Petersen returns as shortstop
By Clay Short
Staff Reporter&
As a freshman, Darin Petersen was
selected to the 1992 Mizuno/Colle-,
giate First-Team Freshman All
American squad as a shortstop.
Last year Petersen sw itched over to
second base, and he d idn’ t m iss a beat,
hitting .320 while committing only
eight errors.
Now Petersen is back at shortstop
anchoring the Nebraska defense,
which has remained steady through
out the Cornhuskers’ up-and-down
season..
The junior shortstop from Lincoln
Southeast has helped lead the
Cornhusker defense, which has com
mitted just 48 errors.
And Petersen has played a big part
in the Husker defense for the past
three seasons.
Petersen has started in every game
but two for the last three seasons,
surviving the switch from shortstop to
second base last season.
“Basically it was a situation where we
already had a shortstop, and we really
needed someone to step over and play
second,” Petersen said,“l do like short
better; there is a I ittlc more action, but
it’s also more difficult to play.”
Petersen started all 58 games last
season, with 53 starts coming at sec
ond base. Last season Petersen was
named honorable mention All-Big
Eight at the position.
The dmcrcncc between shortstop
and second base, Petersen said, is that
he has to be ready at all times while
playing shortstop.
“It is a position where you get a
large amount of ground balls towards
you,” Petersen said, “You just have to
constantly be on the alert. There arc a
lot of shots that come out at you.”
Most of those shots have been
caught by Petersen. After committing
23 errors his freshman year, he cut
that down to eight a year ago.
But Petersen said the decline in
errors was partly because of the switch
to second base.
Petersen said second base is a much
easier position because you don’t get
as many hard hit balls as you do at
shortstop.
Petersen’s versatility—the skill of
Jon Waller/DN
Nebraska shortstop Darin Peterson is congratulated by
teammate Jed Dalton after hitting a home run during the
Cornhuskers’ loss to Kansas April 23.
playing three of the four infield posi
tions— is definitely to the Huskcrs’
advantage.
“I feel that I could play any posi
tion on the infield now, second or
third or shortstop,” he said. “It really
doesn’t matter where 1 play.”
Consistent on the defensive side of
the ball, Petersen has also contributed
at the plate.
He has a career batting average of
.323 and has racked up almost 200
hits in three seasons.
But this year, Petersen is hitting
.276, 44 points below last year.
“Right now my average is below
what it usually is,” Petersen said. “I
think that is because 1 was a contact
hitter before, and now I am trying to
drive the ball more.” But Petersen
has been able to come through in the
clutch for the 28-19 Huskers.
“I think that is because I have
always been mentally tough,” Petersen
said.“In those typeofsituations,I feel
it is easier to hit. All the pressure is on
the pitcher, all I have to do is relax and
drive the ball.”
Off the baseball d iamond, Petersen
has also been able to come through in
the clutch in the classroom.
4 4
Baseball team to
sit out finals week
By Jeff Griesch
Staff Reporter
After all the hard work the Ne
braska baseball team did in April to
overcome a dismal March, the
Cornhuskers will start May with a
week of rest before trying to make a
run at an NCAA Regional bid.
The Huskers arc 28-19 overall
and 12-10 in the Big Eight after
going 16-5 in April.
The Huskers are hoping the mo
mentum they gained in April will
continue through May after taking
10 days off for academic finals.
Nebraska coach John Sanders
said the break should be good for
the Huskers.
“Obviously we’d rather be play
ing this week rather than not play
ing,” he said. “But the players will
get focused on final exams, and the
bumps and bruises can get fully
healed.”
The only slip the Huskers had
during the month was a three-game
sweep by Kansas at home April 22
24, but Nebraska recovered to take
a doubleheadcr from Missouri on
April 27.
The two wins against Missouri
allowed the Huskers to end their
best month on a winning note.
“Usually I would say that we
want to keep playing,” Sanders said
after the Kansas scries. “But I think
the rest comes at a good time be
cause 1 think we may be a little
drained.”
Nebraska pitcher Troy Brohawn
said he had mixed feelings about
not playing between April 27 and
May 7.
