Thomas
Continued from Page 7
Pepin said.
Thomas earned All-American sta
tus in the triple jump during the 1993
indoor season.
“He’s in a very young state in his
career,” Pepin said. “I’m not sure
what his best event is; he’s just learn
• _ ♦»
mg.
Thomas is just beginning his new
est challenge on the track: anchoring
the 4 x 100 relay.
“Sprinting is something new for
me; it helps me out a lot on my
approach,” Thomas said. “The 4 x
100 is right before the long jump and
it’s like a warmup, and if I do well, it
feels good.”
Thomas came to Nebraska for a
couple of reasons that he said some
times surprised people.
“I’m from New Orleans, and it’s
warm down there, and I wanted to see
snow for the first time.”
Thomas said it didn’t take long for
him to get sick of the snow in Ne
braska, but he hasn’t got sick of his
academic responsibilities. -
“Believe it or not, when I came uf
here I wasn’t really looking at the
track team,” Thomas said. “I lookec
at the academics they have for ath
letes, and that blew me away.”
Thomas’ personal goals may alsc
be surprising.
“The next Olympics are in Atlanta
— that’s my second goal,” Thomas
said. “My first goal is to at least
become an Academic All-American;
I’m going to work hard in the class
room to do that.”
Nonetheless, Thomas said he did
have goals outside of the classroom.
“As far as if I take my academics
and set it aside for a second, my main
goal for track and field at the Univer
sity of Nebraska would be just to do
my best, to work hard every day,”
Thomas said.
“And if I work hard every day, and
try hard enough that I know I did my
best, the results will take care of them
selves.”
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I
Huskers hope win streak
lasts through Tiger series
By Jeff Griesch
Staff Reporter
The Nebraska baseball team is
hoping to continue its two-game win
ning streak in a three-game series
against Missouri this weekend atBuck
Beltzer Field.
The Huskers defeated Kansas State
13-9 and 6-2 on Wednesday to im
prove to 14-15 and 4-6 on the season.
Nebraska has struggled all season,
and Husker players said they felt like
they needed the two wins against
Kansas State to get back on track.
“We’ve been struggling big time,
and we were at the point where we felt
like we couldn’t do any worse,” out
fielder Jed Dalton said. “With these
wins and the talent we have, I think if
we can take a couple from Missouri,
it could just snowball.”
Coach John Sanders said he was
also looking to gain momentum
against Missouri, but he was not count
ing on a long winning streak from the
Huskers.
“We just like to look at it game by
game and hope we can give ourselves
a chance to get right back in the Big
Eight race,” Sanders said.
In order to gel back in the race, the
-44
With these wins and
the talent we have, I
think if we can take a
couple from Missouri
It could just
snowball.
—Dalton
NU outfielder
Huskers are looking to get consistent
pitching and defense.
“We have played well in parts of
our game all year, we just haven’t had
any stability on the mound,” Sanders
said.
Nebraska and Missouri appear to
be a study in contrasts when it comes
to team pitching.
Nebraska carries a league-worst
7.05 team ERA into the series with the
Tigers, while Missouri, 18-11, 5-5,
comes into Lincoln with the best pitch
ing staff in the conference with a 3.15
team ERA.
Jason Meyoff leads the Tiger staff
with a 5-1 record and a 3.13 ERA in 60
1/3 innings of work.
Meyoff and Nebraska right handei
Brian Marlin, 4-2, are the probable
starters for game one of the series on
Friday at 7 p.m.
Alvie Sheperd is the scheduled
starter for the Huskers in the second
game at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Shep
herd, 2-2, carries an 8.54 ERA into the
game. The probable starter for the
Tigers is Chris Robertson, 1-0.
Game three on Sunday could be
the best pitching matchup of the se
ries,as HuskeraceTroy Brohawn will
likely dual with Missouri’s Greg
Lindstrom.
Brohawn is 5-0 with a 1.84 ERA
and was last week’s Big Eight confer
ence pitcher of the week.
Lindstrom brings a 4-1 mark intc
the game with a 3.96 ERA in six starts
for the Tigers.
Offensively, the Tigers are led b>
Chopper Littrell and John Hay. Littrell
is hitting .360 with 10 doubles and 19
RBIs, while Hay is batting .319 with
4 homers and 26 RBIs.
Lomhuskers looking to upset
rival Kansas in weekend games
Emotions running
high, coach says
By Derek Samson
Staff Reporter
The Nebraska softball team is gear
ing up for more big games this week
end against longtime rival Kansas.
The Lady Jay hawks are 16-8-1 and
ranked No. 13 nationally and 11-12
Nebraska is looking forward to the
opportunity for an upset.
The two teams will play double
headers Saturday and Sunday in
Lawrence, Kan.
“It is a real personal rivalry. It has
been for years,” Husker coach Rhonda
Rcvelle said. “I’m hoping that emo
tionally, that will be enough to push
us over the top.
