The Michigan Daily - Friday, April 11- I-
.Baseball hosts Wildcats in key series
Blue football springs ahead
By Sharat Raju
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan baseball team doesn't
get opportunities like this very often.
The Wolverines (7-3 Big Ten, 18-12
overall) have a four-game homestand
this weekend starting today at 3 p.m.
against ninth-place Northwestern (3-5,
7-20). Tomorrow the two teams play a
doubleheader (1 p.m.), and a single
game on Sunday (1 p.m.) closes out the
weekend series.
"I think we have a real good chance of
sweeping them," Michigan pitcher Brian
Steinbach said. "We just have to play
well and not beat ourselves.'
The struggling Wildcats arrive at
Fisher Stadium having notched two of
their three conference victories last
weekend against conference cellar-
dweller Michigan State. The Spartans
are tied with the Wildcats for ninth in the
Big Ten.
Except for a 16-run explosion last
Sunday, the Northwestern bats Pave been
relatively silent lately. The Wildcats
managed a total ofjust 19 runs in the six
games prior to last Sunday. '.
Steinbach - Michigan's ace'- will
start the series opener this afternoon.
With a 4.81 ERA, the junior righthander
is slated to square off against Chris
Hargan, a righty who is 2-4.
Sophomore righthander J.J. Putz, the
second man in the Michigan pitching
rotation, would ordinarily start
Saturday's first game. However, tender-
ness in his throwing arm will prevent
him from pitching, according to
Michigan baseball coach Geoff Zahn.
"Right now (Bryan) Cranson is going
to pitch the second game," Zahn said.
"He came in for J.J. in Minnesota and did
fantastic. Every time out we've asked
him to come into tight situations, he's
gotten guys out.
"He certainly deserves this start."
Cranson, a freshman, captured his
first conference victory last weekend in
relief against then-undefeated
Minnesota. Northwestern righthander
Brad Brasser, 3-3 with a 4.68 ERA, is
scheduled to start for the Wildcats oppo-
site Cranson.
Sophomores Pete Martay (2-0) and
Ryan Kelley (1-3) are scheduled to start
in the final two games of the weekend,
and will probably face Northwestern
hurlers Mike Koplove (1-2) and Charlie
Williamson (1-4).
With the week-to-week status of Putz
(37 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings), the
Wolverines will need more of their
young pitching staff to step-up in his
place.
"Bryan Cranson and Pete Martay have
to pitch well," Steinbach said. "Also
Brian Berryman has to pitch well, if he
can get into the game."
Berryman is 2-2 and has been one of
the more reliable members of Michigan's
bullpen.
Fron stat reports
Should the weather cooperate for
Saturday's I p.m. kickoff, the Michigan
football team will be playing for more
than starting jobs. The Wolverines will
be playing for dinner.
"The teams have been evenly divid-
ed, assuring a low-scoring game,"
Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr
said. "The winners will eat steak on
Monday while the losers will eat low-
fat hot dogs"
Michigan will divide its squad into
two teams, the Maize team and the Blue
team. The Maize team will feature
quarterbacks Brian Griese and Jason
Kapsner along with tailback Chris
Howard, wide receiver Russell Shaw
and the versatile Charles Woodson.
The Blue squad is led by quarter-
backs Scott Dreisbach and Tom Brady.
Also lining up on their side of the ball
will be wide receiver Tai Strects and
tailback Clarence Williams.
Among the players who will defi-
nitely be watching the game from the
sidelines are '96 starters Jerame TuRn
(tight end), Chris Floyd (fullback), and,
Glen Steele (defensive end).
The others who will sit out due to
injury are offensive linemen Jeff
Backus, and Paul Tannous, rufrning.
back Ian Gold, linebackers Rob Swett,-
Dave Crispin and Eric Mayes, -wide.
receiver Jerry Johnson, tight end Colby'
Keefer and kicker Jay Feely.
Let the battle for steak dinner will
begin.
Duke Invite next
for women's track
By Chris Fwah
Daily Sports Writer
Put your money where your mouth is.
Three weeks ago, after the Michigan women's track team
dominated the Wake Forest Invitational, Michigan coach
James Henry said he wanted the Wolverines to face tougher
competition.
He may have questioned whether Michigan was really ready
for stronger opponents, however, after the Wolverines garnered
just one first-place finish at the Raleigh Relays the weekend
following the Wake meet.
This weekend, Michigan will have another chance to
respond to Henry's challenge at the Duke Invitational, where
the Wolverines will again face top-notch competition. Making
the trip to Raleigh, N.C., will be teams such as Georgetown
and North Carolina, as well as a slew of smaller colleges.
Rather than being intimidated, the Wolverines are anxious to
improve after the letdown.
Junior Tania Longe, Michigan's multi-event answer to
Superwoman, has been working on problems she had at the
Raleigh meet and expects to do better this weekend. One of the
main problems she addressed was hurdling. Normally a strong
hurdler, Longe's performance fell flat at Raleigh - literally.
