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Husker firstbaseman Jeff Hoffman, a junior from Lincoln, stretches to make a putout during
last weekend's Missouri series. Friday the Huskers travel to Colorado for a three-game series.
Nebraska is leading the Big 8 conference baseball standings.
UNL's tennis team to host
quadrangular this weekend
By Pete Wegman
UNL's tennis team will host a quadrangular
meet with Colorado, Iowa State and Oklahoma
State on Friday and Saturday at Wood's Field,
33rd and 0 Streets, head coach Jim Porter
announced.
"We're playing at Wood's instead of our
courts because they have nine courts there,"
Porter said. "The courts are excellent, probably
the best in the city."
Nebraska faces Colorado and Oklahoma State
plays Iowa State at 2 p.m. Friday. Porter said all
nine courts will "be used. Six singles matches
between two of the teams will be held while the
other two teams use the remaining three courts
for doubles matches. When all nine matches are
completed, the pairings will be reversed, finishing
the match.
Saturday Nebraska goes against Oklahoma
State while Colorado and Iowa State tangle at 9
a.ra. At 2 p.m. Saturday, Nebraska plays Iowa
State.
According to Porter, Colorado and Oklahoma
State will not play each other this weekend
because they will play later this season.
Strong again
Oklahoma State was 27-7 last season and lost
the Big 8 championship to Oklahoma 70-69. The
Cowboys graduated only one player from last
year, and Porter said they are very strong again
this year.
Porter said Colorado should finish about
fourth in the Big 8 while Iowa State could take
over the cellar Nebraska occupied last year.
"This weekend is going to be rough," Porter
said. "We haven't been doing too well in
conference play."
Sig Garnett, Bill Jackson, Mario Hamden and
Rich Cohen will play in the number one through
four singles for Nebraska, respectively.
Either Jeff Schmal, Dan Weaver, John Crancer
or John Duncan will be in the fifth and sixth
positions, with Schmal and Weaver having the
edge, according to Porter.
Inside practice
Porter said the recent bad weather hasn't hurt
the team too much. "We did practice inside on a
limited basis, although the weather didn't help
any," Porter said. "Next year with the five
indoor courts at the new fieldhouse, weather
should be no problem."
The Huskers upped their record to 5-6 when
they defeated UNO, 7-0, Saturday and Washburn
University, 8-1, in Topeka on Tuesday. "We're
starting to play a little better. Everyone played
well in those two matches," Porter said.
"Trie biggest problems we face now are
inexperience and sometimes the kids are too
aggressive," Porter said. "We don't really have
control or consistency yet."
Porter said he doesn't believe -in teaching
players new shots or techniques at this stage in
the season. "At this point, there just isn't time to
change a player's game," he said.
"All the kids are coachable and willing to
listen. I can offer suggestions and advice," Porter
said. "Sometimes it pays off, but sometimes it's
better if I shut up."
coach speechless
By Becky Morgan
UNL head baseball coach Tony Sharpe hasn't said much to his
league -leading team all week. He can't. He has laryngitis.
"It's something I get every year," Sharpe said. "It usually
happens during the spring trip but this year it waited until
conference play."
Sharpe's team didn't start their winning ways until conference
play either. Winning only two of their preconference games this
spring, Nebraska is now leading the Big 8 with a 5-1 record.
The Huskers will travel to Boulder, Colo., for a three game series
with Colorado University this weekend.
Playing advantage
"We've always played well against Colorado at Boulder," Sharpe
said. "That should be to our advantage."
Sharpe said that CU is a fairly strong hitting team with several
good young pitchers.
Kirk Eymann, Dave Buehrer and Jerry Yingling will be
Nebraska's starting pitchers for the three-game series.
UNL's hitting has been progressing exceptionally well, according
to Sharpe.
"A lot of our guys have been on a winter weightlifting program
their timing is improved and they appear more relaxed at the
plate," he said.
The team's batting average stands at .269 compared to .268 fot
their opponents.
Five UNL batters have hit home runs. Steve McManaman and
Norm Glismann, both outfielders, have each hit two.
