acfa
the
:ome
The Battalion
Page 7A
Tuesday • February 25, 1 997
A&M pitchers look to
continue domination
By Chris Ferrell
The Battalion
I The eighth-ranked Texas A&M
Baseball Team looks to avenge last
| year’s 9-8 loss to the Sam Houston
State Bearkats as they travel to
ffluntsville today.
■ The Aggies took two out of
Bree from Sam Houston last year,
T 1 , nvinning both games at Olsen
' Teld, 17-6 and 9-2.
V A&M will send senior right-han
der John Codrington to the mound.
“Right now, I want to see Cod
. u ‘fiver at Sam Houston,” Head Coach
* ,e Mark Johnson said. “He’s had a cou
ple of rough outings. He really gave
Is some encouragement against
,
*
/
Tim Moog, The Battalion
Junior catcher Matt Garrick runs
the bases against Washington State.
Southwest Texas, because when he
threw, he threw good stuff.”
After a successful freshman year
in 1993, which saw Codrington go 4-
0, the righthander missed most of the
next two seasons with arm trouble.
After redshirting last season, the
6-foot-5 senior has no record in
three appearances this year, giving
up five runs in six innings of work.
Codrington is mounting a come
back after undergoing successful
“Tommy John” surgery. The surgery,
which repairs the medial epicondyle,
is one of the most difficult operations
to come back from for a pitcher.
He will try to extend the streak
of domination A&M starting
pitchers have put together in their
past few starts.
Aggie starters have combined to
go 22 innings while giving up only
four runs on 14 hits in the past
three games.
A&M’s bats also have been red-
hot after a slow start.
Although they have batted over
.340 all season, Aggie batters had
been having trouble coming up
with clutch hits to drive in runners.
The Aggies scored 27 runs over the
past weekend, giving the team hope
that the batters are coming around.
“Right now our confidence is
high, and (our) hitters are going
good now,” junior second baseman
Brian Benefield said.
The Aggies have 10 players hit
ting over .300.
A&M will use the game with the
Bearkats to prepare for Big 12 play,
which gets under way this Friday.
“[We are] going into Baylor next
week,” Benefield said. “We’ve got
Sam Houston on Tuesday as kind of
a warm up to go in and get our in
tensity high.”
Stephens wants one more shot
► Senior first baseman
Jason Stephens
wants to show the
Aggies the road
back to Omaha.
By Jamie Burch
The Battalion
O maha or bust. Senior co-cap
tain and first baseman Jason
Stephens has witnessed
plenty of success in the past. Now
all the 23-year-old wants is another
shot at the College World Series.
Stephens got a taste of Omaha
as a redshirt freshman, when the
Aggies made their first appearance
in the College World Series since
1964. Although they won the
Southwest Conference title, A&M
lost in the third round of the series
to Long Beach State, 6-2.
Stephens and the Aggies re
turned to post-season play two
years later in 1995, advancing to the
NCAA Regionals.
Stephens said his sophomore
year was one of his most memo
rable seasons as an athlete.
“The highlight of my career (with
the team) was going to the regional
tournament in ’95,” Stephens said.
“My personal highlight was hitting a
grand slam at Disch-Falk Field
against the University of Texas.”
Last season, Stephens carried
the offensive load for the Aggies.
Named the team’s Marion Pugh
Most Valuable Player while hitting
.380, Stephens led the team with 11
home runs and 79 RBIs. The power
hitter’s 79 RBIs are second all-time
to former A&M standout John By-
ington’s school record of 89.
Stephens said he has mixed
emotions about the baseball team
his junior season.
“It felt good to be able to con
tribute to the team,” Stephens said.
“I had a good year stat-wise. But it is
a team game, and the team came up
short and didn’t make the regional
tournament. So it kind of leaves a
sour taste in your mouth.”
Aside from his collegiate success,
Stephens was part of two champi
onships in high school. As a sopho
more, the 6-foot-2 senior led his
team to a Class 4A State Champi
onship in both baseball and foot
ball. Stephens was named to the All-
State team as a first baseman his
freshman year and an All-State
punter his junior season.
Stephens said he was recruited
for football by some schools, but
he never thought twice about not
playing baseball.
