12 - The Michigan Daily -- Tuesday, April 3, 2001
Unexp e edly, Blue
set to meet Oakland " '
By Jeff Phillips
Daily Sports Writer
When the Michigan softball team (2-0
Big Ten, 14-11-1 overall) began its sea-
son, it had no idea it was going to play
Oakland. But when nine of the Wolver-
"We are not a given in the Big Ten
Tournament or the NCAA Tourna-
ment," Hutchins said.
Hutchins points to the lack. of team
chemistry as a possible cause for the
Wolverines'
ines' first 28 games were
cancelled, Michigan coach
Carol Hutchins was scram-
bling for teams to face.
"We just called around
to see who would play us,"
Hutchins said.
As a result, Michigan
will face Oakland (6-14)
in a doubleheader today at
2 p.m.
To compound the lack
of games, the Wolverines
ALUMNI FIELD
Who: Michigan (14-11-1)
vs. Oakland (6-14)
when:2 p.m. today
Latest: Michigan started j
the Big Ten season well
and hopes to maintain its
momentum with two victo-
ries against Oakland, a
recent addition to the
schedule.
struggles this season, but
adds that they took a big
step in the wins against
Illinois.
"The message I've sent
to them is that they need
to take care of their team-
mates - they need to be
able to die for each
other," Hutchins said.
Although Michigan is
suffering from a lack of
games, it has still been.
able to play one of the
have struggled and find themselves in
unfamiliar territory with a winning per-
centage at just .538.
"I told the kids, 'We need to play as
many and win as many as we can,'"
Hutchins said. "We aren't winning as
many as we have in past years."
Michigan could have made up some
lost ground in a doubleheader at No. 10
DePaul last Friday, but was unable to
come up with a win in either game.
"I was a little disappointed walking
away from DePaul. We lost an oppor-
tunity to beat them in the first game,"
Hutchins said. "Defense has been our
strongest part and it let us down."
But with their postseason prospects
already in danger, the Wolverines
stepped up and won a pair from Illinois
on Saturday and Sunday to start the Big
Ten season.
Now as Michigan returns home it
feels a renewed sense of urgency.
hardest schedules of any Big Ten team.
The Wolverines have a record of 3-8
against ranked opponents this season,
including victories over then-No. 6
Louisiana State and then-No. 8 Fresno
State. Ranked opponents make up a
third of Michigan's schedule.
With the Big Ten season underway,
strong conference play would put the
Wolverines back among the nation's
elite.
"Second season started on Saturday.
This is the season that counts - it is all
about what you get done at the end,"
Hutchins said.
Sandwiched between Big Ten games
are today's matches against the Golden
Grizzlies and a trip to Bowling Green
tomorrow.
"It is important to play and beat
Division I teams," Hutchins said. "Oak-
land is important and Bowling Green is
important."
Bowling Green's potent offense will be a stem test for Nick Alexander and the rest of the Michigan pitching staff.
Falcons swooping into the Fish
By Benjamin Singer
Daily Sports Writer
Michigan sophomore Tim Leveque
had a scheduled start postponed for the
second-straight weekend with the
snowfall on Sunday. As a result, he did
not get to pitch against one of the top
Big Ten teams in Penn State. Instead
he'll be facing a Bowling Green base-
ball team with hot bats.
."We need to get him some innings,"
Michigan coach Geoff Zahn said of
Leveque. "Keep him sharp."
Leveque's 0.00 earned-run average
in 17.1 innings will be challenged by
the Falcons (5-2 MAC, 14-7 overall)
and their team batting average of .318.
Of course, he's going to have to give
up an earned run at some point or
another.
"To expect him to go the whole year
without an ERA - that's not going to
happen," Zahn said.
Bowling Green is coming off a win
over Ohio in which it connected for 19
hits and as many runs. The Falcons
boast six starters who are hitting above
.300.
"I don't look so much at those kinds
of statistics," Zahn said. "I'm much
more concerned with our own
approach."
The last time Michigan (1-3 Big
Ten, 10-12 overall) played Bowling
Green, four pitchers held the Falcons
RHODES, MARSHALL, MITCHELL SCHOLARSHIPS
OPPORTUNITIES
Students eligible for the Rhodes, Marshall, and George Mitchell
Scholarships are invited to 2 informational meetings, sponsored by the
Provost's Council on Student Honors. Successful candidates usually
have a GPA of 3.7 or better and a distinguished record of participation
in activities that demonstrate leadership and commitment. These
informational meetings have been scheduled for
April 2, from 6 PM to 7:00 PM, Room 1210 Lurie Engineering,
North Campus
and,
April 4, from 6 PM to 7 PM, Kuenzel Room, Michigan Union.
Light refreshments will be served at each meeting. Please refer
questions to Isabelle Turquat-Mertha, Office of the Provost, phone:
615-1634, fax: 764-4546, email: <iturquat@umich.edu>.
RAY L. FISHER STADIUM
Who: Michigan (1-3 Big Ten, 10-12 over-
all) vs. Bowling Green (5-2 MAC, 14-7)
When: 3 p.m.
