Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Carolina baseball c Richardson shows the fori him a perennial All-Star faces r BY STEVE PARKER Asst. Sports Editor The baseball season officially opens on March 3 for the Gamecocks, but the team is already preparing for the season with daily workouts. "We're looking real good so far in practices. We've been working alot on our hitting, running and pitching and we should be ready when the season starts in five more weeks," said assistant Coach June Raines. "In a couple more days we'll begin intra-squad games," Raines continued, "And that is where we'll pick the starting ball club. That's when the players start battling for the jobs and, we hope, the cream will rise to the top." The squad will play a longer schedule than any USC team has ever previously played, when they undert ake their expanded 47-game slate. The 47 games represent an increase of 15 games from last season. "The increase in games is great," said Raines, "We'd rather play every day than just once or twice a week." "Most teams which make the College World Series play ex panded schedules. Arizona State plays close to 50 games and so does Florida State. The schedule will definately be helpful." This season the team will play outside of the Atlantic Coast Conference for the first time, and as a result the team will no longer be competing for the ACC bid to "the Eastern Regionals, but will instead be attempting to gain one of three at-large bids. "In the ACC , we always tried to save our best pitchers for the conference games. Now we have to depend on the pitching for every game."~ Another change in this year's schedule from those of past years Back in action :oach Bobby New York 'n which made Gamecocks i while with the aseball tew sea is the addition of Arizona State, which is always one of the toughest collegiate baseball teams in the nation. Carolina will face them, along with several other strong teams when they travel to California to participate in the Sixth Annual Riverside National Intercollegiate Tournament. Raines believes the Gamecock batsmen will be able to "hold their own", on the trip, which is Newm an freshmen BY BILL GRANT Sports Writer One of the big reasons for the improvement of the Carolina swimming team this season has been the added abilities of a talented group of freshmen. Making their presence felt on the USC swimming scene are newcomers Casey Claflin, Bob Cot tam, Kim Douglas, Paul Gray, Mike Hiller and Roger Rice and others. These swimmers are perhaps overshadowed by the exploits of still another Ireshman, Chip Newman, who competes in the 50 and 100-yard , and better yet, wins both regularly. To take the last two meets, against Florida State and Georgia as an example, one could see the proficiency with which Newman swims. He has competed in four individual events, won all four of those, while leading the 400-yard freestle relay team to victory both times. Newman, who hails from Avondale Estates, Ga., feels that the swimming program at USC is definately on the upswing, "Yes, the people are starting to repond Yankees. Catching for the s Drew Choate. tea m son probably the most difficult part of the Carolina schedule. "It's good that we're openiag our season at home (13 straight home games) before traveling to Nalifornia to play those tough games. Opening a I home should give us a good start and help our morale," said Raines. "We should have good starters (Continued on page 10) sparks , team 1o swimming. We've noticed more spirit at the meet. We wish that more people would show up for the meets, I personally like to swim before big audiances. The at tendence was pretty good and last two meets, but one was Parents' Day . Of course, it all ties in with the new pool we're supposed to be getting. If we had the new pool, maybe more people would show up at the meet s. It would also help the overall swimming program", said Newman. The new USC pool, still stalled by administrative hassles, is planned as an addition to the PE co)mplex. "I'd like to get into the nationals, and then do well in them," said Newman, explaining his goals. "As a team, we beat Florida State, which finished twelth in the nat ionals last year---but they lost alot of swimmers through graduation. We still should finish somewhere in t he top 25, t hough." Whatever the outcome, Chip Newman and his fellow freshmen have given swimmer-watchers something to watch this season. C indermen take second BY JIM HERSH Sports Writer Auburn spoiled Carolina's attempt to win their initial meet of the indoor track season when the Tigers edged the Gamecocks, 62-57, Saturday afternoon at Auburn's Memorial Coliseum. Clemson was third In the trianguir meet with 32 points. Late in the afternoon, Auburn took 1-2 in the triple jump to take control of the close meet. After Brian Hyder gave USC a win in the pole vault with a vault of 14-8, the Tigers sealed their victory by winning the mile relay. "'For our first competition of the year I thought we did well as a whole," Gamecock coach John West said. "With a couple of good performances in a few events we could have won. It was a real good meet." Even though the Gamecocks did not win, they took more first places, 6-5, than the host team. Two of these wins came from distance star Jim Schaper. The sophomore from Ft. Lauderdale set a Coliseum record when he won the mile in 4:18.4, almost four seconds faster than the N previous track record. Freshman Wayne Thomas, who later placed third in the two mile, also finished the mile under the old record and only a little more than a second slower than Schaper's record time. Schaper came back later . . to break the tape in the 1000 Ric Sor yard run in 2:00.1, and then capped his day by running the fastest split (51.2) in USC's mile relay. Another outstanding performance for Carolina was supplied by muscleman Rich Sorin. He let loose with a 53-2 heave in the shot put, three feet better than he had ever thrown before, to win that event. Forrest Broom, with an effort of 53-2, was second in the shot put. Freshman Milton Reid sprinted to victory in the 60 y4 i dash. His 6.5 clocking was just one-tenth of a second in front of Guy Hornsby. Hornsby also leaped 21-2 in the long jump, good enough for third place. In the 60 yard hurdles, Carolina picked up a first place from Bill Novo, whose winning time was 7.5. Joe Mc Culloch (8.1) was fourth in the hurdles. Mike Shely, another USC freshman, was runner-up in the 880, less than a second behind the winner, at 2:00.6 Don Brown was only one-tenth of a second in back of Shely. Paul McCloud (1:16.3) and Bob Dempsey (1:17.6) fin ished 3-4 in the 600 yard run. Keith Eidson (53.8) picked up fourth in the 440 and Jack Miller (9:58.8) settled for ty same spot in the two mile. The USC mile relay (Dempsey, Scha per, McCloud, Reid) ran 3:30.4 to finish second to Auburn's 3: 29.5 clocking. Aquamen meet T igers (Continued from page 9) cots;Kmoglsinhe20 Wet herhold combined for 30 of the yr rattoe h vn hc Carolina 74 points,.lnhdteme o aoia Newman, continuing his utter adte40yr retl ea dominat ion of the short freestyle er fRc,Nwa,Ge event s, t ook both t he 50-yard andSpasndPoe he 100-yard contests. Both were in Tenx oeme,tefA Georgia--USC meet record times.onfoth712seo,wilba Claflin, also set ting meet record raglrcnetvsuGogi times, won comparitively easySotenadCmsn n victories in both of his specialties,Feray1.Colnhsarad the 200-yard individual medly andmeGoriSutrnalerhs the 200-yard backstroke contests.yerwingealy824UChs Wetherhold put on a outstanding tfaeClmo."hyrnt performance in capturing both o h aelvla h em diving events, the one and threewevbensimglalybu met ers. tebtl ewe eri Also contributing wins in t he bigSulhranCemosoldb USC victory were: the 400-yard go n.A o usle,w medly relay team consisting ofhaesmswmrstthvnt Claflin, Jeff Nuebert, Paul Grey be wmig ow'egigt and John Poole; Roger Rice in thetrangethmitiso,"ad very exciting 200-yarddfreestyleeGentry