Missouri shortstop Griffin
Moore was named the Big 12
Conference’s player of the week.
Moore hit six home runs in five
games last week. Moore, from San
Luis Obispo, Calif., posted a .533
batting average for the Tigers, who
went 4-2 last week. In addition to
his five long balls, Moore had 13
RBIs, three doubles and three
triples.
The Big 12 pitcher of the week
was Iowa State’s Nafhan Hilton.
Hilton, a sophomore from Boone,
Iowa, recorded the first complete
game by a Cyclone pitcher since
1996 in a 10-1 upset of No. 11 Texas
A&M last week.
m
Texas A&M filled their basket
ball coaching vacancy with Melvin
Watkins, who spent two years as the
head coach at North Carolina
Charlotte. Watkins replaces Tony
Barone, who was reassigned in the
Aggie athletic department in
March.
While Texas A&M has found a
coach for next season, Texas is start
ing its search for a replacement for
Tom Penders, who resigned last
week.
«
With Nebraska junior Tyronn
Lue and Kansas junior Paul Pierce
both opting to forgo their senior sea
sons to enter the NBA Draft, no
members of the Big 12 All
Conference team will return next
season.
But several of the league's sta
tistical leaders will be returning to
try and earn a spot on next year’s
team. Several semors-to-be ranked
among the top 10 in points and
rebounds per game. Texas A&M
senior Shanne Jones is the leading
returning scorer with 18.1 points
per game. Texas senior Kris Clack is
next with 17.6 points per game, fol
lowed by Oklahoma-State’s Adrian
Peterson with 17.3 points per game.
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Freshmen Chris Ridens and
Walter Moore, both from Iowa
State, have transferred from ISU to
junior colleges. Ridens is transfer
ring to Southwest Missouri State
Community College, and Moore is
transferring to a junior college in
Texas. Neither saw action this year
for the Cyclones, which means they
are eligible to play as soon as they
get to their respective schools.
Big 12 Notebook compiled by
Assignment Reporter Jay
Saunders
Nee prepares team for life after Tyronn Lue
BySamMcKewon
Senior Reporter
The search is on.
After Tyronn Lue declared himself
eligible for the NBA Draft March 31,
Nebraska Men’s Basketball Coach
Danny Nee immediately began looking
for a replacement at point guard.
And Nee said the Cornhuskers
have shifted into overdrive trying to
fmd one.
“We’re looking through the junior
colleges to find somebody,” Nee said.
“We know we can’t replace Tyronn
Lue, but we’d like to find somebody
who’s a true point
guard.”
Nee said NU,
which welcomes
back every player
but Lue from a
team that was 20
i/and went to the
NCAA
Tournament,
doesn’t need a
player to score a
lot of points next Nee
season, but an
experienced floor leader.
“We want a set-up guy, somebody
who can come in and run the offense,”
Nee said. “We don’t need points.”
IfNee isn’t able to find a point guard
in the junior college ranks, it is likely
he’ll turn to a couple of underclassmen
for the job. Freshman Todd Smith, who
gained a medical redshirt after playing
sparingly in 1997-98, or sophomore
Rodney Williams, who averaged 0.9
points per game last season, could be
heir apparent to the position.
But even if Nebraska can’t recruit a
point guard, Nee said, the Huskers will
survive.
“We’ll have to,” Nee said. “We did
n’t expect that Todd Smith would get
rods in his legs or that (guard) Cary
Cochran would get hurt, but that’s what
happened.”
Another option might be junior
college recruit Rodney Fields, who
averaged more than 14 points at Tyler
(Texas) Junior College last year.
Tyler Coach Kyle Keller said the 6
foot-3 Fields could adjust to the job but
is better off at shooting guard or even
small forward.
“He could play the position in a
pinch, if he had to,” Keller said. “I think
Please see REPLACE on 7
Matt Miller/DN
NEBRASKA PITCHER Jenny Voss has compiled a 1.33 ERA and has struck out 126 batters while throwing 74 per
cent of the Huskers’ innings this season.
Voss drive matches talent
By Shannon Heffelfinger
Senior Reporter
Toward the end of the Nebraska softball team's winter
conditioning, a slicing pain struck Jenny Voss.
She tried to ignore it. The pain lingered m the pitcher's
back for days, but Voss kept throwing. She kept hurling rise
balls and screwballs because, as she said, they weren't perfect.
Even in injury, it's difficult for Voss to accept anything
short of near perfection.
“1 just didn't know what to do,” Voss said of her nagging
injury. “I’ve never had something like that.
“But I'm actually kind of glad it happened because it
made me stronger. I was so worried that it was going to be
downhill from there, but it wasn’t. The pain is gone.”
She fought through it and never missed a beat.
