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Sports
Page 7 • Friday, February 19, 1999
4 ggies look
to build on
recent wins
BY AARON COHAN
The Battalion
This weekend the No. 13 Texas A&M Base-
ill Team will host a three-game series against
e University of Texas-Arlington as they look to
gain the form they showed before its 1-2 trip
Arizi ma.
To win consistently, a baseball team has to
aximize the depth of its roster, and so far the
ggies have been able to turn to that depth
hen they needed it.
A&M Baseball coach Mark Johnson said
am chemistry and playing time will be as big
conc ern for A&M as the UTA Mavericks.
f'UTA has a great ballclub,” Johnson said,
lutlhe focus right now is on us to try and get
e right guys out there at the right time.”
A&M has seen the necessary production from
'i starters so far this season, and the backups
so have put up strong numbers,
j Particularly effective for the Aggies has been
•serve infielder and designated hitter Kenny
jndstrom. The senior has torn up opposing
tching, getting eight hits in his first 11 at bats
r ai727 batting average, and those hits have
)me in clutch situations, netting six RBI’s for
indstrom.
“It’s positive to have guys like Kenny come
f the bench and do what they do,” Johnson
Big 12 closer
begins at UT
Swimmers prepare for weekend
MIKE FUENTES/Thk Battalion
The Texas A&M Baseball Team will look to continue its recent winning ways when the Aggies
host the University of Texas-Arlington Mavericks this weekend at Olsen Field.
said. “The problem is that we just need to get
them some more at-bats.”
The Aggie reserves have been productive this
season, but so have the players staring in front
of them. Sophomore Daylon Holt leads the team
with 6 home runs and 21 RBI’s., while leading
the team in batting average has been senior first
baseman John Scheschuk. Scheschuk’s .538
batting average has helped the Aggies to a team
average of .395.
If the starters are worried about losing their
place in the rotation, they are not saying. They
have said the depth is a positive for the entire
team.
“We’re not worried about a depth problem at
all, ” junior third baseman Dell Lindsey said. “At
every position there is somebody who can come
in and do just as well.”
The biggest question facing the Aggie
coaching staff right now may be how to find
enough playing time for the players to judge
their skills.
“What we’re trying to do is work the lineup
to get more right-handed hitters against left-
handed pitching and vice versa,” he said. “ This
could give us a better idea of who can do what
down the line.”
One of the few unsettled spots for A&M so
far this season has been the closer role. As of
now, several players are still battling for the po
sition.
“We have so many guys that can cross the
line and get the job done,” junior pitcher Casey
Possum said. “It builds character knowing that
all these guys want to win so bad.”
With a 5-2 overall record, including a per
fect 4-0 at Olsen Field, the Aggies will look to
continue their success Saturday as hurlers Casey
Possum and junior Chance Caple get the start
ing nods in the doubleheader.
V&M Softball Team hosts weekend tourney
MIKE FUENTES/The Battalion
ft&M Softball Team will host the Aggie Invitational this week-
atthe Aggie Softball Complex.
BY BEN WESTBROOK
The Battalion
The high-flying Texas A&M
Women’s Softball Team will play host
to the Aggie Invitational tournament
this weekend, beginning Friday at
noon.
The two-round tournament will
feature four teams, including the Ag
gies, competing in round-robin play.
The women, who are coming off a
second-place finish last weekend in the
University of Texas-Arlington/Pepsi-
Cola Classic, will play their first game
of the tourney against Auburn Univer
sity (3-1) at 4:30 p.m.
The Aggies are 0-1 all-time against
the Tigers, who are off to a strong
start this season. Auburn boasts a
.481 team batting average and is hold
ing opponents to an average of just
.176.
The Aggies’s next game is sched
uled for Friday at 6:45 against the
University of New Mexico. The Lo-
bos enter the tournament with their
best-ever start, 12-1, and have al
ready handed out seven shutouts to
opposing teams. New Mexico also
currently is riding a 10-game winning
streak.
The Aggies will start Saturday at
noon with the Penn State Nittany Li
ons, who will open their season Fri
day against New Mexico. Penn State
returns 16 letter-winners from last
year’s 21-28-1 team.
