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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1997)
The Battalion Page 7 Tuesday • April 1, 1997 reshman pitcher has Chance to perform hance Caple will get his second start of the season against the Sam Houston Bearkats tonight By Chris Ferrell The Battalion Vhen the 21st-ranked Texas A&M ■eballTeam takes on the Sam Houston le Bearkats today at Olsen Field, they l0 '*Blook to a freshman right-hander to ive them a Chance. Ifthaiice Caple (0-1) will make his sec- start of the season for the Aggies (22- 4, '-8) as they look to avenge last sea- '■’sloss at Sam Houston. ■I want to get Chance Caple back out lie,” Head Coach Mark Johnson said. "I lik he’s [the kind of] guy that the more |ngs he pitches, the better he’s going to fe’ll probably get some pitchers out i C here that haven’t thrown a lot.” ServBVs has been the pattern, Johnson will Is,CcB a variety of pitchers for the midweek ". Bies to evaluate pitchers for the week- ■, a formula which came up big for the last week. ^Hn the Aggies’ series with Kansas State l past weekend, Johnson used four of i clAeven pitchers who faced University of ■as-San Antonio batters last Wednesday. “I was really impressed with (fresh man Courtney) Weller and I was im pressed with (senior John) Codrington out of the bullpen,” Johnson said. ‘‘Those guys were huge for us. They kept us in the ballgame and both of them pitched well. And (junior Robert) Keens had probably his best relief performance where he had stuff go ing. So 1 think we got some encouragement there and (freshman Chris) Fulbright gave us a good start.” Johnson wants to get a look at some other pitch ers against the Bearkats, hoping the Aggies will stay true to recent forms. “I think we can get (freshman Steve) Scarborough out there,” Johnson said. “I think we can get (junior John) Sneed out there for a few. Playing Saturday and Sun day gives us a little better chance than what we had last week. I think the “I think he's (Caple) [the kind of] guy that the more innings he pitches, the better he’s going to be.” Mark Johnson Head Coach Wednesday game would be a better chance to get guys that pitched during the weekend. Casey Possum is a guy that could go Tuesday or Wednesday because we had him in a relief role and he didn't throw a lot of pitches.” The Aggies won two of three from Sam Houston last season, winning both games at Olsen Field and losing on the road. Johnson said the Aggies will have their hands full with the Bearkats again. “Sam Houston brings to the table a team that was in the regionals last year and has everybody back,” Johnson said. ‘‘They obviously have rea son to believe they can compete. They just swept UTA (the Uni versity of Texas at Arlington) this past weekend, so they have some pretty good encouragement coming into this series. They’ve always played us tough. I see them as a tough opponent for us.” The Bearkats are keyed by a strong pitching staff which has stood strong all season. Bearkat pitchers have fired four shutouts while posting a 3.89 ERA. Sam Houston pitchers have compiled a strike out-walk ratio of better than 2-1 (153 strikeouts and 78 walks). The Aggies, winners of six of their last eight games, will try to stay hot as they begin a stretch which will see them play 10 of there next 11 games at home. John son said the Aggies are back in a position to compete for the conference crown. “I don’t know how much turn around we’ve had, we’ve got a few more wins,” Johnson said. “I never thought we were playing bad. We’ve lost so many close ballgames. Now we’re winning some close ballgames. We’re encouraged. “We’ve won six of our last eight ball- games and we’ve won four of those on the road. That’s a big time improvement over what we were doing. We’ve got sev en conference games at home in a row, and 10 of our next 11. It’s easier to get on a run when you’re in your own house in stead of the road.” " 1 U' <?4? m Dave House, The Battalion junior Scott Sandusky tries to slip past the catcher to score against Baylor but was called out. ^Heaney, Benefield part of 'Angels in the Infield' freshman Heaney fields comparisons to The Natural 'What's on second?' — Mr. Consistency a ! I By Matt Mitchell The Battalion rfyou happen to pass Olsen Field I on a graying afternoon, and Lcatch a glimpse of tine Aggies’ No. I taking extra batting practice, you jlmost might think Sean Heaney jvas a fair-haired farm boy whose pploits became the stuff of legend. But despite his Redford-esque re semblance to the wonderboy-wield ing Roy Hobbs in The Natural, the \ggie third baseman insists the uni- jb/mnumber is merely coincidental. “I don’t know if I’m a natural, but [guess it’s a good number to have,” tleaney said. “I didn’t notice it un- [tilpeople started telling me it was foy Hobbs’ number also.” Coincidence or not, Heaney has made a splash as a freshman, start ing 16 games