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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 3, 2004)
— - j _ ■ - r ; ^jirl NEI talii ee:Ab) the In, v hites 5 ^ incot ; dforl IOW VOI neftflf :es. sixii ed to o soon ertisino id k ih Bus id. Het< i r Tuesilt, Hiding Kuciniti :, ha i al iryfi way:S( Sen. Car man 'Clark front-nr Edw : all sulr 'olved ay not k e incernu; i condir istantial. Statistifi MW jueffi use :ry mis ie do no illy hap- lly did i A&! said b jout b )Ugllt« T"1' T *r Sports The Battalion Softball drops to Texas State By Jordan Meserole THE BATTALION For many people, roller coaster rides are the biggest thrills at amusement parks. The No. 23 Texas A&M softball team hardly enjoyed its roller coaster ride that came in the form of a 9-6 loss Tuesday to Texas State University. “We came out great (at first),” said A&M head coach Jo Evans, we realized quickly that were going to match us at ihe plate.” The Aggies (11-9) started off the game in promising fashion, as A&M freshman starting pitcher JillWeynand retired three Bobcats (16-5) in order. Junior outfielder Jana James helped Weynand achieve the perfect inning by making a hard diving catch on a line drive to left field. The Aggies scored the first runs of the game in the bottom of the first inning. With the bases loaded and two outs on the board, A&M freshman Laura Durham hit a hard grounder through the infield, scoring runners from sec ond and third. A&M junior Nicole Robinson’s single to left field continued the rally, scoring Durham from third. Durham and Robinson put up the high points of the Aggie offense, both hitting two-for-three on the night. The Bobcats came to life in the second inning, sending the Aggies on the downward slide of the rollercoaster ride. With two runners on base. Bobcat sophomore Katie Ann Trahan hit a towering home run over the left field fence, putting Texas State within one run of the Aggies. The go-ahead run came to the Bobcats later in the same inning, when they scored on a wild pitch by Weynand. Trahan said she wasn’t trying tohita.bome run; she wanted to Texas State sophomore third baseman Brittany Hodge slides into home on a wild pitcher Jill Weyand awaits the toss in the second inning Tuesday night at the Aggi move the runners up. Trahan said the mentality the team carries to the field and to the plate has helped them win many games. “We try to come out thinking that every game is the next step toward the World Series,” Trahan said. “We try to play every game big no matter if it’s A&M or an unranked oj winless team.” The Bobcats remained hot most of the night, including a fourth inning grand slam by Texas State junior Ashley Wilson, which gave the Bobcats a comfortable six-run lead. Texas State head coach Ricci Woodard said she expected the score in the game to be high and that the 3-0 lead the Aggies took in the first inning didn't disheart- Joshua L. Hobson • THE BATTALION pitch as A&M freshman right handed e Softball Complex. en her team. “It’s familiar territory for us,” Woodard said. “We've had to bat tle back in many of our games this season - tonight didn’t really sur prise me.” The Aggie pitching settled down in the last three innings behind freshman Christina Smith, See Softball on page 9 Women play last Big 12 game By Brad Bennett THE BATTALION The Texas A&M women’s basket ball team had to pull together after its worst Big 12 defeat against Baylor last e Saturday, 55-80, for its last game J before the Big 12 tournament, Wednesday in Reed Arena at 7 p.m.. The Aggies (9-17, 2-13 Big 12) take on University of Missouri (15-1 1, 6-9) at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Reed Arena, and A&M head coach Gary Blair said he talked to his team to make sure the e bracelf women are ready. “We got hammered (in the last ne),” Blair said. “Sometimes it hap- is. I want to make sure our kids are omafp similah' is nick timatn’ ;cononi! mand i wereptf onthe right thought process.” r* Blair said Missouri is fighting for a idsaretl* jjjjtothe NCAA tournament, and this will be a must-win for the Tigers, who started the year a top-ranked team. “If you go six and 10, you aren't going (to the NCAA tournament) unless you win the conference tourna ment,” Blair said. “(Missouri head coach Cindy Stein) knows the numbers, and she will come in playing hard.” Stein said she plans to play especial ly hard, because of the importance of the victory and for other reasons. She said her team knows that in order to counter the pressure defense of the Aggies it must be equally aggressive on offense. “Our kids understand that they have to be