“As a far as pitching goes, I
think it will be good to have rest so
our arms arc fresh and rested,”
Brohawn said. “But as far as hitting
goes, we were on a roll at the plate,
and when you’re hitting well you
want to keep hitting.”
Sanders said that since his team
-M
You hate to shut it
down when you’re
doing well so that’s
a possible
negative.
— Sanders
Nil baseball coach
-ff -
is playing well, he hoped the layoff
didn’t stop the Huskers’ winning
“We’ rc playi ng wel 1,” he said. “You
hale to shut it down when you’re
doing well, so that’s a possible nega
tive.”
But the Huskers will try to stay
sharp by practicing this week before
resuming regular-season play May 7
with a three-game weekend scries at
Oklahoma.
series with the Sooners with single
games May 10 and 11 at Buck
Bcltzcr Field. It ends the season
with a three-game set at home
against Iowa State starting May 14.
Brohawn said the Huskers
planned to use their last eight games
to build momentum for the confer
ence tournament May 19-22 in
Oklahoma City, Okla.
“We’re just looking to get on a
roll going into the Big Eight,”
Brohawn said. “We’re hitting the
ball well, and our top three pitchers
have been throwing real well, and
then Mike Bellows has been doing
the job out of the pen.
“We just need to keep things .
rolling.”
Brohawn said the best way for
the Huskers to avoid being shut out
of the regional tournament for the
ninth straight year is to win the Big
Eight toumey.
“The easiest way for us to earn a
regional bid would be just to win
the Big Eight tournament,”
Brohawn said.
Nebraska women’s golf team makes history—trip to regionals
From Staff Reports ____
The Nebraska women’s golf team will be
doing something that it has never done before
on May 12.
The Comhuskers will go to rcgionals.
For the first time. Coach Robin Krapfl’s
team has qualified for rcgionals at Albuqucr
quc, N.M.
“We’re terribly excited,” Krapfl said. “Hav
ing never qualified before, it’s a great accom
plishment.”
Although this season’s team, which is
ranked No. 34, has accomplished a great feat
by qualifying, Krapfl said the Huskcrs had a
tough task awaiting them.
Krapfl said the Huskcrs could be in the
toughest regional.
Ten teams from the region are ranked in the
top 13, and there arc only 10 regional spots
available for nationals on May 25-28 in Eu
gene, Ore.
“It’sdcfin itcly the toughest region out there.”
Krapfl said. “But 1 think this team is capable of
playing up to that level.
“I really believe that if we play to the level
wc can play, wc could qualify for nationals.”
Krapfl said team depth could help this team
qualify for nationals.
But no matter what the outcome is at
rcgionals, Krapfl said, something positive
would still come out of the trip.
“Even ifwc don’t qualify, it’s a great expe
rience and it will help us for next year,” she
said.
We Want YOU
to join the fun
We'll even pay you for it
The Residence Halls at UNL have always
been the fun way to live right in the center of
campus life and now we’ll pay you for it.
There are three ways to make money when
you decide to live in the halls next year:
• THE RECRUITING BONUS: All current residence
hall students are eligible to receive a $100.00 bonus for each
current off-campus student that they recruit to live in the
residence halls next year. You can build your own
community of friends on your residence floor and get paid for
it.
• THE RETURNING STUDENT DISCOUNT: Each
current hall resident who chooses to return and each
'recruited' student will have $150.00 or $230.00 deducted
• from their housing hill.
• THE RECRUITING CONTEST: There will be prize
given to the top three students who recruit the most off
campus students to live in the halls:
Grand Prize (min. of 5 students recruited): FREE
ROOM AND BOARD contract for the year. (Valued at
$3,145.00)
Flint Prize (min. of 3 students recruited): $1,000
off the cost of your room and board contract.
Second Prize (min. of 2 student! recruited):
$500 off the cost of your room and board contract.
Now there arc even more reasons to live on
campus in the UNL residence halls. Conve
nience, the "upper-class" housing and added
benefits of Cather hall, and the endless oppor
tunities to make new friends and enjoy college
more... all of it is here for you at a price far
cheaper than off-campus living.
You Can't Afford
to Miss Out
n