Wednesday, April 14,1993
Sports
The Battalion Page 7
DON
NORWOOD
Sports Editor
Cliches ringing
true for Aggies
in fateful year
W k n e w
they
would be good,
but this good?
After breez
ing through
their first 40
games with a
36-4 record, the
Texas A&M
baseball team
suddenly finds
itself first in the
nation for the
first time in
four years, in
all three polls,
no less. Ahead of preseason favorite
Louisiana State. Ahead of the tradi
tional media darlings from the Pac-
10, Southeastern and Atlantic Coast
conferences. And yes, ahead of the
University of Texas.
While it's easy to get caught up in
the excitement and hoopla of the
Aggies' top ranking, let's keep our
feet on the ground. We've got a cou
ple of cliches to get through first.
Cliche number one: Everybody's
gunning for the top-ranked team.
This is as true as ever. Teams
who are ranked at the top of the
polls before and during the season
serve merely as targets for oppo
nents. Everybody loves to knock
teams out of first, and for some
teams it can be the highlight of an
otherwise nondescript season. A
case in point is Baylor's sweep of na
tionally-ranked Rice two weekends
ago, which severely crippled the
Owls' Southwest Conference title
hopes.
Cliche number two: The only
time a number-one ranking counts is
See Norwood/Page 8
Top-ranked
split with Bearkats
is'
DARRIN HILL/The Battalion
First baseman
Houston's Hans
Billy
Bum
for a pickoff throw as Sam
dives back to the bag during the first game
of Tuesday's doubleheader. Buth was safe after his stolen base
attempt was nipped in the bud.
Thomas turns in
hat trick with
three home runs
By DAVID WINDER
The Battalion
In tonight's game against Texas South
ern University, Texas A&M centerfielder
Brian Thomas might be a little tired, be
cause last night against Sam Houston
State he spent all of his time circling the
bases.
Thomas had three home runs and sev
en runs batted in, including a two-run
shot in the bottom of the seventh that
gave the Aggies a 5-4 win in the second
game of the doubleheader.
"I've never hit three home runs in one
day, not even in a doubleheader,"
Thomas said. "It's just one of those great
moments you dream about.
"The first pitch was a changeup and
the wind was blowing out. As soon as I
hit it, I knew it was gone."
A&M's John Curl made a bid to be the
See Aggies/Page 8
Gonzalez dealing aces for 13th-ranked Lady Aggies
By MATTHEW J. RUSH
The Battalion
Kim Gonzalez is not your ordinary col
lege woman, nor is she your average soft-
ball player. Gonzalez is the one and only
pitcher the Lady Aggies have needed to
help them to their 13th ranking national-
1 Y-
Gonzalez, a junior college transfer
from Sacramento, Calif., has brought to
A&M a dynamic arm that has led the
team to its current 23-13 record. She is 18-
10 overall and has compiled a nifty 1.53
earned run average while accumulating
92 strikeouts.
■UmJ
! f
The junior righthander has pitched her
way to a 12-2 record in Midwest Regional
play, including seven shutouts and a 0.82
ERA while holding her opponents to an
infinitesimal .137 batting average.
The most amazing statistic of all may
be that she has thrown 193 innings thus
far, which is quite an aberration from her
last two years.
Gonzalez said that she has had no
problem adjusting from the junior college
ranks, even though she has had to move
three feet back.
"I've been pitching for so many years,
it's not that big of a difference," said the
20 year- old. "The only changes I've made
r:: .' , ,
■■i Wr:-. J,.,
have been mental adjustments."
The remainder of the season holds
some very demanding games, but the Ag
gies will be well-prepared for any post
season competition, as recent road trips
to Hawaii and California have proven to
the squad that they might be as good as
anyone in the nation.
"We knew we were good, but we
didn't realize how good," Gonzalez said.
The team proved to the rest of the
competition on March 25 that they are for
real, losing a heart-breaker to Arizona,
the number-one team in the nation, 2-1.
"The trip proved to us how good we
were," said Gonzalez.
Not all has been roses for the women's
squad this year. In fact, the season saw
the departure of two other pitchers, leav
ing Gonzalez as the only remaining
hurler.
"It was hard being the only pitcher
and having to pitch every game," she
said.
Gonzalez also admitted that the team '
was not in the best of spirits after having '
lost two members of the staff.
"We were down and we thought we “■
wouldn't be that good, but we've pulled ;
together and proved a lot to ourselves
and to others," she said.
See Gonzalez/Page 8
r . f f
SENIOR WEEKEND 1993
SENIOR BOSH: April 22. 1993
Featuring a Live Band, a Cash Bar, and Plenty of Fun at the Texas Hall of Fame
from 9:00 PM to 1:00 AM. Ticket Prices are $3.00 plus tax.
SENIOR PICNIC: April 23. 1993
B.Y.C . (Bring Your Own Picnic) to the Southwood Valley Complex from 2:00 PM
to 6:00 PM. Recreational Equipment and a DJ will be provided. No ticket is necessary.
SENIOR BANQUET: April 24. 1993
Featuring a Guest speaker, a Scrumptuous Dinner, and the Class of 1993 Slideshow!
A Cash Bar will be provided at 6:15 PM, and dinner is served at 7:00 PM at the
Hilton Grand Ballroom. Tickets are $15.00 plus tax.
RING DANCE: April 24. 1993
Dance to the music of the Ronnie Renfrow Orchestra, Special F/X, RDM,
or listen to piano bar/comedian Neal Kern at Senior Weekend's grand finale.
Pictures will be taken beginning at 11:00 AM Saturday morning and Ring Dance
begins at 9:00 PM that night. Tickets are $25.00 plus tax.
PACKAGE PRICES:
Buy 2 Bash Tickets, 2 Banquet Tickets, and 2 Ring Dance Tickets for just $75.00 plus tax.