The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, April 05, 1983, Page 10, Image 10
10 Tuesday, April 5, 1933 Daily Nebraskan n .Sports oon Omnia By Barry Trcvarrow After spending a prolonged weekend in Manhattan, Kan., the Nebraska baseball team travels to Omaha today in an attempt to break an eight-year-old record. The Cornhuskcrs were scheduled to take on the Kansas State Wildcats in doubleheaders last Friday and Saturday, but the weather changed those plans. After two rainouts, the Huskers managed to sweep the Wildcats 5-2 and 3-0 Sunday in makeup games. The team got permission to stay Monday to finish the series, but rainy conditions forced them to return. The two victories raise the Ilusker record to 24-0. which equals the B:g Eight conference record for consecu tive wins of 24 set by Oklahoma in 1975. Today's double header against the UNO Mavericks is scheduled to begin at 1 :30 p.m. Pitching was the key Sunday as Huskers Anthony Kelley and Bob Sebra each threw complete games. Kelley, a junior right-hander, pitched nine innings in the first game to push his record to 5-0. Kelley allowed only five hits and two earned runs while striking out five batters. Right-hander Sebra also recorded his fifth victory in the seven-inning second game. Sebra, a junior, struck out seven and walked none while allowing five hits. Nebraska collected 12 hits in the first game. Third baseman Ben Amaya went three-for-five and left fielder Dave Bailor hit twice in four attempts while scoring once and batting in another. Nebraska made three double plays in the contest. Second baseman Kurt Eubanks collected two of the Huskers' six hits in the second game. Nebraska left ten men on base in the low scoring affair. Nebraska is now 2-0 in the Big Eight. "Our pitching was stable and our defense was good," Husker Coach John Sanders said. "We thought it would be low-scoring with the cold." UNO, a NCAA Division II school, lost to the Huskers last year by scores of 7-1. 2-1, 9-4 and 18-8. Hie Mavericks post a 1-6 record, but Coach Bob Gates is look ing forward to playing the country's fifth-rated team. "We were right in every game except one." Gates said. All six of UNO's losses came at the hands of Murray State. "Playing Nebraska really benefits our program and gets us ready for the season." Gates, whose Maverick club is a member of the North Central Conference, said defense is probably his team's strength. He added that catcher Rick Stanbaugh and pitcher Mark King have been steady performers for the team. "Wc don't really have any individuals who have con sistently been leaders at this point," Gates said. . Gates said the main difference between "major" schools like Nebraska and smaller colleges is the amount of scholarships available. Nebraska is allotted 13 scholar ships while UNO gets only three. "We have to depend on people in the immediate area," Gates said. Nebraska will return home Wednesday to play . reign ton and continue Big Eight play this weekend against Iowa State at Buck Beltzer Field. Split ends will be ready G-Jusker cagers steal spring spotlight if aerial game is needed Editors note: This is the first of a nine-part series on a position-by-position outlook for the 1983 football sea son. The Comhuskers are currently engaging in spring drills. By Kevin VVarneke Although the Nebraska Cornhusker football team has been known to rely on the run more than the pass, the 1983 split-end corps will be ready if passing is needed. While Nebraska has sported such fine ball carriers as Jarvis Redwine and Roger Craig in the past and will include Mike Rozier this year, receiver coach Gene Huey said his receiving squad will be ready to meet any challenges that fall in its path. ;Gone from last year's group of split ends is three-year starter Todd Brown. Brown will be missed. "lie was one-eleventh of a very fine offensive unit," Huey said. "He was a starter for three years and any time you lose that kind of experience you certainly miss that i kind of a player." Although Brown is no longer around, his memory still lingers on. "I learned a lot from Todd," receiver Scott Schoett ger said. "I really benefited from having Todd around." Schoettger currently is listed on the depth chart on the second team behind Ricky Simmons and Scott Kimball, who share the No. 1 split-end position. Both Kimball and Shoettger said they were not sur prised with their ranking on the depth chart. "I came into fall camp on the second team, the third man in the line," Kimball said. "With Todd not around, I moved up." "That's the way we were last fall and usually you go from there," Schoettger said. Although Simmons has the most experience of the re turning split ends, Huey said the position is still up for grabs. "We have made no clear-cut decision on who will be the starter," Huey said. "All are striving to be the starter or at least get in a lot of playing time." But whoever is tabbed as the starter and the backup, Huey said he feels confident, that he can do the job. "We have people in the top three positions, possibly the top four, that have the ability and talent, also the speed and quickness, to play football," Huey said. Kimball and Schoettger both said that they will be ready when the season begins but added that they hope the season will produce numerous occasions when the ball is thrown in their direction. "I definitely hope that we'll pass more tliis season but to answer that question you'll have to talk with Tom Os borne," Kimball said. "Nebraska is a running team, but the split-end position is important." "Obviously, as a receiver, I would like to see the ball in the air, but Nebraska's traditionally been a running team," Schoettger said. "I'd like to see more passing but I also like to win. "So whatever it