Sports
Page 5
Friday • February 28, 1997
fossum returns home to take on Baylor
^.0
m *■ -
The Aggie Baseball Team
will play in Waco today
and return to Olsen Field
Saturday and Sunday.
l
Ryan Rogers, The Battalion
ihman pitcher Casey Fossum throws a pitch at a University of Texas-Pan American hitter.
By Chris Ferrell
The Battalion
A year ago, Casey Fossum was the toast
ofWaco.
As an All-American pitcher at Midway
High School, Fossum posted a 13-1 record
while striking out 211 batters in 105 innings
as Midway captured the zone title.
Tonight, the prodigal son returns to the
scene of some of his greatest glories. How
ever, he will be wearing Aggie maroon in
stead of his alma mater’s green and gold.
Fossum will be on the mound as the
eighth-ranked Texas A&M Baseball team
(11-4) opens Big 12 play at Baylor (5-4).
“It’s exciting,” Fossum said. “It might
pump me up a little bit getting to see all my
friends out there. It’ll get my adrenaline going
a little bit pitching in front of my home town.”
Despite the jump from high school to
Division I, Fossum has continued to put up
big numbers.
The freshman phenom leads all A&M
starters with a 1.08 earned run average in four
starts. He has also struck out a team-high 32
batters (including two 12 strikeout games).
“Right now, he hasn’t given us any indi
cation that he is intimidated because it’s a
conference game,” Plead Coach Mark John
son said. “He hasn’t backed off anything,
and I don’t anticipate that he will. Besides
that, he’s got our best numbers with an ex
ception to won-loss (1-1).
“On Friday night’s, usually you have your
best pitchers going against each other. So
his won-loss column is not going to be as
good as if we had him in the third spot. How
he’s going to respond, we’ll just have to wait
and see, but thus far, he’s responded well.”
A&M also hopes Possum’s experience at
Ferrell Field will pay off.
“I think it’s (playing on the field before)
going to help a little bit because I know the
dimensions,” Fossum said. “If the wind’s
blowing in, throw right at the hitters. I’ve
pitched off the mound. I’m used to the
mound, so if anything, it’s going to help me.”
Fossum and the rest of the Aggie pitching
staff will have to be on top of their games to
help a team that hasn’t taken fielding practice
in over a week due to inclement weather.
“What’s happened to us has happened to
them,” Johnson said “So we’re on a level play
ing field. The actuality is last Monday, we had
a doubleheader against Nevada-Reno, and
we haven’t been on the practice field since.
It’s a detriment to both Baylor and Texas
A&M because of where we’re at, the guys
haven’t been out on the field enough.”
Another key for A&M will be the young
team keeping its composure in its first con
ference game.
“The guys love conference games,” John
son said. “It’s like playing poker for a nickel
and then someone throws in 25 cents.”
Johnson is trying to keep the game in per
spective.
“Once we start playing Big 12, we’ve got 30
of them so we can’t say that Friday night is the
key game,” he said. “There aren’t any key games
that are more important than the other until
you get to a pennant race in the last two weeks,
and then they become just paramount. The
thing that everyone has to understand is that in
tlie rankings, to win a championship, this game
is just as important as the 30th. But we have to
understand that when you play 30 games, you
can’t get too high for one game.”
The Aggie pitchers feel they can match up
with a Baylor team batting .302. Baylor has
scored 95 runs on the season without a single
senior in the starting lineup. Baylor will rely on
its middle infield combination of second
baseman Eric Nelson (.351) and Eric Boisjoly
(.344) to provide much of the offensive spark.
“If we can hit the ball, all of us pitchers will
keep us in the game,” Fossum said. “We’re go
ing to keep the score low. Baylor’s probably go
ing to be a little better hitting (than Washing
ton State), but we’re just going to have to work
harder at it. I think we can keep the score low.”
The Aggies hope he is right and there will
be no joy in Waco, when the mighty Casey’s
struck them out.
ady Aggies try to reverse their
ecent bad fortune this weekend
By Nicki Smith
The Battalion
he Texas A&M Softball Team is well-
ted and ready to play after having a
koff of game play due to inclement
ther. With an overall record of 4-8, the
yAggies are prepared to face some of
best talent the nation has to offer in
men’s collegiate softball at the second
■anhual National Fast Pitch Coach’s Asso
ciation Leadoff Tournament in Colum-
gpjpis. Ga. February 28-March 2.
^fthe tournament will be held at the site
ofthe 1996 Olympic Games softball venue
and consists of a total of 18 teams, eleven
i e nationally ranked.
fcalpach team was placed in one of six
|slii bools. Depending on how each team fares
pits pool it will advance to the gold, silver
pbronze bracket.
I In pool six, the Lady Aggies will face the
illlst-ranked University of Notre Dame and
lllhth-ranked University of South Carolina.
■ Head Coach Jo Evans said the team is
jimped for the tournament and is looking
|rward to facing some of the toughest Di-
If pion I teams in the nation.
