..

Puck awards
icehigan defenseman Jeff Jillson has
beem named first-team All-American.
Center Mike Comrie was named on the
second team. Read all about it online.
michigandaily.com/sports

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FRIDAY
APRIL 7, 2000

11


THIS WEEKEND
ALUMNI FIELD
Who: Today- Michigan (4-0, 26-6)
vs. Wisconsin (1-3, 23-16)
Sat./Sun. - Michigan vs. Minnesota
(0-4,22-16)
When: 2 p.m. Friday (dh), 2 p.m.
Saturday, l p.m. Sunday
Latest: After two months on the road,
the Wolverines finally get to play their
home opener today. Michigan is coin-
ing off of a flawless 4-0 swing last week-
end at Indiana and Purdue to start the
Big Ten season. If they can successfully
defend their home field this weekend,
the Wolverines will extend their win-
ningstreak to 20.
Cutouts by PETER CORNUE/ Daily
THISHWEEKEND
CHAMPAIGN
-Who: Michigan (1-1) vs. Illinois (2-2)
,4a four-game series.
.When: 7:35 p.m. tonight, 5:05 p.m.
*tomorrow (dh), 2 p m. Sunday.
MICHIGAN'S PROJECTED STARTERS:
Game one Friday - Nick Anderson
(1-0, 4.26 ERA)
Game two Saturday - Vince Pistilli
(2-3, 4.73 ERA)
Game three Saturday - Bobby Korecky
(2-1, 5.26 ERA)
Game four Sunday - Brian Cranson
(2-3,6.32 ERA)

Softball finally cones home

By Sam Duwe
Daily Sports Writer
After months on the road, coming
home never looked so sweet.
No, it's not a lonely trucker, but the
Michigan softball team (4-0 Big Ten,
26-6 overall), that returns to Ann
Arbor for its first home game of the
season.
Tuesday's twinbill versus Bowling
Green, which was the first scheduled
opener, was canceled due to
inclement weather.
So the first pitch to be cheered by
fans at Alumni Field will be thrown
in the first game of today's double-
header against Wisconsin (23-16, 1-3
Big Ten).
"The most important thing about
playing at home is the fans,"
Michigan coach Carol Hutchins said.
"Fan support has increased through
the years with our success. It's impor-
tant to the players that they do well
for the spectators."
Not only will a home series bring
an added boost of confidence, but it
will also provide the Wolverines with
a much needed weekend of no buses,
planes. and headaches.
"Travel is brutal," Hutchins said. "I

don't think anyone appreciates what
the kids go through. People say that
we're so lucky to go to Tampa. But
really, it's nice to be at home, wake
up in your own bed, and be on your
own schedule.
"This weekend can be summed up
in one word - finally."
After today's games against
Wisconsin, tomorrow and Sunday
will yield single games against
Minnesota (0-4, 22-16), last year's
Big Ten Tournament champion.
Although the oppositions' records
don't compare to Michigan's,
Hutchins cautions against discount-
ing them.
"Both are teams that have amazing
field presence - both are loud and
intense. We have to be prepared,"
Hutchins said.
And prepared they are. Pitching is
at a high - junior Marie Barda
sports an NCAA-best 0.23 ERA.
"We know our pitching needs to
keep us in the game, and so far, it
has," Hutchins said.
Offensively, Pam Kosanke has
come on for Michigan as of late.
Kosanke is ranked 39th among
NCAA hitters, with a .409 batting
average.

The Big Ten season is on, and the
only thing that can stop it is the
weather. This weekend's forecast
looks cold and wet, the perfect mix
for game cancellations.
But Hutchins and her team are a
hardy bunch, as well as optimistic.
"The only way we'll cancel a game
is if there is possibility of creating an
injury or we are put at a disadvan-
tage," Hutchins said. "We have a
great ground crew so hopefully, we'll
play."
Speaking of injuries, last week
freshman Meghan Doe underwent
surgery to correct a stress fracture in
her right tibia. The operation will
keep her out for the remainder of the
season.
The good news for the Wolverines?
Doe is eligible for a redshirt season,
even though she has already played
seven games.
"The decision was made for her
own good," Hutchins said. "The frac-
ture wasn't getting any better - in
fact, it was getting worse. Her
absence leaves us less deep in the
outfield. But when she comes back
here as a fifth-year senior, she'll be
great. The decision is good for her,
and good for us."