Disappointed with pitching
Sharpe said he has been disappointed with the team's pitching
"Our pitching has been inconsistent and we need to work or,
control. It's possible that some of our pitcher as well as othei
players are starting to feel the pressure of being on top," he said.
Staying on top is exactly what the team is trying to do. "Losing
is not much fun," Sharpe said. "We've been there and we know
what it's like. We want to stay on top."
The team's overall record is 7-9. Oklahoma is second in the Big
8 with a 4-2 record. Oklahoma State, 5-3, is third.
sports shorts
The Lincoln Table Tennis
Association and the Nebraska
Union will sponsor a table
tennis team tournament
Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Union
Centennial Room.
Teams from Nebraska and
Iowa will compete, and the
seventh-ranked women's team
in the country will be featured.
Admission is free. For further
information contact Don
Taylor, 472-3686.
There will be a final meeting
of the UNL Water Ski Club
Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the
Union.
All members and anyone
interested is urged to attend, as
the club will be settine ud a
summer program. For further
information contact
May field, 432-1478.
Robert
UNL's Rugby club will
compete this weekend in a
belated S. Patrick's Day
tourney at N.P. Dodge Park in
Omaha. Eight teams will
compete as the Huskers and
the Omaha Rubgy Club rank as
co-favorites. The first game will
be played at 1 1 :30 a.m., with
the women competing at 1 :30.
The third half will be played at
Vennlyst Park.
Entries are due today for
competition in the men's
intramural track meet and
archery. Contact the recreation
office, 1740 Vine St.,
472-3467.
Osborne: offense improved, still needs work
By Scott Jones
Nebraska's first team defense continued to assert
itself and its offensive counterpart improved in
Wednesday's football practice session, said head
coach Tom Osborne.
Practice time was split between station drills and
four 15-minute scrimmage sessions. The half-field
scrimmaging matched the No. 1 offense against the
second defense and the second offense against the
No. 1 defense. The same fule applied to the third and
fourth units.
Although Osborne said the first team offense
improved over its unproductive scrimmage effort last
Saturday, he said more work is needed.
Offense needs work
"Most of our concern now would have to be with
our offense," he said. "Offensively we've stiiJ got a
lot of tilings to get done.
"I think maybe the first offense did a lot better
todayof course they were playing against the second
defense so they should look good," he said.
Osborne said the quarterback position, which has
five prospects, is still not filled, although Terry
Luck's experience has earned him the No. 1 spot for
now.
"Ferragamo and the other guys arc still learning,"
Osborne said. "They all have ability and are good
throwers. Although we rank them one through five,
they are much closer than such a ranking usually
indicates."
The first team defense was without defensive ends
Bob Martin and Ray Phillips, out with knee injuries,
and monster back Wonder Monds who had a groin
problem. The efforts of interior linemen 'John Lee,
Mike Fultz and Ron Pruitt, however, made it easy for
the injured players' replacements, Tony Samuel,
George Andrews and Dave Redding at end and Kent
Smith at monster back.
Rushed passes
The defensive front line, responding to the
encouragements of coaches Monte Kiffin and Bill
Myles, dropped second string passers Tom Sorley and
Vince Ferragamo three times and rushed other passes.
Rushing yardage also was meager.
"I think our interior down linemen-Fultz, Pruitt,
Lee-continue to look good," Osborne said. The
competition for linebacker positions also seems to be
stabilizing, he said, with Cletus Pillen, Percy
Eichelberger and Jim Wightman playing well.
Jim Belka, another linebacker prospect, is still
recovering from strained knee ligaments.
Although there were no major injuries during the
scrimmage, Earl Everett, second string wingback,
sprained his ankle but continued to play. Everett was
practicing for the second time this spring. He has
been out with a pulled hamstring muscle.
Osborne said Friday's practice will be split, with
the top two units practicing first, followed by the
third and fourth teams.
Saturday's scrimmage will begin at 1 :30 p.m.
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Senior Terry Luck remains on top of the UNL
football quarterback race, with more experience
than the other candidates.
page 16
daily nebraskan
friday, april 18, 1975