“I don’t think we are going to have
any trouble at all getting up for this
game.”
If Nebraska is going to get a win,
Revelle said the Huskers’ pitching
staff must concentrate on not getting
behind the Jayhawk hitters.
“Right now, our pitchers are strug
gling a little bit with putting people
on. It worries me going into a game
with a team like TCansas,” Revelle
said. “We have to make them pul the
ball into play.”
Kansas has many weapons, ac
cording to Revelle, especially pitcher
Stephanie Williams.
“Kansas has a very good pitcher in
Stephanie Williams. They center ev
erything around her,” Revelle said.
“They are very, fundamentally sound
and aggressive. They set the tone on
offense that is a very aggressive style
of play.”
Revelle said that overall, her team ’ s
offensive display had not been disap
pointing lately.
“We re taking advantage of the
opportunities when we gel people on
base,” Revelle said.
Revelle said Kansas also would be
a good test for the pitching staff.
“Our pitchers need it desperately
because they have been struggling the
last few games,” she said. ‘AVe need
our pitchers to find the zone and work
ahead on the hitters."
Revelle said the Huskers’ battle
with Kansas might be minor com
pared to the battle with themselves.
“I don’t think it is about Kansas
right now; I think it is about proving
something to ourselves,"Revelle said.
Kansas is only the second B ig Eight
opponent Nebraska has faced this sea
son. Four of Nebraska’s 12 losses
came at the hands of third-ranked
Oklahoma State last weekend.
Softball team making progress
as season goes on, captain says
By Tony West
Staff Reporter
After years of having to fight for
everything it has achieved, things seem
to be falling more into place this
season for the Nebraska softball team.
“The past several years, we have
had to struggle for everything,” senior
captainShac Sloan said. “This season
we are more coherent and everything
is falling together better.”
The biggest change for Nebraska
was at the top. Coach Rhonda Revclle
look over tor departed coach Ron
Wolforth before the season began.
Recruits
Continued from Page 7
Two other recruits who made vis
its to Nebraska are still undecided.
Jeff Massey of Owens Ohio Tech
nical College and Melvin Brooks of
Chowan County College in North
Carolina still plan to make recruiting
trips before committing anywhere.
Jim Welling, coach at Owens Ohio
Technical College, said Massey still
planned to visit Xavier and Michigan
State. .
Welling said he thought Massey
would announce his decision during
the first week of May.
“He liked Nebraska,” he said.
“They treated him nicely and he en
joyed his visit.
“He was very impressed.”
In addition, the team had tochoosc
between their only two seniors, short
stop Shae Sloan and catcher Kris
Vucurevic, for team captain at the
beginning of the season.
Although Sloan was named cap
tain , she said the job is more of a joint
operation between Vucurevic and
herself, which relieves some of the
pressure.
“There is no pressure in being the
captain of the team,” S loan said. “I am
responsible enough and the team
counts on me. I feel that Kris and I are
both captains on the team,even though
the team chose me.”
This season, Sloan’s .318 batting
average lies her with Jody Splichal for
Welling said Massey, who aver
aged 24.9 points, 6.2 assists and 6
rebounds a game, was not leaning
toward any school right now.
Whoever gets him will be lucky.
Welling said.
“I think he’s a tremendous athlete
for his 6-1, 160-pound frame,” he
said. “He has unbelievable God-given
abilities."
Massey, who was a former team
mate of Husker Jamar Johnson and
Seattle Supersonic Shawn Kemp at
Concord High School, was named the
NCAA Division II player of the year
last season and is the leading candi
date for the award this season. Well
ing said.
Massey had signed with Bowling
Green out of high school, but trans
ferred because he didn’t meet Propo
sition 48 standards, Welling said.
the learn lead. Nebraska also set a new
team best for hits in a single game
with 17 against Northern Iowa Tues
day.
Although the team is only 1M2
overall and 0-4 in Big Eight play
entering a four-game series with league
leader Kansas this weekend, Sloan
said the Huskcrs have shown their
ability to perform in the clutch.
“We have the ability to come to
gether when we need a un or big
play," Sloan said.
Despite the record, Sloan said she
sees the team making progress as the
season goes on.
“The coherence and unity is push
ing us forward," she said.
Bob Burke, head basketball coach
at Chowan County College, said
Brooks still planned to visit Rich
mond and Georgia Tech before sign
ing.
“He visited Nebraska and enjoyed
himself," he said. “He speaks very
favorably of Nebraska."
Burke said Brooks, a 6-foot-8-inch,
230-pound forward, was a versatile
player.
“He shoots well from the perim
eter, he’s a good passer, and he’s got
a big body, he said.
“He’s better offensively than any
one we’ve had come through here."
Brooks averaged 15 points and 7.3
rebounds for Chowan.
Bargcn said he expected Nebraska
to give at least four scholarships.
