Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Basebal quiets pi USC's baseball team is doing all it can to eradicate, at least temporarily, the controversy that has overshadowed Carolina athletics this year. For the past several years, Carolina has enjoyed the reputation of being a "baseball school." Second place finishes at the '75 and '77 World Series had the Gamecocks in the national cnntlioht rnKhinrt oUvmuc wilVi (ho tt ivii vnv country's most prestigious athletically inclined schools. And again this season, with a 2711 record, the Gamecocks are By Mike Hunt Assistant Sports Editor reaching for sacred college baseball city of Omaha. Should they succeed, the dark clouds personfied by the triumverate of Carlen, Holderman, and McGuire will hopefully, at least of a month or two, blow away in minds of the USC fans. Baseball at Carolina has < perhaps could make the m the link between politics BASEBALL AT CAROLINA has a mesmerizing effect that perhaps could make the most critical USC fan forget of the link between politics and athletics for a while. I'm not sure if it's the warm weather, a crowd size that is not too hiff that it nrp?Biipp? th? competition or too small that it causes apathy, the winning tradition, or what, but for those who attend the baseball games seem to enjoy themselves. The tenseness apparent at a CarolinaGeorgia football game or a Carolina-Marquette basketball game is absent at game time behind the Roost. But while June Raines and crew are competing out of the eyes of the storm centered around the Coliseum and Williams Brice Stadium, they still suffer some of the same problems encountered by the football and basketball teams. INCONSISTENCY. It sunk the football team. It wounded the basketball team. It is taking its toll on the baseball team. This has been especially apparent in series play this year. After getting bombed by Clemson, the Gamecocks come back to blow out 1 squad "? "1 roblems the Tigers. After a silent night at the plate against Georgia Southern, USC comes back to blow out the Eagles. A great deal of the inconsistency befallen Carolina can be attributed this year to pitching. Losing a fine pitcher for the year with an injury, Hal Hutchins, Raines has been forced to rebuild with inexperienced hurlers. With a little luck here or a few punch singles there, Jeff Twitty could have turned a few of his one-run losses into wins. Aaron Scott, who has emerged as the ace of the staff, has come on to win clutch games against tough ACC and Southern Conference foes. But besides Scott, Raines really has no one who can be classified as a "stopper." While the Gamecocks have had their share of homeruns and RBI's, most of them have come when they really didn't need them. Eighth inning homeruns with four run leads have been much more frequent than clutch singles with runners in scoring position late in the game. Probably the factor that has hurt Carolina most this year has been stranded baserunners. Also like baseball and football squads, the baseball team has lost too many home games this year. This has been a problem of great concern for Raines, which can only be attributed to the lack of depth in thf> hull npn nnH ctrilrpnntc -uiith runners on second and third. a mesmerizing effect that ost critical USC fan forget and athletics for a while. WHILE IT APPEARS that Carolina will be invited to participate in the Atlantic Regionals, they should not be condemned if they do not make it to Omaha. This has, in many respects, been a rebuilding year for the Gamecocks as they have lost many key players to the pro draft off last year's second-ranked squad. Just an invitation to the regionals would be commendable this year after the loss of players such as Mookie Wilson and Handy Martz. Nobody could blame the Garriecocks for not surviving a murderous tournament that may include Clemson, South Alabama, The Citadel, Georgia Southern, Jacksonville, and others. Raines has done a commendable job this year. This season should not be looked upon as a follow-up to the phenomenal success of last year's NCAA runner-up team. f\ !i 1 4.1 *- - r\ i^espue several seioacKS, names has filled in a gapped team that will win 30+ games this year. And that, a 30 game season and a possible regionals invitation, will be a welcome relief to heal some of the scars left on Carolina athletics this year. wj-j: ^HHraHn ::::^i:;^:;:; ^:V;:<;:::< l-::S.^::>:;" . :^^B : W^BBH^Bh ssn - A very appreciative audience witnessed the Spring Gymnastics Exhibition Friday night at the P. E. Center. The program was performed by the members of the Women's gymnastics team, along with coaches Paula Northuis and Bob White (above), and Kent Bradford, who jj . ^ V ' - j^: jjlj^ >''i 'l^<i^^9fl|^ ' ;'V: ' '' f mm k x ^ ' fsp ;. .- p s'.>^;->>^ ||| IP : i * ^ <T' - :. V, -w. /. m/m Wk s Dave Roback-THE GAMECOCK showed several skills from men's events. Featured in the exhibition was a series of non-artistic, or non-competitive exercises, such as a dance routine, three-way balance beam, a ribbon dance, a four-way floor routine, and a series of consecutive tumblings moves.