Sports
THE BATTALION
FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 1981
Page
4
ght-wt.
ly strait
a pole
ia anda
nd sout
Ags helped by Schutz’ return Aggies battle Razorbacks
as preparation for Hogs ends
the Au
5-76 w;
and Mo
By RICK STOLLE
Battalion Staff
At the beginning of the confer-
niteTi: I ence season, the Texas A&M Uni-
veristy men’s tennis team had a lot
of confidence and a great deal of
momentum behind it.
After winning two matches by
impressive scores and losing to
league-leading Houston in a very
close match, the Ags had a 20-5
SWC league mark. The Southwest
Conference determines standings
and ranking for the post-season
tournament on the basis of indi-
I I vidual matches.
I Optimism was abundant at the
| Omar Smith Tennis Center until
bad news came.
Senior Trey Schutz had injured
his ankle against Rice on March
14. Originally, it had been
thought a simple sprain.
Schutz said he had thought it
was a light sprain and had con
tinued to play in the match.
“I could have stopped playing
because we were pretty well
ahead in the match,” he said. ‘‘But
in SWC competition, every match
is important.”
Also, he said, he did not think
anything of the injury until he
looked at his ankle after the match
and saw the swelling had doubled
the size of it.
“Injuries are a common occur-
ance on an athletic team, ” he said,
“and thought it was just my turn
for one.”
So it was a shock when the doc
tor told Schutz that the ankle
could be broken. The X-rays
showed a small hairline fracture in
the ankle that could have ended
his career at Texas A&M.
“When he told me,” said
Schutz, “I thought I had hit my
last tennis ball for Texas A&M.”
j The Aggie season took a turn for
i the worse with the news. The Ags
proceeded to do badly at the Rice
Tournament and then lost to SMU
7-2 and Texas 5-4.
Adjustments had to be made in
the line-up that seemed to affect
team play. With Schutz out, coach
David Kent moved Max King up
: ting will
k’s Lem
olidarili
altemafe
5 olitbum
ities wen
as a
ilicy deo
will cot
n coned
Ney, i
saw new
rce us In
ms on a!
gh “thee
form Sot
rce, thee
cm bend
Solidarity
111
Trey Schutz
to play the third spot that Schutz
had been playing.
“Max really came through and
played some fantastic tennis,” said
Schutz. “I know if Reid had been
hurt and it had been me in Max’s
situation, I would have definitely
felt the pressure.”
Kent moved the rest of the team
up a notch and inserted freshman
Leonard Smith in the sixth posi
tion.
"Even though we have a very
well-balanced team,” said Schutz,
“to be moved away from a position
you have been accustomed to is a
big adjustment.”
He said it was really no big deal
losing him due to the relative
•closeness of the team in talent but
it took the momentum away from
the Ags.
“When we had to change the
line-up, it changed the rhythm the
team had at individual positions,”
he said.
Schutz said the team is so simi
lar in position that it normally
would not have mattered who was
out for a match. But each member
has gotten used to playing a cer
tain type of opponent, he said.
“Obviously, the best players
will be in the top three positions.
That’s where you stick the All-
Americans,” he said. “You really
have to adjust when you are all of a
ist winiiffif
•ket on Ik I
sir hands, Athletic facilities tour
id there is
al status to
af Catholic
litterlydf-
o, accusin;
d killing^
returns,
eatenedu
■ Sands wis
vlather,2f,
:p Tuesdsi
said
athercaiw
igs.
— Ron*
npathy fa
n die,” Fi#
ig girl hal
ICE
The new athletic facilities at Kyle Field will be open for a public tour
Saturday morning from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The tour will take visitors through the men’s and women’s dressing
rooms below the west deck of Kyle Field and conclude with a tour of
the press box.
The men’s dressing area includes the football and track dressing
rooms, and equipment and training rooms. The women’s dressing area
includes softball and track dressing room and equipment and training
rooms as well.
Elevators will take the tour to the fifth level of the stadium which
includes University administration suites.
In the press box the public can inspect the working press level (ninth
level) and on the 10th level booths used by University and athletic
officials and coaches.
Those wishing to tour the facilities should meet at the elevator area
on the west side of the stadium.
EL
AGGIES!