PETER CORNUE/Daily
After Tuesday's doubleheader with Bowling Green was cancelled due to cold weather,
the Michigan softball team hopes to play its first home game today at 2 p.m.

Michigan Nine need wins
at Illinois for playoff hope

By Raphael Goodstein
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan baseball team's pulse is
still beating - faintly.
After Minnesota swept the
Wolverines' four-game home opener, the
Michigan Nine (2-6 Big Ten, 9-15-1
overall) split a four-game series at
Indiana.
So with the Wolverines' goal of mak-
ing the six-team Big Ten tournament on
life support, they will travel to Illinois
for a four-game series with the second-
place Fighting Illini.
The young Wolverines can ill-afford
to lose the series and fall further behind
sixth-place Iowa and Indiana. The
eighth-place Wolverines are two ncames
behind the Hawkeyes and Hoosiei>.
"The more games we play, the better
we're going to get, Michigan coach
Geoff Zahn said. "It's just a matter of the
young guys getting out there and the
older guys coming around.
Unfortunately, it's taken us a long time."
With nearly half of the season com-
pleted, it can't take any longer.

If Michigan loses this weekend's
series, the Wolverines will have to re-pri-
oritize their season's goals.
But the Wolverines remember last
season, when they were the last team to
qualify for the Big Ten Tournament, won
the Tournament and rode the hot streak
into the NCAA Regional Final.
This year's team knows they have the
talent to play with the conference's best
if the young team plays up to its poten-
tial.
"We've got a chance to beat anybody
if we pitch the way we did last weekend,"
Zahn said.
The key for the Michigan Nine this
weekend will be its pitchers' consistency.
In Bloomington last weekend, the
Wolverines' pitchers had a 4.50 ERA in
their two wins, and averaged eight
earned runs per game in their two losses.
"I think it's a case of our pitchers
knowing what they have to do and final-
ly getting over that anxiety of walking
guys," Zahn said. "You either stop walk-
ing guys or continue walking even more
guys. I think we pitched better this week-
end."

Even though the Wolverines took two
from Indiana, they walked 17 batters.
"You have to go through that period
where you walk guys," Zahn said. "You
don't want to walk guys because that
puts pressure on yourself."
Any added pressure could be detri-
mental to the Wolverines this weekend.
Illinois' .406 on-base percentage will
put enough pressure on Michigan's
pitchers to throw strikes.
If Michigan's pitchers can't find home
plate this weekend, the Wolverines might
wake up Monday to find the plug pulled
on their season.

JOSTENS RING DAYS
April 6 and 7 and April 26, 27 and 28
from 11:00 A Mtrichs Bookstore

I


"There are movies that define every decade". "Body Shots" is one of these movies. It explores a few days in the lives of 8
young men and women living in Los Angeles. After a night of alcohol, sex and moral choices, things begin to go awry, and
their lives will never be the same. The aftermath of one night begins to take a toll on each and everyone in the group.
Values and self worth are challenged, friendships are threatened and these four young men and four young women look back
on what happened and struggle for the answers to very difficult questions.
The characters are based on stereotypical young adults who talk openly about how they feel regarding various issues which i
affect their lives. However, when one of them accuses another of rape, it forces many more difficult discussions about what
exactly happened that night. These four women and four men are forced to remember what they did or what they ignored "
and face the consequences of their actions.
While "Body Shots" deals with many of the important issues faced by today's young
adults, alcohol abuse and its consequences seem to be the most significant. It is
apparent that some of the characters have no recollection of their choices or actions
and some are dared to take sides and finally come clean with honest impressions of
their friends. They are quick to judge others while trying to avoid being judged them-
selves. They all search for the willingness to find the truth, face their deepest fears
and forgive one another.
As Spring Break approaches, plans are being made to party non-stop for days.
Many students will cut loose, and many more will witness first-hand the wild behavior
of their peers. The yearly college ritual of drinking too much, partying too much and