10 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Seniors
put more
on the
line
By David Murray
Daily Sports Writer
It started as trash talking between
friends. Now there's food on the line.
In the game based ultimately on sta-
tistics and individual competitiveness,
two Michigan baseball players have
decided to use hunger as motivation to
challenge themselves.
THE PARTICIPANTS: Fifth-year senior
catcher Jeff Kunkel and senior third
baseman A.J. Scheidt.
THE CONTEST: Be the first player to
reach 100 career RBIs.
THE STAKES: The loser pays for dinner
at a location of the winner's choice.
"This is our way of being competitive
with each other," Kunkel said. "We're
always hitting together and doing stuff
together, and one guy starts talking big,
and he has to prove it."
Kunkel and Scheidt, who are co-cap-
tains and close friends, came up with
the idea one day while joking around
after practice. The 100 RBI challenge is
just the first of their mano y mano sea-
son-long competition, with dinners also
going to the leader in other major statis-
tical categories at the end of the season.
But the friendly banter has become seri-
ous lately, with Scheidt closing in on the
career century mark and a meal at the
expense of his comrade.
Kunkel, who had a career total of 84
RBIs coming into the season, has driven
in just two runs through 13 games this
season. Scheidt now has a career mark
of 98 RBIs after tallying four RBIs in
Michigan's last game, against Wagner.
"(The competition) is going to be fun
to follow," Scheidt said. "Neither one of
us is too stat-crazy, but it is just kind of
fun to do, and something to look at. The
100 RBI (competition) will be fun given
that we are hitting in similar areas of the
order."
The player with the most hits would
be expected to win the RBI competition.
But because of their frequent proximity
in the batting order, base running has
made an impact on their RBI totals,
also.
"I kind of joke because sometimes
I'll hit in front of him, and sometimes
I'll hit behind him," Scheidt said. "He's
a little bit slower than I am, so some-
0 MEN'5 GYMNASTICS
New strategy to help on horse
By Colt Rosensweig
Daily Sports Writer
A handwritten sign is posted above the doors at the Newt Loken
Gymnastics Training Center on Hill Street. It reads: "If you are at
all dubious or unconvinced that this team will be next year's BIG
TEN and NCAA CHAMPS, there's the door ... Don't let it hit you
on the way out! Any negativity or pessimism will not be tolerated.
We are determined and focused. No one will stop us! They can
only hope to contain us. 1 Team, 1 Faith, 1 Goal."
This weekend, No. 8 Michigan will have the chance to prove
those words at the men's gymnastics Big Ten Championships in
Iowa City.
For the third time this season, the Wolverines will begin the
meet on the still rings, meaning they will finish on the pommel
horse. The team has struggled on the pomme) horse all season,
especially in the Windy City Invitational and Pacific Coast Clas-
sic. In both meets, the apparatus was the final event of the night.
With fatigue as a contributing factor, four gymnasts came off the
horse in Chicago, and three in Oakland.
But at Big Tens, Michigan will implement a new strategy,
which it first tested against Ohio State, designed to maximize
success on the pommel horse.
"We're trying to do more cold sets (in practice)," senior Drew
DiGiore said. "You don't touch the horse before you do a set. Nor-
mally, you warm up every skill, but (in) a cold set, you warm up
your wrists on the floor or something, and then jump up and do
your whole set. I know it's been helping me. It helps a lot with
confidence, too. If you have a bad warmup, (you think), 'What
does it matter? I can do it without even warming up.' "
The cold sets will also help because they more realistically
approximate the situation facing the gymnasts at Big Tens, said
to Michigan coach Kurt Golder. The Wolverines will have about
an hour - and five other events - between the time they warm
up their routines on the pommel horse and when they actually
perform them.
Freshman Joe Catrambone, who is set to compete in the
all-around competition along with senior Gerry Signorel-
li, says he's not worried about the pommel horse derailing
Michigan's goals.