"I didn't get down on myself or anything," Longe said. "The
last two meets I've learned stuff that I need to be more focused
on, and I just feel that I'm ready. And I worked on something
in the hurdles, so I won't fall again, because I fell the last time"
The Wolverines are finishing up a two-week layoff from
competition that wasn't much of a vacation - they faced
intense training, particularly in the first week of the "break."
Freshman distance runner Lisa Ouellet said the time off
should prove to be a definite advantage at Duke.
"We're two weeks stronger, two weeks fitter and two weeks
faster, so we'll just see what'll happen," Ouellet said.
Like Longe, Ouellet has had some frustrations in her events,
the 800- and 1,500-meter runs. Ouellet has had problems
adjusting to the physical nature of the races, which often
.involve jostling for position and can even require some strate-
gically-thrown elbows.
And like Longe, Ouellet has also learned to deal with the
particular challenges of her events.She expects to take advan-
tage of her new-found aggressiveness to help the Wolverines.
"In my particular race (this weekend), there's going to be a
lot of girls to race with, which I like," Ouellet said. "I just don't
like the physical part, but I'm getting used to that. Where I
used to race, I was never really involved in physical contact.
I've never been a physical runner, which I've had to learn.
"I'm ready for physical now"
JONATHAN SUMMER/Daity
Freshman sprinter/hurdler Marcella Cornell and the rest of the Michigan women's track team are head-
ing back to Raleigh, N.C., again, after competing there last weekend in the Raleigh Relays.
M
Men's track set to run with powerful Razorbacks
By T. J. Berka
Daily Sports Writer
Woo Pig Sooey!
This has been the call at the end of 13
of the last 14 NCAA indoor track cham-
pionships and during the last five NCAA
outdoor track championships.
This weekend, the No. 13 Michigan
men's track and field team will try to
derail No. 1 Arkansas' dynasty at the
Arkansas Relays in Fayetteville, Ark.
"Try" is the operative word for the
Wolverines, as the Razorbacks represent
a collegiate dynasty that would make
John Wooden jealous. Since coach John
McDonnell was hired in 1984, Arkansas
has won 19 out of a possible 27 champi-
onships in both the indoor and outdoor
ranks.
To celebrate this run, Arkansas is
bringing back their 1984 national cham-
pionship indoor team, which started the
run of championships, for a reunion this
weekend.
Needless to say, the top-ranked
Razorbacks are loaded again, boasting
top-flight talent in both the running and
field events. David Levy paced Arkansas
with a victory in the 1,500-meter run last
week in the Texas Relays. The
Razorbacks also pulled out victories in
both sprint medley relays.
Arkansas is also talented in the jump-
ing events, as they boast indoor triple
jump and long jump champion Robert
Howard and 1996 junior college high
jump champion James Ballard.
Michigan's best bet at challenging the
Razorbacks is in the distance events, as
Steve Lawrence and John Mortimer are
coming off victories in Texas last week-
end. Lawrence notched his first victory
of the season in the 5,000 and Mortimer
won the 3,000 steeplechase, qualifying
provisionally for the NCAAs.
The Wolverines also got a victory last
week in the 400 hurdles from Neil
Gardner, his third win of the outdoor
season.
Tomorrow, Gardner will be hard
pressed to win his other signature
event-the 110 hurdles-as he will be
challenged by Arkansas' Kevin White,
an NCAA qualifier.
The Arkansas Relays also represent
the smallest field that Michigan has
competed against this season, as there
are only nine teams. The Arkansas
Relays is the first all-college event on
Michigan's schedule.
.'M' hockey inks burly recruit Langfeld
By Mark Snyder
Daily Sports Wter
This week is one of disappointment
for the Michigan hockey team.
But for a team like Michigan, the
problems are easily remedied.
When the Wolverines bid farewell to
their nine-member senior class
Saturday at the annual hockey banquet,
the players will not only be leaving
*behind memories, they'll leave a gaping
hole in the core of Michigan's team.
Michigan coach Red Berenson took
another step towards filling the void.
Josh Langfeld, a right wing from
Coon Falls, Minn., became the eighth
recruit this season to sign with the
Wolverines, the Ann Arbor News
reported yesterday.
Langfeld joins the seven recruits
Michigan signed in the early recruiting
period.
The departure of five forwards and
four defensemen has left Berenson
looking for help. Chief among the loss-
es were big bodies 6-foot-4 Jason
Botterill and 6-1 Warren Luhning -
imnnoini figures on the ice. Just as
The 1997 hockey recruiting class
Scott Crawford, 6-0, 185 lbs., Etobicoke, Ont. - defenseman
Geoff Koch, 6-2, 190 lbs., Exeter, N.H. - left wing
Mark Kosick, 511, 175 lbs., Victoria, B.C. - center
Troy Kahler, 6-0, 185 lbs., Newmarket, Ont. - right wing
Josh Langfeld, 6-3, 205 lbs., Coon Rapids, Minn. - right wing
Scott Matzka, 5-11, 175 lbs., Port Huron - center/wing
Ryan VanBuskirk, 6-1, 190 lbs., St. Claire Shores - defenseman
Mike VanRyn, 6-1, 185 lbs., London, Ont. - defenseman
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