The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, July 19, 1983 - Page 11 Wolverines in the minors Steve Ontiveros Albany, NY 'AA' Oakland pitcher 15 games 86 IP 22 walks 55 so 6-3 4.39 ERA Steve Perry Rich Stoll Albuquerque, NM West Palm Beach, Fla. 'AAA' 'A' Los Angeles Montreal pitcher pitcher 10 games 4 games 50'/3IP 271P 63 hits 7 walks 33 walks 19 hits 30so 15 so 3-472E 7.51 ERA 2.33 ERA El Paso, Tex. 'AA' Milwaukee OF' 79 games 296 ab 69 runs 95 hits 7 HR 62 RBI .321 Dave Kopt Chris Sabo Geneva, NY Cedar Rapids, Ia. 'A' 'A' Chicago Cubs Cincinnati pitcher 3B Jeff Jacobson Nagerston, Md. 'A' Baltimore 28 3 games 14% IP 10 walks 15 so 0-2 4.90 ERA 20 games 77 ab 13 runs 26 hits 4 HR 12 RBI .338 9 games 31 ab 2 runs 7 hits O HR 2 RBI .226 Stoll still pitching strong in minors By MIKE BERRES Ann Arbor and West Palm Beach, Florida are about as far apart as you can get. Maybe as far apart as college and minor league baseball. At least that's what former Wolverine pitcher Rich Stoll thinks. "There's a big difference (between college and minor league baseball) in terms of individual time," Stoll said. "All you have to do (in the minors) is show up at a certain time. In college things were more tight-knit. There was more control from Coach (Bud Mid- daugh). Here you're treated like an adult. It's your job. When it's your time to pitch, you better be ready." STOLL, WHO AT 30-5 is the win- ningest Michigan pitcher of all time, compared the competition in the minors to that of the College World Series. "Obviously the intensity is not as high (as the World Series), we play every day, but the hitters are stronger. If I make a mistake they can usually catch it." The 5-11 righthander has been with West Palm Beach Expos, the Montreal Expos' top Class 'A' farm team, for a month (AAA is the highest level in the minor lesgues). He is in the Expos' five man starting rotation. Being part of a stable rotation is a new experience for Stoll. "In college I could be called upon anytime," explained Stoll. "Coach used me when he could. Here, I pitch and then sit for four days. I spend most of my time thinking about that fifth day when I pitch again." THE FORMER ALL-AMERICA pit- cher has also noticed a greater em- phasis on individual statistics in the minors. "I have a lot of respect for college ball," said the Attica, Ind. native. "There is nothing better for creating a winning attitude than in college. The minors are for individuals and who can get the best stats." Although he has a promising career ahead of him, Stoll doesn't spend much time thinking about the majors. "I DON'T think about (the majors) too much," Stoll said. "I pull for the Expos. I have confidence that I'm going to make it to Montreal. But if I don't, I have an excellent education to fall back on. This is a definite advantage over those coming out of high school." Stoll hasn't quite figured out what it will take to move up through the minors. Since he's been with the Florida team, one pitcher has been promoted to Memphis, the Class 'AA' squad. This teammate had a 3-7 record and an ERA over 5.00, while another starter, 10-2, remained in West Palm Beach. "I'd like to move through the system as fast as I can. I'm not sure if I'll stay here for the rest of the year. I want to finish the season strong, get to Mem- phis, and go from there." STOLL WAS told that, unlike his days at Michigan, things would not be too personal with the Montreal organization. "They told me to pitch the way I did to get here," he said. "At the end of the season, they're sending me to St. Petersburg for the instructional league. That's going to be two months where I'll eat, drink, and sleep nothing but baseball. I've pitched a lot of in- nings so they may give me a rest until spring training after that." Though Stoll has only been in professional baseball a short time he has found life in the minors to be fairly enjoyable._ "I have no reason to complain. Before my first and only home game I was introduced and the fans gave me a real nice welcome. A few times fans who are where I'm from have come to tell me (they are from Indiana) and it really makes me feel more at home." STOLL IS STARTING a new life as he did once before when he entered Michigan three years ago. He's making the adjustment with little difficulty. "I've had no problems fitting in with the team," he said. "I've already made some new friends." His only problems thus far have oc- curred on the playing field with the op. 'ponents. In a contest against the Vero Beach Dodgers, Stoll threw a pitch that led to a bench-clearing incident. The teams were battling for the division lead and apparently there had been bad blood for some time. "I HIT A batter and he charged me,"Stoll recalled. "I ducked his punch and put him in a head lock. I got thrown out along with our coach, the hitter, and their pitcher who had hit one of us." One of the most frequent complaints from minor leaguers is too much bus travel. This has not bothered Stoll so far. "It's a one state league (Florida) so it hasn't been too bad. The longest has been four hours and you can usually find something to do like play cards." Stoll's road to the majors is likely to be a short one. Although he called his play "shaky" so far, a "shaky" 2.33 ERA still looks much better than a "solid" 4.50 one to the Expos. Whatever his ERA, Stoll remains confident in his ability. Part of this confidence comes from his strong faith in God. "I always have my faith inthe Lord when there are new areas and new friendships. I know He helps me along the way. So I hope I can use my talents in the best way possible." 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