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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 11, 1986)
■ Tuesday, February 11, 1986/The Battalion/Page 9 Sports A&M baseball to swing into action Ags brace for Saturda/s first pitch against Pan American it 7 >.m. tote ip ong iion iam nan art .uon the- )are iyio ifor- eltgi- i de ed in estim I ' said. I st that:: I Chap I le me: d fork: | Db iy Distnt tie Distrt inney. rat on it* itheopii- ‘Aslta” ublican» tome. ir word: lav pet: ; iolatesit* ution, h' could t 1 n," Mai® sal! ion al d tied trie ualit |e| t nent tess. utions. ER incif’ and is a for ov/ai ectly 10 ' '86 A&M Baseball Season Schedule February 15 • Pan American (DH) — 1 p.m. 16 • Pan American — 1 p.m. 19 • St. Mary’s (DH) — 1 p.m. 21 • McNeese State — 3 p.m. 22 • McNeese State — 12 noon 25 •Lamar— 1 p.m. 27 • Lubbock Christian — 3 p.m. 28 • LCC (DH) — 1 p.m. March 1 • SW Louisiana. — 2 p.m. 2 *SW Louisiana (DH)—1 p.m. 4*Sam Houston (DH)— 1 p.m. 7• at NE Louisiana (DH) — 1 p.m. 8*at La. Tech (DH) — 12 noon 9*at La. Tech — 1 p.m. 11 • Mississippi St. — 7 p.m. 12 • Mississippi St. — 3 p.m. 14 • at Hawaii — 11 p.m. 15 • at Hawaii — 11 p.m. 16 • at Hawaii — 9 p.m. 17 • at Hawaii-Hilo — 1 1 p.m. 18 • at Hawaii-Hilo — 1 1 p.m. 22 * Houston (DH) — 5:30 p.m. 23 * Houston — 1:30 p.m. 24 • Bethel College — 3 p.m. 25 • Minnesota (DH) —5:30 p.m. 28 * at Arkansas — 7 p.m. 29 * at Arkansas (DH) — 1 p.m. A pril 1 • N. Texas St. (DH) — 5:30 p.m. 2 • N. Texas St. — 3 p.m. 4 * Texas Tech — 7 p.m. 5 *Texas Tech (DH) — 1 p.m. 8 • Dallas Bapt. (DH) — 5:30 p.m. 11 * at Baylor — 2 p.m. 12 * at Baylor (DH) — 12 noon 15 • at Sam Houston — 3 p.m. 18 * Rice — 3 p.m. 19 * Rice (DH) — 7 p.m. 25 * at Texas — 7 p.m. 26 * at Texas (DH) — 2 p.m. May 2*TCU —7 p.m. ' 3 * TCU (DH)—5:30 p.m. • Non-Conference Games * Southwest Conference Games By TOM TAGLIABUE Sports Writer The Texas A&M baseball team will begin its second season under head coach Mark Johnson when the Aggies host Pan American in a dou ble-header Saturday at 1 p.m. at Ol sen Field. At a news conference Monday, Johnson said A&M should be right in the hunt for the Southwest Con ference Championship, which the Aggies have not won since 1978. “I think it’s going to be a tougher conference race,” Johnson said, “but I feel like we ought to be in the top four. Where we sit in there I don’t know. I feel like we ought to contend for a conference championship.” The lineup for opening day is al most set, except for catcher and right field, where several players are in contention for the startingjob. The infield will be anchored by All-SWC first baseman Fred Gegan, who came to A&M last season and led the team in hitting (.360), RBI (60), hits (67) and walks (37). Gegan, however, will miss at least the first month of the season because of a broken thumb he suffered last week during practice fielding a pop fly. Johnson said Gegan is expected back by early March. Gary Geiger, a junior transfer from Seminole Junior College, may start in place of Gegan at first. John son said he would rather have Geiger concentrate on pitching in the Aggies’ rotation, but Gegan’s in jury may change things. As for the rest of the A&M infield, Johnson said second baseman Robi Chandler, who took over that posi tion late last season, will be the team’s defensive catalyst. “He’s the guy that is going to have to pull the infield together,” John son said. Johnson said the Aggies’ new shortstop this season, junior college transfer Ever Magallanes, will be an outstanding player. Magallanes, aju- nior from Maywood, Calif., takes over for Rob Swain, who was one of the Aggies’ top hitters for two years. Third base will be one of the