The A&M softball team currently is
boasting its best start since 1991 with
an 8-1 ..record, the one blemish com
ing last weekend against No. 24 Uni
versity of Illinios-Chicago.
Strong pitching has carried the Ag
gies so far, thanks to the performance
of Amy Vining (4-1) and Jordana Bar
rack (4-0). The duo has given up just
two earned runs in 62 innings of
work this season.
The Aggies’ big hitter this year has
been freshman Lisa Klam, who has
already hit three game-winning RBI’s
and has recorded at least one hit in all
nine games this season.
The Aggies also will be looking for
help from Hollee Hayden, who leads
the Aggies in steals (6-6) and batting
average (.440) this season.
BY JASON LINCOLN
The Battalion
It will be a battle for time and
points this weekend as the Texas
A&M women’s swimming team
concludes the 1998-99 season this
weekend at the Jamail Texas Swim
ming Center in Austin with the Big
12 Championships. The 24th ranked
Aggies will not only be swimming to
win the tournament in a very strong
and narrow conference, but will be
swimming for lifetime best times in
hopes of qualifying more individu
als for the NCAA tournament.
Leading the Aggies charge to up
set the top two seeds, Nebraska and
Texas, will be freshman Clara Ho and
junior ILacy Evans who have already
qualified for the NCAA tournament.
Evans has never been beaten in the
Big 12 meet in the mile and will try
and keep the streak going, while lone
senior Tammy Lee, joined by junior
Monica Williams and 1998 NCAA
qualifier Monica Stroman will try
and join the ranks of the 25 swim
mers that qualify in each event.
The Aggies have managed to end
the season with a 5-7-1 conference
record against some of the nation’s
top teams despite injury and sick
ness problems that plagued the
A&M roster.
“To this point the lowlight has
been the injuries incurred that
struck at our depth,” fourth-year
A&M coach Don Wagner said.
“The rest of the team has done a
great job to overcome that by im
proving their swims and perform
ing at a high level.”
Representing the Aggies in diving
is platform favorite Danielle
Guarneri. Following her World Cup
ninth place finish in New Zealand,
Guarneri looks to final on all three
boards along with freshman
Meghan Zack. Guarneri finished
second on the platform during last
years championship and earned All-
America Honorable mention with a
14th place performance at the
NCAA tournament.
“We really want to go out dive
well and score points for the team,”
Zack said.
The two divers are expected to
perform best on the platform ac
cording to diving coach Kevin
Wright. The University of Texas will
provide the toughest competition
diving in their own pool.
The 1998 Big 12 Championship
was won by the Cornhuskers with
the Longhorns placing second and
the Aggies third. This year the bat
tle for the top position will be clos
er than ever before, with five
teams boasting more than capable
teams.
The defending champion, Ne
braska, is the favorite entering the
meet, with Texas and A&M close be
hind. Kansas and Missouri have de
veloped quickly this season with
much improved teams as opposed
to last season’s record.
The women will be swimming in
“To this point the
lowlight has been
the injuries. The
rest of the team
has done a great
job to overcome
that by improving
their swims and
performing at a
high level/'
— Don Wagner
A&M Women’s Swimming
head coach
one of the conference’s fastest pools
at the Jamail Center, rivaling the
Texas A&M Natatorium which gave
birth to several world record swims
in December during the World Cup
and U.S. Open. This is beneficial to
the Aggies hopes for qualifying for
the NCAA tournament which is
based on time and to the conference
as a whole.
The Aggies placed in the top
three twice with a pair of second-
place finishes. Monica Stroman
swam a 2:03.01 in the 200 individ
ual medley and Tkacy Evans swam a
fast 4:51.36 in the 500 Freestyle.
The competition which began
Thursday will continue through Sat
urday with the majority of events
taking place on Friday evening at 7
p.m.
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Golden Tee Golf
Local & National
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I $1.25 Longnecks
$1 Well Drinks
Irish Bourbon $2 Shots
AGGIE BASKETBALL
(Msri)
vs
The Texas Longhorns
Reed Arena
Saturday at 3 p.m.
Students draw your tickets early in the ticket office at 6. Rollie White
or Reed Arena