Monday, May 18, 1998-- The Michigan Daily -13 SOFTBALL Oklahoma lookin' OK for 'M' By Rick Freeman Daily Sports Editor One thing missing from Oklahoma City might be the huge hometown crowd that cheered the Wolverines on at the NCAA Regionals this past week- *d. But that might be OK with them. Michigan coach Carol Hutchins said ................. that the Alumni sofftb Field record crowd of 1,452 Commentary made her team a - ---- little nervous this weekend. What wouldn't be OK, though, is for the Wolverines to think that simply making it to the Women's College rid Series is OK. "We're not gonna focus on the World Series this year, we're gonna focus on softball," Hutchins said. That's a tall order for most teams, Wolverines et to face Longhorns By T.J. Berka Daily Sports Editor The Michigan softball team has encountered 35 different teams in making its run to the College World ,&ries, which will start Thursday in lahoma City. With a 55-5 record and a No.2 national ranking, the Wolverines have had their way more times than not. But as Michigan prepares for its biggest series of games of the year - perhaps even in the program's his- tory - it starts off with one of the few teams that it was unable to solve this season- Texas. The Wolverines have one of the ost explosive lineups in the nation, but it was hard to tell that by looking at their game with the Longhorns on March 8. Flamethrower Christa Williams, a 1996 Olympian, struck out 11 batters and held the Wolverines to only one hit - a sin- gle by catcher Melissa Gentile - in the 2-0 victory. Her pitching has been a key component in Texas' 49- 14 record and No. 8 ranking. "We are going to have a short rkout (Monday) and work on our swinging," Michigan coach Carol Hutchins said. "We are going to work on taking shorter cuts at the plate." Despite the setback in March, the Wolverines are confident and unfazed by the Longhorns, consider- ing that every team that Michigan will face in the World Series will be a difficult matchup. Also, Texas is *king its first World Series appear- ance in its second season as a varsity club. "This time of year, every team is going to be a difficult test," Hutchins said. "You just have to pick your poi- son." but maybe this group of seniors - a group that's never missed the World Series - will be the one to do it. No member of this team has ever finished her season in a place other than Oklahoma. Except the freshmen. Marie Barda, Kim Bugel, Chrissy Garza, Courtney Murdock, Melissa Taylor and Rebecca Tune might need to be shaded from the spotlight. And maybe the experience on the team can keep the stars out of all their eyes (not just the freshmen's) and their minds on softball. Sara Griffin, the self-proclaimed "old grandma" of the team, could be just the one. Griffin, who likes to lose about as much as a seven-year-old likes to take a bath, said that even when she was a freshman, she wasn't 'just happy to be there.' She wanted more, and she was denied three times. Last year, it was due to a fracture in her left (non-pitch- ing) arm. But this year, she's healthy and ready to take her last stab at the title. After their win yesterday, the Wolverines stood around Alumni Field, between the lockerroom and the field, chatting with parents and friends. They basked in the mid-afternoon sunlight and the satisfaction of a job well done. But their job's not done. Hutchins likes to compare her team's task this season to, appropriately enough, rounding the basepaths. And Oklahoma is where the glory basepaths of glory end. Home plate is only sixty metaphorical feet away. And reaching it to give Michigan its first national championship in school history? That would be, well, OK. Michigan softball coach Carol Hutchins said that the No.1 thing for the Wolverines to focus on is softball, not the pageantry of the Women's College World Series. Aggressive play keys victory By TU. Berka Daily Sports Editor In all sports, the difference between the skill lev- els and abilities of the teams involved becomes less and less as you go further in the playoffs. Due to this, the gap between the winner and loser isn't as much a difference in skill. Instead, it's usually a dif- ference in approach. This was proven vividly in yesterday's champi- onship game between Michigan and DePaul. The Wolverines and Blue Demons had relatively equal run-scoring opportunities, but Michigan was more aggressive on offense, resulting in a 3-0 victory and a trip to the College World Series in Oklahoma City. "It was a well-played game by both teams," DePaul coach Eugene Lenti said. "They set their tone with their aggressiveness offensively, while we didn't take advantage of situations that were pre- sented to us." A case in point was in the bottom of the fifth inning, when DePaul shortstop and cleanup hitter Julie Stewart was up with runners on first and third with two outs and the Demons down, 2-0. Michigan pitcher Sara Griffin and Stewart fought to a full count, but Stewart was called looking on a third strike, ending DePaul's last viable chance to catch the Wolverines. Stewart's lack of aggressiveness bothered Lenti, who reacted by benching Stewart-one of the Blue Demons' best players - for the remainder of the game. "I needed to set the tone for next year," Lenti said. "If you are going to be passive, you might as well sit on the bench." Michigan learned from DePaul's mistake in the next inning when second baseman Melissa Taylor walked with two outs. With Lisa Kelley at the plate, Taylor stole second to advance into scoring posi- tion. After the steal, Michigan coach Carol Hutchins pulled Kelley for Tammy Mika. Entering the game with a 1-1 count, Mika jumped on the first pitch that DePaul pitcher Nicole Terpstra threw her, drilling a single into right field and scoring Taylor with an insurance run. Mika "did a great job," Hutchins said. "She got on top of the pitch and drove it." Aggressive play also helped the Wolverines jump on top in the first inning. After a groundout by lead- off hitter Traci Conrad, rightfielder Kellyn Tate smacked Terpstra's first pitch over the right-field fence for her first home run of the season and pro- viding all the runs the Wolverines would need. "I was more aggressive today," Tate said. "I feel I do better when I jump on the first pitch instead of letting it go by." Michigan's drive and aggressiveness - and DePaul's lack of it - spelled the difference at Alumni Field yesterday. And if the Wolverines are going to win their first national championship, the aggressive play needs to stay. MATT MADSLL/Daily Melissa Taylor was an aggressor in yesterday's game, steal- ing second base to set up an RBI single by Tammy Mika. Call for carryout C _9 _I Try our famous colliders! Choose any of our 22 fruit, cereal, and candy toppings SPECIALIZING IN to create your own -Daily in-house specials Colombo non-fat -salads -shakes yogurt shake. 'sandwiches -burgersand wings 812 South State Street 769-5650 Summer Wheat Beers On Tap Bell's Oberon Widmer Hefe-Weisse Weinhenstephan Hefe-Weizen . ;}rfest ; ti uh ,7-2i 'L y ' P Michigan Monday's $100 off Pints of MI Beers 9pm-close 338 S. State * 996-9191 * http://www.Ashleys.com