steadiest positions on the entire Ag gie club, Johnson said. Sophomore Scott Livingstone returns to his start ing position where he won SWC Newcomer of the Year in 1985. Liv- Photo by GREG BAILEY A&M baseball coach Mark Johnson talks to members of the local sports media during a news conference Monday at Cain Hall. ingstone also led the Ags in doubles (21) and was second in home runs (10). The A&M outfield will be anchored by senior centerfielder Mike Scanlin, who led the Aggies last season in at-bats (199), hits (67), triples (5), home runs (11) and field ing percentage (.984). “He’s going to have to hold (the outfield) together, defensively,” Johnson said. “He’s become more comfortable out there.” Left field will be played by Jeff Schow, who moved from second base to the outfield late last season. Seniors Bill Doug Potter and Pat James are vying for the right field position. Potter and James both have experience, but Potter saw more playing time in the Aggie outfield last year before injuring his shoul der. A&M’s starting catcher’s job, a po sition vacated by Steve Johnigan, is still up in the air. “If I were to grab each one of (the catchers) and took their best talent and put it in a pile, that pile would be a neckuva catcher,” Johnson said. The four players trying to land the catcher’s job are sophomore Maury Martin, senior Blake Hutchi son (who moved from the outfield to catcher this season), and juniors Scott Winterburn and Frank Tan ner. Johnson said Tanner would prob ably start for the team throughout the season, but may not this week end because of a sore shoulder. In the other half of the battery, Johnson said the Aggie pitching staff has good depth, but is still un proven. Going into Saturday’s Pan Ameri can game, Johnson named Jimmy Flowers, Russ Swan and Geiger as the three-man starting rotation. Flowers, a right-hander from Houston Bellaire, posted a 1-1 re cord last season before injuring his hand. A&M pitching coach Jim Lawler said Flowers may have the best fastball on the Aggie club and could be its only “power pitcher.” Swan, who was the Aggies’ only left-handed pitcher last season, was 3-0 with 19 strikeouts. Swan also was injured last season, but is now healthy. Lawler said Swan has a f ood slider and throws it for strikes 0 percent of the time. Geiger will be a pitcher/first base man/designated hitter for the Ag gies. Lawler rated Geiger’s fast ball “good” and his change-up “excel lent.” Lawler said the bullpen is going to be the Aggies’ strength this season. Senior Barry Smith (5-1, 2 saves) and junior transfer Darryl Fry (17-1 at McLennan Junior College) will come out of the bullpen in snort re lief. “If we can be ahead, or even, going into the last two innings of the ball game, it’ll make it tough on the opponent to come back on us,” Lawler said of the Aggies’ pitching staff. The Aggies have seven more pitchers who will probably see action this season: junior Pat Wernig, se nior Dale Barry, junior Ed Perez, sophomore Russ Greene, sopho more Kyle Atkinson, freshman Da vid Jones and junior David Bruning. A&M BASEBALL NOTES: The A&M baseball team has planned several promotions to at tract fans to Olsen Field during the ’86 season. Two promotions are scheduled for this weekend’s three-game series. A parachute jump will precede the start of Saturday’s double-header and Aggie baseball visors will be given away before Sunday’s single game, which also begins at 1 p.m. Former A&M head coach lands Cardinals’ job Associated Press ST. LOUIS — Gene Stallings, for mer Texas A&M head coach and protege of coaching legends Paul “Bear” Bryant and Tom Landry, was named Monday to succeed Jim Ha- nifan as coach of the St. Louis Cardi nals. “I’m