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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 27, 2000)
: y Huskers loaded with injuries ■Van Horn attributes loss of two key players to fall to University of Wisconsin. a By Dane Stickney Senior editor When Dave Van Horn answered questions after Tuesday’s loss to the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, he shook his head in disgust. Because when Van Horn, Nebraska’s baseball coach, wants to make a substitution, his options are limited because of injuries to key players. “I’m shorthanded,” he said. “Our speed guys are injured, and that hinders what we can do.” For those who have watched Comhusker baseball, it is obvious that his coaching strategy involves a great deal of speed. But injuries to speedsters sec ond baseman John Cole and center fielder Jamal Strong have left Van Horn’s hands tied. wim men absence, the Husker lineup relies more on the power of first baseman Dan Johnson and designated hitter Matt Hopper. The pair are tied for the Big 12 lead in home runs with 15. “It certainly slows us down,” Van Horn said. “We can’t create runs as easily, so we have to rely on a homer here and there.” Cole, a preseason All American who hit .396 and stole 15 bases last season, went down with a groin injury a few weeks ago. He was hit ting .324 with 15 stolen bases already this season. Cole’s injury has caused the infield to be shaken up a bit. Third baseman Brant Vlieger has been moved to short stop; short stop Will Bolt has been moved to second and Josh Hesse has taken over at third. Hesse is a solid player, Van Horn said, but he doesn’t have the speed that Cole has. Strong, a speed demon who has stolen 62 bases in 94 games, suf fered a partially separated shoulder against Texas A&M on Saturday. To compensate for Strong’s loss, Left fielder Adam Stern has moved to center and JefFLeise has been starting in left. “Leise really needs to step up for us,” Van Horn said. “Jamal’s Please see BASEBALL on 14 “ I IndHGtee From Staff Reports Johnny the Jet will soon be departing for South Bend, Ind. Johnny Rodgers, who helped . lead Nebraska’s football team to back-to-back national champi onships in 1970 and 1971, was announced Tuesday as a 2000 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame. “I’d like to thank all my old teammates of mine wherever they may be,” Rodgers said during a Hall of Fame press conference Tuesday. “You don’t win a Heisman Trophy by yourself. You don’t win a national championship by yourself. And you don’t go into the Hall of Fame by what you did yourself.” Rodgers, the 1972 Heisman trophy winner, is the 18th member of the Nebraska football program _to be inducted into the hall and just the second player from the back-to-back championship teams of’70-’71. Rich Glover, inducted in 1995, is the other. i ne ceremo Rodgers ny, the 12th for a Nebraska player, will be held Aug. 11-12 at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind. During his three seasons at NU, Rodgers led die Huskers to a 32-3 record and made a lasting impres sion in the record books and on Big Red fans’ memories. His 143 receptions and 2,479 receiving yards are tops in Husker history. The Omaha Tech graduate finished his career at NU with 19 school records. He still holds or shares 16 of them along with two national records - in career punt returns for touchdowns and kick off returns for touchdowns. It was Rodgers who sparked NU to a win in the 1971 Game of the Century. His 72-yard punt return for a touchdown NU to a come from behind, 35-31, win at Oklahoma. His 77-yard touchdown return in the Orange Bowl that year helped start the 38-6 demolishing of Alabama, which gave the Huskers their second straight national title. U You don t win a Heisman Trophy by yourself. You don ’t win a national championship by yourself. And you don’t go into the Hall of Fame by what you did yourself.” Johnny Rodgers Colleg Football Hall of Fame inductee Huskers extend winning streak By Sean Callahan Staff Writer Another midweek doubleheader for the Nebraska softball team means another sweep. Wednesday’s doubleheader against Wisconsin was the Comhuskers sixth midweek sweep of a non-conference opponent this season in as many tries. By sweeping the Badgers (26 22) 1 -0 and 8-0, the Huskers (41-18), No. 20 in this week’s poll, made themselves only the fifth team in Nebraska history to break the 40-win mark. With five regular-season games remaining, the postseason NU has a