and batting .298 for the Aggies while starting at third base for the first time in his career. “He’s come in and he’s really a second baseman, and we’ve con verted him to third just for this year,” Head Coach and Wilford Brimley disciple Mark Johnson said. “1 think his future is at second base, but he’s come in and given us some good innings and we’re real ly seeing a lot of improvement [in him| as a third baseman right now.” Heaney has his preference, of course, but insists playing time is the only issue. “They stuck me over there, and it was a lot different at first, but I'm used to it now,” Heaney said. “I still prefer middle infield, but as long as . ... .. . JHC., mjn I ill X MBit *^4%^ 'A . ' Dave House, The Battalion reshman third baseman Sean Heaney prepares to snare a line drive gainst the University of Texas-San Antonio. I’m playing, third base will be fine.” Heaney was recruited heavily, most notably by Texas Tech Univer sity and Tulane University. And while his high school stats were impres sive, in the summers, he garnered most of the recruiter’s attention. “I think a big part of it was that J.J. Pearce (High School) didn’t have a real big baseball tradition, and we had a good team, but we didn’t have a lot of hitters to protect me when I went to the plate,” Heaney said, quickly apol ogizing for sounding cocky. “Then in the summer, we had outstanding (Connie Mack) teams — we won back-to-back national championships. And you couldn’t really pitch around anyone on those teams. They came right at me and I just did what I could.” Heaney played two summers with the Dallas Mustangs, a Connie Mack team he helped lead to back-to-back national titles as a second baseman. Heaney led the team in 1995 with a .430 batting average and, along with Aggie freshman shortstop Steve Scar borough, set the AABC record for double plays. In addition, he won the Golden Glove Award at the national World Series and went 4-for-5 with a home run and six RBIs in the nation al championship game last year. “I think he’s a guy that, in the sum mer leagues, is where he really im proved and got it going” Johnson said. “He was surrounded by a lot of good players to where they couldn’t pitch around him. That’s where he got our attention—in the summer leagues.” Once Heaney signed with the Aggies, old and current teammates were quick to follow suit. In addition to Scarborough, freshmen hurlers Chance Caple and Casey Possum completed the Mustang flavor. Heaney’s partner in the pivot, Scarborough, said if he were to pick a team, Heaney would be at or near the top of his list. See Heaney, Page 8 By Jamie Burch The Battalion altimore Oriole’s shortstop/third baseman Cal Rip ken Jr., the definition of consistency, broke Lou ’ Gehrig’s record for consecutive games played at 2,131. As an everyday player, Ripken provided stability for the Oriole infield. Texas A&M second baseman Brian Benefield has done the same for the Aggies. Starting 35 of 36 games this season, Benefield has been an instrumental part in the Aggies stingy .960 fielding percehtage. Benefield attributes his regimen to his coach at Mesquite High School. “It goes back to my high school coach,” Benefield said. “He always taught consistency and persistence. Even though there’s going to be tough times, just stick with what got you there. In times of adversity, a lot of people start trying to change things. *■ Wm SjSiiK j j| 1 fP S*iC; i|!« «ifS .isti m ’ h ■ in ♦ Tim Moog, The Battalion Junior second baseman Brian Benefield and senior shortstop Rich Petru have turned 15 double plays. “I try to stick with what I’ve got. Most of the time it gets me through the tough times.” Head Coach Mark Johnson said Benefield’s contri butions at second base are invaluable. “For a team to be good you have to be strong up the middle,” Johnson said. “That’s the old standard in baseball. Your catcher, pitcher, shortstop, second base- man and center fielder have to be good defensively. He gives us stability on defense.” The stability is evident in games with a runner on first and less than two outs. Benefield and his partner in crime, senior shortstop Rich Petru, have turned an astounding 15 double plays this season. Petru said Benefield’s natural ability makes his job as a shortstop easier. “We’ve practiced and played together for two years,” Petru said. “Knowing you have a solid second baseman makes double plays a lot easier. You know no matter where you throw it, he’s going to relay it over. “It gives you confidence to go for plays that you wouldn’t normally go for.” Benefield has produced on the offensive side of the ball as well. The junior is hitting .311 with one-fourth of his hits going for extra bases. Johnson said Benefield’s offensive production is an added bonus. “When you’ve got a package where a guy can also hit over .300 and steal bases then you really have some thing special going,” Johnson said. “That’s