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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 20, 2001)
day, September 2Cj| :WS IN BRIEf Task Fo »to New Yi rescue e ask Force-1, the I id Rescue responseij tered at Texas , arrived in New Yen I to begin aiding inti the World Trade! nernber team co Derts, hazardous d irsday, September 20, 2001 orts THE BATTALION Page 3A r atch and see: locum in charge Ags open fall slate Saturday By Mark Merrell THE BATTALION >, structural eng; arch teams and who will help te the Sept, 11 re team is admin;; Imversity System^ ig Extension Servi: sk force left k International Aiq? ith one of most well- |iown jobs at ixas A&M, C. Slocum |as a lot of pc-iple to . . , _ake happy. Not many people Monday aboard v h; /e spelled » Fire R . C 5 wilh Is and arrived stxtofoam cups in the lase in New Jersey Roa( j sky walk, fol- >m time. The teari i|vv e d immediately by the it Fort Dix in Nw.rMords “R.C. is a legend” to I the World Trade i*place the first, ly before startingMany Aggie fans would like r morning. ft see the first Wellborn mes- Rge come true, but they need I ‘f zgjA wait one ueek Ix-lotv jump- tantication ftg on R.C.-canning v\agon. I At the end of the Aggies' ?nce to Tim ^ : ft8-20 w in over the Wyoming 7in ’_ L J >a,1 I^H 0 wb o y s on Sept. 6. Slocum parking 8Mpl^ as more than upset w ith the hour during the^l ggiedefensive squad e evenings. ■ (4 j been pleased with le way we played,” Slocum laid. “I don't think they (the Kam] have been either.” I Slocum showed his con- lem with the team's intensity luring a Thursday afternoon team meeting, where, accord- lig to players, Slocum took over the defensive talks, and laid his players exactly what |e thought of their play. I “Coach Slocum has defi nitely taken a stance,” said junior linebacker Brian fcamble. "He decided that we ire a. Wiatt said: nonitoring tho* t around Kyle : encouraged to; s to the game. fans to contiiu »m by wearing me day. A stude: d supported b , is calling for:;' r blue, fans si::: ear white and:;" to wear red. ersity is know,iso mother way fotts were going to do things right, or we weren't going to do them.” With the team needing something to jumpstart the defense and gain some respect from the campus and nation. Slocum's talk may be just what the defensive doctor ordered. With Big 12 play starting on Saturday for the Aggies, practices may need some added intensity. After Slocum's talk with the defensive unit, players were convinced Slocum meant business. “It seemed like the whole defense had passed out [after the following practice],” said senior safety Jay Brooks. “That's a good sign, because somebody worked hard.” The entire defense appar ently took the talk to the practice field, as the lineback ing core noticed the differ ence as well. “There was a definite change in tempo and change of attitude.” Gamble said. “When you do that, you are going to be in great shape, in game shape. There has been a total change.” The defense should wel come the change, and should see some positive reinforce ment of that change on Saturday. “There are no complaints. See Slocum on page 4A. The softball equivalent of football’s spring game begins this weekend for the' Aggie softball team when they participate in the Spring-Klein College Classic in Spring, Texas. As in the spring game, the major focus on the field is not on wins and losses but on the performances of individual players. “Always in the fall season, we just want to get a look at our new kids and see where we are at,” said A&M softball coach Jo Evans. “It’s a good time for us to see where we need to make adjustments and where the strengths and weaknesses may lie.” Despite the Aggies' disappointing 32-19 season last year, many starters returned to the squad, including 2001 Midwest Regional Softball Second Team members Kelly Ferguson and Crystal Martin. Ferguson, a senior first baseman, led the Aggies in batting with a .354 average last season, while Martin started all 44 games at shortstop for the Aggies. Other starters returning include junior catcher Selena Collins, senior second baseman Lisa Klam and last season’s freshman standout pitcher, Jessica Slataper. Even with several key components back in place, there remains several question marks for the Aggie coaching staff to ponder over that they hope will be answered dur ing the next few weeks. One of the key areas being focused on is the outfield, where the Aggies lost all three starters from last season. “The whole outfield is pretty much a battle for posi tion,” Evans said. “Right now, it’s really up in the air, so we’re anxious to see who’s going to step up.” Four of the players looking to “step up” this fall are members of the Class of 2005. One freshman in particu lar has caught the attention of the coaching staff. Adrian Gregory, a freshman from Livingston, Texas, has been one of the biggest suprises of the preseason. “She’s one of the most athletic players on our team and pretty versatile too, so right now, we’re trying her at a cou ple of different positions just to see where we can plug her in,” Evans said. “I think she’ll make an impact on our team right away.” While this weekend’s tournament is primarily a time when coaches are able to evaluate talent, it also is a way for the entire team to prepare themselves for the upcoming spring season and leave the memories of the previous season in the past. For this year’s team, that means making a complete turn around from a disappointing 2001 campaign in which the team did not make the post-season for the first time in two years. “There’s more of a fire in our belly from every player to resolve that we won’t let that happen again,” Evans said. “We were extremely disappointed that we didn’t go post-season and, yet we know that it was really*nobody’s fault but our own. I just see more of a commitment and a firm resolve that we’re going to get that done this year.” The Aggie softball team begins that quest this weekend. While wins and losses will not affect the official standings of late May, there are more important lessons to be learned this fall. Lessons that will land the Aggies back in the NCAA Tournament. CODY WAGES • THE BATTALION The Texas A&M softball team will begin its search to replace players like 2001 All- Big 12 outfielder Hollee Hayden Saturday at the Spring-Klein College Classic . ft',"'' nitment to the l & ' to honor those 2* jroff said, idees can also oj Midnight Yell Fit ader in Engines | and related syste iquarters are loot management Construction Engine# 4-25 I* W l t.rft’MI — CMniitf in Vr BATTALlOl ditor in Chief llo, Managing Editor utive Editor a. News Editor Asst. News Editor Asst. News Editor el, Asst. News Editor tggiclife Editor ez, Asst. Aggielife Editt 1 y, Asst. Aggielife Edto >inion Editor , Opinion Editor ms Editor sst. Sports Editor io Producer Vsst. Radio Producer , Photo Editor o, Graphics Editor Graphics Editor n. Webmaster N #1055-4726) is publish | ay during the fall and spring ough Thmsday during Hies;' 'ersity holidays and exam pT itsity. Periodicals Postage P 7840. 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