Dou^Iclh
Jewc
10% AGGIE DISCOUNT
ON ALL MERCHANDISE
WITH STUDENT ID
(Cash Only Please)
We reserve the right to limit
use of this privilege.
Downtown Bryan (212 N. Plain)
and
Culpepper Plaza
¥.
Office a
g2.50)l
JS2.00j|
LUNCH
SPECIAL
Good Only
11:30 AM-4:30 PM
846-8861
$2.00 OFF any LARGE 2 OR
MORE ITEM PIZZA
OR
$1.00 OFF ANY SMALL 2 OR
MORE ITEM PIZZA.
ONE COUPON PER PIZZA. FREE DELIVERY WITHIN
LIMITED AREA. 4407 TEXAS AVE. 1504 HOLLEMAN — EX
PIRES 4-30-81.
sudden playing competition bet
ter than you are used to.”
Kent echoed Schutz. He said it
is a lot easier to replace the num
ber six spot than number three.
The Ags played well in the
stretch but Kent said he felt they
were just missing a little spark.
Something that would turn a 5-4
loss into a win.
“I don’t know how we would
have done with Trey in there,” he
said, “but I think we would have
won a few matches we lost.”
Fortunately for the Ags, howev
er, after two weeks, the line in the
X-ray disappeared and Schutz was
given the OK to return to play.
“It’s a great to have him back, ”
said a much relieved Kent. “We re
going to be at full strength for the
first time since we lost Trey.”
Schutz said he felt good at the
TCU match Saturday, which the
Ags lost 5-4 but was still hesitant
about making some moves be
cause of the injury.
He is getting the ankle taped
heavily for each practice and
match. He also has a received a
The Bettmann Archive
pair of high-top shoes for better
support.
“I know it’s a mental thing,” he
said, “but I am tentative about
some of my moves because I’m
scared to reinjure my ankle.”
Schutz and his ankle will be
tested Saturday when the Arkan
sas Razorbacks arrive to play in
A&M’s final SWC match. The
Hogs are ranked third nationally
in the latest coaches poll and have
the SWC lead with a 32-4 match
record.
The Ags are currently in fourth
place with a SWC record of38-24,
one full match ahead of the Uni
versity of Texas.
A&M also has a chance to catch
third place SMU. The Ponies have
a record of 31-13 in SWC play but
have yet to play Texas, Baylor or
Arkansas. And second place TCU
has Arkansas, Houston and Texas
Tech to play so the race may go
down to the wire.
The Ags will take on Arkansas
Saturday beginning at 1:30 p.m. at
the Omar Smith Tennis Center.
By FRANK L. CHRISTLIEB
Battalion Staff
How long can it go on?
Sooner or later, they’ve got to
break out on this horrendous
slump, or people are going to start
wondering, “What in the world
has happened to the Aggies?”
Lately, the Texas A&M baseball
team has played some close
games, but nonetheless, five out
of the last six have shown up on the
right-hand side of the won-lost
column.
The Aggies will try to add to the
total on the left side of that ledger
this weekend when they meet the
third-place Arkansas Razorbacks
in Olsen Field in a crucial series
for both teams.
In the last two weeks, A&M has
been swept by the TCU Horned
Frogs in a three-game series and
has lost two out of three to the
Houston Cougars, leaving them
with a dismal 2-6-1 last-place
SWC record. The Aggies, who
play 17 of their final 20 games at
home, must start winning now if
they hope to play in the May post
season conference tournament.
The two teams’ season records
are similar, with A&M at 20-12-1
and Arkansas at 21-12. However,
the Hogs’ conference record
stands at a respectable 6-6 after
last weekend’s two-out-of-three
series loss to the Texas Lon
ghorns.
Probable pitchers in Friday’s
single game will be Rick Luecken,
5-2, for the Aggies and Scott
Tabor, 7-1, for the Razorbacks.
Gametime is 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, the Aggies’ Steve
Davis, 3-0, will face either Scotf
Glanz, 5-3, or Ed Vidmar, 0-1, ia
the first game, while A&M’s Perry*
Swanson, 1-2, will face Arkansas^
Darrel Akerfelds, 3-3, in the-
second game.
The Best Pizza In Town! Honest.
WE DELIVER
846-3412
Mr. Gatti's Pizzamat
AFTER 5 P.M. — MIN. $5.00 ORDER
I
Now comes Miller time