takes to win I'll be happy with." Spring arrived in the Cornhusker State two weeks ago, but Ncbraskans weren't talking about spring football or the opening of the baseball season. They were discussing the Nebraska basketball team and its rise from a preseason choice for sixth place in the Big Eight Conference to that of an NIT semifinalist. Not even the loss to DePaul in New York City can detract from the progress made this season by the Huskers. However, the loss indicated what needs to be Stu Pospisi done by Coach Moe Iba and his staff before Nebraska can truly join the nation's basketball elite. It is evident that Iba must recruit a quality power forward to give center Dave Hoppen and forward Stan Cloudy rebounding help. DePaul, with its much taller lineup, unceasingly crashed the boards against Nebraska, scoring several times on offensive rebounds. Hoppen will be undoubtedly stronger and more confident in his sophomore season, but teams will, continue to double- and triple-team Nebraska's leading scorer unless a tall forward can draw attention away from the middle. The Husker bench must also be restocked since seniors Eenard Johnson and Terry Smith have used up their eligibility. Redshirts John Matzke, Mike Martz and James Moore, all 6-foot-6 or taller, will help at center and forward, but at least one of the guards Iba recruits must develop early next season to relieve David Ponce and Eric Williams in the backcourt. The biggest change necessary, however, has already taken root in Nebraska's strategy, thanks to the NIT's 30-second clock. The shot clock was used in the four tournament games and Nebraska averaged 75 points in victories over Tulane, Iona and TCU. On offense, the players seemed more relaxed operating under the time limitation than when Nebraska ran its "Slow Moe-tion" offense during the games' last four minutes. On defense, the pressure applied by Husker defenders forced numerous turnovers that led to Nebraska dominating the transition game. The slower offense is effective in certain instances, but until the past season. Iba was forced to use it ex clusively because of player limitations. Now that Nebraska is a quicker team, with an agile center, the offensive tempo should pick up, especially if the NCAA okays a 45-sccond shot clock for next year. If Iba is able to accomplish all of this, then the Bob Devaney Sports Center should house a sellout crowd for every game next season. It appears that Nebraskans will become both fair- and Cloudy-weather fans, and their support could be rewarded by the Huskers appearing in the 1984 NCAA Tournament in Lincoln. Speaking of tournaments, the adventure that sports editor Bob Asmussen and I had in driving to New York for the NIT would make the American Automobile Association auto club cringe with disbelief. Loading up my little Sunbird car with all the essentials needed for such a journey, we set off from Omaha in the middle of a blizzard. As we passed Benson High School, Dave Hoppen's training ground, the car's front end lurched forward and to the left. Oh, oh. Flat tire. It took 90 minutes at a nearby service station for Max, the mechanic, to throw on another tire, but we were on the road again, hoping that the weather would clear by Des Moines. Well, the snow fell faster and faster, and we drove further into Iowa. Cars sliding into ditches, trucks jack knifing and yet Bob told me to keep going, that conditions would improve. That is, until the left rear tire blew out as we approached a rest area. Sensing our luck was about to run out for the night, we pulled the Sunbird (such as ironic name for the car) into the snowbound rest area and called the auto club. After a two-hour wait, a tow truck finally arrived. We knew we were in trouble when the tow truck's operator, whom I shall call Jim, promptly announced he was tired, hungry and his truck was nearly out of gas. Continued on Page 1 1 va I R ao and raus voiieys draw praise By Mark Quandahl Nebraska tennis player Ashwin Vasan remembers the exact date that he first stepped on a tennis court -Nov. 3, 1973. "And when I first picked up a tennis racket, 1 had no intention of going as far with it as I have," Vasan said. Vasan was introduced to tennis by a neighbor who owned a private club in his native city of Bombay, India. Vasan said he got caught up in the sport and eventually became ranked in his state. "It's been a steady progression," he said, "And you know what they say : ambition feeds on success." Nebraska Tennis Coach Kerry McDermott said that Vasan, who is on the number three doubles squad and is the number five singles player, has become a team leader in his First year at Nebraska. "Especially towards hard work, and reaching a goal," McDermott said. "He practices more than everyone else." McDermott said he learned of The Indian athlete by contacting a tennis academy in Florida that Vasan atten ded, and Vasan decided to come to Lincoln. "Truthfully, I was skeptical, because it meant playing indoor tennis," Vasan said. "But actually, now I feel playing indoors helps your game because you get accus tomed to playing in a variety of situations." McDermott said he is especially impressed with Vasan's 12-2 singles record. "He's a real good, real tough match player," McDermott said. "He's always in every match - even the matches he lost." Ashwin is always striving to improve. He has a good all-around game, but if there's anything that's weak, that's his serve." Vasan acknowledged that his serve might be a bit weak, but added that it was a big improvement from past years. v "Two years ago I had a nonexistent serve," he said. Since that time 1 ve improved it 150 percent. In the past two years 1 ve been making minor adjustments and tiny improvements. J Continued on Page 1 1