Sports
Sanders optimistic despite slow start
By Jeff Griesch
Staff Reporter_____
Before the season began, Nebraska
baseball coach John Sanders didn’t
expect his team to be fighting to stay
above the .500 mark this far into the
season.
Sanders said he had high hopes
that this would be one of the best
Huskcr teams he had ever coached.
But so far, the Huskers have struggled.
Despite his team’s slow start, Sand
ers said he was staying positive about
Nebraska’s season.
“I am really not that worried about
being 12-12 right now, and I look
back to 1985 for that,” Sanders said.
Nebraska started 13-13 in 1985,
but went on to win 32 of their final 43
games. That was also the last year the
Huskers qualified for a regional tour
— 44
Our pitching staff has not been very good...
and now, our offense has been struggling.
—Sanders
NU baseball coach
nament.
This weekend, Nebraska is look
ing to pick up some momentum as
they travel to Manhattan, Kan., for a
three-game series against Kansas
State.
The Huskers have staggered to a 2
3 start in the conference, losing two of
three to Oklahoma State and splitting
a doublchcadcr with Iowa Slate in
Lincoln Wednesday.
Sanders said he was looking for
; ; yy
consistency from the Huskers, espe
cially the pitchers.
“Our pitching staff has not been
very good, and that carried over to our
defense, and now, our offense has
been struggling,” Sanders said.
One player who has not been strug
gling at the plate for the Huskers is
Darin Erslad.
Erslad, a freshman outfielder from
Jamestown, N.D., earned Big Eight
Player of the Week honors after going
live oi iu wiui miee nuinei», jc*wi
RBI, six runs scored and two stolen
bases in last weekend’s series with
Oklahoma State.
Kansas State, 8-16 and 1 -4, enters
the weekend with the lowest team
balling average in the Big Eight. The
Wildcats are hitting .223 in confer
ence games and .243 overall.
Despite Kansas Slate’s lack of of
fensive punch, the Wildcats scored 13
runs against Oklahoma State on
Wednesday, and Sanders said he was
expecting a tough scries.
“We arc expecting them to be a
good ballclub that is very aggressive,
and they have played a good sched
ule,” Sanders said.
Brian Martin is expected to be the
starter in the first game for Nebraska
with Alvic Shepherd starting game
two.
Michelle Paulman/DN
Nebraska’s Sara Offringa attempts to pass the ball in a game earlier this
season. Offringa is one of four Husker seniors who graduated this season.
Yedsena to take over reins
of leadership for NU women
By Derek Samson
Staff Reporter
With Karen Jennings and three other
seniors finishing their careers this year, it’s
lime for the Nebraska women’s basketball
team to pass the torch.
The Huskcrs will return starters Nafccsah
Brown and Meggan Yedscna next year,
along with several reserves that saw a good
deal of playing time throughout the season.
Yedscna, who isalrcady the Huskcrs’ all
time assist leader, said next year would
present new challenges.
“With Karen and Sara (Offringa), it re
ally didn’t feel like it was my team, and
Karen deserved for it to be hers,” Yedscna
said. “Next year, I know it will be my team.”
Coach Angela Beck said that with Yedscna
returning to the team, she was not concerned
about leadership problems next season.
“Meggan has been our leader since she
was a sophomore,” Bock said. “Her leader
ship down the stretch this season was the
best I have ever seen at Nebraska.”
With the Huskcrs losing starters Jennings,
Offringaand Rissa Taylor and reserve Kristi
Anderson, Beck said, opponents may expect
the team to have a down year.
“A lot of people aren’t expecting us to be
real strong,” Yedsena said. “We have some
experience coming back, so I think we’ll
surprise a lot of people.”
Beck said the success of next year’s team
would depend on the off-season.
“We have the two, three and five position
open right now,” Beck said. “The only people
that have starting positions arc Mcggan and
Nafccsah, but we can’t be a two-player
show.”
Wilh some familiar faces missing from
the Husker lineup, the familiar Lady Husker
look may also be gone.
“We arc going to be guard-oriented for
the first lime since 1 ’vc been here,” Yedsena
said. “It’s definitely going to be a different
look.”
Despite being unhappy with Nebraska’s
23-8 finish and exit in the second round of
the NCAA Tournament, Yedsena said this
year’s seniors brought Nebraska national
respect.
