Aril 16, 2004 sports.michigandaily. com sports@michigandaily.com OReTSirh-gan Baij 11 - - -------- - -- ------ Illinois, 'Itch' set to square with 'M' Nine By Megan Kolodgy Daily Sports Writer If coaching experience is any indication of a team's quality, the Michigan baseball team (5-3 Big Ten, 16-12 overall) will have to watch its back this weekend when Illinois rolls into town for a battle of Richards. The Fighting Illini (3-5, 10-17) are led by Richard "Itch" Jones, who is one of the 20 all-time win- 0 WOMEN'S GOLF Schmucker finds Blue thanks to twist of fate By Seth Gordon Daily Sports Writer ningest coaches in NCAA Division I history, boasting a .623 career win average in 35 seasons. Michigan coach Richard Maloney, who goes by Rich, has the utmost respect for the coaching legend. "4t b i io - TODAY fltino~t Mlch~ flm~~ 1p.m. R~y P~her Stadiurtk Itch is just a great coach," Maloney said. "Last year he sent a guy when the ball slipped through the gap. We threw the ball to second, and he kept sending the guy to third, sent him home, and he got in. He's a really good coach, and I respect him very much, as well as the program." But the last couple of seasons Jones's squads have not been as successful. The Fighting Illini have fall- en short of making it to the Big Ten Tournament during this time, but the coach has still managed to turn out three All-Americans and the Big Ten Medal of Honor winner, which is based on a combination of academic and athletic achievements. This year, Illinois boasts Big Ten co-Pitcher of the Week Tim Gorski. Last weekend, the righthander threw his first career shutout and a four-hitter in seven innings en route to breaking Michigan State's 12-game winning streak. This week, Maloney has tried to prepare the Wolverines for Jones's sometimes-unorthodox coaching style. "They're going to run a lot," Maloney said. "They're not textbook. Quite frankly, we've just got to play our game, and by that I mean solid defense in terms of strikes. We didn't do that (on Wednes- day), and we got away with it. But we've got to get back to doing that. If we do, it could be a pretty good game." Michigan is coming off a 14-13 win over Central Michigan on Wednesday, in which it had four errors. "I certainly think (the win) is a positive, although Coming from tiny Cold Springs, Minn. - population 3,000 - soph- omore Amy Schmucker has found a home at Michigan, and on the women's golf team. But she never would have come to Ann Arbor if not for a twist of fate. Coming out of high school, Schmucker had signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Minnesota. But she was put in a diffi- cult situation when budget cuts forced the school to eliminate the program. Left with no team to play for, Schmucker turned to a friend - fellow Minnesota native and current Michigan captain Laura Olin. The two had met while playing junior golf, and Olin brought Schmucker's case to Michigan coach Kathy Teichert. "My parents told me about the Minnesota team, and I thought, 'What is Amy going to do?'" Olin said. In the end, everything worked out. Schmucker is now preparing to make her 24th consecutive start for the Wolverines as they travel to Pur- due for the Lady Boilermaker Invi- tational this weekend. But in the beginning, Schmucker faced a difficult transition from small town to college campus. "I was incredibly home sick when I first came here," Schmucker said. "But what's really nice about being an athlete is that, when I came, I had I1 automatic friends on the team. What I love about this team is that we take really good care of our fresh- men. The first month I came to school, someone called me every sin- gle night to see if I didn't have a ton of school work to do, to see if I want- ed to go out, so that I wasn't just sit- ting in my room, missing home." Olin has become one of Schmucker's best friends. They spend summers playing golf back in Minnesota, and Schmucker even has her own room in the Olin fami- ly home. After Olin's brother graduated from college and moved out, short visits often extended to week-long stays, with Schmucker taking up residence in the vacated room. "Amy is definitely my closest friend on the team," Olin said. "I always look to her for advice. That's why it's great that we can play tour- naments in the summer. I can look at her and she'll say, 'You're just taking it back too far.' In the middle of the summer, its huge." Now that she has adjusted, Schmuck- er has fallen in love with Michigan. For someone who once thought she would never leave her home state, she says fate has played a great role in how her life has unfolded. "Everything happens for a rea- son," Schmucker said. "So I guess that really worked in my (favor)." "I think it was definitely a bless- ing in disguise," Olin said of the circumstances that brought her friend to Michigan. On the bubble for the NCAA Tour- nament, the Wolverines have just two tournaments left to earn a berth - the Lady Boilermaker Invitational this weekend and the upcoming Big Ten Tournament April 23 through 25. This weekend at Purdue, Schmucker and the Wolverines will face a field of Big Ten teams, including Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin. Minnesota, which was reinstated after a one-year break, will also compete. After two weeks of practice, Schmucker is confident that Michi- gan can give a strong performance this