1 “Notre Dame and South Carolina are
|n perennially great teams,” Evans said. “Ob-
Hously, this tournament has some teams
K Wth awesome talent. We really want to do
b; |fell because this is our opportunity to
; our entire year.”
[Last year, the Lady Aggies won their pool
. after defeating the University of Illinois-
P fhicago and the University of Connecticut
1 but then lost three straight games against
the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, South
Carolina and Notre Dame.
1 Senior left-fielder Heather Hayden said
it will be exciting for the Lady Aggies to
compete against teams outside the Big 12.
A “This is going to be some of our tough
est competition all year not from the Big
12," Hayden said. “We are excited to be
able to play on the Olympic field and to
III
Rogge Heflin, The Battalion
Catcher Amy Schmaltz watches shortstop Jamie Smith prepares to catch the ball and
tag Danielle LeMuch at practice at the Lady Aggie Softball Complex.
find out where we stand with teams
across the country.”
As far as Notre Dame is concerned, the
Fighting Irish have little playing time un
der their belt with a record of 1 -3 after suf
fering losses to Arizona State University
and the Universities of Indiana and Iowa.
The Irish, who have a team average of .255
at the plate, are led by Katie Marten, who
leads the team with a .500 batting average.
In the same pool, the Lady Game
cocks have a record of 5-2 and have beat
en the 1996 NCAA runner-up University
of Washington this season. They also
have returning All-American pitcher
Trinity Johnson, who has a .270 earned
run average and is holding batters to a
.084 average.
Evans said the Lady Aggies have their
work cut out for them, but believes the tour
nament will be a positive experience.
“We know that if we play well against
these teams we will take off,” Evans said.
“This is an important time for us because
we have a couple of weeks before con
ference play to get the ball rolling for us.
We need to come out of this feeling good
about ourselves.”
For the series, the Lady Aggies are 1-1
against Notre Dame; they have a 12-10
overall record against South Carolina.
Next week the Lady Aggies will host the
University of Texas-Arlington March 5 and
will play in the Super 8 Motel Aggie Invita
tional II at the Lady Aggie Softball Field on
March 7-9.
Mother Nature wreaks
havoc on softball team
Nicki Smith
T he Texas A&M
Softball Team
wanted to prove a
winning season remains
within its reach, but
Mother Nature decided
other things were in
store for the Lady Aggies
this week.
Although the weath
er gave the go-ahead for last weekend’s
Aggie Mini Invitational at the Lady Aggie
Softball Field, where the Lady Aggies went
2-4 and captured a third place title behind
Colorado State University and Creighton
University, the team has not seen game
action since then due to rain.
Rain, Rain, Go Away....It’s
Tournament Time!
The Lady Aggies currently have an
overall record of 4-8 and were hoping to
add two more wins last Wednesday
against Stephen F. Austin University, but
inclement weather prevented that.
The delay means the team is well-rest
ed and ready to compete in the NFCA
Leadoff Classic Tournament this weekend
in Columbus, Georgia. However this also
means the Lady Aggies have fewer games
and wins under their belts as they prepare
to face some of the nation’s best collegiate
softball teams. ,
Included in the same pool as the Lady
Aggies are ninth-ranked University of
South Carolina and 21 st-ranked Univer
sity of Notre Dame, both of which beat
the Lady Aggies last year.
Regardless of their ranking, Head Coach
Jo Evans said it was an honor for the Lady
Aggies to be among the 18 contenders in the
tournament.
“These are some of the best overall
teams in the country competing in this
tournament,” Evans said. “It would make
our year to do well there.”
Plays and Players
of
the Week
Despite the SFA dou
bleheader cancellation,
the Lady Aggies were
able to get in six games
this week.
The Aggies belted
three home runs in their
13-0 win over Sam Houston State Univer
sity, two of them over the outfield fence.
Sophomore Kami Tucker hit the first
home run of her career, her first grand
slam and the team’s second of the year.
Her hit provided the momentum the
Aggies needed as senior MyaTruelove sent
her first homer since her freshman year
soaring over the right field fence, and se
nior Gina Perez used her speed to her ad
vantage to get around the bases before the
ball was thrown home.
Junior Amy Schmaltz deserves most im
proved player earning herself a .429 batting
average for the tournament and a hit in
every game. She recorded three doubles
and two triples while improving her season
batting average from .182 to .320.
On the mound, junior Trina Solesbee
held opposing batters to a .212 batting av
erage, while senior Lori Gioco is 3-3 with
a 2.26 earned run average.
A busy week for the
Lady Aggies...
In addition to playing at the 1996
Olympic Games softball park, the Lady
Aggies will host the University of Texas-Ar
lington in a doubleheader March 5 at the
Lady Aggie Softball Field.
The first game will start at 5:00 p.m.
will the second immediately following.
Then, the Lady Aggies will host the
Super 8 Motel Aggie Invitational II and
will play Ohio State University, Northern
Illinois University and Louisiana Tech
University March 7-9.
is face Tech in season finale
By Matt Mitchell
The Battalion
11 The Texas A&M Men’s Basketball Team trav
els to Lubbock this weekend to play the Texas
^fich University Red Raiders in the regular sea-
finale for both teams. In a scheduling
| quirk, the game will be played
<|i Sunday, with tip-off at 1:00.