“All the seniors should be proud of what
they have dono," she said. “They look the
program to a new level.”
Woolridge leaves
basketball team,
plans to transfer
NU guard released
from scholarship
By Susie Arth
Senior Reporter
Cornhuskcr guard Andre Woolridgc an
nounced Thursday he would be leaving the
University of Nebraska and transferring to an
other school.
“I’m sorry things haven’t worked out here,”
Woolridgc said in a statement released by the
UNL sports information office. “My fam ily and
I believe that it is in my best interest to transfer.”
Woolridgc, who averaged 4.9 points, 2 as
sists and 1.7 rebounds, said he was uncertain
where he would be attending school next fall.
NCAA rules require him to sit out one year
before playing basketball for another Division
I school, but he would not lose a year of
eligibility.
Woolridgc, who was one of four Huskcrs to
be named to the Big Eight’s A ll-Frcshman team
this year, started three games, hit 38.7 percent
of his shots from the field,61.5 percent from the
free throw line, and had 61 steals.
“I’d like to thank my teammates, the coaches
and the fans for all of their support this season,”
he said. “And I’d like to wish the Huskcrs the
best of luck in the years to come.”
Comhuskcr basketball coach Danny Nee
said he was sorry to sec Woolridgc leave Ne
braska.
“Everyone associated with the Nebraska
basketball program is sorry that Andre has
made this decision, but we all want what is best
for him,” Nee said. “I will do everything in my
power to help him findaschool that both he and
his family arc happy with.
“We all wish him well.”
Nee said he has released Woolridgc from his
scholarship so he can transfer elsewhere.
“We arc sorry Andre and his family don’t
believe the University of Nebraska and its
baskctbal I program arc the best place for (Andre)
to continue his education and basketball ca
reer,” Nee said.
Huskers to face No. 3 OSU
in Big Eight season opener
By Derek Samson
$taffRpponer
In its home opener, the Nebraska softball
team will hope to avoid rain as it takes on No.
3 Oklahoma Stale Saturday and Sunday to
begin its Big Eight season.
Nebraska was scheduled to open its home
season against Wichita State Wednesday, but,
like nine other Husker games this season, that
game was rained out.
“The rainouls arc enough to make you want
to pull your hair out,” Coach Rhonda Rcvcllc
said. “It’s to the point where we arc going nutty.
We need a game just to keep our sanity.”
The 31-6 Cowgirls have always been a
national power but never as big as this year,
Rcvcllc said.
“They have got victoricsovcr teams that arc
perennial powerhouses,” she said. “They arc
always good, usually a lop 10 team, but this is
their highest ranking that I ever remember.”
Rcvcllc said her 9-8 Huskers were looking at
the matchup with Oklahoma Slate as a no-losc
situation.
“The way 1 look at this weekend is that we
have nothing to fear,” Rcvcllc said, “because
we have nothing to lose and have a whole lot to
gain.”
Rcvcllc said her learn was taking the right
altitude into the weekend, which made her even
more excited about her team’s chances to pull
off an upset.
“They seem really relaxed and ready to play,
and that gets me real jacked up for it, Rcvcllc
said. “I think the confidence (that a victory)
would instill would be tremendous. To not just
play good, but to beat them, would be a major
boost for us.”
Nebraska leads the all-time series 20-18,
and the teams split the 1992 series 1-1.
“Traditionally, Oklahoma State has not had
a whole lot of luck in Lincoln,” Rcvcllc said.
For Nebraska to upset Oklahoma State, she
said the Huskers would have to overcome the
Cowgirls’ pitching staff.
“They have the top two pitchers in the
conference,” Rcvcllc said. “We’ve faced some
tough pitching already, though, so I think we
will be fine.”
With this weekend being the Huskers’ home
opener, as well as their Big Eight opener,
Rcvcllc said she was looking for some support
from the fans.
“If we can beat someone at the top of the
conference right away,” she said, “it would
mean an awful lot for the rest of the year.”
Football ticket lottery ends today
From Staff Reports __
Today is the last day that full-time UNL
students may purchase season football tickets
for next season thorugh the lottery system.
Applications may be brought to the Ne
braska ticket office in South Stadium until 4
' tr
p.m. today.
The cost for full-time students is $56, and the
schedule includes seven home games.
Beginning Monday, all students — regard
less of registration status — may apply for the
ticket package.