extremely poised and they have to be extremely aggressive themselves to not get held back.” Stein said. Blair said sophomore guard LaToya Bond being healthy will be a great advantage to them, and her being injured is a reason Missouri does not have a better record. “When you look at her stats, they were struggling earlier without her,” Blair said. Along with Bond, senior forward Evan Unrau is the biggest threat to the Aggies. “Unrau and senior point guard Toccara Williams are the two best under rated players in our league,” Blair said. Unrau is third in the Big 12 in scor ing during conference play, with an average 17.9 points a game. She is first in offensive rebounds with 3.69. The Tigers are winless at Reed Arena in three tries, but Stein said her team will not focus on road problems. Missouri averages 43 percent shooting with 70 points a game. The Aggies are shooting 38 percent with 60.7 points a game. The Aggies are playing teams close ly, with five of their nine conference losses being by less than three points or in overtime. Blair said teams are starting to take notice, which may be a reason that Baylor won by 25. “Maybe some of these other teams haven’t respected us,” Blair said. Wednesday will be the last home game seniors, Williams, center Lynn Classen and forward Janae Derrick Classen, a Sports Management major said she plans to work in Dallas or San Antonio after graduation in December. “I don't really know yet (what I am See Women on page 9 Page 7 • Wednesday, March 3, 2004 Basketball to face OU By Troy Miller THE BATTALION Being an NCAA tournament bubble team is a hard life to live in college basketball. Every game is watched closely, as if a scientist were looking at you under the microscope. For the University of Oklahoma (16-9, 6-8 Big 12) men’s basketball team, it’s a new feeling as it is usual ly a tournament lock at this point in the season. A losing record in conference play means that each of its last two games is a must-win. The first is at 8 p.m. Wednesday against Texas A&M (7-18, 0-14) in Norman, Okla. “We haven’t had the whole day or whole weekend to worry about (Selection Sunday), because we play Friday, Saturday and Sunday (in the Big 12 tourna ment),” said Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson. “You sit there and think about it. Most of the time we haven’t worried if we are going to be in it or not, but even if you’re a one-seed, and you know you’re going to be a one-seed, it’s still exciting to see who you're going to play.” A&M hasn’t had the excitement of watching its name unveiled as the tournament brackets unfold on Selection Sunday since 1987, when the Aggies won the Southwest Conference tournament to gain the automat ic bid into the NCAA tournament. After a 14-14 campaign in 2002-03 in which A&M freshman guard/forward Antoine Wright won Big 12 Freshman of the Year, many believed that 2004 might be the year the Aggies would reappear in the tournament. “Coming into the season, I thought we had the right type of kids, attitude-wise,” Watkins said. “Maybe we lack the mental toughness and the talent that we need ed. 1 think I've got to give credit to the kids because they are listening and trying to carry out, but sometimes we’re just not quite good enough to do what we need to do to win the game.” But with a zero in the conference win column, the Aggies’ only chance at a postseason appearance is to win the Big 12 tournament from the bottom seed. The Sooners on the other hand are on the brink of missing the NCAA tournament for the first time since See Men on page 9 Senior forward Janae Arena. Derrick and two JP Beato III • THE BATTALION Derrick pivots under the basket Feb. 14 against Texas Tech at Reed other seniors will be playing their last game Wednesday at Reed Arena. • w i. V" o o ¥ r v % **** w, y vw* y w GARY BLAIR APPRECIATION NIGHT THIS WEDNESDAY AT REED ARENA cy&zl&fZgJ infcl rZBBSk^ialOLianXzi team are doing to build a strong foundation for the future of Aggie Basketball To help show our support, Campbell Custom Homes is buying YOUR TICKET to the final home game of the season. That’s right - it’s totally FREE and there will be 50(/; Slovacek Sausages available while supplies last Join us us this Wednesday at Reed Arena in a show of support and appreciation for Coach Blair, the women’s basketball program, and the future of Aggie hoops!” m V m®! PpP' * ' ‘f . Olivia Campbell co-owner Campbell Custom Homes (979) 828-5177 t| * ii ^! FREE! Courtesy of Campbell Costom Homes Wednesday - 7 p.m M VS. n/iissoum. Senior Recognition Night -and- 500 Slovacek Sausages (while Supplies last -10,000 QtyJ