12 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, March 30, 1999 Baseball opens home season against* Central Michigan with high hopes ,.. '' '" x r ,, ,. : e ' By Chris Grandstaff Daily Sports Writer The days are getting longer, students are slacking off just a little more, bas- ketball and hockey are over and Hash Bash is on the horizon. It's spring in Ann Arbor, and that means it's time for baseball. The Michigan baseball team opens its 1999 home season today against the Chippewas of Central Michigan. This year's squad has accumulated an 11-11 record so far, not bad considering that they have done it without playing a home game. The Wolverines have played at the home parks of some of the top teams in the country including No. 4 Pepperdine and No. 17 Texas A&M. Michigan coach Geoff Zahn and company are hoping to improve on last year's disappointing, 21-27-1 record. In his three years at the helm of the Wolverines, Zahn has accumulated a 81-79-1 record. In 1997, he was named Big Ten Coach of the Year while leading the Wolverines to the Big Ten Championship. This season, Zahn believes his Wolverines can repeat the success of the 1997 team. "If I didn't think we had a chance to win the Big Ten I shouldn't be coach- ing," Zahn said. "A lot of our players were on that team that won the Big Ten two years ago. They know that they did- n't play as well as they could have last year, and this year they want to come back and go for it." But the road to the Big Ten Championship won't be easy this sea- son. Minnesota, Illinois and Ohio State are ranked in Collegiate Baseball's Preseason Top-40 Poll. The Golden Gophers captured the highest ranking at No. 29. The Fighting Illini rank No. 30 followed by the Buckeyes, who round out the conference's showing at No. 38. Minnesota returns 14 of 18 from a team that won the Big Ten Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season. The Golden Gophers, who finished with a 45-15 overall record last year, fell to Stanford and Alabama in the NCAA Tournament. Illinois (45-21 last season) was the 1998 conference regular-season cham- pion and was just two outs shy of earn- ing a trip to the College World Series. After falling to Florida in the first round 7-6 in 11 innings, the Illini defeated Wake Forest ,13-4; Baylor, 8-7 in 13; and Monmouth, 12-2. In their second matchup with Wake Forest, Illinois fell to the Demon Deacons, 14-12, which eliminated them from the NCAA Championships. Ohio State finished third in the Big Ten last season and posted a final record of 37-16. Zahn, whose Wolverines finished tied for sixth in the Big Ten last season, is relying on six returning starters in the field from last year's team to help make a run for the conference championship, and a national ranking. The talented senior co-captain duo of third baseman Mike Cervenak and sec- ond baseman Bobby Scales will lead the Wolverines this season. Cervenak, nicknamed "Piggy" by his teammates because of his tendency to get a little dirty, was the recipient of last year's Ray Fisher Award, which is given annually to the most valuable Wolverine player. Last season Cervenak led the Wolverines in batting average (.385), home runs (13), RBI's (50), hits (79), runs (42), total bases (135), and doubles (17), and played in all 49 of the Wolverines games. Entering the season, Cervenak ranked sixth all-time on Michigan's career hit list with 206 (the record is 267 by Ken Hayward, 1982- 85). Scales is the the Wolverines' vocal leader. Last season, the switch-hitting Scales earned the Wolverine Award for spirit and leadership. Scales was not too shabby at the plate either, finishing second to Cervenak in batting average (.353), and second in runs (38). Scales's balanced average from both sides of the plate, .349 from the left side and .362 right-handed, poses a matchup problem for all oppos- ing coaches. "I can't say enough about Bobby and Mike," Zahn said. "Mike leads by example and Bobby leads by what he says. The guys respect them both a lot. They've been two outstanding captains for us and the guys really look for them to lead the team." That's saying a lot, condsidering the experience of this year's team. In addition to Scales and Cervenak, the Wolverines will start at least three others seniors in the field in first base- man Bryan Besco and outfielders Jason Alcarez in rightfield and Brian Bush in center. Senior Mike Seestedt will battle for the starting catcher position with sopho- more David Parrish, and whichever one isn't starting will probably assume the designated hitter duties. Sophomore Scott Tousa returns to claim this season's starting position at shortstop, and senior Dan Sanborn will compete with junior Rob Bobeda for leftfield action. Even if the Wolverines are successful at the plate this year, the key to the sea- son will lie in their pitching. Michigan lost 25 starts from last year's team with the departure of Brian Berryman (4-5), Brian Steinbach (3-7), and Mike Hribernik (3-3), as well as closer Tyler Steketee who led the Wolverines with 5 saves in 20 appearances last year. If the Wolverines expect to be suc- cessful in their drive for a Big Ten Championship, they will not only have to replace, but will need to improve upon last year's staff. And if the early season success of this year's pitching staff is any indication of how the rest of the season will go, the Wolverines could be in for a good ride. "The big question mark for us corn- ing into the season was our pitching," Zahn said. "And so far this season I think our pitching has been pretty good." Michigan has six hurlers with the potential to be starters in seniors Luke Bonner, J. J. Putz, and Ryan Kelley, as well as juniors Bryce Ralston and Bryan Cranson and sophomore Vince Pistilli. All the ingredients seem to be there for a successful season. The 1999 Wolverines have the poten- tial to repeat their surprising success of 1997, but only if they assume the atti- tude that led that team to a champi- onship. DANA LINNANE/Daily The Michigan baseball team will need strong performances from its pitchers if it Is going to compete for the Big Ten Championship this season. This ain't your parents' T~, travel agency. With our staff of experienced travelers, a global network of offices, great prices, ticket flexibility anda ton of travel services, we know firsthand what it takes to put together a mind-blowing trip... Berenson prepares his team for the offseason I' ...just remember to thank mom for packing your suitcase. 668-8550 1103 S. University Suite 1 ANN ARBOR STA TRAVEL WE'VE BEEN ThERE. 7; M i-I- a W I I OFFSEASON Continued from Page 10 optional skates this week, then take about a three-week break before returning to work out with the team. Most players in the offseason tend to stay in Ann Arbor and attend classes while improving their strength and conditioning, but one thing they won't be doing is skating during the offseason. "You do a lot of good things better of the ice," Berenson said. "You need to get off the ice because it's so tax- ing. Mentally, it's good to have a solid off-season." Berenson said that he specifically told the players who have played extensively throughout the season to take a break from the ice to prevent actions that may be damaging to their play next season. "If you play in the summer you are not as fresh, you're not as motivated and excited to play," Berenson said. "I think they just get in bad habits in the summer, they go out and play against mediocre players. And then they have habits that you can't break." The team will meet on Thursday to vote for next season's captains. The results will be announced at the Deker's Club banquet for the team on Sunday. Likely candidates include future senior Sean Peach and future junior Mike Van Ryn. Ak(* #9 MARGARET MYERS/Daily Sophomore Scott Matzka and the Michigan hockey meet with coach Red Berenson for the final time this season yesterday to discuss offseason workouts. The Wolverines will have optional skates the rest of this week before taking the next three weeks off to rest and take finals. BeO ea er UAC, the largest student run organization on campus, is looking for energetic people to take committee chair positions on our board. We have: MUSKET'S musicals Mini-Courses Rude Mechanicals Voices Magazine Special Events Comedy Company Soundstage Speaker Initiative M-flicks Michigan Pops Orchestra Laughtrack impact Dance Amazin Blue Academic Competitions Poetry Project