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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 8, 1982)
Thursday, April 8, 1982 Page 12 Daily Nebraskan Sports. ,., ....I,.. II iiMULumiMALaeaaBna mi in tmm iniiiiiinin ,,, ,-T .,Tr,rwBr'-MX'fflLULlJW.Jtt!llA.lililJBl Cornhusker slugger's assets keep him on deck By Tom Sliclton Combining home run hitting power with a stellar batting average, Nebraska's Steve Stanicck has been among the most feared batters in the Big Fight this season. Stanicck, batting a team-leading .484 for the lluskers, has smacked nine round-trippers, and is on his way to new Huskcr records in homers and KBIs. Despite his tendency to hit the long ball, Stanicck said he is a selective hitter, not intentionally swinging for the fences on every pitch. "I'm more selective at the plate," Stanicck said. "I try to hit the ball hard, and if they (home runs) come, they come." Like most batters, Stanicck prefers to hit fast balls. He said sliders are the most difficult pitches to deposit over the fence. Stai icck has not always had the ability to hit tape measure bombs. His sophomore year in high school at Park Forest, III., he only hit one home run, bin his junior year saw him hit six and he hit nine his senior season. The 6-0, l(H)-pound Stanicck said his increased power at the plate can be attributed mainly to weight training. Notion false The feeling of many about weight lifting is that it makes players muscle-bound and unable to whip the bat around fast enough to catch the fast ball. Stanicck has proven that notion false, at least in his case. "If you do the right kind of stretching exercises along with weight training, you won t lose your bat speed. j - I iylv Uja w$, . ' ' J? T if, ,e''t p f ,t- '4, 4 J ', ( " t i. L., j I..JT1 i.rs, I I. . .- it i4 f. c " , & i ' - ' it, " ' ' ' 7 ' v " . Photo by Dave Bentz Junior Steve Stanicck steps into a pitch against UNO Tuesday. Stanicck lends the llusker offensive attack with a .484 batting average. Tennis coach says team unity needed By Dirk Maley Frustrating is the word that best describes Coach Kerrv McDermott's feelings regarding t He men's tenuis team's in ability to win the close matches so fat this season. The lluskers have lost a number of thtee-set matches this season, most recently at last weekend's Regional Team Tournament in Kansas City. Ivms. In j 5 i loss to Southern Illinois, the lluskers dropped ai! but two matches in three sets. Nebraska's first-year coach cites vouth and inexperi ence as part of the problem, nother factor is menial. "We're match tough right now. but we'ie lacking mental toughness and team unity." McDeimott said. "We can never all play together as a team on a given day." McDermott said this should change when the lluskers begin conference play Friday in Lincoln against Iowa State. The lluskers also will play Kansas State Saturday and Oklahoma Sunday. Weather permitting, the team will play at the varsity courts. The team's main goal entering the season was to finish in the top three teams in the league. That hasn't changed and McDermott said it's a realistic and attainable goal. The Oklahoma Sooners are probably the team to beat this year, McDermott said. The Sooners defeated Okla homa State, last year's Big Eight champion, at the regional tournament. Experience and maturity are Oklahoma's strong points, McDermott said, indicating that the team consists primarily of juniors and seniors. In contrast, Nebraska may be, with the possible except ion of Colorado, the youngest team in the league. With only one senioi. McDermott has had to rel heavily on freshmen and sophomores. Craig Johnson and Jim Carson are two llusker uetteis who have proved e!fectic m theii fust veai ol competition. Johnson. Nebraska's top singles plaver. lias a S-5 record, pkium! against top-notch competition. Johnson lost to all-inerican Scott Johnson ol Oklahoma State. 2-o. 1-o.in the Regional tournament. Johnson has combined with ( aisoii. Nebraska's No. 2 singles player, to !oim a strong doubles team. I he !wo possess a d-2 lecoul m doubles competition. In smi'lc-. play. Carson has beaten six opponents and lost to five. Nebraska's overall record entering league plav is 5-o McDermott said he is somewhat disappointed with that mark but thinks it will improve dining conference plav. "All Big Fight play will take place outdoors with the weather permitting." he said. "The slower courts should help us by giving our baseline players more time to react and get to the ball. On a faster court, there's very little reaction time. McDermott said team spirit remains high and that's essential if Nebraska hopes to Finish high in the league standings. "The team has been working hard and their attitudes remain real good," McDermott said. "We've worked too hard to quit now and I don't see any team in the confer ence working harder than we do. We need to win and to pull those close ones out. It's time for our kids to put those close losses behind them and to go out and prove they can play with the best." Booster banquet tribute to