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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 29, 2003)
Sports The Battalion Page 7 • Wednesday, January 29, 2003 exas A&M softball team set for new season HI ^ Final week of practice begins for Aggies PAKISTAN ing camps have d along the border f to Kunarandm irthwest Pakistan. 's former chief ofi mity, and Siraji rict chief of Sh Afghanistan, hting, which i ad ended by Ti md coalition ft hing the caves u rces had been hid :oI. Dave Lapi pokesman. :le marked an imj the challenges fw I coalition. AUSSA HOLLIMON • THE BATTALION pxas A&M pitcher Lindsay Wilhelmson releases a pitch during the 2002 season. By Michael Crow THE BATTALION The Texas A&M softball team is now less than a week away from kicking off its 2003 season, follow ing a trip to Italy for exhibition play and weeks of practice. While in Europe, A&M played two exhibition games versus the Italian team, win ning each game via double-digit shutouts. “The trip (gave) us a great oppor tunity...to get some international playing experience,” said Head Coach Jo Evans. “It was really good to finally get on the field and play.” The Aggies are certain to enter the season as a threat after finishing their 2002 campaign with an appear ance in the NCAA Regional tourna ment. Evans wants to take her team even farther this year with improved offen sive play. First-year assistant Rich Wieligman will take over as the team’s hitting coach this year and should help the Aggies to improve their numbers in the batter’s box. Wieligman spent the past two years working as an assistant at Texas Tech. “It’s a great opportunity for me, getting to come to A&M,” Wieligman said. “I’ve had to coach against (Evans) and recruit against her for the last few seasons, and I’m just looking forward to working with her.” Wieligman’s task on offense should be made easier by the return of senior catcher Selena Collins. Collins led A&M in virtually every offensive statistical category in 2002 on her way to receiving third-team All-American honors and being voted Big 12 Player of the Year by league coaches. The catcher from Glendale, Ariz. finished the season batting .331, with 16 homeruns and 43 runs batted in. “Selena is a very important player in our lineup,” Evans said. “But we should have plenty of good hitters having success around her as well. That should he a key to our season.” The Aggies also return the team’s top three pitchers from a season ago. Juniors Jessica Slataper and Lindsay Wilhelmson tallied 190 and 141 innings pitched last year respectively. Slataper was on the mound for a team-leading 20 wins. In addition, senior Lindsey Rippee contributed 61 innings pitched and a win-loss per centage of .889. “It is nice to have experience on the mound,” Evans said. “They have gained a lot of confidence and cer tainly know now what it takes to be successful at the top level.” A&M will also depend on some of its newcomers to contribute in 2003. See Softball on page 9 SPORTS IN BRIEF eCtlOl Aggies fall to No. 6 OU, 75-68 Jordan named to 14th NBA All-Star team ' said. . as Yosef "Tomr 11 st-turned-politic vhich has vehcmej lition with refe d to emerge as) The Yugoslsv-ta and Sharon top eminent” exdmfc vhich called foi the West Banlsfl mpared to 2L® said — a ret* ilure of a teM ■stinians vv/jicf'. The Texas A&M men's basketball team fell to the Oklahoma Sooners on Tuesday evening in Norman, Okla. Senior OU guard Hollis Price led his team with 24 points in the game. A&M senior guard Bernard King became the Aggies' all-time leading scorer despite the loss, passing Vernon Smith's 1,778 points scored between 1977 and 1981. King is now just 41 points away from becoming the all-time leading scorer in the Big 12. Chris Sheridan THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK — Michael Jordan was select ed to the All-Star team for the 14th time Tuesday, and Karl Malone was shut out for the first time in 15 years. Jordan moved into a tie with Malone and Jerry West for the second-most All-Star selec tions in NBA history behind Kareem Abdul- Jabbar’s 19. Jordan, who has the highest career scoring average in All-Star history at 21.3 points, was voted in as a starter in his 13 previous selections. He is a reserve for the Feb. 9 game in Atlanta. Malone was selected every year since 1988, but did not make the cut in balloting by NBA coaches. Also chosen for the Eastern Conference team were Jason Kidd of New Jersey, Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker of Boston, Brad Miller of Indiana, Zydrunas Ilgauskas of Cleveland and Jamal Mashburn of New Orleans. Six NBA teams — Boston, Dallas, Houston, Indiana, the Lakers and Phoenix — will have two All-Stars. Other than Malone or anyone else from the Utah Jazz, those notable for not being selected included Indiana’s Ron Artest, Washington’s Jerry Stackhouse, Dallas’ Michael Finley and Golden State’s Antawn Jamison. The starters for the East will be Detroit’s Ben Wallace, Indiana’s Jermaine O’Neal, Orlando’s Tracy McGrady, Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson and Toronto’s Vince Carter. Houston’s Steve Francis and Yao, Kobe Bryant of the Lakers, Minnesota’s Kevin Garnett and San Antonio’s Duncan will start for the West. i national election rcent of the 4.7 ni lots. The campais th because Sharon itable and becans ick fix to the blood fcCace to (ie fa* (hCM Longmire Dr lollege Station ate on 3 on 750 nil juila 80 750 ni!. MSC Film Society’s Aggie Cinema Presents: The Ring JJL Tin 7:30pm & 10: in the Theater Only $1 with wristband Statin cjlliqlrt All over the MSC the Teiano band Los Jokers 8pm & midniehf In the basement 9 pm Till I AM SJTIrM 11JLJL JL/i-irl Free Bowling Free Billiards Free Dance Dance Revolution Free Popcorn Live Mariachis I ipm till midnight Salsa Dance Lessons 7pm 8c iQpm Grito Contest 9pm till IQpm Special Latin Crafts FREE Mexican Food in the 12th Man ATTENTION ALL RENTERS NOW IS THE TIME TO SECURE AN APARTMENT FOR THE FALL! Casa Del Sol, The Villas of Cherry Hollow and Normandy Square are offering the same great rates only until February 15th! Sign a lease by February 15 th and get LAST YEARS low rates! Hurry time is running out! 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