BASEBALL
Cervenak chasing Ted Williams
Monday, May 11, 1998 - The Michigan Daily -17
By Josh Kislnbaum
Daily Sports Editor
You can bet Michigan third baseman Mike
Cervenak is wearing his lucky socks today.
In the final game of the season, a 1 p.m.
match at Indiana, the New Boston native is
trying to etch his name into the Michigan
qcord book. Cervenak is trying to become the
S 1Ith player in Michigan
Baisball baseball history to bat
N k .400 over the course of a
Nodookseason.
_- ----------- Three hits in three at-
bats. Four hits in four at-bats. Four hits in five
at-bats. And that's about all that will do it. A 3-
for-3 day gives Cervenak a .401 average.
Three-for-four? Just .399.
Cervenak is trying to put himself in pretty
elite company. Of the 11 Wolverines to
ccomplish the feat - most recently Scott
eaver in 1995 - four have gone on to the
major leagues and six have played in the
minors. Only Steve Finkin, who batted .404 in
1988, did not play in the professional ranks.
The feat has not been accomplished in the
majors since Ted Williams did it in 1941.
Cervenak has been the lone bright spot in a
dismal season for the Wolverines, which saw
the defending Big Ten champions fall to the
second tier of the conference.
"It doesn't really mean much, considering
the season we've had," Cervenak said. "I
would much rather have won the Big Ten."
BESCO'S BACK: Brian Besco, who missed
the last six games due to an ulcer, returned to
the Wolverines' lineup Saturday.
Besco's bat, one of Michigan's major power
sources this season, was sorely missed, as
Michigan hitprimarily singles over the stretch,
losing five of the six games.
But Besco made up for lost time.
With Cervenak at first base in the top of the
seventh inning in the first game of a double-
header yesterday, Besco looked to pull the ball
between first and second. When Indiana pitch-
er Chad Smith threw a first-pitch fastball high
and away, Besco's eyes lit up.
"Coach told me to try to pull the ball,"
Besco said. "As soon as I hit it, I knew it was
gone."
Besco drove the ball over the right-field
fence, putting the Wolverines up, 6-3.
The home run capped a 2-for-3 game,
including a two-run single, four RBI and two
runs scored.
"Brian is swinging the bat better than he has
in a long time," Michigan coach Geoff Zahn
said. "We ran a tough drill Thursday that tires
most guys out, but he felt fine after it, so I
decided to play him this weekend"
Besco said his ulcer hasn't been bothering
him much this weekend.
"It was just nice to finally be playing again,"
Besco said. "I played nine innings yesterday,
and coach asked me if I could go two more
games. I just said, 'Put me in the lineup."'
ADRtAM YUGOVCH/Daih
Freshman catcher David Parrish has been hitting well lately,
helping spark Michgan to wins in thre of the past four games.
Besco, Putz back in style
as Michigan escapes cellar
BASEBALL
Continued from Page 20
they have all season in the second
game, thanks to J.J. Putz. Like Besco,
Putz has had to battle back from nag-
ging injuries and the staff's hardest
thrower hasn't made much of a contri-
bution until recently.
Putz pitched his second consecutive
quality start, and he didn't let the
bullpen blow it this time. Putz went the
distance, allowing only one run on
four Indiana hits.
"Yesterday was Putz's best perfor-
mance of the year," Zahn said. "That
was the best he's thrown in a long
time"
Michigan didn't need much offense
yesterday, but Bobby Scales and Mike
Cervenak provided the little it did.
Scales went two-for-four in the night-
cap and has recorded five hits in 10 at-
bats so far this series.
Cervenak doubled in two of
Michigan's three go-ahead runs in the
fifth inning of the second game, which
proved ample run support for Putz to
work with. Cervenak, who entered the
weekend with a lofty .396 batting
average, has been Michigan's silver
lining all season, offensively and
defensively.
But the third baseman's perfor-
mance this weekend, while stellar, was
actually detrimental to his quest for the
elusive .400 mark. Despite a home run
on Saturday and two doubles yester-
day, Cervenak's average actually
dipped four points.
Cervenak's 13th homer of the sea-
son came in a losing effort Saturday
Michigan starter Brian Steinbach, who
emerged as the staff ace last season,
bowed out of his college career after
only three and 1/3 innings. He was
rocked for six runs and eventually lost
his seventh game of a rough season.
Third baseman Mike Cervenak has collected four hits in 13 at-bats this weekend with two doubles and a home run. Most
would be content with those numbers, but Cervenak Is chasing .400, and he'll need a big day today to accomplish that feat.
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