Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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w3.E Ragle Gets SetGamecock photo by Gallowi USC's Henry Ragle Eyes Shot Hit By Clemson's Dikran Ornekian In State Tournament SPORTSCDPE.z By DONALD CAUGHMAN Sports Editor When USC's Larry Buhrman was ten years old, his father decided to give up golf in favor of something a littk more vigorous. So once a week the Buhrmans traveled from their home in Homestead, Fla., to Miami to engage in their new found sport -tennis. It didn't take the younger Buhrman long to catch on to the finer points of the game, and in a few years he had become one of the top junior players in the nation. He attended high school in Coral Gables where his family now lives. The school's team captured the Florida State Championship his senior year while piling up a record point total. When Buhrman was 14, he began teaming up with a scrappy little kid from nearby Miami Beach named Jay Schlosser. After two years of playing together, the pair worked their way to the number seven spot in the nation in the 16-and-under division. That year they made their way to the third posi tion in the National Juniors Doubles Tournament but lost to the ultimate champs in the semi-finals. After graduation, Buhrman headed for the University of Miami while Schlosser entered Miami Dade Junior College. Soon afterwards, Schlosser met a personable young tennis coach from South Carolina named Bill McClain. The visitor from the Palmetto State invited him up for a visit to the campus. Schlosser was impressed, fell in love with the USC campus and decided to transfer. One (lay his old friend Buhrman saw him with a USC sweatshirt on and decided to investigate. "Hie told me how great the school was," recalled Buhrman. "lie was tremen dously impressed with how friendly the people in South Carolina were and what a great coach the school had. "I was convinced. I was ready to leave Miami and go to South Carolina. I guess it was pretty lucky for me I ran into Jay with that old red shirt on." The doubles combination has been dissolved since the two became members of the Gamecock tennis team. Buhrman now teams with Carolina's No. 1 singles player, Bobby Heald, and Schlosser is paired with Henry Ragle to form the No. 2 doubles combination. "It is really the best thing," observed Buhrman. "Bobby is better on the backhand side, and I play the forehand side better. So the arrangement has really worked out well." There have been some outstanding moments in Buhr man's career, but he looks back with fondest memories on the Orange Bowl International Juniors Tournament when he was 18. The Asian champion, who had reached the semi finals of the Juniors Tournament at Wimbledon, was his opponent. But Buhrman rose to the occasion and won the match in straight sets. Buhrman has nothing but praise for the man who has guided the Gamecock tennis team from a position as laugh ing-stock of the Atlantic Coast Conference to the state championship in just four years. "Bill McClain Is the hardest working coach I've ever seen," he said. "He's completely dedicated to the game; he must have a million books on tennis. He's in great condition, too. He runs with us every day, and when we finish he just keeps right on going. "Last year's squad was not expected to do very well, but Bill actually taught everyone of those boys to play, and they had an outstanding season." It was hard for Buhrman to hide his feelings about USC and Columbia. "The student support here is just unbe lievable, he said. "The reason everybody played so well in the state tournament was because the students and the city were behind us. The banquet given us before the tourna =nent really boosted out spirits. I just can't say enough about Rlow wonderful the neople around here are." USCT( First I By TONY SMITH Asst. Sports Editor Today at 2:30 p.m. the US< tennis team meets G e o r g i Southern on the Maxey Greg Courts. The match will be the Gan< cocks' first since winning-fo the first time in 30 years--th state tennis crown from Clemso on the same courts last Satui day. That victory put the Gamecoc& into the running for the AC team championship, or at lea that's the way USC Coach Ri McClain and his players see it. "Now we are going to see i we can get the ACC