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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 5, 1993)
le LAWf tolWiA' :}N OF ( fl ' 1,1V Sports mm Friday, March 5,1993 The Battalion Page 5 /I 4 'BT' carrying a big stick for A&M Thomas's bat propels Aggies into Maine series By MICHAEL PLUMER Vie Battalion This season, Brian Thomas has been playing with both feet off the ground. Sporting a .388 average with four home runs, 12 runs batted in and five stolen bases, Texas A&M's senior centerfielder said he has been in his own little world at the plate. "As the old saying goes, I am in a tree right now," Thomas said. "Hopefully, I won't come back down to earth for awhile." Thomas did not have such a dreamy ride last season. As a junior, he only hit .212 after posting a .290 batting average his freshman campaign and .354 his sophomore year. Mentally, Thomas said, last year's slump was a very trying experience. "It was very tough, because I was not very comfortable," Thomas said. "1 would hit the ball hard three times but it would be right at somebody, like the first baseman or centerfielder. "But I would have nothing to show for it, and end up the game 0-for-3. That is baseball, where you have to take the good with the bad." Thomas added that he thought there was a very easy explanation for last sea son's hard times at the plate, and out of the bad times did come some good lessons. "I learned a lot from last year," he said. "There were a couple of problems with my swing that I got ironed out over the past summer. My slump, though, may have come from my success during my sophomore year. "I had a great year and I was really go ing to go out and try to impress the scouts and hopefully get drafted. But somebody set me straight on that attitude." That someone was his summer league coach, who helped his fortunes turn Corbelli named to replace Givens at volleyball post FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS KEVIN IVY/The Battalion A&M centerfielder Brian Thomas admires the flight of a home Thomas has been the spark plug for A&M's power surge this run during the Aggies' game with Concordia Lutheran last week, season, hitting over .400 throughout the past two weeks. around in the most unlikelist place - An chorage, Alaska. Thomas hit .359 with five home runs and 50 RBI's in the Alaska League. In the process, he was named a Baseball America Summer All-American. "Ed Cheef, who coaches at Lewis & Clark, an NAIA school, turned me around totally by telling me something that really stuck with me," Thomas said\ "He said that baseball is a lot of fun but, I should go out there and not try to im press anybody but myself. "That has made it easier this season." A&M coach Mark Johnson said that Thomas's being named to the summer All-American team had to be a great con fidence lifter after his struggles. "That kind of recognition has to make you feel good," Johnson said. "It proba bly boosted him into this year." Thomas said the Alaskan experience gave him 1 the opportunity to clear his head and regain his thoughts in a relaxed atmosphere. "I went up there and stayed with the same family I had stayed with the previ ous summer, so it was kind of like going home again," the left handed hitter said with a laugh. "Coach Johnson and myself talked about a couple of things I needed to improve batting-wise, which I tried to do." See Thomas/Page 7 Texas A&M ended its search for a new volleyball coach Thursday, naming Santa Clara University head coach Laurie Cor belli to replace former coach A1 Givens. Corbelli racked up a 61-35 record in her three years at Santa Clara, including a 26- 11 record for the 1991 season, which was the best in school history. After a 21-11 record last season, Corbel li earned West Coast Conference and West Region Coach of the Year honors. She also led Santa Clara to its first NCAA Tournament appearance. Corbelli said that the attraction to A&M was too strong to turn down. "My visit to A&M proved to me that the volleyball program is a sleeping gi ant," Corbelli said. "This will be a great place to coach, recruit and be a part of. I felt the buzz of pride and tradition across the entire campus which was a big part of my decision, and I am very excited to ac cept the offer." Corbelli carries impressive playing cre dentials into her new position. A two- time U.S Olympic Team member, she was also a member of the U.S. Women's Na tional Volleyball team from 1978-84. Cor belli spent the 1987 season playing for Major League Volleyball franchise San Jose Golddiggers, where she earned Most Valuable Player honors. "We are very excited to armounce that Laurie will be joining our staff as head volleyball coach," A&M associate athletic director Lynn Hickey said. "This is a tremendous step forward for our pro gram, and is a statement of commitment to develop the best volleyball program we can. "She brings tremendous experience as both a player and coach. As a coach, she has proved herself in the toughest and most competitive volleyball area in the country. Laurie presents a high profile on the court, and will be able to step up our recruiting immediately." A native of Garland, Corbelli also spent four years as the head coach of the Uni versity of San Francisco, where she was named WCC Coach of the Year in 1987 af ter leading the Lady Dons to a third-place finish. DEAR DAD MONEY FOR JOB INTERVIEW Conroe Factory Outlet, Interstate 45, Exit League Line Road, (409) 856-8228. Mon-Sat. 10-9, Sun. 12-6. Discontinued/almost perfect sports and fitness stuff. 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