Husker hardballer steps out of
shadows, into own spotlight
By Jeff Griesch
Senior Reporter
Some outfielders wear flip-down
sunglasses to fight the sun while they
chase fly balls.
But Nebraska right fielder Matt
Meyer doesn’t mind standing in the
sun because it means a chance to step
out of the shadows.
For three years, Meyer has played
in the long shadow cast by former
Comhusker All-American outfielder
Marc Sagmoen.
While Meyer played for
Eisenhower High School in Yakima,
Wash., Sagmoen played for Yakima
Valley Community College. After high
school, Meyer decided to follow in
Sagmoen’s footsteps and play at
Yakima Valley.
“Marc Sagmoen was an unbeliev
able player and a great hitter,” Meyer
said. “I saw him play while I was still
in high school, and he was the man. I
looked up to him. I wanted to be like
him.”
Sagmoen hit .454 in his second
season at Yakima Valley before com
ing to Nebraska. He hit .451 in two
years with the Huskers.
He left Nebraska as the Huskers’
season and career leader in batting
average and was drafted in the 10th
round of the professional draft by the
Texas Rangers.
Sagmoen has hit his way to the
Rangers’ Triple-A club in Oklahoma
City and is one of the organization’s
top prospects.
While Sagmoen was putting his
name in the Nebraska record book,
Meyer was making a name for himself
at Yakima Valley.
Meyer led Yakima Valley to a sec
ond-place finish in the state commu
nity college tournament in 1993.
He was recruited by Texas A&M
and Arizona State, but after a recruit
ing visit from Nebraska coach John
Sanders and Sagmoen, Meyer said he
knew where he wanted to play in 1995.
“When Marc came down for the
recruiting trip with John, my inten
tions were totally to come to Ne
braska,” Meyer said. “He had such
success at Nebraska that I knew I
wanted to come here and do the same
thing.”
Before coming to Nebraska, Meyer
played his final season at Yakima
Valley and stepped out of Sagmoen’s
shadow by finishing with better num
bers than Sagmoen had at Yakima
Valley.
Meyer hit .461 with 13 home runs
and 59 RBI in 40 games and earned
Northwest Athletic Association of
Community Colleges Player of the
Year.
But after coming to Nebraska,
Sagmoen’s shadow returned.
Meyer struggled early in the sea
son, hitting just .262 with no homers
and two RBI in Nebraska’s first 13
games.
“I was not disciplined enough at
the plate,” Meyer said.
Meyer hit two home runs against
Kansas Wednesday, including a two
run homer in the ninth inning to give
the Huskers a 12-10 win.
During the past 16 games, Meyer i s
hitting .386 with five home runs and
22 RBI. Meyer is batting .326 with
five homers and 24 RBI on the season.
“Right now I am not where I want
to be,” Meyer said. “My discipline is
improving, but I think I am much
better hitter than I have shown.
“I made a name for myself at
Yakima,” Meyer said. “Now I am try
ing to do the same thing at Nebraska.”
Until Meyer does that, he said play
ing in Sagmoen’s shadow was fine
with him.
“Just being associated with a great
hitter 1 ike Marc Sagmoen is an honor,”
Meyer said. “Most players dream of
playing in Triple-A, and he has a
chance to go farther. Being like him
wouldn’t be bad at all. But I would
like to think I can be better.”
Nebraska track and held teams
open home season without sprinter
By Vince D’Adamo
Staff Reporter
The Nebraska track and field teams
will open their outdoor home sched
ule Saturday at the Ed Weir Track.
But the Husker men will have to go
into the meet without junior sprinter
Rod Marshall, who is out with a pulled
. hamstring.
And Coach Gary Pepin may have
to do without Marshall for a while.
The hamstringhas been a chronic prob- *
lem for Marshall, he said.
Pepin is not optimistic about
Marshall’s status.
“My guess is that he’s out for the
season,” Pepin said.
The Husker men will face Colo
rado State, Wichita State, and Minne
sota. The women also will play host to
those teams along with Iowa State in a
five-team contest.
Both the Nebraska men and women
are coming off of second- and third
place finishes at last week’s Tar Heel
Invitational.
The competition begins at 10:30
a.m. with the men’s hammer throw.
The running events begin at 1:30 p.m.,
“Our strength in our first outdoor meet was
distance and field. ”
■
GARY PEPIN
Nebraska track and field coach
with the women’s 5,000-meter run.
The final event of the day is themen’s
400-meter relay, slated for 4:30 p.m.
Even without Marshall, Pepin has
a positive outlook on his distance run
ners and field performers.