title," sai McClain earlier this week. "We have lost several clos matches to ACC competition, he added, "and now that Bits Harrison (UNC's No. 1 single player) has been ruled inelig ble, I think we have a very goo shot at the ACC crown." The Gamecocks have lost ider tical 5-4 matches to Clemson an Maryland and dropped a 6 decision to UNC in a match tht could have easily gone either wai McClain said he felt the stat 'y tournament was "awfully good and complimented the tremer dous effort of his players an the near-perfect m a n n e r i uSc F Golfej GamecockQ Face Hose At Clinton By IEYWARD ADDY Staff Writer The USC golf team will travy to Presbyterian May 1 to engag in their final match of the seaso prior to the ACC tournament. "Presbyterian has a real goo team," said Gamecock Coach Jimm Pulliam. "We expect a real toug match, because we only beat ther by three strokes in the state tour nament, andl we will be playin them at Clinton this time." Two Losses Because of two losses and onl; one win last week, the Gamecock will enter the match with a 10-, record. On April 22, Carolina droppe< a 17 -3% decision to Marylan, before coming back to take a 11-11 victor over arch-rival Clemson. "We played very poorly at Clem son and were never in the matec with Maryland," commenltedI Pul liam. Bright Spot The only bright spot for th< Ganmecocks was the play of Allar Powers, who took medalist honor: with a 73. Carolina traveled to North Caro lina April 24 and were defeatedl by the Tar Heels, 14%-6%. Three North Carolina golfer equalled or bettered par on th< Finley Golf Course, with senioi Steve Robbins capturing medalisi honors with a one-under par 71 Robbins defeated Powers, who lt the Gamecock golfers with a rount of 72. Played Well "The boys p)layed real well al North Carolina," explained P~ul liam, "but they p 1 a y e d a littl< better and we got beat." Pulliam v i e w s the up-coming ACC tournament as a real battle. "Wake Forest and South Caro lina have the two best clubs in the ACC, and I think we have a real good chance of winning the Con ference championship," said th< murname n Thirty which the team's manager, Bob Czwartacky, ran the two-day tourney. McClain's o p t i m i s m was a echoed by his n e t t e r s. Ned R Burke, the only junior on the team and the first scholarship player McClain brought to Car r olina, said he felt the real cli e max of the team's efforts had n not been achieved. "The climax will be in the ACC tournament," he said. "I think we s will he in the conference tourna. ment all the way." t The No. 5 singles player added that although UNC would be vulnerable without Harrison, f the fact remains that the Tar d Heels have lost only once to ACC competition, a 5-4 decision e in 1963 to Maryland. The Gamecocks' No. 1 singles y player, Bobby Heald, who has s lost only one match this season, i- voiced similar optimism towards d the ACC tournament. The Lynchburg, Va., sopho 1- more said he feels "It's a long d shot, but with a few upsets we 3 might win. Everybody (in the it ACC) is going to have to gang up on UNC and those soft-type e courts in Durham might upset our game some." Heald explained that the clay d mixture used for the courts ithuw. n the ball up and gives the player a aces TsTo Stf Wie ~Bobby B a cleit athletic record to be proud of--and he isn't finished yet. -: B e s-id e s being namedl to AllI America football teams aroutnd the nation, and playing in the East WVest Shrine Bowl and the Hula Bowl, Bryant is one of the main stays of Carolina's baseball team. His pitching will be a prime fac tor in~ determining how Carolina will fare in the ACC race. A business adlministration major. Bryant has offers from the major leagues, both football and baseball, to p)lay pro ball, lie has been d (ra fted by the New York Yankees in baseball and the football Min nesota Vikings. The V iki n gs must have been really impressed with his collegiate career-. The D)etroit Sports Extra andl the New York D)aily News must hav'e been impress;ed too, since they named him to their All America teams. Coach Paul D)eitzel has called Bryant "the finest deep dlefensive back I have ever- coached" As a left-handed pitcher, Bobby led the Gamecocks in that depart ment last year, pitching thenm to a shutout victory over ACC (-hamp North Carolina. During