“I was recruited by some schools
to play football,” Stephens said. “But
I knew in my heart that I wanted to
play baseball. That was always my
first love. And I was too small to play
the positions I was recruited for in
football — punter and tight end.”
In addition to his past accomplish
ments, Stephens has set his sights on
a Collegiate World Series title.
Senior shortstop Rich Petru said
Stephens only asks of his team
mates what he can give in return.
“He’s been here one year longer
than I have, so I try to follow him,”
Petru said. “ He knows how to play the
game. I respect him both as a person
and a baseball player.”
Petru said the team is aware of
Stephens’ goals.
“He’s very unselfish,” Petru said.
“He’s looking for a championship.
You can see that in the way he plays
and practices. This is his last year,
and he wants to leave with a ring.”
Head Coach Mark Johnson said
Stephens' dedication has made
him a dependable player.
“I’ve never seen him come to the
ballpark, [at] practice or game time,
when he’s not ready to go,” Johnson
said. “He’s very accountable to his
4J
.1:3 3:3 i ::
fiffe
tlM JB**
Tim Moog, The Battalion
Senior co-captain Jason Stephens was named the team's Marion Pugh
Most Valuable Player last season.
teammates. He’s a guy that’s going
all out and make sure he fulfills his
responsibilities.”
Johnson said he respects Stephens’
dedication and determination.
“He wants to go to Omaha,”
Johnson said. “He wants to make
sure he’s doing his part. I don’t
think he’s the guy that goes 0-for-
4, we win the game, and he’s dis
appointed. If he goes 0-for-4 and
we lose by one run, then he’ll take
the blame.”
Whether Stephens and the Ag
gies make it to the promised land
this season, Stephens said he will be
grateful for his degree and will have
to see what happens from there.
“My first goal is to finish school,”
Stephens said. “If I get a chance to
play professional ball, so be it. If not,
I’ll have a degree to fall back on. It’s
a win-win situation.”
But for now, Stephens will not be
satisfied until the Aggies earn a tick
et to the Big Show.
'Mr. Mean' receives player of the week honors
T
Men's Basketball
Matt Mit
he Texas A&M Men’s Bas
ketball Team finally got
things to go its way at
home, so it’s a pity their two re
maining games are on the road.
Tuesday’s much-anticipated re
match with arch-rival Texas in
Austin and a Saturday meeting
at Texas Tech in Lubbock will
dose out the season for Barone’s bunch.
What Goes Around
Redemption arrived for senior guard
Tracey Anderson against Baylor Saturday, if
only in his own mind. One of the classiest
and most hard working players on the
team, and the only senior, Anderson played
his usual solid, if unspectacular game (10
points, six assists) against the Bears. But it
was his improbable driving layup, with 26
seconds left and A&M only up by a point,
that led the Aggies to victory and put the
finishing touches on what has been a bril
liant two-year career in Aggieland.
Anderson received a much-deserved
standing ovation from the throng at the
Holler House before the game. Unfailingly
polite, Anderson never
hesitates to offer a greet
ing or a handshake, and
his professional, do-it-
for-the-team on the
court attitude is super
seded only by his ami
able disposition.
As one may recall, it
was Anderson’s Chris Webber-esque gaffe
Jan. 8 that allowed A&M to once again snatch
defeat from the jaws ofvictory. Though A&M
Head Coach Tony Barone insists the play was
all but forgotten by everyone but Anderson,
it nonetheless contributed mightily to the
Aggies’ eight-game swoon through January.
Anderson’s play against the Bears res
cued A&M from what could have eventual
ly been a nine-game losing streak to end
the season. Perhaps just as important, it
added a sweet sense of closure to the low
point in Anderson’s season.
Tourney Time’s a-Comin’...
The Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament
is quickly approaching. The No. 1 seed will
be the team with the best overall record
based upon winning percentage in confer
ence play (not A&M). That will be the
Kansas Jayhawks. The No. 2 seed will be the
top finisher in the South Division (not A&M
either). After that, things get interesting,
with five teams within two games of one an
other, each with two games left. All remain
ing teams will be ranked in order No. 3
through No. 12 (based on league winning
percentage) for seeding in the tournament.