As he has many times this
^geason, A&M Head Coach Tony
.Iftrone is drawing optimism
I ftum the Aggies’ first meeting
wth Tech, a 80-65 Raiders win
* si gb. 12. The essentials of an
ufpM victory remain largely the
JHine as they were then.
B “The last time we played
fhein, with five minutes to go it
pas a two-point game,” Barone
■id. ‘We’ve got to do a job on
■ech junior guard Cory) Carr. We’ve got to do a
■bon (junior center Tony) Battie. Both of those
■ds are great players. We’ve got to step up to
■fte table and do a good job against both of
| diem."
[Tech (17-8, 9-6) is looking to close the
fcason with a flourish, having beaten Texas
fd Missouri in the two games prior. A win
“It’s (Lubbock) a
tough place to
play — theyVe
got great fan
support there. ,,
Tony Barone
A&M head coach
over the Aggies would most likely give Tech
a higher seeding in next week’s Big 12 Con
ference Tournament.
A&M (9-16,3-12) plays its second tough road
game in as many contests, having dropped a 68-
57 decision Tuesday to the University ofTexas in
Austin. Barone said the challenge of playing in
Lubbock will be good prepara
tion for the Aggies heading into
the conference tournament.
“It’s (Lubbock) a tough
place to play — they’ve got
great fan support there,”
Barone said. “It’s a good game
prior to the (Big 12) Tourna
ment for us because it’ll pre
pare us for the enthusiasm of
the tournament.”
The Aggies’ schedule does
n’t slow down after its date
with the Raiders. As soon as
the game ends, coaches and
players will begin preparing for their lone
postseason tournament.
“The Tech game is on a weird day — it’s
a Sunday game,” Barone said. “We’ll come
back right after the game Sunday and prac
tice Monday and leave Tuesday night for the
tournament.”
Lady Ags run with 'Horns in finale
By Jamie Burch
The Battalion
Twenty-five down, one to go. After a
long, treacherous season full of insur
mountable adversities, the Texas A&M
Women’s Basketball Team (9-16,3-12) clos
es out its season
against the Runnin’
Homs of the University
OfTexas (19-6,11-4) to
morrow at noon in G.
Rollie White Coliseum.
Head Coach Candi
Harvey said the Lady
Aggies realize the Texas
rivalry is viewed as
“the” game of the sea
son by many A&M fans.
Harvey
“At A&M, if you can finish the year with
a win against Texas, it means the world to
everybody,” Harvey said. “But I also think
that people would just like to see us be
competitive, play hard, and put ourselves
in a position to win. I certainly anticipate
that will happen Saturday.”
As if playing their rival school were not
inspiration enough, the Lady Aggies will
face a Texas team searching desperately
for a victory to seal the Big 12 South Divi
sion Title. After losing to the University of
Colorado, 60-56 at home on Wednesday
night, the Lady Horns need a win over the
Aggies to remain ahead ofTexas Tech Uni
versity (18-7, 10-5) in the rankings.
Adding to the intensity of the matchup
will be the festivities bidding farewell to
the Lady Aggie seniors. Harvey realizes the
additional excitement could hamper the
mental toughness of her young squad.
“I think the atmosphere’s going to be
fun and exciting,” Harvey said. “I just
hope our young kids will feed off of it
rather than let it intimidate them. It
sounds strange, but at times we play
tighter at home than we do on the road.
“It’s hard for them to stay focused. They
worry about impressing everyone. Hope
fully we’ll just relax. When we do that we’re
a pretty decent basketball team.”
In the first meeting of the home-and-
home series, the Lady Horns destroyed
A&M in Austin, 100-63. Leading a four
man cast in double figures, Texas senior
forward Amie Smith abused the Lady Ag
gies, posting a double-double with 22
points and 11 rebounds. 6-foot-l junior
center Angela Jackson scored 20 points
and four blocked shots. While vaunted se
nior forward Danielle Viglione added 15
points and four boards.
A&M trailed by only seven at the
half, 51-44, but scored only 19 second-
half points. Sophomore guard Kerrie
Patterson said the Lady Aggies put
themselves in a position at the half to
win the game.
“In the first half we played well,” Pat
terson said. “We played as a team, creat
ing good shot selection. In the second
half, we came out too relaxed. We didn’t
play to win. We must play two halves.
Texas is beatable.”
After witnessing Colorado’s perfor
mance against Texas, freshman guard
Amy Yates said A&M can beat Texas, but
it has to ignore everything that has hap
pened in the past.
“We need to play through our mis
takes,” Yates said. “We tend to hang our
heads. In the Baylor game it cost us
some easy baskets down the stretch. If
we do that, then we can definitely pull
out a win.”
With a win over Texas, the Lady Aggies
could look past a detrimental season to
the sophomore edition of the Big 12.