gymnasts The Nebraska Gymnastics Booster Club will have its annual banquet Monday at the Nebraska Center for Con tinuing Education, 33rd and Holdrege streets. The cock tail and autograph session will begin at 6:30 pam. with the dinner beginning at 7 pjn. The public is invited to attend. Members of the UNL men's and women's gymnastics teams and the Nebraska School of Gymnastics will be honored. Special tribute will be paid to the seniors, in cluding all-Americans Jim Hartung and Steve Elliott. Gov. Charles Thone and UNL Athletic Director Bob Devaney will attend and Coach Francis Allen will show the 1982 NCAA gymnastics Film. Herbie llusker will attend and there will be posters available for autographs. Tickets may be requested from the gymnastics office today and they will be available at the door Monday. Prices are SIO for adults in advance and SI 2 at the door. Children's tickets are $4.50 in advance and $5 at the door. Stanicck said. "I here are a lot ol myitis anou. mai. John Sanders. Stanicck 's coach, said Stanicck's power does not stem from any secret formula. "lie just gets it from hard work. Mis main assets are his techniques, sie. strength, and quickness." Sanders said. Sanders said Stanicck's chances of making it as a pro fessional ball player arc looking better all the time because of consistent improvement. Stanicck was drafted out of high school by the St. Louis Cardinals in the I 2th round of the 1979 draft, and will he eligible to receive offers from pro teams at the end of this, his junior year. Stanicck himself said the major leagues are definitely on his list of possibilities. "I'm pretty interested now," Stanicck said, "but they'll have to make it worth my while to skip my senior year." Defense, offense No slouch on defense, Stanicck said he has worked hard to make sure he doesn't sacrifice home runs at the expense of errors. "I've worked as hard on offense as I have on defense," he said. "I'm pretty good defensively." Sanders saiil the tendency of some players to let their defensive skills slide while working to improve their offen sive output is not a problem with Stanicck. Stanicck's increased selectivity at the plate has re sulted in more walks and less strikeouts. Sanders said. "lie's been up between SO and 0 times this season and has struck out onl six or seven times," Sanders said. "That's amaiiig." "Steve will load up when the situation calls for it, but otheiwise he'll wait for a good pitch, lie's got a good ihythmic swing ami natural power." he said. Sanders said Stanicck's sie, strength and powci make it inevitable that some of his swings will result in the ball s'oing ohm the fence. Stanicck said hi-, stiikeoiits have been cut down some what by his opting for a lighter bat fioina 31- to a 30 ounce. "I've found I have more cont rol with a smaller bat ." he said. Stanicck said he gets the most satisfaction out of putting his opponents pitches into orbit. "Knowing you beat the pitcher is the best part of the uame," he said. Fool ball lickel sale will begin April 26; application required By Larry Sparks The spring sale of 1 .S2 student football tickets will be April 26 through 29 at the Athletic Ticket Wfi. South Stadium 117. The office is open 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. I 'NT. Ticket Manager Helen Ruth Wagner said notices have been posted on campus, and she limed students to read them carefully because several changes have been made in the lickel poljcv. Students apphing foi tickets this yeai aie being asked to bun an application caul that ilie have al cady filled out. Hie cards will he available beginning Mondav at the Student ccomits Office in Administiaiion 204. die inhumation desk ol the Last I moil and the ticket office. When buying the tickets, students must present 'he application caul along with a student ID card and cash or a peisonal check for S3(. Checks must show a Lincoln address add phone number. Students will draw a lottery number, and he ticket orders will be filled using these numbers. The tickets may be picked up Sept. 7 through JO upon presentation of a current student ID showing full time student status. Married students may purchase a ticket for their spouse if they present proof of marriage. Spouse tickets will cost $72 this year. Students still may request tickets in blocks, but those sections will be limited to 100 tickets this year. A representative of the group should present a completed application form, student ID and in dividual payment for each person in the block Each student will be required to pick up his or her own ticket in the fall. Students who purchase tickets in the spring but do not attend UNL in the fall will be permitted a full refund if the ticket office is notified in writing by Sept. 1 . No refunds will be given after that date Wagner said the ticket office will have a computer system m the fall. The ID numbers of all students purchasing tickets will be entered into the system, which should prevent students fr pu 2 tlnaI s after obtaining duplicate who I v ' ,SyStCm aIs Wil1 1rcvct students