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THE BATTALION
WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 1978
Season comes to a close
By DERRICK GRUBBS
As is usually the case when a sea
son comes to an abrupt close, the
coaches, players, and fans look back
and feel it was a long season—yet it
still ended too soon. That was the
feeling of the Texas A&M baseball
team after they lost to Michigan in
the finals of the NCAA Mideast Re
gional this past weekend.
The 55-game schedule for A&M
extended from February 17 until
May 28 and over that period they
compiled a 39-16 season record,
won their second straight Southwest
Conference championship and set
24 team and individual records.
Although a strong nucleus will be
returning for the 1979 campaign, the
Aggies lose five seniors who con
tributed heavily to the success of the
A&M baseball program.
Shortstop Robert Bonner, over
the past four years, has been one of
the most consistent performers
Texas A&M has had in any sport.
He leaves A&M holding 12 season
and career school records. Through
the past three seasons, he has bro
ken his own record for season at-
bats three times, and has also top
ped his own record for hits in a sea
son .
In 1978, Bonner broke six season
and career marks and had the best
year of his career, leading the team
in hitting (.343), hits (73), runs (44)
and doubles (15). He also had 107
total bases in 1978, just two short of
the record set by Kyle Hawthorne
this year.
Robert Verde is another depart
ing senior who, although did not
leave his mark in the Aggie record
books, will be hard to replace be
cause of the leadership he provided
in his three years.
A clutch player and tough com
petitor, Verde played half of the
1977 season with an injured knee
that required surgery immediately
after the season. This year he moved
from leftfield to third base and
throughout the season excelled at a
position he had not played since
junior high.
Outfielder Tim Feickert put in
two solid years as an Aggie and was
another of those players who had to
step in at the midpoint of the season
and do the job after injuries began
to plague the A&M squad.
A&M will also lose two good
pitchers in David Pieczynski and 1
Jim McWilliams. Pieczynski, al
though having experienced control
problems during the regular season,
came on strong at the Mideast Re
gional and pitched well in both
games against tournament cham
pion Michigan.
McWilliams had an outstanding
season as a reliever in 1978, posting
the lowest ERA on the Aggie staff at
1.42.
Both Pieczynski and McWilliams
put in time as starters during the
1977 and 1978 SWC championship
drives.
“Th ese five guys have meant a
great deal to Texas A&M and to
me, says A&M coach Tom Chan
dler. “I’m just so pleased to have
had the opportunity to work with
them. They’ve helped us establish a
great tradition of baseball at Texas
A&M and I know that they are leav
ing a lot to those upcoming juniors
and sophomores in the way of win
ning spirit and that competitve
drive.
One of the final orders of business
for the 1978 Aggie baseball team
was their voting for team honors.
For the second straight year, Robert
Verde was voted team captain.
Robert Bonner and junior pitcher
Mark Thurmond shared the Most
Valuable Player award. Tim Feic
kert and sophomore second base-
man Randy Woodruff were eo-
recepients of the Wally Moon
Award that goes to the most im
proved player on the squad.
Perhaps the best indication of
what it is like for a senior who has
just played in his last game was ex
hibited by Robert Verde. Two hours
after the A&M team had arrived
back at the hotel in Ann Arbor after
the final loss to Michigan last
weekend, Verde was still walking
from room to room talking with his
teammates — in full uniform.
The Texas Aggies concluded the longest season in Texas A&M
history in Michigan last weekend at the Mideast Regional
Tournament. Gary Bryant (above left) takes a swing at a pitch
during tournament action. Second baseman Randy Woodruff
(above) completes a double despite interference from a
Michigan baserunner. Senior Robert Verde (left) accepts
congratulations from his teammates after scoring the Aggies’
sole run in opening round play against Michigan.
Battalion photos by Pat O’Malley
Bullets tie seriei
in overtime wii
at the Kingdom
United Press International
SEATTLE — Charles Johnson
scored six points in overtime and led
Washington in a second-half come
back as the Bullets beat the Seattle
SuperSonics 120-116 Tuesday night
to even their NBA championship
playoff series at two games each.
The game was played before 39,457
fans in the Seattle Kingdome, the
largest crowd ever to see a single
NBA game.
With the score tied at 106-106
after regulation time, Johnson got
the Bullets off quickly in the five-
minute overtime, with a fast-break
layin, a short jump shot and a long
jump shot. The Sonics were unable
to overtake the Bullets the rest of
the way, although Johnson gave
them an opportunity when he
missed two free throws with 17 sec
onds remaining and the Bullets
ahead 116-114.
But the rebound of the second
missed shot bounced long and was
grabbed by Washington’s Tom
Henderson. Henderson was quickly
fouled, and he made both ol his free
throws. Wally Walker scored a layin
with six seconds remaining and
Henderson closed out the scoring
with two more free throws.
The fifth game of the series will
be played in Seattle Friday. The
Sonics had hoped to wrap up the
championship in that game after
splitting two in Washington. But
Seattle blew a 15-point lead at the
2:22 mark of the third period, as the
Bullets staged a rally reminiscent of
the first game when the Sonics came
from 19 points behind late in the
third period for the victory.
Friday’s game will be at the
Sonics regular home, the 14,098-
seat Seattle Coliseum.
Seattle will play all its games in
the Kingdome next season but
Tuesday’s contest was a makeshift
affair resulting from the Coliseum
being booked for a mobile home
show when the Sonics gave up po
tential playoff dates after their dis
mal 5-17 beginning thisseasoijj
The Kingdome crowd eas
ceeded the previous NBAil
playoff attendance of 21,5111 s[
1976 in Cleveland and alsoli
the single game record of35,t|
this season in New Orlea
dome. The crowd, howevejl
short of the 41,163 drawntoif
ton’s Astrodome for an NB.lf
leheader in 1969.