"I don't think (pommel horse) will be any more pressure than
any of the other (events)," Catrambone said. "We have a job to do
on every event. We can't think, 'We had previous meets where
we struggled on the pommel horse.' We have to be confident that
we can do it."
Although all six Big Ten teams are ranked in the top 10 nation-
wide, the Wolverines will focus more on their own performances
than those of their opponents. On individual events, Michigan is
in the top 10 for every apparatus except the pommel horse. It is
also the second-best floor exercise team in the country.
"We tape all the other teams we compete against when we
have a chance," senior Luke Bottke said. "We watch them and
think, 'Wow, they're not that much better than us.' I think we can
compete with anybody at any level. Right now, it's less a matter
of focusing on other teams than looking at ourselves:'
In spite of increased pressure, the Wolverines are more excited
than nervous about Big Tens - the biggest meet of the year besides
NCAAs.
"This is what we train for all year" said Bottke, who is cur-
rently No. 3 in the country on the floor exercise. "Especially in
our sport, with the amount of programs that have dropped their
teams, it doesn't take a whole lot to qualify for the (NCAA)
Championships. So more or less, the meets during the year really
aren't that important. For your morale and momentum they are,
but this is what we work for - a championship meet."
Michigan will have had 12 days off from competition instead of
the usual seven by the time Big Tens begin in Iowa. The extra time
will not only allow for recuperation from various minor injuries,
but also more practice and perfection on routines.
"Every day we come into the gym, we're excited to be here,
and we want to be sure that every day we're hitting every set that
we do, every half-set that we do," Catrambone said. "Now it's
crunch time, and you have to make every turn count."
No matter what happens at Big Tens, Golder is convinced his
team will be well-situated for NCAAs two weeks later.
"If we have a really good meet, it could give us a lot of confi-
dence and then propel us into a good setup at NCAAs," Golder
said. "But on the other hand, if we don't, I would think that would
be a hell of a lot of incentive. We have to have good meets the rest
of the way out. I think we're in a good position to do so. The guys
are pretty much as healthy as they've been all year, and I think
more confident than they've been all year."
01
MIKE HULSEBUS/Daily
Fifth-year senior Jeff Kunkel will race classmate A.J. Sheidt to 100 RBI for dinner.
times he gets stuck on the base paths
when I get a hit"
During the chase of the 100 RBI goal,
other players have noticed the pair's
heightened intensity as well. Sophomore
outfielder Doug Pickens - currently
tied for the team lead with 13 RBIs in
2006 - did not initially know about his
teammates' statistical contests, but now
realizes the benefits.
"I definitely think (the competition)
helps them," Pickens said. "It drives
them to really focus when a man is
on (base), and when we have a man in
scoring position. Maybe it gives them
a little bit more incentive. Winning
games should be enough incentive, but
this might tighten their focus a little bit
more."
Using their rivalry to up the ante,
Kunkel and Scheidt will look to turn
their competitiveness into wins for the
Wolverines. Both were named to the
preseason All-Big Ten team, and Kun-
kel was named to the 2006 Louisville
Slugger preseason All-American sec-
ond team by the Collegiate Baseball
Newspaper. On a team with just nine
seniors, their experience and leadership
will be crucial.
Even though a free dinner is incentive
enough, the basic idea of the contests are
to help one another increase their skills
throughout the season.
"This will be their third straight year
of being pretty much everyday starters,"
head coach Rich Maloney said. "So it's
nice to have (competition). I think push-
ing each other is a very important thing.
I'd like to see more of it on our team,
where some guys have enough confi-
dence in themselves that they want to
challenge somebody else."
With the first competition likely to
end in the next few games, and with
bragging rights and a complimentary
dinner up for grabs, it's inevitable that
what began as trash talking will con-
tinue as trash talking.
"I think I definitely have got the clear
advantage on RBIs," Scheidt said. "I think
in most stat categories, I pretty much have
him (beat). He might get me in (batting)
average, but I still don't think so."
Said Kunkel: "Right now he's swing-
ing a little better than I am, but it's a
long season. ... Of course (I think I'm
going to win)."
