of two runs. They tied No. 15 Cal State-Northridge, 3-3, before falling to Sacramento State, .1-0, and San Diego State, 4-3. Michigan errors factored into all three of the games. Against Northridge, an overthrow by freshman shortstop Pam Kosanke in the top of the sixth inning allowed the Matadors to score the tying run, just half an inning after the Wolverines had scored two runs to take a 3-2 lead. In the next game, Sacramento State was able to score the game's only run in the bottom of the fourth inning when an error by junior third baseman Sara Griffin allowed a runner to score from second. Michigan managed only two hits in the contest. The Wolverines' final game of the day pitted them against host San Diego State. Once again, Michigan was vic- timized by an untimely error. The Aztecs were able to score two runs and take a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the third inning following an error by sec- ond baseman Jessica Lange with two outs. On Saturday, the Wolverines dis- played the mixture of hitting and pitch- ing that has been instrumental in their past four Big Ten championships. In the first game of the day Michigan exploded for ten runs, defeating No. 14 Long Beach State, 10-2. The Wolverines put the game away with six runs in the top of the fifth inning. Griffin held the 49ers to two runs on four hits to pick up her first win of the season. Sophomore Traci Conrad keyed Michigan's offen- sive attack with a double, a home run and four RBIs. She also scored the go- ahead run in the third inning. Following their first win of the sea- son, the Wolverines faced No. 22 Hawaii. Once again, the key to Michigan's success was its hitting. Conrad and Griffin led the offensive attack with three hits apiece, as Michigan won 7-6. Griffin recorded four RBIs while Kelli Holmes evened her season record at 1-1. Lange made up for her error Friday with a spectac- ular play in the sixth inning to halt a two-out, three-run Hawaii rally. In the late game Saturday, the Wolverines scored four runs in the fourth inning and cruised to a 6-1 vic- tory over Stanford. Freshman Jamie Gillies pitched all seven innings to pick up her first collegiate win. Left fielder Tracy Taylor went 2 for 3 at the plate and knocked in three runs as Michigan pushed its season record to 3-2-1. In their final game of the weekend, the Wolverines shutout Arkansas, 6-0 Sunday. Griffin and Gillies teamed up to hurl Michigan's first shutout of the season. Griffin was credited with the win, pushing her record to 2-0. Conrad provided all the offense that the Wolverines needed, going 3 for 4 with a double and a triple. Cathy Davie, Conrad and Griffin were all recognized for their efforts over the weekend by being named to the Campbel/Cartier Classic All- Tournament team. Time off won't be aproblem for Blue By John Friedberg Daily Sports Writer Three weeks off could spell death for many sports. Practice would not be able to simulate the intensity of competi tion. Obviously, swimming is not most sports. "Three weeks is a pretty standard layoff in preparation," Michigan coach Jon Urbanchek said. "It gives time to taper and mentally prepare for the con ference championships." Tapering, for those of you not cor@ pletely familiar with swimming, is the gradual reduction of workouts that swimmers do in preparation for a big meet. From September through December, the swim team builds its workouts up t(%- 80,000 yards per week or about 45 12 miles. When the team begins to taper, the workout gradually decreases down t 60,000 yards, then to 40,000 yards a finally 30,000, the level the team is at currently. "During the season, most of the top teams swim the dual meets tired," Urbanchek said. "Since there are only two meets that really count - Big Tens and NCAAs - we only taper for them." After the conference championships, the Wolverines will build up their train- ing again for two weeks before taperi off again for the NCAAs. This seco process will last only a month. Most sports emphasize mental preparation, such as visualization of what an athlete needs to do to be at his or her best. Swimming is no different. However, the rest of the preparation is a bit different from most sports. Swimming is set apart by a distinct ritual: the shaving of body hair. Swimmers shave their legs, arms, a# some even make their heads more aero- dynaic. "Piersma always shaves off his sweater during this time of year," sophomore Tom Malchow said. "He has to. He's one of the hairiest guys I know." All of this training should help the Wolverines to make the most of the conference championships as Michigan shoots to regain the Big title they surrendered last year. conference championships also act as a qualifying meet of sorts. "We hope to qualify eight to 12 swimmers for the NCAAs next month" Urbanchek said. "We are as healthy as we are going to be, so it should be exciting." MARATiUd IMYERS)/ Junior outfielder Derek Besco - shown here in action last season - and the Wolverines couldn't slide by No. 15 Alabama this weekend in Tuscaloosa, Ala. They fell three times, and the Crimson Tide scored 19, 21 and 22 runs. baSeball opens wit struggles By Tracy Sandier Daily Sports Writer There was nothing sweet about the Michigan baseball team's weekend away from home in Alabama. To kick off their season, the Wolverines batted in three losses, 21-3, 19-3 and 22-7 respectively, to the 15th-ranked Crimson Tide. "We need to get out on the field," Michigan coach Geoff Zahn said. "We're disappointed in the