The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 22, 1997, Page 8, Image 8
8
Former U
BRYAN JOHNSTON Sports Editor
The honors keep rolling in for fc
mer USC All-American softhall nitc
er Trinity Johnson.
Brooks Robinson, president of tl
Major League Baseball Playei
Alumni Association, announced Tue
day the selection of Johnson as the 199
98 Senior Fastpitch Pitcher of the Yea
Johnson will be presented with tl
award Dec. 3 at the National Fastpitx
Coaches Association National Coi
vention in Palm Springs, Calif. Tl
award was established in 1996 as pa
of the MLBPAA's mission to promol
baseball and softball as the best of Ame
icanlife.
Loss takes soi
- COLLEGE PRESS EXCHANGE
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Ha
anybody assured Michigan St. back i
August it would be 5-1 in late Octobe
the Spartans would have happily ai
cepted that fate.
But today it's small consolation t
their bruised egos. The Spartans thin
they blew an opportunity to give th
entire country an unprecedented tast
of college football passion in Michigai
And few would argue with them.
Thar 19-17 loss Saturday at Nortl
western prevented a rare matchup -
two unbeaten, top lU-ranked, bitterl
combative in-state rivals banging head
at midseason. Now, Michigan St. is i
a position all too familiar, fighting fo
respect in Michigan's shadow.
"This is still a big, big game fo
everybody involved," tailback Sedric]
Irvinsaid.
Volleyball t
moves up ii
national po
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"We're proud to honor Trinity Johnson,"
said Robinson, a Hall of Fame
,r. third baseman. "Her dedication and
h_ skill has done a great deal to promote
and perpetrate the sport of softball. She
has earned the respect and admiration
ie of every member of our organization."
rs
As part of the award, Johnson will
fj" participate in the "Legends of Baseball"
game Feb. 28,1998, at City of Palms
Park in Ft. Myers, Fla., the spring trainle
ing home of the Boston Red Sox.
di In a tribute to softball players nail
tionwide, Johnson will throw demonle
stration pitches to two former Major
rt League players brave enough to step
te into the batter's box.
r- A 34-game winner in her senior
season with the Lady Gamecocks, Johnme
bite out of Mi<
Ah, but what could have been? i
ESPN still plans to anchor its "Col- ^
d lege Gameday" coverage from East
n Lansing. The Michigan St. sports in- 1
r> formation department accepted more ;
than 400 requests for media creden
tials; the usual number for an impor-0
tant home game is around 225.
k
"This game still has a lot of factors ]
^ that makes it very big nationally," out- ,
1 side linebacker Ike Reese said. "Michi- ]
gan will be a top-five ranked team and
we're still going to be highly ranked." ^
Michigan is ranked fifth, MSU 1
y 15th. If Michigan wins, it will move a 1
s big step closer toward setting the stage {
n for a showdown Nov. 8 at Penn State
,r that might not only be for the Rose Bowl, <
but the No. 1 ranking in the nation. <
r "I think it's going to be great fun
k for everybody in the state except maybe t
for the coaches," Michigan coach Lloyd i
, The South Carolina voile
p" dill two spots in the latest USA Tc
No. 29 to No. 27.
The Gamecocks received
more votes to crack the top 25.
UUSC defeated in four sets earli
No. 24, while Michigan St. (15is
ranked No. 26.
ess of the mind & body fitness of the mind & to
erested In health
o learn more about
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wiping other people \f(U
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Student Health Center Casement
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WIONPEAPLINEIS Novembers,
5 of the mind & body fitness of the mind & bod\
The Gamecock Rf kJ
ican hone
son is a three-time Ail-American and ?
member of the United States Nationa
Softball Team. She is the engineer o:
six career no-hitters and three perted
games. Her ERA in her senior seasor
was 0.38.
This is the second year the
award will be presented. Th? 1996-91
winner was'Cheryl Longeway of the
University of Southwestern Louisiana
, The winner of the MLBPAA Senior
Fastpitch Pitcher of the Year Award
is chosen by a panel of coaches from the
National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
Formed in 1982, the MLBPAA represents
more than 3,000 former Major
League Baseball players. The MLBPAA
raises money for national charities.
shigan, Michig
Carr said about the impending media
buildup to Saturday's kickoff.