sorry Coach Bryant couldn’t be here,” Stallings said at a news con ference where he was introduced by Cardinals owner William V. Bidwill. “I know somewhere he’s smiling.” The appointment of Stallings, an assistant to Landry with the Dallas Cowboys for the past 14 years, ended Bidwill’s arduous search for a coach. Hanifan and his assistants were fired just 15 minutes after the Cardinals lost the final game of the 1985 NFL season to the Washington Redskins Dec. 21. It also filled the last vacant NFL coachingjob. The 1985 Cardinals posted a dis appointing 5-11 record after being picked by some experts to win the NFC East. Critics contended that, al though Hanifan was well-liked by his players, he did not impose the disci pline needed to win and make the playoffs. Stallings agreed with descriptions of himself as tough, but added that he also can be compassionate. “There’s nothing wrong in liking your players,” Stallings said. “I’ve got a job to do and that is to make Mr. Bidwill glad that he hired me.” Bidwill said he was glad the hunt was over. “It’s been a long search and I’ve talked to a lot of fine football coaches and fine men,” Bidwill said in introducing Stallings. “But you have to stop and make a judgment. And I think I’ve picked the best man for the job.” Stallings has spent all but seven years of his post-high school football life under Bryant and Landry. He was an All-Southwest Conference re ceiver at A&M under Bryant and a captain of Bryant’s undefeated 1956 team. He spent one season as an as sistant to Bryant at A&M and then accompanied him to Alabama in 1958. Stallings returned to A&M as head coach in 1965, and guided the Aggies to the Cotton Bowl in 1967, the only winning season he had at A&M. Stallings was fired after the 1971 season, and he joined Landry’s staff in 1972. GUADALAJARA SUMMER SCHOOL University of Arizona offers more than 40 courses: anthropology, art, bilingual educa tion, ESL, folk music and folk dance, history, political science, sociol ogy, Spanish language and literature and inten sive Spanish. Six-week session. June 30-Au- gust 8, 1986. Fully ac credited program. Tui tion $480. Room and board in Mexican home $520. EEO/AA Write Guadalajara Summer School Education Bldg., Room 434 University of Arizona Tucson. AZ 85721 (602) 621-4729 or 621-4720 t* OLD L HAMBPBflEBSJ Breakfast Birthday Special!«50% Off Every Breakfast! To celebrate our first year of serving fresh hot made-to-order breakfasts. Breakfast Omelets with Home Fries & Toast or Old-Fashioned Biscuits 1. Ham & Cheese $1.89 2. Ham, Cheese & Mushrooms . $1.89 3. Ham, Cheese, Green Pepper, Onions $1.89 4. Mushrooms, Green Pepper. Onions $1.89 Scrambled Egg Platter $1.39 with/Home Fries & Toast or Old-Fashioned Biscuits French Toast $1.29 Old-Fashioned Biscuits & Sausage Gravy 99C Breakfast Sandwich 89C (on white or wheat toast or Old-Fashioned Biscuits) Sausage \ .49C Bacon 35C Orange Juice 45C Home Fries 49C Toast 49C 50% Off All Breakfast Items Otter expires February 28. 1986. Seventh Annual Aggie Independent Film and Video Festival PART I TONIGHT 7:30 pm, MSC Ballroom (Rm. 201), Admission Free Nan Hoover, Selected Works Renee Jensen, Mona Pat Waugh, SpeedStreet Take One, Steina Vasulka, Bad Bill Jenks, Selected Works Bruce & Norman Yonemoto, Vault Ralph Arlyck, Godzilla Meets Mona Lisa And More Aggies for Barton Invites You To Come Meet Rep. Joe Barton Your Aggie Congressman Tuesday Feb. 11 302Rudder 8:30 p.m. Paid For By The Congressman Joe Barton Committee MarkTh ese Dat es For Spring Break FINAL DEADLINE FEBRUARY 13 Cancun March 15 - 20 $400 STEAHBOAT 5 DAYS SKIING for more information call MSC Travel at 8.15-151S S 375 Battalion Classified 845-2611 ►