SPORTS
Friday, June 1, 1984
The Michigan Daily
Page 17
Wolverines to clash with Titans
By ROB POLLARD
Anything can happen.
It's a cliche most coaches pull out when asked how
their team will do in the College World Series.
Michigan head coach Bud Middaugh is no exception.
Neither is Cal-St. Fullerton skipper Augie Garrido.
"WHAT HAS gone on up to now doesn't matter,"
said Garrido. "The stats add up to zero."
"Any team that is out there has a chance," added
Middaugh.
The experts are giving the Titans more of a chance
than the Wolverines. Fullerton is ranked third, while
Michigan is ranked eighth - the lowest ranking of
any tournament team.
THE TWO teams square off at 8:10 p.m. tonight.
Lefty Gary Wayne (8-2, 3.86) will oppose southpaw
Jack Reinholtz (12-2, 3.34).
The Titans set a school record for wins this year
with 61. They have won the most games of any
tournament team. They have also played the most
(80).
Offensively the Titans are led by junior catcher
Bob Cafferty. Cafferty has 27 homers and 83 RBI, but
according to Garrido, "the strikeouts to go along with
MICHIGAN (43-18)
vs
Cal-State Fullerton (61-19)
Rosenblatt Stadium
Omaha, Neb.
Televised live on ESPN
Tonight at 8:10 EDT
those numbers."
OTHER LEADERS are outfielder John Fishel
(.365, 14 and 78) and second baseman Jose Mota, who
is hitting .366. Mota is the son of Dodger first base
coach Manny Mota.
The mound corps is led by Reinholtz, who.has won
ten straight games, and righty Todd Simmons. Sim-
mons is 14-2 with a 3.18 ERA. Junior Scott Wright set
the recognized NCAA record for saves in a season
this year with 20. Because the NCAA does not keep of-
ficial baseball statistics records must carry the label
"recognized record."
The Titans are making their fourth CWS appearan-
ce in the last 10 years. In 1979 Cal St. Fullerton left
Omaha as national champs. Garrido thinks this
year's team may be better than his '79 squad.
"WE HAVE MORE balance in hitting and better
pitching," said Garrido, whose team has made 10
consecutive NCAA regional appearances. "But there
is one major difference. In '79 we got the job done. We
have yet to do that this year."
Garrido emphasizes that just because he believes
this team is better than the '79 team, that doesn't
mean they'll repeat as champions.
"We've been beaten so many ways here. In 1982 we
were swinging the bats well going in. We beat Arizona
State, the defending champions, and then got shut out
by Maine and Wichita State. We went 18 innings
without scoring a run and then we got our little butts
on the plane and went home."
MIDDAUGH IS another one who feels that having
the most talent, doesn't necessarily mean you will be
around to accept the trophy.
"This year I feel that Oklahoma State has the best
team, but last year I also thought that man-for-man
they had the better team." The Cowboys from
Oklahoma City won only one game before being
eliminated.
Middaugh added that regardless of their perfor-
mance at Omaha, the Wolverines will have had a
successful season. "We could lose our first two games
and have a great year, or we could win the national
championship and havea great year."
Associated Press
Michigan first baseman Ken Hayward takes a pickoff throw in Wednesday's 4-3 Wolverine win over
Central Michigan. Michigan took the Mideast regional in three straight games to earn its fourth trip to
the College World Series in five years.
RAIN SENDS WOLVERINES TO VIDEO ARCADE BEFORE FINAL TRIUMPH
'M' batsmen cash in Chips, 4-3
w By ROB POLLARD
In between playing video games and
going to movies, the Michigan
Wolverines did what they went to Mt.
Pleasant to do. They won the Mideast
regional.
It took them only three games to do it,
but because of the seemingly endless
rain in Mt. Pleasant the tournament
was in its sixth day when Michigan top-
ped Central Michigan 4-3 on Wednesday
to capture the title.
"WE WERE ANXIOUS to see what
would happen in the tournament, but
we couldn't do anything about it," said
Michigan shortstop Barry Larkin,
referring to the three days of rain-outs.
"It was very frustrating."
The Wolverines passed most of the
free time created by rain-outs by drop-
ping quarters into slots rather than
bunts down the third-base line.
"We played video games at Seven-
Eleven," said Larkin. "Myself, Jeff
Minick, we even had a couple of the
coaches in there. Come to think of it, we
had pretty much the whole team in
there."
CONSIDERING his team's perfor- Scott Kamieniecki went all nine innings
mance in the regional, the first thing to raise his record to 7-3, despite giving
head coach Bud Middaugh might want up three home runs.
to do on arrival in Omaha is locate the Sunday's game against Indiana State
nearest video arcade and give each was quite a different story. Michigan's
player a roll of quarters. Gary Wayne and Indiana State's Andy
Michigan opened the tournament last Chelfi hooked up ina pitching duel.
Friday by outslugging Temple, 13-9. WAYNE went into the eighth inning
with a one-hitter and a 2-0 lead thanks
to a third inning RBI double by Minick
and Larkin's fourth inning RBI single.
But in the eighth the Sycamores rallied
for two runs with the benefit of only one
hit and sent Wayne to the showers.
But Michigan would have the last say.
Ken Hayward's two-out, two-run double
to left center knocked in the tie-
breaking runs and the Wolverines got
four more in the inning for an 8-2 win.
Hayward also got the win in relief,
raising his record to8-2.
On Wednesday against Central
Michigan the Wolverines found them-
selves trailing after eight innings, 3-2.
Starter Kamieniecki was hurt by the
longball; two of the Chippewas three
runs came on solo blasts by rightfielder
Greg Lotzar and catcher Rob Herzog.
But with the bases loaded and nobody
out in the bottom of the ninth, CMU
second baseman Bill Morway threw
Larkin's grounder past Doug Fisher at
first allowing the tying and winning
runs to score, and emptying the
Wolverines dugout onto the field in a
state of ecstasy.