what Brian does. A lot of times your middle infielders are not of fensive weapons but in Brian’s case he is.” Benefield brought his services to A&M after spending a year at Galveston Junior College. Although he was recruited by Wichita State University out of high school, Benefield spent one season at the junior college level hitting .390 with eight home runs. Benefield said he chose to attend junior college af ter a conflict with the head coach at Wichita State. “I had a couple of quarrels with the head coach,” Benefield said. “I made a decision that I didn’t want to be in that environment for three years. I wanted to come back and stay in Texas to play baseball. Galve ston was a late deal. “They had either lost their shortstop or were look ing for another one. I was straightforward with them in that I only planned to stay for one year. They were receptive to the idea. It was a great year and a good learning experience.” Prior to playing JUCO baseball, Benefield had to make a more difficult choice. As an all-state and Texas High School All-Star shortstop his senior year, Bene field was faced with the opportunity to play in the Florida Marlins farm system. See Benefield, Page 8 \rizona wins battle [>f Wildcats, 84-79 INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Now sre’s only one No. 1 left for the Ari na Wildcats — themselves. Arizona, the team that was sup- ised to be a year away, just needed extra five minutes to win its first )AA basketball championship. Led by the backcourt of junior iles Simon and freshman Mike Bib- 1 Arizona kept Kentucky from re lating as national champion with an 4-79 overtime victory Monday night. With three juniors, a sophomore pd a freshman in the starting line- P, next year was supposed to be |e one for Arizona. Instead, the [ildcats (25-9) made their first lampionship appearance a tilling one in a game featuring 20 -s and 18 lead changes. Fourth-seeded Arizona became e first team in tournament histo- to knock off three No. 1 seeds — a nsas, North Carolina and now Kentucky, the winningest programs in college basketball history. Kentucky was trying to become the second repeat champion since UCLA’s stretch of seven straight ti tles ended in 1973. Duke repeated as champion in 1992. Instead, Arizona won the first overtime championship game since Michigan beat Seton Hall 80-79 in 1989. Arizona reached the Final Four with an overtime win against Provi dence in the Southeast regional. Simon, who missed the first 11 games of the season because of aca demic problems, finished with 30 points. Bibby, the son of former UCLA star Henry Bibby, who won three college championships him self, had 14 of his 19 points in the second half. Arizona became the losingest team to win it all, since Kansas was 27-11 in 1988. Braves, Indians meet in October, Atlanta prevails Sportswriter <s. s/yi- 'V* Jeremy Furtick Senior journalism major WORLD SERIES CHAMPION—ATLANTA BRAVES After last season’s offensive ex plosion, the major league bats should cool down a little this year. The league is five years removed from expansion so the pitching staffs should be about rebuilt. Not that single-season pitching records are going to be falling left and right, but this should be a more re spectable year for the hurlers. This sea son will see some play ers finally reach their peak perfor mance level and others will return to their for mer greamess. Greg Maddux will bounce back from his first non-Cy Young award season since 1991 to be the best pitcher in baseball. Frank Thomas will slightly benefit from Albert Belle in Chicago’s four- hole and put up some inhumane numbers and win the Triple Crown. Gary Sheffield will step into his own this season and lead the Marlins to the playoffs, while Tony Gwynn will snag yet another batting title. It’s ironic that the biggest trade in recent memory included the two teams which will meet in October. Atlanta has a statement to make this season and they have reloaded to win the World Series. Cleveland put themselves into this position with the trade, but Atianta is too tough. Remember though, it’s easy to sit at this computer and make these picks - anyone can do it, but nobody really knows what’s going to happen. That’s why they play the games. NATIONAL LEAGUE East Atlanta Braves Florida Marlins New York Mets Montreal Expos Philadelphia Phillies Central Houston Astros St. Louis Cardinals Cincinnati Reds Pittsburgh Pirates POSTSEASON AWARDS MVP - Gary Sheffield, Florida Cy Young — Greg Maddux, Atlanta Rookie of the Year—Trey Beamon, Pittsburgh Manager of the Year—Larry Dierk- er, Houston STATISTICAL LEADERS Batting Average — Tony Gwynn, San Diego Home Runs — Barry Bonds, San Francisco RBI — Jeff Bagwell, Houston ERA— Greg Maddux, Atlanta Wins — Greg Maddux, Atlanta Saves—Trevor Hoffman, San Diego NL CHAMPION Atlanta Braves AMERICAN LEAGUE East Baltimore Orioles New York Yankees See Furtick, Page 8