weekend's results and in how we played. Keeping in mind that we're coming out on the field for the first time, I like the way the pitchers threw, especially (Luke) Bonner, Cranson, (Ryan) Kelley and (J.J.) Putz." The series began on Friday with Alabama's 21-3 drubbing of Michigan. In the game's seventh inning Alabama's right fielder Dustan Mohr hit a grand slam, his second consecutive homer of the game. The Wolverines' pitching staff of Brian Steinbach, Brian Berryman, Bryan Cranson and Mario Garza, Jr. gave up 19 hits, while issuing four free passes and striking out seven. The Michigan defense committed three errors to Alabama's two. Things did not get much better on Saturday. At the end of the ninth inning, the team found itself on the los- ing end of a 19-3 score. Luke Bonner gave up 10 hits and 10 runs in three innings of work, before turning it over to J.J. Putz, who gave up six runs and six hits in 4 1/3 innings. The team was guilty of four errors. In the weekend's second game Bryan Besco and Bryan Kalczynski went 2 for 4. Besco and Kalczynski, along with left fielder Jason Alcaraz, record- ed at least one hit each in every game of the series. Despite losing 22-7 and committing five errors, the Wolverines had their most productivity in game three. The team took its only lead of the series in the third inning. With two outs, Alacaraz hit a two-run single, while the next batter, right fielder Derek Besco, delivered an RBI single for the Wolverines. Team captain and second baseman Kirk Beerman, who reached base in all three games, went 1 for 2, walked twice and scored three of the team's seven runs. His single in the fifth inning marked his 99th career hit. The lack of outdoor practice com- bined with fundamental problems gives the team plenty of work for practice. The Wolverines beaned a number of hitters, walked 27 and made 12 errors. "To some extent, I just think that we weren't ready to play," Zahn said. "(We weren't ready) a little mentally, but mostly physically. We need to pick apart the things we can control and get better on." Although he does not want his team to make excuses, Zahn points out the disadvantage the Wolverines had. "It would be as if the NCAA told (Michigan football coach) Lloyd Carr that his team could not workout outside and could not have team scrimmages," Zahn said. "But they would have to beat some of the top teams in the coun- try on the road, like Florida or Florida State." As the Wolverines prepare to go to Florida themselves on Saturday, Zahn is encouraged by what he saw in yes- terday's practice. "We had outstanding focus at (yes- terday's) practice," Zahn said. "We realized there were some things we overlooked and that we need to go back to the basics. The guys were really intense at it." U' Give us a peeof A summer is a terrible thing to waste. Particularly when Grand Valley State University makes it so convenient to catch up or pull ahead while you're home in west Michigan. GVSU is offering a wide selection of courses this summer at campuses in Allendale, Grand Rapids, Holland and Muskegon. It's a perfect time to pick up that class you missed because of scheduling conflicts or to take a course not offered by your college or university. Look for a schedule of courses on our web site at wwwgvsu.edu-or call us at 1-888-442-8083 to request one. Registering as a guest student can also be done on the web or over the phone. Tuition is affordable and classes are taught by experienced faculty members, not graduate students. Don't forget to call your college or university about credit transfer. Then contact GVSU to learn how you can put your mind GOLDENBACH* Continued from Page 9 like Austin Croshere, and those with great names, like God Shammgod. Iowa gets my vote for the tourney. Andre Woolridge is the type of play- er that can put a team on his back an take it far into the tourney. And besides, the Hawkeyes have played well since adjusting to the loss of Jess Settles, who's missed th whole season with an injury. Fresno State gets in, not because it has more potential criminals than any team outside of the Nebraska football program, but because Jerry Tarkanian has proven that once March rolls around, he gets the most out of his players (as long as he . doesn't play Duke). Add a widely unknown small school like North Caroli Charlotte, which plays in a beast o league - Conference USA. It com- petes against the likes of Cincinnati, Louisville and Tulane and has man- aged a 9-3 mark within the league thus far. Rounding out my field will be schools like Georgetown, Texas Tech, Purdue, California, Boston College, Texas, UNLV, Syracuse and Massachusetts. These are all teams that have h@ either strong finishes, mammoth schedules or star players who have performed allsseason and can cary the load in the postseason. Oh yeah, and the 64th and final team will be Michigan. Not because I'm hoping to spend a weekend in March in Tucson, Ariz. (one of the first-round sites in the West Region), but because Michigan is one of t 64 best teams in the country. But when it receives a bidon March 9, Michigan- will not have won a conference title and will not be ranked in the top 25. That the Wolverines have to use the excuse of iust being one of the ARE YOU A LEADER? LS&A Student Government will soon be holding its Winter 1997 general elections. Now is the time to declare your candidacy! Come by the LSA office in the Michigan Union and pick up a candidate's packet. The deadline for filing is 5 PM on February 27, 1997.