Leigh Ann Walker bringing confidence back to NU
■The Husker pitcher is filling
the void left by Voss'departure.
BY VAN JENSEN
After a rocky start, the
Nebraska softball team is on an
11-game winning streak, leaving
the team with a 21 -9 record and a
No. 18 national ranking.
You have to look no further
than the pitching of Leigh Ann
Walker to explain NU’s resur
gence.
Walker has collected six of
“This year she has
been the go-to
(pitcher). She’s
stepped up and
answered that call."
Rhonda Revelle
NU softball coach
the last 11 wins, allowing only
three runs in those six appear
ances. Against 20th-ranked
Michigan, she pitched a com
plete game, one-hit shutout in
steady rain.
‘‘1 can’t say enough about
what (Walker) has done for the
team,” Coach Rhonda Revelle
said.
Walker, a second team All
American last year, is 9-4 with a
1.20 ERA this season. She also
has 134 strikeouts, which puts
her nearly on pace to break the
NU season record. For her
career. Walker ranks in the top
ten of six team categories.
Wins did not come so easy
for Walker or the team at the
beginning of the season. Walker
took losses against South
Carolina and California, but had
only one run supporting her in
each game.
"We were frustrated,” Walker
said. “I wasn’t happy with how I
was throwing.”
Walker also had to adjust to
the new- pitchers around her.
Last season, Jenny Voss and
Walker took almost all starts for
the team. Voss ended her career
with 110 wins, the most in school
history, and a 1.44 ERA. Voss’s
graduation left Walker with big
shoes to fill.
"This year she has been the
go-to (pitcher),” Revelle said.
“She’s stepped up and answered
that call.”
Walker had to go from learn
ing under Voss to teaching the
committee of younger pitchers
and being a team leader.
According to Walker and
Revelle, the turning point in the
season came against Creighton
on March 10.
Walker started the game and
was perfect through three
innings, but in the fourth, Blue
Jay Frenchy Nix hammered a
two-run homer and gave
Creighton the lead.
“I was mad when I gave up
the home run, but T knew that we
were going to win, Walker said.
Walker shut Creighton down
the rest of the way, and the
Huskers scored three late runs to
steal the game.
Nebraska plays Creighton
again today, and Big 12 play
begins on Saturday with a game
against Missouri. The Huskers
don’t open at home until March
26 against Colorado State.
Junior l-back
Dahrran
Diedrick is
poised to take
over as a starter
at the position
afteraredshirt
season and two
years of sitting
behind the now
departed Dan
Alexander and
Correll
Buckhalter.
• DN File Photo
No. 30 likes newfound limelight
PEIPRICK from page 10
appeared late in games as
Diedrick was third string.
Mostly, he just sat behind
his elders and waited his turn.
That turn began Monday,
when NU’s No. 30 stepped from
the shadows into the starting I
Back position, one that’s now
his to lose. No more mop-up
acts as the crowd thins out.
rime to bask in the glow that
shines on a feature back.
“I’ve been waiting for this,”
Diedrick said Monday as
reporters crowded around fol
lowing the Huskers’ first spring
practice. “I want the limelight.”
Diedrick handled the first
day attention well, answering
aften-repetitive questions with
patience and ease.
Four different times, he
denied frustration over sitting
behind the now-graduated
Mexander and Buckhalter, who
:ombined for nore than 2,000
pards last season and are both
likely selections in next month’s
NFL Draft.
A fifth question, though,
mentioned his 93-yard per
formance against K-State two
seasons ago. The answer
changed.
“It wasn’t, um, I guess, um
... it was difficult, but I learned
how to handle it,” Diedrick said.
As quickly as the guard
came down, it went back up.
Diedrick isn’t a bit player any
more, he’s the guy. The guy isn’t
supposed to spout negativity.
“The younger guys are the
ones taking the lead from me
now,” he said. "There’s more
responsibility there. I have to
make sure I go hard all the time,
set an example.”
Those younger guys include
sophomore DeAntae Grixby,
much-ballyhooed junior
. Thunder Collins, suspended for
the first week of spring, and
sophomore Robin Miller.
Miller may experiment at a
fullback position muddied by a
back injury to the likely starter
Judd Davies. Junior Paul Kastl
will likely battle for the spot
with Miller if Davies cannot
return.
Dave Gillespie, NU’s run
ning backs coach, likes the crop
of backs, and Diedrick’s
chances to headline them.
Gillespie said 20-25 carries
per game for Diedrick wasn’t
out of the question, but cau
tioned Diedrick must first show
that he could handle the load.
Last season Alexander (16.5
carries per game) and
Buckhalter (9.6) combined for a
little more than 26 carries per
contest.
“Being a No. 1 back is just a
lot different,” Gillespie said.
“You enter the game when it’s in
question and when there’s
uncertainty about the defense
you’re facing ... it’s up to you to
establish the flow of the game.
“With the third guy, the flow
has already been established. I
won’t say a guy is ready for (the
No. 1 position) until he does it.”
Diedrick's success or failure
at the position will play itself
out in fall. For now, this spring,
he gets to enjoy the perks of
being the No. 11-Back.