weekend. "Ideally, I would like to see us finish in the top three," Schmucker said. "I don't think there is a team in that tournament that we can't beat on any given day. Everyone has been working really hard, so I think that this should be a really good tournament for us." MIKE HULSEBUS/Daily Michigan coach Rich Maloney Is set to face Illinois and coach Richard "Itch" Jones this weekend at The Fish. we found out where some of our deficiencies are in the field," Maloney said. But the Wolverines will also have plenty to bring to the table. The other Big Ten co-Pitcher of the Week is none other than Michigan sophomore Derek Feldkamp. Michigan will also have to deal with the tribula- tions of the end of the school year. Illinois has a couple of weeks before school's out for the summer. "I think there's no doubt about it; the stress of exams and things like that is huge for these student- athletes," Maloney said. "Our guys have done a good job working really hard on both facets, and I'm really proud of them for that. But definitely, your mind has to be in two places, and rightfully so." Although the Wolverines will have quite a bit to deal with this weekend, Maloney is confident that this weekend's games against Illinois will be some- thing to see. "It's a big series for both clubs," Maloney said. "Illinois is going to want to get back into the hunt, and we want to be a contender, so it's going to be important that we find a way to win the series. They've to have to play a challenge." got a great ball club. We're going really well to win. It's going to be N SOFTBALL * Blue targeted due to high standard By James V. Dowd Daily Sports Writer As one of the top teams in the Big Ten, Michigan has a huge target on its back, week in and week out. Everyone strives to beat the Wolverines, as they are the ones who set the standard for play. This weekend, Michigan's softball team will head to Champaign and Iowa City to face Illinois and Iowa, respec- tively. The Wolverines play the Fighting Illini on Friday and Saturday, and the Hawkeyes in a doubleheader on Sunday. Iowa is tied with Michigan for first, and Illinois is one game back. Going into the weekend that could make or break its run for a Big Ten title, Michigan is focusing on its own play. According to coach Carol Hutchins, the Wolverines prepare the same way, regardless of whether they play the best or worst team in the conference. "We don't look at any of our oppo- nents (differently)," Hutchins said. "We only care about Michigan. Every oppo- nent counts the same, every win and every loss counts the same." Illinois is fairly new to the Big Ten softball scene. The program first faced Michigan just three years ago. With three consecutive top-six conference finishes, the Fighting Illini are a force to be reckoned with. This season alone, Illinois has defeated multiple teams in the top 25, including Louisiana State and Texas A&M twice. Illinois has also won seven of its last 10 games and, like the Wolverines did two weeks ago, the Fighting Illini swept both Indiana and Purdue on the road last weekend. Senior third baseman Erin Jones has 01 MY GOD!! HAS YOUR G0D CHANGED WHILE YOU HAVE BEEN AT COLLEGE? WNETNER YON HAVE BECOME Mm El REAIRIAII@ 2 IE S WIE been a big contributor in the Fighting Illini's success in conference play. She went 7-for-13 during last weekend's road trip, raising her Big Ten batting average to a team-leading .385. Iowa, on the other hand, has long been Michigan's nemesis. Only a handful of teams can boast a winning record against the Wolverines lately, but the Hawkeyes are one of the best. Michigan owns a 37- 50-1 all-time record against Iowa. This year's contests will be no easier than those over the last 20 years, as the Hawkeyes return 2003 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Lisa Birocci, who is cur- rently 15-8 with a 0.92 ERA. Birocci was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week last week, going 5-0 with a per- fect zero earned-run average and 32 strikeouts. Yesterday, she led the Hawkeyes to a 4-0 win over Iowa State. With yesterday's victory, Iowa coach Gayle Blevins has won 999 games and is on the verge of becoming only the third coach in Division I history to reach the 1,000-win plateau. Should the Hawkeyes falter against Coe Col- lege this evening, they will be going for the milestone on Sunday. Regardless of the distractions that milestones, hostile crowds or records may pose, Michigan will focus on itself. "What we do a really good job at is not getting too up for anybody," Hutchins said. "We try to stay focused on us." 'uA 4,&M J/ Saturday, April 17 -=Mln ay, April 19 Come try samples from our extensive menu! goo loose qA&! Enjoy great food, homemade bread and daily specials from our extensive menu while you relax in our warm and friendly atmosphere. We are family friendly and reasonable. (734) 994-5860 Plenty of parking in the Forest St. structure 1235 S. 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T0 GET THIS FANTASTIC FER AN "TK ICIA CUStomerservice@goblteWo .er F*.C~ . : , . f:4 . f:.:.R~:r~~;F},~..": o Take Back the Night WHERE: The University of Michigan Diag WHEN: Saturday, April 17, 2004 at 7:00 p.m. Make your voice heard- a march and rally to protest sexualized violence. Rally will include speakers, creative expressionists, and a keynote naltaS by o ervinr artivist Sara Ylen.