Player of the Week
Only recently shedding the mask that
made him look like the villain in a Grade B
horror flick, junior center Larry Thompson
returned to full strength this week, which
is bad news for the competition.
A workhorse, who has always been con
sidered a hustle player, Thompson played
well enough against Baylor and opposing
center Brian Skinner to earn the start against
Texas tonight. Thompson led the Aggies in
both scoring and rebounding, with 13 and
nine, respectively. What’s more, he limited
the highly touted Skinner to 14 points and
just one (that’s not a typo) rebound. That’s
unheard of for a 6-foot-11 center, even
though Skinner looks like an oversized Urkel.
A hearty welcome back to Mr. Mean.
Old-fashioned rivalry
► The Aggies travel to
Austin to face their
archrival — Texas.
By Matt Mitchell
The Battalion
After completing its home sched
ule, the Texas A&M Men’s Basketball
Team takes to the road for its final two
games, the first coming tonight
against archrival University of Texas
at the Erwin Center. Tip-off is slated
for 7 p.m.
The Aggies (9-15,3-11) snapped a six-
game losing streak Saturday night with
a win over Baylor. At this point in the
season, the Aggies are looking to contin
ue their high-level of play in order to
build momentum and improve their
seeding in the Big 12 Tournament.
A&M Head Coach Tony Barone said
winning on the road is a big key come
tournament time.
“I think what we have to understand
is that going into the (Big 12) Conference
Tournament, we have to play as hard as
we can possibly play,” Barone said. “ [We
need] to go into the tournament with
some confidence based on the fact that
we’ve produced on the road and played
with an intensity on the road that will al
low us to compete.”
Texas (15-9, 9-5) is coming off a 74-
72 setback to Texas
Tech in Lubbock
last Saturday.
Texas uses its
athleticism to in
crease the tempo of
the game, getting
transition buckets
that simultaneous
ly wear out the op
posing team and
supplement their
weak half-court game.
“With Texas, you’ve got to be thinking
about their transition game because
that’s how they score a lot of their points,”
senior guard Tracey Anderson said.
“You’ve got to get back on defense —
that’s the biggest thing with Texas.”
*<? ft
Anderson
TAMU SCUBA
CLUB
General Meeting
Tuesday, Feb 25
8:30 p.m. Koldus 110
Come find out information about this
0 c
semesters dives &
q O O . o O
o° Spring Break
O °oOj
o\\.o
GOLDEN KEY NHS
General Meeting
@ 7:00 p.m. Koldus 111
Wednesday, February 26
FREE FOOD!!!
0
sunceat
3M WINDOW TINTING
✓WRITTEN NATIONWIDE LIFETIME WARRANTY 3M WARRANTY ON EVERY CAR OR TRUCK TINTED
1 FREE 1* 1
REMOVAL OF
l OLD TINT |
$30 Value |
FREE 2* 1
WINDSHIELD
VISOR
$15 Value
FREE 3*
METALIC FILM
OPTION
$25 Value
1 TRUCKS $50&up 1
CARS $85 & up 1
★ FREE with purchase of complete Auto Tint
The best and most experienced
Gift Certificates
2118 Cavitt, Bryan
✓Tommy Cook, Owner/Installer
✓Authorized 3M Dealer Since 1985
Call Tommy Today
| (409) 7T5-6249 I
| 822-TINT
Grand Reopening
Celebration
at
Ladies and Lor^s
Bridal and Tuxedo
$50.00 Gift Certificates to Every Bride
PLUS
Drawings For....
*$500.00 in Gift Certificates for Wedding Apparel
*A Romantic Dinner for Two
at the Sandpipers Bistro at the College Station Hilton
* Drawing at the Reception
Tuesday, February 25, 1997 5 to 7 p.m.
Ladies and Lords is located in the Gray and Rose Building at Texas
and Walton across from the East Gate ofAdrM.
After a major fire last December,
FATBURGER
7^5 University Drive College Station
is now
OPEN
Reopening Special
One Week Only 2/24/97 thru 2/28/97
1/4 lb. Burger
w/purchase of Fries & Drink
(Dine-in only. No coupon necessary)
College Station Location Only.