“It was nice being first in all
the drills and first when we ran
plays,” he said. “I’m really ready
for this ... there’s more of an
excitement there for me now.”
With more NCAA success, Gonzaga no one's Cinderella
rHE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK - Three straight
appearances in the third round
if the NCAA tournament war
rants being labeled better than a
‘mid-major” team, Gonzaga
feels.
“Mid-major is a misnomer,”
~oach Mark Few said during a
inference call Tuesday, three
jays before the Bulldogs play
lefending national champion
Michigan State in the South
Regional semifinals at the
Georgia Dome in Atlanta. "That
ust shows the ignorance out
here. That’s just an ignorant
statement to make.
“You can call our conference
the West Coast Conference)
nid-major because we don’t
lave the money to build big
botball stadiums. People are so
lsed to waxing on about people
Torn football conferences, they
lon't do their homework. That’s
rery shortsighted.
“You shouldn’t throw out
abels. This team has been high
najor the last three years and
ihould be referred to as that.”
Gonzaga has proved its high
"Mid-major is a
misnomer. That just
shows the ignorance
out there."
Mark Few
Gonzaga coach
stature the past three seasons.
In 1999, the Bulldogs
reached the round of 16 by beat
ing No. 2 seed Stanford and got
as far as the final eight before
losing to Connecticut. Last year,
they advanced to the regional
semifinals with an upset of No. 2
St. John’s, and this season they
made it by surprising No. 4
Virginia in the opening round,
then defeating Indiana State, the
first time they've played a lower
seeded team.
Gonzaga’s penchant for sur
prise victories has endeared
them to basketball fans across
the country ... the little school
that could.
Dan Dickau, the high-scor
ing guard, likens the Bulldogs’
fascination to that of the Dallas
Cowboys, America’s team.
“I think so,” Dickau said
when asked about Gonzaga’s
appeal to just the average fan.
He noted several fans went
from Spokane, Wash., home of
the 4,700-student school, to
Memphis, Tenn., to watch the
Bulldogs in their first two South
Regional games, adding that “a
lot of times in Memphis, the
(other) fans there got behind us.”
“Some fans can relate to us,”
Dickau said. “They realize they
could have been us when they
were younger.”
For the third straight year,
the Zags were a double-digit
seed in the tournament, and
again they have befuddled the
so-called experts.
"I didn’t think we were a No.
12 seed,” Dickau said, “but
there’s no sense complaining. It
got us to the Sweet 16, so we
won’t complain anymore.”
The Bulldogs are decided
underdogs again, 9 1/2 points
against the Spartans, but aren’t
awed by the prospect of facing
the powerful Spartans, the
nation’s best rebounding team
for the second straight year.
Michigan State has a plus 16.2
rebounding margin, Gonzaga is
only plus 5.8.
“We’ve used their rebound
ing as an advantage to our guys,”
Few said. “We’ve pointed out
how their guys go to the boards
with reckless abandon and pur
sue every loose ball."
Dickau also said Michigan
State’s rebounding would be a
challenge.
“We also feel that rebound
ing is one of our strengths, but
they ’ve taken it to another level,”
he said. “We ll have to rebound
very well to keep up with them.
“Anytime you’re about to
play the defending national
champions and No. 1 seed, you
should be glad to be in the tour
nament. It’s more motivation to
us that they’ve been there.
“We have great respect for
what they did last year and what
they’ve done this year. I don’t
know how much confidence
they’ll have playing us. but we
respect them. They’re the team
that’s supposed to win this
game."
That hasn’t always mattered
to Gonzaga.
Allen perseveres through
gym program's down times
ALLEN from page 10
A primary and obvious rea
son for that would be Allen’s
razor-sharp ability to study, per
fect and coach gymnastics. The
man knows what he’s doing, and
it’s quite evident in his
demeanor.
Howard, the coach’s right
hand man for 26 years, has
known Allen for over 40 years.
They both grew up in Lincoln
and competed against each
other in high school, then co
captained NU’s 1965 team.
Howard said Allen was cocky,
free-spirited and knew how to
make people laugh.
And ultra-determined to be
the best.
“Nothing has changed,”
Howard said.
Allen became an assistant to
Coach Jack Grier after he gradu
ated and took over the program
in 1969. With Howard’s arrival as
his assistant in 1976, the two
built a dynasty, winning five
straight NCAA titles from 1979
83.
Allen was top dog during the
thick of the sport’s prime, and
many believe he still is.
He was named coach of the
1980 Olympic Team (of course, it
didn’t compete that year) and
again in 1992. He was the first
white man to set foot in the
Chinese gymnastics headquar
ters. Currently, he’s the President
of the College Gymnastics
Association.
Allen, also NU's Director of
Gymnastics, went with the
women’s team to their meet in
Arizona this past weekend and
did some recruiting.
“He is an ambassador to our
sport,” Kendig said from his
office as .Allen helped coach ele
mentary girls outside it. He does
that every night after spending
the whole day coaching his
team.
"He is Nebraska gymnastics."
Of course, Allen and anyone
in his program know he doesn’t
do it alone. Recruiting became
easy after he became a house
hold name, but his best two
recruits may have been Howard
and Chmelka, another NU
alumnus who has been an assis
tant for 15 years.
