Baseball, softball, track teams win Bis 12 titles
SPORTS from page 6
home crowd in Omaha, and,
despite being the ninth seed in
the tournament, a legitimate
chance at the national title
because of the distinct advan
tage.
Rodrigue pitched against a
Stanford youngster by the name
of Brian Segar. In later conversa
tion, Van Horn would lament
missed opportunities in the third
game, of which there were a few,
such as when right fielder Adam
Shabala stood on third base in
the fifth inning, with the score 3
2 in Stanford^ favor. One out on
the board, Van Horn turned to
second baseman Josh Hesse, an
accomplice for die squeeze play,
as Shabala would blitz home as
the ball theoretically rolled past
him in fair territory.
But Hesse’s bunt attempt
turned upward into a pop out.
And then, Shabala was caught
trying to steal home on a passed
ball. The inning ended;
Nebraska’s chances were less
threatening afterward.
Stanford boosted its lead in
die eighth with a two-run homer,
an often occurrence for the
Cardinal, who had several near
misses during the game, and the
series as a whole. At 5-2, it was
all but done.
Catcher Justin Cowan hit a
home run in the ninth, but the
Huskers climbed no farther. In
two successive games, then, the
Huskers had suffered mid-lineup
power outages when least need
ed.
But Van Horn did not place
blame upon his hitters, who
along with facing three consecu
tive Major League prospects and
slaying one, had more than
earned keep for the entire sea
son, and put themselves in posi
tion for victory. Though no
blinding star emerged, this was a
hitting team of speed and aver
age, along with 21 home runs
apiece from Matt Hopper and
Dan Johnson. The team hit for an
average of .325, with nearly all
of the starters above the .300
marie.
As with teams that lose, NU
had disappointment while
Stanford piled onto the field in
their trademark pullover jerseys.
The Cardinal have an easy brack
et to navigate for the series; one
expects them to capture a spot in
die national championship game.
Nebraska, though it may feel
wanting when its players visit
Rosenblatt Stadium this week
and next, will recover and can
take solace in knowing that if it
had to be beaten, the possible
champion is the best option
available.
And though seniors depart,
no one denies the program’s
future from here is sunny with
the completion of a baseball
complex that will make NU one
of, if not the, preeminent base
ball force north of the Mason
Dixon line. Few teams, exclud
ing the upper throes of
California, capture a national
title north of that line. Last to do
it was Wichita State, in 1989. It
may be fitting, then, that the
Cornhuskers eliminated the
Shockers in the opening region
al.
If the winds are shifting, they
do so in favor of the men in red.
And next year, surrounded by a
facility that will serve as envy for
many top Northern programs,
and even a few of the elite
Southern ones, the next logical
step toward the series is, in a
manner of speaking, the next
logical step.
This belief, not four years
removed from a stagnant pro
gram, is the best determinant of
Nebraska’s progress. The
Comhusker team, with Komine
Zoo, Old Market offer CWS
fans respite from baseball
By Jill Zeman
Staff writer
Starting today, college base
ball enthusiasts will have their
eyes on Omaha as the opening
ceremonies of die College World
Series commence at Rosenblatt
Stadium.
But with all the excitement
and chaos surrounding the series,
even the greatest baseball afi
cionados may need a break from
the action.
Across the street from the sta
dium is Omaha1* Henry Doorly
Zoo, recently voted the number
one zoo in the Midwest, according
to zoo director Dr. Lee Simmons.
A popular attraction currently
atthezooisapairofkoalas, which
will be featured until Sept. 4,
Simmons said.
Another new exhibit features
the okapi, a type of giraffe native
to the Zaire rainforest
Simmons said the okapi are
“incredibly rare” and encourages
people to take advantage of the
exhibit
Despite the new attractions,
Simmons said he anticipates a
drop in attendance during the
CWS mainly because of a lack of
available parking.
Although the overall visitor
count may be down during the
CWS, Simmons said he expects to
see more guests from outside the
Omaha area.
The zoo is open daily from
9:30 am. to 5:00 pm Admission
is $7.75 for adults, $4.00 for chil
dren and $6.25 for senior citizens,
he said.
Series spectators who need a
break from the heat can also travel
to Southroads Mall, located in
Bellevue.
A shuttle service from the
mall to the stadium is being
offered, beginning Friday. The
departure times from the mall are
10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:00 p.m.
and 5:00 p.m., said Traci
VanDeWalle, Southroads Mall
marketing director.
The shuttle will run until June
16 and will cost $2.00, she said.
VanDeWalle said die mall will
showcase a craft show, a pet adop
tion service, and a fashion show
during the CWS.
“We’ve got a lot going on
here,” she said.
Other shopping opportunities,
restaurants and entertainment
options fix guests include the Old
Market area in downtown Omaha,
Crossroads Mall, at 74th and
Dodge streets and Westroads Mall
at 102nd and West Dodge.
mall.Dailyneb.com
returning to lead the pitchers,
and a balanced speed attack on
offense, will expect no less. And
now that they are aware of the
dream’s possibility, neither will
the fans.
Softball
It might be of some consola
tion to the Nebraska softball
team that of the six losses nation
al champion Oklahoma accrued
during its national title run, 33
percent - well, two - were hand
ed out by the Comhuskers.
There was little to suggest
that the season would finish out
that way, based on a start that left
NU with a 14-15'record midway
through its schedule. But the run
after that point - 38-6 - estab
lished Nebraska as one of the
nation’s elite, alpng with Big 12
Tournament champion, which it
wrested away from a Sooner
team two weeks yet from its
national title.
It came from all different
directions for the Comhuskers,
as pitchers Leigh Ann Walker
and Jenny Voss combined for a
solid 1-2 punch. NU struggled
more offensively, with midsea
son injuries to All-American
Jennifer Lizama and shortstop
Leigh Suhr.
But the Huskers persevered
with walk-on replacements and
backups. And when needed, the
defense stood up nicely. In its
regional, Nebraska ran into a
buzzsaw, so to speak, in Arizona,
which shut out die Huskers twice
en route to a spot in the college
world series.
Track and field
The Longhorns of Texas had
established a dominance in track
and field, at least in the Big 12
Conference, in two previous
years, but 2000 proved a rever
sal. Working off of two confer
ence indoor titles earlier in the
spring, Nebraska achieved the
feat again on the men’s and
women’s side in the outdoor sea
son, besting UT on the strength
of field events.
For leading those efforts, NU
Coach Gary Pepin was named
Big 12 Coach of die Year.
At nationals, held in
Durham, N.C., the womens’
team performed admirably, fin
ished eighth. This was its best
finish since 1995. The men’s
team did not send a full team,
and none of the sent athletes
scored.
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