good shot of breaking the school record of wins (48) that goes back to the 1997 season. Wednesday’s Wisconsin series also had a little more weight to it because former Husker All American Ah Viola was coaching for the Badgers on the other side. “With Ali coming back, I think that meant something to us,” NU Coach Rhonda Revelle said. Coaching against the program she help build, Viola said it felt strange standing from the other end of it. Viola joked and said she made sure Revelle didn’t still use the same signs as she did in 1998 season. One thing that stuck out to Viola was the added power of some of her former teammates. “I don’t like watching them hit home runs,” Viola said. “They’re a lot more powerful than I remember. I’m proud of all of them for being such a huge part of this program that we turned around.” The added power Viola was talk ing about was very evident in both games. In game one, the Huskers got their only run off of senior Jennifer Williams’s solo shot in the second inning U I think we ’re seeing some mental fatigue ... I feel like we need to stay fresh.” Rhonda Revelle NU softball coach NU nearly got another home run in that same game from sophomore Leigh Suhr. Suhr’s ball pinged the top of the left field wall but then bounced back onto the playing field, giving her only a double. “I wouldn’t consider myself a power hitter by any means,” Suhr said. “But if I make good contact with the ball, it’s good contact, not power.” In game two, Nebraska once again relied on the long ball to get the victory. First senior All American Jennifer Lizama hit a two-run homer off the left field score board. The next inning junior Jamie Fuente also belted a long ball, this time with the bases loaded. On the mound for Nebraska was the duo of sophomore Leigh Ann Walker (17-5) and senior Jenny Voss (16-8). With Voss earning a shut-out per formance, she moved her streak of scoreless innings to 28 'A. After the game Revelle said Dead Week and the fact that her team has played four games in the last two days was good enough reason to give her team Thursday off. “I think we’re seeing some men tal fatigue,” Revelle said. “I had kids up at 4:30 this morning writing papers. I feel like we need to stay fresh.” _____ Mike Warren/DN JAMIE FUENTE makes a play to first in the first game of a doubleheader against Wisconsin. Fuente went 1-2 In the second game of the doubleheader, including a grand slam in the second inning. NU swept Wisconsin, winning 1-0 and 8-0, extending their home winning streak to 22 games. Wahoo high jumper commits to Husker track and field team Sean Callahan Staff Writer Great high-jumpers seem to find their way to Nebraska. Kyle Odvody, a high-jumper from Wahoo, gave the Cornhusker track squad die word yesterday that he will stay in his home state and compete for the Huskers. This season Odvody already has broken the Nebraska state record mark in die. high jump with a leap of 7 feet 1 Vi inches. Along with Odvody, Nebraska got two more signees on Wednesday. Fana Ashby, a sprinter from Petit Valley, Trinidad and Tobago, and Ann Gaffigan, a distance runner from Springfield, 111., both said they would compete for the NU women squad in the 2001 season. Odvody, Nebraska Track Coach Gary Pepin said, is a great addition to the Husker track program. “I would think, if he stays healthy, he could jump even higher this season,” Pepin said. “He defi nitely has a chance to come in and be a scorer at the conference level next year. “He’s just a little shy of where (former Husker All American) Shane Lavy and (NU sophomore All American) Shaun Kologinczak were jumping in high school. We’re very pleased he is coming here.” Deciding to go to Nebraska, Odvody said, was something he always wanted to do. He said being so close to home and that he had a good opportunity to compete right away made it an easy decision. “It was probably on die top of my ” They have a real good track program, and I would like to be apart of that.” KykOdvody NU track recruit list because it was closest,” Odvody said. “They have a real good track program, and I would like to be a part of that.” The opportunity to work with Pepin is something that excites Odvody. He said Pepin believed he could get him to jump higher. Odvody said Pepin seemed like he was a pretty down-to-earth guy. “He knows what he’s doing,” Odvody said. “He’s always told me that he wants to work with me, and he knows he can teach me some little things that will help me and make me improve.”