AGGIEL1FI
rHE BATTALII
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Women’s
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olina Aaole Invitational I
Sports
J?’ 1
FRIDAY
2:30 p.m.
vs. Boston University
4:45 p.m.
vs Illinois
#7
Aggie Softball Complex
The Battalion
A&M baseball opens series
with South Alabama Friday
By Troy Miller
THE BATTALION
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Going into this season, the Texas A&M
seball team had a lot of questions on the
land. After losing eight pitchers from the
2003 Big 12 runner-up squad to the profes-
ranks, the Aggies want to figure out
idibo, tliichpitchers can be reliable once the con-
cnce season opens up.
One big question was answered in the
gies’ 15-0 win over Texas A&M-Corpus
risti last Saturday when junior transfer
kh Jackson (1-0) hurled a no-hitter in his
fa appearance as an Aggie.
“I was as nervous as I’ve probably ever
ken in my baseball career,” Jackson said.
‘To be honest, when I was in the bullpen
itefore the game) I could hardly throw
lies. I was just going 300 miles an hour
tough everything.”
Jackson will take the mound at Olsen
Field for the second time as the Aggies (4-0)
lake on the University of South Alabama
3 p.m. Friday in the first game of
like-game series.
“I kind of know what to expect now,”
ton said. “1 just have a feeling though,
fa every outing is going to be like that first
me with the nerves and adrenaline pumping.”
South Alabama offers stiffer competition
n A&M-Corpus Christi or A&M’s other
ponent, Sam Houston State. The Jaguars
toe appeared in nine straight NCAA tour
naments, eventually falling to Florida State
last season in the regional championship to
finisli with a 42-19 record.
Even with only three returning position
players and two pitchers with more than 60
innings of work, the Jaguars were picked to
rathe Sun Belt conference championship
this season. South Alabama head coach
SteveKittrell, who is entering his 21st sea
son at South Alabama, said his team has a
lotpyto go to become champions.
It have an inexperienced team,”
|P Beato III • THE BATTALION
A&M senior second baseman Erik Schindewolf makes the tag on A&M-Corpus Christi senior infielder
Jaime Landin in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader.
Kittrell said. “We have a lot of questions to
answer. We hope that this club gets better as
the year goes on, and hopefully by the end
of the season, we'll be a solid team.”
A&M still has some questions of its own
to answer, mainly in the bullpen. With the
better competition coming to Olsen Field,
the Aggies are sure to see a lot more of its
relief pitchers in action.
"Every week we’re going to start playing
better competition,” said A&M sophomore
first baseman Coby Mavroulis. “We don’t
really know much about (South Alabama),
but they are picked to win their conference
so we know they are going to be decent
enough to come in here and play.”
South Alabama will have the emotional
high of starting its season and only needs to
follow the example set by A&M in its open
ing weekend to figure out how to begin a
season in the right way.
“We’re eager to get started,” Kittrell said.
“We’ve got one of the toughest schedules
since I’ve been here.”
But the Jaguars have to start off against
Jackson. After one game on the hill wear
ing maroon, Jackson feels confident in the
team behind him.
“We have a great team and a great group
of guys,” Jackson said. “We have an awe
some defense that makes all the plays and a
lineup that’s even better then I had thought.”
Page 5 • Friday, February 20, 2004
A&M faces No. 23
Tech in Lubbock
By Jordan Meserole
THE BATTALION
With tax season right
around the corner, the Texas
A&M men’s basketball team
should be able to get a gener
ous tax break for all the dona
tions they’ve made to Big 12
teams this season.
And No. 22 Texas Tech
will be hoping the Aggies (7-
15, 0-11 Big 12) giving ways
don’t fade before Saturday’s
game at 3 p.m.
The Aggies are coming off
a 77-57 loss to No. 11
University of Texas, which
extended the Aggies’ losing
streak to 11. The Red Raiders
(18-7, 6-5) are also coming
off a surprising 85-75 loss to
the University of Colorado
and are looking for a win to
stay in the hunt to get a first-
round bye for the Big 12
Championship tournament. If
the Aggies play like they have
in their other conference
games this season, they will
be just the team to give Texas
Tech the win it needs.
A&M has had a lead in the
second half in seven of its 11
losses. With every team in the
Big 12 currently separated by
one game, including five
teams that are tied, seven
wins for the Aggies would
rearrange the entire status of
the conference.
“We’ve played hard and
did good enough to win the
ball games, but we just didn’t
get the job done,” said A&M
head coach Melvin Watkins.
“Our guys haven’t quit and
haven’t laid down though.”
Since conference play
started five weeks ago, the
Aggies have had an opposing
player reach a career- or sea
son-high in all five weeks,
earning those players Big 12
Player of the Week honors.
University of Oklahoma
freshman guard Drew
Lavender was the most recent
breakout player with 31 points
in a 78-72 win over A&M.
“He did more than we
thought he could,” Watkins
said. “I don’t know where that
came from - he was just hit
ting big shots all night.”
And with Texas Tech sen
ior Andre Emmett one point
shy of becoming the Big 12
all-time leading scorer, it can
be expected that Emmett will
have a big night against
A&M, continuing the streak
of opposing players receiving
the honor against the Aggies.
Texas Tech head coach
Bobby Knight said he isn’t
focused on the Aggies’ prob
lems or an easy win.
“It’s just as big a game as
playing Kansas and as big as
the next game and the next
game,” Knight said. “You play
16 league games that are all
equally important to win.”
No one likes to lose games,
and the Aggies are no differ
ent despite seeming to give
games away.
“The kids want to get the win
and finish the season off strong,”
Watkins said. “We just got to
find a way to win these games.”
Come Saturday, maybe the
Aggies won’t feel so charitable
and will sneak out of Lubbock
with their first conference win;
one more loss might have the
Aggies applying to become a
non-profit organization.
LIBERAL ARTS
CAREER FAIR
ELECTION ‘04:
AMERICA IS LISTENING
2004
1 lr'
to ‘A'
Campus Vibe brings student voices to the
world, focusing on the election issues
that affect you most. Student reporters
\ from the Texas A&M University and
^ campuses across the country cover the
2004 presidential race for CNN.com.
* Ito
Friday, February 20th
Rudder Exhibit Hall
10 AM-3 PM
Companies attending the career fair:
Americorps
Beneficial
College of Liberal Arts
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Ferguson
Foley's
Luby's
Medical Contracting
National Instruments
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (formerly NIMA)
Peace Corp.
Public Policy Internship Program
TAMU Career Center
Teach for America
Universal Computer Systems
Velocity Electronics
Walgreens
Internships:
Diplomatic Sec
Education
Evaluation Rese
FBI
Human Services
Law Enforcement
Medical Services
Public Relations
www.lasctamu.org