Latest The Wolverines' bats were a bit
silent against Penn State, but Bowling
Green's staff is known to serve up some hits.
to four runs, just two of which were
earned, in the 7-4 Michigan victory.
Even if Leveque falls from grace
and stains his spotless ERA, he may
receive the run support that Michi-
gan's pitchers have been lacking.
Bowling Green's team ERA is 6.36.
And if the Falcons' 19 runs scored
against Ohio is an indication of their
potent offense, then the 14 runs Bowl-
ing Green allowed in that game show
that Michigan hitters have a chance to
get healthy.
"I would like to see the bats come
alive a little bit here," Zahn said.
"We're a better hitting team than
we've shown.'
Michigan had one of its better days
at the plate in its last game with Bowl-
ing Green on March 27.
The seven runs the Wolverines put
up against the Falcons constitute
Michigan's highest offensive output
over its past seven contests. Michigan
homered four times in that game.
Zahn has expressed disappointment
in the hitting from the bottom half of
the lineup, but maintains confidence
that the bats will come around.
Tomorrow, Michigan will face
another weak pitching staff as it travels
to Eastern Michigan. The Eagles'
pitchers combine for a 6.59 ERA.
Rich Hill (1-2, 4.50 ERA) will be
making the start against Eastern
Michigan.
Food For Thought
Human Rights
The protesters accused
the U.S. of supporting
a brutal South
Vietnamese regime.
Where is the American
Media, when Reuters is
able to report the
beatings of Montagnard
civilians by communist
Vietnam?
Gary Lillie & Assoc., Realtors
www.garylillie.com
sco3F51
Continued from Page 11.
the occasional NCAA Tournament
upset, Bennett's hiring was still a
risk, but Wisconsin gambled and
won. Ryan comes from the same
hyphenated past, having coached
17 seasons at Wisconsin-Platteville
and Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Following last season's run to the
Final Four, Richter and the Badgers
got bigheaded, thinking they were
on the road to becoming Duke.W
Wisconsin had no chance of beat-
ing Michigan State in that national
semifinal, and seemed to ignore the
fact that it was part of the weakest
Final Four in recent memory.
"We're the Wisconsin Badgers,"
they said. "We have tradition."
(They don't.) "Our basketball pro-
gram is coveted. Coaches want to
come here." (They don't.)
By returning to its roots, Wiscon-0
sin can keep expectations on its
program realistic: Win a few more
than you lose, recruit as well as you
can without a true big city to sup-
ply talent and don't grow bigger
than your britches.
Ryan can keep the Badgers
focused on accomplishing exactly
that.
KEEPING IT REAL: Credit Michi
gan football coach Lloyd Carr for
continuing to schedule with charac-
ter. The structure of the BCS lends
itself to playing the occasional
game against a ranked team -
which happens anyway in the con-
ference season -- and filling the
nonconference portion of the
schedule with near-guarantee wins.
In both 2001 and 2002, Michigan
has stuck to its pattern of playing
nonconference home-and-home
with another quality program, while
granting local schools the chance to
visit Michigan Stadium.
This season, the Wolverines play
at Washington on Sept. 8, a favor
that will be returned in 2002. The
Notre Dame series is back next
year, and Oregon comes to Ann
Arbor as well. Each year features
home game against Western Michi-
gan in Septembe
Financially, the 2002 schedule
will be a success. Thanks to some
skillful maneuvering, Michigan
will be playing four nonconference
games, three at home. That means
the Athletic Department will pull in
revenues for seven home contests
next year. The last time Michigan
hosted seven home games was ir9
1997.
Athletic director Bill Martin has
said in the past that gross sales
from three of Michigan's home
games go to paying the University
the market rate for scholarships for
all 25 varsity sports. That constricts
the department with regards to
expansion and renovation projects.
Thus, a seventh home game is al*
gravy.
Michigan would have hosted a
seventh game this upcoming sea-
son, but abandoned the plan when a
suitable opponent failed to present
itself.
HIGHER POWER: St. John's Epis-
copal Church in Detroit held its
annual prayer for the Tigers yester-
day, leading up to today's season
opener. While churchgoers are at it
may they place a curse on Juan
Gonzalez -- and make his back
really hurt.
Chris Duprey can be reached at
cduprey@umich.edu.
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WE'RE HIRING:
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BLUE DEVILS
Continued from Page 11
0
assists. Williams, saddled with foul
trouble, had 16 points on 5-for-15
shooting.
Duke is the first No. 1-ranked team
to win the national championship since
UCLA in 1995.
Dunleavy had three 3-pointers in an
11-2 run that put the Blue Devils up
50-39 four minutes into the second
half.
Arizona came right back with a 9-00
run that was capped by a hook shot by
Woods with 14:11 left that made it 50-
48.
It took Duke just four minutes to get
the lead back to 10, 61-51, on Dun-
leavy's last 3 of the game with 10:08 to
play.
Again, the Wildcats came back.
Four times Arizona got within three
points. Three times it was Battier, the*
outstanding player of the Final Four,
who responded for Duke.
His dunk on a pass from Williams
made it 77-72 with 2:31 left, and
Williams hit a 3 with 1:45 left that
gave the Blue~Devils an eight-point
lead.
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