Seattle jumped aheadlifcf the put
points midway in the first Jg-predict
es
and led 25-23 at the endoftk Byer starts
ter. ' Respite
The Sonics stretched theirsBit states’
50-40 late in the half as SlMjfornia's
Webster blocked two conse* stolen t !
Bullet shots and Fred BnmR'he hot!
ned two jumpers. Washm®California,
scored eight straight points Jersey, will
Seattle retaliated with sirs Ohio, low:
points to take a 56-48 halflmbiggest day
In the third period, wit election ye:
Siknut scoring 11 points, theiHpropositii
cruised. Their 15-point marpHthe Cali
pared to 87-/8 at the endsHct prop:
period, hut Seattle seemedtiB-cent of
the game well in hand. Hild he a
The Bullets caught themauRjities it
the lead for the first timesii ^10 billion
in the first quarter wheniMf Propos
Hayes hit a jump shot at 3:2! most popu
final period for a 103-101W being pred
ton advantage. H echo i
The Bullets then held tl jffloss the i
until : 14 when Brown scoteMn Califo
Seattle with a 20-foot jump tiative was
make it 106-106. That Imp]t voter
score at the end of regulati: Bnvn Jr.
after Dennis Johnson blocWBinoeratii
Dandridge’s potential gamciBe a goo
at () Bittorney
Dandridge led seven jljg i as ^
1 I i .Keles Pi
double ngure scoring wilB’,,
points. Hayes scored 20, 3 V, 11,1
Grevey 17. Wes Unseo )u ’° Ma >
Charles Johnson 14 and HeiJi, ,
and Mitch Kupchak 12 each.I 1 " ntan£
Dennis Johnson led Sealtm r. ■ ,°
33 points. Gus Williams sew™ lc C ’
Sikma 20 —including 19inti
ond half — and Brown 18.
fee Metca
hnd Rep.
Twins shut out Textp"
■the De
United Press International
ARLINGTON — Geoff Zahn and
Mike Marshall combined to outduel
Ferguson Jenkins Tuesday night
and give the Minnesota Twins only
their second shutout victory of the
year, 2-0 over the Texas Rangers.
Zahn, 5-2, had runners on second
and third in the first inning but
AJt
Cedeno hurt
United Press International
HOUSTON — Houston Astros
center fielder Cesar Cedeno cut his
right hand in a dugout accident
Tuesday night and was taken to
Methodist Hospital for treatment.
A teammate said Cedeno waved
his right fist over his head as he
came to the dugout in the eighth in
ning of Tuesday night’s game and
the top of his hand accidently con
tacted the jagged roof of the dugout.
worked his way out of
did not allow a runner pasl
the rest of the night, Mi
started the ninth and presen
shutout for Zahn, who gave#
hits and struck out five.
M innesota’s Hosken Powell
a scoreless deadlock in tlie
opening the inning with a sinj
moved to third on a singlet))’|
Adams and scored on a
ball from Rich Chiles.
Chiles singled to start the■
advanced on a sacrifice and -I ■Official:
Minnesota’s second run onBivers n
Cubbage s single. JenkimBtion as
lasted 7 1-3 innings, butBxas, an
strikeouts gave him a career c §mpany
2,488 and moved him iiiliBrketing
place on the all-time list almOne m
Don Drysdale. home rr
YOU DECIDE
On June 3, Texas voters will elect one
of two men as the Democratic candidate
for Railroad Commissioner:
Jerry Sadler, 70, is a twice-
defeated former Land Commissioner.
Here's what three of the state's leading
newspapers have to say about him:
The Austin American-Statesman:
"Voters deserve to know whom they
will be choosing between in the runoff
June 3. Poerner is not a household
name; Sadler is. But Sadler has a sorry
record in state government. He is the
only person ever censured by the Texas
House of Representatives (for failure to
cooperate with an investigation). He
became notorious for attempting to
choke then-State Rep. Jake Johnson.
He was defeated at the polls in 1970
and lost to Jon Newton in a race for
Railroad Commissioner in 1976. And
now he's back again."
The Dallas Times Herald: "Sadler
has made Texas government a universal
target of ridicule and derision."
The San Angelo Standard Times:
"Under Sadler, the Railroad Commis
sion just might become the latighing
stock he once made of the General
Land Office."
John Poerner, 45, is a re
spected businessman and rancher. John
Poerner was elected to three successive
terms in the Texas House before being
named Executive Director of the Gover
nor's Committee on Aging and Director,
Education Resources of Texas.
His honors include being named
"Citizen of the Year" in his hometown
of Hondo, receiving a "Distinguished
Legislator" award from the Vocational
Agriculture Teachers Association, and
being named to the "Agriculture Hall of
Fame" at Southwest Texas State Uni
versity. ,
He was recently appointed to the
Railroad Commission by the Governor.
"Poerner is a solid, competent indi
vidual with a record of 10 years of dedi
cated public service," says the Houston
Chronicle. "(We urge) his election."
IS THERE REALLY ANY CHOICE?
The Railroad Commission regulates the
oil, gas and transportation industries in
Texas. Our energy and utility rate prob
lems demand vigorous and responsible
leadership. We need John Poerner to
fight for Texas and protect what is right
fully ours.
John
Poerner
Texas Railroad Commission
VOTE June 3 in the
Democratic Primary
Runott
Pd. pol. ad. to elect John Poerner
Railroad Commissioner, Ed
Ingram, treas., 1037 Brown Bldg.,
Austin, Texas 78701
Sun Theatres
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a.m. and from 6-7 p.iri, >
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Competition starts June]
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