All three have their own
roles.
“Francis is the motivator,
always on the forefront,”
Hardabura said. “Howard is
more of a technician, always
telling you what's right, what’s
wrong, calling you a dumb ass if
you’re screwing up and helping
"Some of my best
trophies have been
my gymnasts and
what they’ve become. ”
Francis Allen
NU gymnastics coach
you get better. Chuck is the
young guy who the young guys
relate to best. He’s always the
head of the game with tech
niques, as well. We respect them
all in different ways.”
And as a collective whole?
“It’s like they can read each
others' minds,” junior Martin
Fournier said. “When they see
something wrong, they don’t
even have to say anything to
each other. They don’t have to
yell at us, either. You can tell
when they are unhappy.”
Fournier, like many, said
Allen’s deep intensity and sharp
mind were masked by his jovial
charm most of the time.
“The funny thing about
Francis is he doesn’t really look
like he’s working,” Fournier said.
“He doesn't need to do anything
as far as tell us rules, behavior,
how our attitude should be.
That’s transmitted through the
gymnasts.
"He's like an orchestra con
ductor - he gives us a rhythm,
but rarely makes interventions.”
Said Allen, who not only
walked around like a jokester
during practices, he even did it
during meets: “To me, the most
efficient coach is one that does
the least. (The gymnasts) are
already doing it. They’re already
trained, and they do it.”
What Allen does better than
anything is lead by example. He
hasn’t changed his system and
hasn’t panicked the past two
years because he’s confident, he
knows his gymnasts know he’s
confident, and that confidence
naturally channels into his ath
letes.
And he cares about his peo
ple. Hardabura credits every les
son he’s learned about life the
last four years - being a gentle
man, a scholar and attacking life
with a cool vengeance - to Allen,
the coaches and past Husker
gymnasts.
Which is what Mien strives
for more than anything else in
his athletes. Its what has kept
him from changing despite NU’s
struggling times and the lack of
trophies he’s won the last eight
years.
“Some of my best trophies
have been my gymnasts and
what they’ve become,” he said.
“One of them had a boss that
came to me and told me he was
the hardest working guy, the guy
that beats everybody else.
“He beats all these graduates
from all these goddamn schools
that have high visible degrees.
He’s the best-liked guy. And you
know why? Because he was in
college sports, where you have to
be in front of a crowd, and he
knew how to handle it.
“Crowds don’t bother him.
You ask him a question at an
office meeting, he just stands up
and kicks ass around the room.
And knows what it means to be a
team player.
“So his boss said ‘I’ll take any
of your graduates. You call me
anytime you need a job, and I’ll
get them a job. Your boys pro
duce.’
“Those things are the kind of
things that you can take to the
grave with you. You can’t take a
trophy to the grave with you ...
It’ll poke you in the back.”
But don’t kid yourself. Allen,
Howard, Chmelka and their
gymnasts don’t show up in a
room seeped with tradition just
to tumble around. The Huskers
would love nothing more than to
get back on top.
Although it probably won’t
happen this year, Hardabura
and Allen are confident it will
happen again soon. Hardabura
said he didn’t mind that future
gymnasts would be the ones to
attain the team glory his teams
never did.
“What Nebraska gymnastics
was, it will be again,” Hardabura
said. “And I’ll be so proud
because when you win a ring for
yourself, you win a ring for every
gymnast who has walked in this
door. That’s the greatest thing
about Nebraska gymnastics."
Said Allen, who was confi
dent he hac three blue-chip
recruits lined up:
“If the three guys I’m looking
at come, I’m back in the mix
again.
“I’ve never thought about
(never winning another NCAA
title). I don’t know. I’m hoping
the numbers will turn around.
I’m an optimist. I’ll never get
tired of this.”
And, with that. Allen sends
you off with a handshake and a
“pleasure was all mine. Come
again.”
After that kind of treatment
and enlightenment, you want to
come back. And that feeling, just
like Allen, will never change.
Shockers deal Huskers
fifth defeat in squeaker
BASEBALL from page 10
Stadium in Wichita. Kan., hand
ing the Huskers a 6-5 loss and the
seventh straight WSU (11-8) vic
tory over Nebraska (16-5) at
home.
Husker starter Jamie
Rodrigue got the loss to fall to 2-2
for the season; he gave up four
runs and seven hits in 4 1/3
innings. Shocker starter John
Tetuan (1-1) only threw five
innings but scattered just three
hits and gave up zero runs for the
win.
NU rallied in the eighth after
it gave up two runs in the third
and four in the fifth. Both third
baseman Jeff Blevins and Dan
Johnson had RBI singles. Catcher
Jed Morris, who’s caught fire after
a slow start, made the most of a
first pitch, knocking a three-run
homer to cut the lead to one.
The Huskers threatened in
the ninth with two outs, as NU
first baseman Dan Johnson
walked and John Cole singled to
put runners at first and second.
But John Tetuan recorded his
fourth save of the season by
striking out Blevins to end the
game.
WSU was led by third base
man Brent Bergamv, who was
two for four with a homer and
five RBIs.
__