Matching skills make for wins
By Jamie Josephson
Daily Sports Writer
One is known for his vocal emo-
tional enthusiasm, the other for his quiet
demeanor and steady game. Sophomore
Matko Maravic and junior Brian Hung of
the No. 29 Michigan men's tennis team
are proving that age-old wisdom still
rings true: opposites do attract.
Ranked 15th in the nation, the duo
has amassed a team-leading dual-match
doubles record of 10-4. With styles of
play that differ almost as much as their
personalities, Maravic and Hung have
become the heart and soul of the Wolver-
ines' doubles lineup.
"They like each other, and they have
great chemistry together," Michigan
coach Bruce Berque said. "They both
play with a high level of intensity. Their
skills match up very well. Matko is so
solid on returns of serve and his ground
strokes; Brian has great hands and quick-
ness at the net. So, Matko sets up Brian
really well at the net.:
Playing at the No. 1 position, the
tandem has faced some of the nation's
toughest competition. The pairing's most
notable performances include doubles
victories against No. 7 Virginia (Feb.
5) and No. 10 Texas (March 9). On Jan.
21, the Michigan duo scored an impres-
sive upset victory over Ball State's Matt
Baccarani and Patrick Thompson, the
nation's fourth-ranked pair at the time.
Since first playing together, both play-
ers have been developing different aspects
of their game. Hung has worked on his
service game and Maravic has improved
significantly at the net. In addition to
these individual accomplishments, they
have experienced notable developments
in team chemistry since they were first
paired (mid-season last year).
"Now that we've been playing together
for a year, we know what each other's
strengths are and where we are going to
put the ball," Hung said. "Matko espe-
cially has a lot of energy, which is a key
point to having a successful doubles team.
Doubles is more like a sprint than a mara-
thon, so that energy is very important."
While providing the emotional energy,
Maravic recognizes the important contri-
butions his other half makes to the pair-
ing.
"Brian has great skills, and he volleys
much better than I do,"Maravic conceded.
"I try to keep my energy up because, espe-
cially at No. 1 doubles, all of the matches
are very close. But I would personally say
that Brian is the better overall player."
The duo demonstrates a combination
of modesty and mutual respect that trans-
lates off the court as well. Both players
said that their off-court friendship pays
big dividends in the heat of competition.
"You have to communicate a lot during
doubles matches," Hung said. "It makes
that much easier (when you are friends)."
The ability to recognize value in the
different athletic and personality styles
has also contributed to the partnership's
success. Hung identifies Maravic as the
emotional leader who helps pump him up
at the beginning of matches. Conversely,
Hung helps his partner stay composed
when the team is down.
The give-and-take of their on-court
relationship has allowed them to steadily
climb the rankings ladder, though Hung
said they are not sitting comfortably at
No. 15.
"We're doing pretty good right now,
and we're ranked high:' Hung said. "But
we want to stay hungry and not be com-
placent with what we've been accomplish-
ing so far. That's not where we want to be
at. It's not about rankings. It's about being
the best doubles pairing we can be."
Clinching the doubles competition for
Michigan in its victory against Harvard last
Sunday, Hung and Maravic have grown
FILE PHOTO
Junior Brian Hung teams with sophomore
Matko Maravic as the No.1 doubles pair.
accustomed to shouldering the responsi-
bility of securing the team's doubles point.
With all four of their losses coming at the
hands of either a top 10 team or in close,
tiebreaker fashion, the dynamic duo has
demonstrated enormous potential.
"They really don't have weaknesses
as a doubles team:' Berque said. "They
play with emotion and energy. They're
disciplined enough to execute their game
plan each time. One thing they really pride
themselves on is that even though they're
not very big guys, they're still so good.
They are just rock solid."
Hung and Maravic will look to help
Michigan (2-0 Big Ten, 8-6 overall)
win the doubles point for the third
consecutive match when it travels to
Badger country for a match against
Wisconsin at noon on Saturday.
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