“We have some talented sprint
ers,” said Pepin. “But our strength in
our first outdoor meet was distance
and field.’4
For the men in last week’s Tar Heel
Invite, seven Huskers garnered first
place marks, coupled with four provi
sional qualifying marks. In dual meet
competition, the Husker men were
defeated by North Carolina 83-71 but
won handily over Michigan 78-55 in a
dual meet.
The Nebraska women also did not
disappoint, as they claimed five first
place finishes and 77 team points. In
the dual contests, the Huskers were
bested by North Carolina 83.5-61.5
and Tennessee 80-65. But they rolled
to easy wins over Michigan and
Georgetown.
Pepin said that members of the
team had different reasons for their
individual goals.
“It’s still early,” said Pepin. “But in
general we’re trying to get ready for
the conference meets.
“Some people are gearing toward
the national championships, while the
younger members see this meet as
very important to show what they can
Pepin said he hoped that this week
end would become a stepping stone
for the rest of the season.
Baseball sacrifices big
names for big bucks
NEW YORK (AP)—Kansas City
and Montreal continued their payroll
purges Thursday, with the Royals deal
ing David Cone to Toronto and the
Expos moving Marquis Grissom to
Atlanta.
Montreal, which on Thursday sent
starter Ken Hill to St. Louis and re
liever John Wetteland to the New York
Yankees, is attempting to cut its pay
roll to about $12 million.
“It’s happening. We’re just out
front. The money — it’s starting to
show that there’s not a lot of it,” Expos
general manager Kevin Malone said.
Kansas City sent outfielder Brian
McRae to the Chicago Cubs on
Wednesday before the unexpected
deal for Cone. Kevin Appier and Tom
Gordon could be gone by Friday, the
deadline to offer contracts to players
•eligible for salary arbitration.
“Sometimes you have to bite some
real tough bullets,” said Bob Boone,
the Royals’ first-year manager. “You
can’t hide the fact that taking a Cy
Young Award winner out of your ro
tation is a blow to the quality of your
rotation. But nobody said it was going
to be easy. I’m not going to cry in my
beer and say poor me. What we’re
looking at is the long-term health of
this organization.”
Cone, a Kansas City native, was
16-5 with a 2.94 ERA in the strike
shortened 1994 season and has a 111 -
70 career record with a 3.12 ERA.
“It’s no secret I’ve got one year on
my contract, and there’s no guarantee
I would be with the Royals next year,”
he said. “I’m still goingto be a Royals
fan. I’m still going to do a lot of good
things in that community. But if you
can’t play for your hometown, then
Toronto’s a great place to be. It’s a
class organization, just like the Roy
als.”
The Royals got three minor league
prospects for Cone: Infielders Christ
Stynes and Tony Medrano and relief
pitcher David Sinnes.
Grissom hit .288 in 1994 with 11
homers, 45 RBIs and 36 stolen bases.
To get him, Atlanta had to give up
outfielders Roberto Kelly, Tony
Tarasco and minor league pitcher
Esteban Yan. Atlanta will pay much
ofKelly’s 1994 salary of $3.4 million.
“As I told John (Schuerholz, the
Braves general manager) earlier to
day, I think this basically will bring a
world championship to the Braves at
some point. It definitely makes them a
much better club,” Malone said.
Does Your Heart Good.
, American Heart Association
HERBIE HUSKER & 1
LIL'RED TRYOUTS
Open to any individual interested in trying out.
Wend information meeting at the field house.
(Gate 11. Memorial Stadium)
TUESDAY, APRIL 11 at 7pm
Come see what representing the
Cornhusker National Champions is all about.
If unable to attend or if you have any questions contact:
Marlon Lozano 474-6539
^ or Renee Swartz 472-4622. j
>
I Ready to let your hair down?
Fusion
Tuesday
April 11 ‘ 7:30
Nebraska Union
Centennial Ballroom
. $3 for Students w/ID
$5 Public
Fusion combines traditional dancers, African drummers, a story
teller and D.J., with multimedia 1o tell the story the impact the African
culture has on other cultures around the globe. • So come with us on .
a musical journey as Fusion explodes onto UNL’s campus. \)vi(
I ~ | ■■■ ■■■■ ■ “..r~ “ ' ""
.. i _U_i
shades
if simmer
1995
This summer, attend Colorado State and
earn credits during 4-, 8-, or 12-week terms.
Courses begin
May 15, June 12 and July 10
No formal admission requirements
Call for a free
Summer Bulletin or Class Schedule
1-800-854-6456
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