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Joe Heinzle/Dally Nebraskan
Sean McKenna (7) and Vince DiGrandi congratulate Kevin French after French hit a three-run
homer against Kansas State on Saturday.
r rench turned embarrassment
into determination to improve
By Steve Hill
Staff Reporter
Kevin French wasn’t ready to pat
himself or his Nebraska baseball team
mates on the back after his five-for
seven weekend in the Comhuskcrs’
four-game split with Kansas State.
“We were so close to a sweep,”
said French, the Huskers’ only senior.
The Huskers lost the first games of
doubleheaders Friday and Saturday,
each by one run.
“K-Slalc should feel like they really
snuck out of here with a couple of
wins,” he said.
French, Nebraska’s only senior,
marked his last Husker home games
with a home run in Nebraska’s come
back in the first game Friday. The
Huskers lost, 7-6.
Nebraska won twoof the last three,
helped by Doug Teglmcicr’s two-hit
shutout in the second game Saturday
to grab fourth place in the fight to
enter the four-team Big Eight tourna
ment.
“I expect to be in the Big Eight
tournament, and once you’re there
who knows what could happen,”
French said. “If you get a few breaks
and Doug throws like he did tonight,
I don’t think anyone can beat him.”
Nebraska did not make the tourna
ment in 1989, French’s first season as
a Husker. He had come in from Ven
tura Junior College in his hometown
of Ventura, Calif., hoping to provide
some power to the Husker lineup.
“I was just trying to put the ball
out of the yard every time, and that
hurt me,” said French, who had hit
.3% for Ventura in 1988, setting ca
reer school records for hits (106) and
doubles (28).
In addition to his bad hitting hab
its, French said he also suffered from
the distance from his parents in Cali
fornia and the death of one of his
closest friends, somewhat explaining
his. 180 balling average with no home
runs last season.
“I was embarrassed lo go home
after last year,” he said. “Last year
just wasn’t me, and I knew it. Every
body knew it.’’
French channeled his embarrass
ment into determination to improve.
Through the help of his friend, third
baseman Brook Jacoby of the Cleve
land Indians, he said, he regained his
confidence.
“He threw me batting practice all
the time last summer, and that really
helped,’* he said.
French said he came into the sea
son expecting to take a stronger stand
for Nebraska.
“Being the only senior on the ball
club I knew I needed to be a leader,
even after a down year,” he said.
In his new leadership role, French
has seen his baiting average climb to
.343 with six home runs and 35 RBI.
“I’m not a real rah-rah guy, and I
could never yell at a teammate. In
stead I just try to lead with my play on
the field,” he said.
NU baseball players use pitching skills
to complete series split against KSU
By John Adkisson
Staff Reporter
Nebraska used a dose of good old
fashioned pitching in completing a
series split with Kansas State Satur
day at Buck Beltzer Field.
Doug Tegtmeier pitched seven
shutout innings, struck out seven and
raised his record to 5-2 to lift the
Cornhuskers to a 4-0 win in the final
of a four- game set.
“There’s no substitute for the
dominant performance on the mound,”
Nebraska coach John Sanders said.
Nebraska lost Saturday’s first game
9-8 On Friday, Kansas Stale won the
first game 7-6, and Nebraska won 7
5 in the nightcap.
Tegtmcier’s shutout was his sec
ond in four days. On Wednesday,
Tegtmeier went 7 1/3 shutout innings
to help the Huskers defeat Creighton
12-0.
“He is using all of his pitches at
any lime,’’ Sanders said. “He’s been
doing a good job in terms of making
the decisions he needs to make.”
In Saturday’s win, the Huskers got
all the offense they needed in the
second inning. Bobby Benjamin led
oft the inning with a walk, and scored
when Shawn Buchanan smashed the
next pitch over the left-center field
wall to put Nebraska up 2-0.
“From my last at bat in the first
game, 1 knew I needed to be more
aggressive at the plate,” Buchanan
said. “I felt like I was swinging the
bat a lot better in the second game.”
Nebraska’s other runs were un
earned. Buchanan scored on a wild
pilch in the fourth inning, and Ben
jamin scored again in the sixth when
Kansas State right fielder Scott Stroth
lost Bill Vosik s ball in the lights
In Saturday’s first game, the Husk
ers saw their comeback attempt
thwarted in the eighth and ninth in
nings.
Kansas State, scoring four runs in
the first three innings, roughed up
Nebraska starter Charlie Colon. Brian
( ulp then blasted a three-run homer
off Huskcr reliever Josh Bullock in
the fourth, and Kansas State added
tvso runs to lead 9-4 into the seventh.
Nebraska rallied in the seventh
The Huskcrs got a two-out, three run
homer Inom Kevin Jordan to pull within
two at 9-7. A solo shot by Kevin
French put the Huskers within a run.
Nebraska got no closer. The Husk
ers left Eddie Anderson stranded at
third in the eighth, and all three bat
ters in the ninth popped out, preserv
ing the victory for Kansas State.
Sanders said that rather than de
flating the Huskers, the loss moti
vated them for the second game.
“There was a competitiveness in
the team after that (first) game,”
Sanders said. "Wc felt like if we
could make theclimb back after being
down like that, wc could do almost
anything.”
Buchanan agreed, saying the Husk
ers know the stakes are high if they
expect to be one of four teams com
peting in the conference tournament.
‘4 Instead of hanging our heads, wc
were a little more upbeat heading into
the second game.” Buchanan said.
“Wc knew wc had to win to keep
playing, so we were ready to go.”
Nebraska is 9-11 in the Big Eight
and 38-23 overall. The Huskers will
close out the regular season with a
four-game series at Iowa State next
weekend.
With a scries sweep, the Huskers
See BASEBALL on 9
