SOME THINGS ABE MEANT TO BE CLOSED I YOUR MIND ISN’T ONE OF THEM. MDA has shown how valuable people with disabilities are to society. Talent, ability and desire are more important than strength of a person’s muscles. The barrier these people can’t overcome is a closed mind. Keep yours open. 1-800-872-1717 MUSCULAR I '/ » » DYSTROPHY | , D 1 1 ASSOCIATION L_l_ I I ; BUY ONE, GET ONE IHHHHhHHHj I 1*11 I I * J » ] • II g & | NOW OPEN UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT Coupon good on the following footlong subs: • Cold Cut Trio • Turkey Breast • Ham ■Bn Revelle wants clutch hits ByMekeKluck Senior Reporter Last weekend in the semifinals of the Cowgirl Tournament, Nebraska softball catcher Jenny Smith got some much-needed advice from first baseman Rachel Dunham. Dunham told Smith, who was in the on-deck circle, to just see the ball and hit it hard. Smith heeded Dunham’s advice and preceded to hit a solo hone run. Dunham may have to discuss hit ting techniques with the entire Cornhusker (7-9) squad today as they open play in the Cellular One Classic in Sacramento, Calif. NU plays No. 16 Michigan State (25-5) tonight at 7 and will face No. 17 California at 1 p.m. on Saturday. It’s not the opposition that has Husker Coach Rhonda Revelle con cerned, it’s the lack of offense gener a ted by NU in its 16 games. "We’ve really struggled to have clutch hits,” Revelle said. "Pitch se lection we’ve struggled with and 1 don’t have the answer to that. It’s not so much we’re young because every body is struggling. We’re continuing in our system because the last two years we have been in the Top 15 in the country in hitting.” The past two years, Nebraska has batted a team average of .309 and scored 5.4 runs per game. This sea son, NU is struggling, hitting just .214 and averaging 2.75 runs per contest. The Huskers are led by freshman second baseman Jennifer Lizama, who is hitting .362. Shortstop Ali Viola, who hit .421 last year, is hitting just .331 and Smith, who finished with the second-highest team average last sea son, is batting .173 — seventh on the team. NU has seen some tough competi tion in its first 16 games, playing No. 1 Arizona, third-ranked Fresno State and No. 5 Michigan twice. But Nebraska hasn’t helped itself either, Revelle said. Last week in the championship game against Okla homa State, for the second time this season, Revelle recalled, NU had run ners on second and third with no outs and failed to score. OSU won the game 2-1 in 11 innings. Revelle said Nebraska will have to gain momentum this weekend for the rest of the season against teams the Huskers should beat. “There’s not a game that I look at and think we’re going to have to play the best games of our lives to win,” Revelle said. “The way 1 look at the competition for the next 12 days is we are pretty evenly matched and if we play our game and they play their game we are going to have a very good battle.” L pounds Coyotes HIT from page 7 Coyotes. Durham, who raised his average to .329, extended his hit ting streak to 12 games. “When you get everybody in volved,” NU Coach John Sanders said, “a lot of good things happen. That was the key. We had a chance to experiment and work with the players. “I told our team we’re supposed to win these games. But it doesn’t always work that way—it has gen erally. To put up 20 hits each game and 20 runs each game, that's not easy to do. I don’t care who you’re playing.” The Huskers will look to extend their six-game winning streak when they play host to South Da kota State today at 1:30. In its last four games, NU has recorded 67 hits — including five home runs — and outscored its opponents 67-17. Junior Gabe Garcia provided some fireworks for Thursday’s crowd Of 275, knocking two dingers — one in each game — to give him four for the season. As a pinch hitter in the second game, sophomore Erik Mumm also went yard, knocking NU’s fourth homer of the game and the first of his career. Despite taking a beating from the Husker bats, South Dakota Coach Rob Stack said the games were good experience for the Coy otes, who fell to 3-9. “We want to get ourselves to see some good competition,” Stack said. “They’re solid defensively and « lb put up 20 hits each game and 20 runs each game, that’s not easy to do.” John Sanders NU baseball coach offensively. It was really tough for us.” Nebraska senior left-hander Pat Driscoll (2-2) held South Dakota scoreless through five innings in the first game allowing just two hits while striking out five. “He’s got some good stuff,” Stack said. “I was glad to see our kids aggressive against him.” Sophomore righty Jarod Bearinger, who started the second game for NU, improved to 2-0 af ter allowing six runs—two earned — pn eight hits while striking out three. Sanders said the Huskers are ready for the tough competition they will face in the Rainbow Eas ter Tournament in Honolulu March 24-30. The Huskers will play Hawaii, Wichita State, New Mexico, Cal State-Northridge and Washington in the tournament over spring break. Huskers roll into Big 12s WOMEN from page 7 State. Oklahoma was third (192.45) and Missouri was fourth (187.55). The Cyclones are led by senior Kim Mazza, who won the all-around March 1 in ISU’s 196.275-195.1 loss at Nebraska. Kendig said the Cyclones will be Nebraska’s closest competition, even though ISU has already lost to Ne braska twice this season. Iowa State has done a good job, he said. “But I don’t think we’re going to get too worried about who is going to be there. If it’s meant to be, then it’s meant to be and we’ll come back and hang another banner in here.” Despite setting the school’s first, second and fourth highest team-score records this season, Kendig said Ne braska hasn’t put together a flawless performance. “If we do the things we’re capable of doing, we don’t have a weak event,” he said. “Anything is possible. But we feel really confident in what we’re capable of doing.” After struggling early in the sea son with a thigh injury, Amie Dillman has became a vital part of the floor exercise lineup. “I was ready for this after Penn State,” Dillman said. “Now, there are just little points that we have to cor rect in our routines. I’m just ready for the big meets to start rolling.” Calhoun expects a tough test UCONN from page 7 of 53 home games — UConn also considers the Hartford Civic Cen ter a home arena — Connecticut lost seven of eight at home this year prior to the NIT. “Our oldest player in terms of service had a grand total of no starts last year,” Calhoun said. “Our youth is unheard of. I’ve never coached a team like this.” But in his 11th year in Storrs, Calhoun said, the Huskies have shown the character necessary to develop into a squad similar to last year’s team. A year ago, UConn finished 32-3 and advanced to the Elite Eight behind the leadership of Ray Allen and Travis Knight, both of whom now play in the NBA. Forward Richard Hamilton, one of three freshmen starters along with two sophomores, possesses the ability to join recent UConn greats like Allen and Dcnyell Marshall, Calhoun said. Hamilton scored 24 points in the Huskies’ 63-47 win over Bradley in the NIT second round Tuesday, and he averages 14.9 points per game. UConn and Nebraska share just one common opponent, top-ranked Kansas. The Huskies lost 73-65 to KU on Jan. 19 in Hartford. Kansas beat Nebraska twice, but the Husk ers (18^14) own a 5-8 record against NCAA Tbumament teams. “They’re an NCAA-caliber team,” Calhoun said. “They’ve just had some tough losses. Remember, the NCAA Tournament is not the 64 best teams in the country. If it was, Nebraska would be there.” Defending NIT champ Ne braska, which will play Florida State Tuesday in New York if they win tonight. “With a young team, this can be a great springboard,” said Calhoun, who led UConn to an NIT title in 1988. “The point is that the NIT has helped an awful lot of teams.” F 32 Richard HamAon 6-6 186 Fr.