the summer he played in a league in Pierre, South Dakota. In 79 innings, he struck out 84I, and posted an ERA of 1.82, as he collected six victories against only two defeats. nt Win Years little more time to get to the ball. The Gamecocks' No. 2 singles player, Jay Schlosser, a transfer from Miami Dade Junior Col lege in Florida, noted that the slower surface of the clay-like courts a 1 1 o w s the player "to slide into the ball, whereas he would have to run all the way to it to make the return on a regular court." He added that he felt "we stand a real good chance of win ning the conference on those courts." Larrv it uh rman f, the No. 3 singles player for the (ainecock", said, "Now we've got a fighting chance. We heat (.emmo.l in the state tou1rnam,ent h)ecau..e" eer. - lm4ly p6a.e"d Iis be'.t for a chanuge. Our lo.' to Mar-land %a% a fluke. The woined that day was like a hurricane, and that kid (John Seheaff.-r) on't heat llcald again in a million years.' Stuart Reynolds, the No. 1 man for the Gameeocks and Huhrman's r o o m a t e, said. "This is what Coach McClain's been building for. We knew Carolina had not been close to winning the state title in a long time and we were thrilled with winning it. Clemson just heat Ga. Tech the week before an. they had one of the t(p five teams in the nation la-t year. ErpsF4 Tangl Speedin g Gaeo Runner SpciJ)'( Towa4rel First Over T[he 4Citatlel yant Ha rout In Ti B ryan t has anr earnoed run ave ragi of only 1.85. for 53 1 3 innings lHe has won five and lost only one He pitched a shutout in the sea son's opener against Kentucky. Th< tV 1", 171 pounder has accounted foi two of C'aroliina's five con ference wins. How he pi i t e h e s this we.ekent I A Loser's Clemson' I)ikran Olrnekian Gamecock's IHenry Ila1g4 rAC( With it Gamecock photo by Galloway s Record vo Sports ReitmIeie r will ha~ve a great <ha to dot with the way in which Caro lina will run in the ACC. Whether Bryant goes oin to win' for the Yankees~ or the Vikings, he h as alrea dy done a greatt dea for Carolina through his w i n n in g spirit. Gaece phee y Ialoway Winno e Gamecock photo by Galloway Return Rfetirns hot In Loss To in state Tourarnament A Lead; .P. c Cavaliers Are Next Opponents B JON DA\lD NPAI) Staff \ riter l Coaclh .I,i ir 'owers eniitds h, Gamecock aga :ns t M1aryland Fri day to liatf the Te"rp' on t.he:r homi ground for the ACC lead. arol i na 2 t railin the 'Turra pmn- ty one game going into the two-game( weekendu series. This will be. the fl rst meeting of the two teams~ this sea-.n. Potr> ha- said that "Marylandl i ne of the '4trong*-st teams. in the conferen'ce Ii,"' an hiile sayvs that therei :"niot a weak team in the A (C." A fter a rest oni S a n d a y, the i:ne.oe-ks trlave to Viri ija to nlay the (avlV1 r'-M ii n d a y and Tuesday in two mi o r e* important toilference games. (arol ina has oly two more (onlferenice gamels after those with Virginia. s-o t hi> weekend ' games w ill prove abi f a e t o r in determiining how~ thIe iaana is now 5-2 in (on ference phiy after twoa strmight -setbacks. North (arohina hult out the G;ame cock>, :M.(i fouir days aifter an 8-1I thrashing ly t'lemson. It '1-a'- th pit ching o)f sorphomnore ace Gary hliL that led the Tar hIeel- over the Gjamecocks and Itilily Re't itieri. T1he l a t ti me he faced the Ta r HIeels, Rei tmier went It lmnmg> as> thle Gamecoc'(ks won ini the hot tomi of the 17.th. North Carolina had lost fou r of its last five games going into Fri day's con test. Sat urdlay 's ga me with N o r th Carolina State was called because of field coniition s. The game will he playedl only if it is needed to dcCide the con ference chanmpion ship. The G;amecoci~ks got back on the winning track M o n d a y as5 they crulshedl The C'itadel Bulldogs, 1 2-5. It was a good way to return home after a long road trip as Carolina picked up 15 hits. All-ACC catcher D)anny Scarpa went four for four and Larry Wo mack had two singles and a double. Shortstop Toy McCord belted two home runs in the win at Rex En right field. G a m e e o e k starter Jackie Stokes let in five runs in the third inning and was replaced by Ronnie Evans. Bobby Bryant finished up, pitch ing perfect ball in the ninth. Bryant and Billy Reitmeier will be the probable starters for this weekends a mes.