So goes the career of Voss, a career that NU Coach
Rhonda Revelle has said ranks among the best in Comhusker
history. Voss has compiled a 22-6 record and has reached her
goal of perfection in six shutouts this season.
And tonight when Nebraska (28-8 overall and 6-0 in the
Big 12 Conference) travels to Omaha for a doubleheader
against Creighton beginning at 6 p.m., Voss could tie the
school record she set last year for single-season wins (24).
Twenty games remain on the Huskers’ regular season
schedule.
“I’m not going out there and saying the next two games
are going to be two wins,” Voss said. “It’s early in the sea
son, and I don’t know what my record is. I don’t know how
many wins I have and I like it that way. I don't want to get
into the numbers.”
But the numbers are impressive for a sophomore pitch
er who never seems to tire. Voss has struck out 126 batters
and has compiled a 1.33 ERA, carry ing NU's pitching load
74 percent of the time this season.
Last year as a freshman, Voss hurled 80 percent of the
Huskers’ innings, shattering single-season records for com
plete games (36) and innings pitched (295.1).
Her stamina goes unquestioned by Revelle and NU
Assistant Coach Lon Sippel. But the coaches have made
changes in Voss’ practice routine, hoping to prevent a late
season burnout.
”1 don’t ever want to stop,” Voss said. “I realize that
sometimes 1 need a rest, but when I’m in there, I'm working
hard. I want to work the extra minute or 10 minutes to get to
the point where I fee! satisfied. I guess I’m just a go-get
’em-and-never-stop’ kind of person.”
But after reluctantly cutting her repetitions in practice,
Voss realizes the benefits of the change. Sippel said Voss’
awareness of her body’s capabilities has increased, and the
pitcher agrees.
“There will be days in practice when I’m on and I know
I’m on, so why drill a pitch?” Voss said. “Why throw inside
drop balls when I’m nailing them all? There’s no point in
beating something that’s already there. So I’m cutting down
the repetitions on my arm, and I’m throwing as little as I
have to.”
Please see VOSS on 7
Golfer has
skill beyond
statistics
By Sam McKewon
Senior Reporter
Numbers don’t lie, the old proverb
says. But sometimes they don’t tell the
whole truth, either.
Take the case of Nebraska senior
golfer Rachelle Tacha. As a sophomore
in 1995, Tacha was the champion of the
Big Eight Conference. She then fin
ished 27th at the NCAA
Championships in La Quinta, Calif.
Two years later, Tacha is scoring
better on the course, but placing lower
in tournaments.
Such is life with better competition.
“It’s been frustrating at times,
because I’d
like to win «
tourna- rr y
ments,” 1J there was
said. “I’ve something
just had to ., 7
learn to let WVOHg With
myself . ..
play- my swing, it
Much • . 7
of the Just seemed
opp^sl- like it would
really bother
of Texas! me”
a & m . Rachelle Tacha
Baylor NU golfer
and Texas " ■
nr _ _ 1. ■
Itdl 111
the formation of the Big 12
Conference. Currently three teams in
the league (Oklahoma State, Texas
and Texas A&M) are ranked in the
Mastercard Collegiate Golf
Rankings' top 15.
The Huskers also entered bigger,
tougher tournaments to gain national
recognition in the spnng of 1997. Tacha
lowered her stroke average from 79.74
to 78.71, but found herself back in the
field, rather than at the front.
“She put a lot of extra pressure on
herself to play at the top level of tourna
ments,” NU Coach Robin Krapfl said.
“She was trying to make the perfect
shot, rather than trusting her swing.”
That led Tacha to get “too mechani
cal” on the course, Krapfl said. Tacha
would let one shot or one hole worry
her too much.
“If there was something wrong with
my swing, it just seemed like it would
really bother me,” Tacha said. “It would
bother me if a shot went left or right of
where I wanted it to go.”
inis spring, lacna is trying to
improve on her fall stroke average of
77.80 and lead Nebraska to its first
NCAA Championships.
She has played well early, finishing
37th at the Bruin Classic Feb. 23-25 and
19th at the Betsy Rawls Invite March
13-15.
Krapfl said Tacha has done a good
job of dealing with bad shots this sea
son.
“There’s always going to be a cou
ple of bad shots, and Rachelle under
stands that now,” Tacha said. “She’s not
the perfectionist she used to be.”
Tacha said she has tried to take
advice from her father on how to make
golf easier.
“He’s always said golf can be a pret
ty simple game. Just hit it in the fairway,
hit it on the green, and putt it in,” Tacha
said. “I guess that’s all I’m trying to do.
“I just have fun to end out my
career. I’m not going to be a profession
al golfer or anything, so this is it for me.
I just want to enjoy doing it.”