Michigan has lost in its last two
trips to East Lansing. The last visit, a
28-25 loss, was especially heartbreaking
for Wolverines cornerback Charles
Woodson. As a freshman, Woodson had
a chance to secure a Michigan victory
[ate in the fourth quarter, but he bobbled
a potential interception, keeping
alive MSlPs final-minute, game-winning
drive.
"It's the reason why you come to
Michigan, to play games like this, the
Dig-time rivalries," Woodson said. "Well
ae ready. Theyll be ready. Ifll be a great
jame."
Asked if he thought "hate" was too
strong a word for this rivalry, Woodson
said, "No, not at all."
But the Spartans might have a Utile
more dislike for themselves right
iow considering the loss at Northyball
team moved up Penn St.
>day/AVCA Poll, from lowed by Lonj
ern Cal. BYL
23 votes and need 68 ^ Washing
Arkansas (17-5), who InDistri
er this year, is ranked i11 No. 2 sf
6) is No. 25. Michigan USC is !
won seven m
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1997 *
y fitness of the mind & body
I Wednesday, October 22,19
wed again
JOHNSON
'an State battle '
' ]
western. Their immediate task is rebuilding
their emotional state, a reclamation
project that began immediately
after the loss. Irvin stood up in the
locker room and blamed himself be- 1
cause he lost a key fumble in the fourth 1
quarter, and his 83-yard rushing per- 1
formance was below hyped expectations.
i
But Reese spoke up immediately *
afterward and refused to let lrvin take
the heat, even though it was self-inflicted.
"It wasn't Sedrick's fault," Reese
said. "It wasn't (kicker) Chris Gardner's
fault. It was the team's fault. We win
together, and we lose together. It's just
one loss. The season isn't over."
But the loss leaves the Spartans
with no margin for error if they envision
roses in Pasadena. They must
sweep their two-week home stand
against Michigan and Ohio State to remain
in contention. ?
retained the top spot in the nation, foll
Beach St., Florida, Stanford and Southr,
UC-Santa Barbera, Wisconsin, Texas
[ton St. round out the top 10.
ct 4 rankings, the Gamecocks remained
?t behind Florida and ahead of Arkansas.
1^5-3 overall, 7-0 in the SEC, and have c
atches in a row.
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Pinch kick
first woma
11 _ J A
coiiegiate i
COLLEGE PRESS EXCHANGE
SALEM, Ore. ? Liz Heaston's kick on
Saturday was one for the record books.
It wasn't that Heaston's kick broke
any conference records for distance or
for points scored.
But with it, she did become the
first woman to play college football.
It's a day the 20-year-old
Willamette University student says
shell never forget.
"I knew it was a big deal when I
svas out there but after the fact, it really
started to sink in more and more,"
Heaston said. "I think about all those
people who've wanted to do this, and
bo be the first, well, that's really special.
Fm really proud I could be a part
af it."
Heaston says she figured she'd get
aoticed after kicking a couple of extra
_ 1_ n_L 1 J * TTT'll _ . .u. TT.?
points oaturaay during winameixe uni/ersityfo
27-0 win over Linfield College.
Yet she says nothing prepared her
for the media attention she's received
since the game.
"I knew there would be some people
calling, asking questions, stufflike
diat," Heaston said. "I just had no idea
t would be like this ? no idea at all."
Despite Heaston's moment of gloy,
she still has more important things
in her mind.
"I've got to get back to soccer," she
laid. This was fun, but I've got a job
o do on the soccer field. I think Fm a
ot more needed over there."
The day after her first taste of gridron
glory, Heaston was on the soccer
'ield, playing a defensive role in
Willamette's 3-2 victory over Pacific
jutheran. Heaston played a soccer game
in Saturday, too.
She arrived at the football game
inly after her soccer game, a 2-0 vicory
over Puget Sound, was finished.
"I just rushed over to the stadium,
hanged uniforms in my parents' van
ilong the way, and ran out on the sideines,"
Heaston said.
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arklng or walk from
er becomes
n to play
'ootball
She waited only 30 minutes before
being put in the game to kick the extra
point after Willamette's second
touchdown.
"The crowd was going pretty crazy,"
Heaston said. "It was exciting."
Willamette Head Coach Dan
Hawkins sought out Heaston before the ^
season began after his starting kicker
was injured. Heaston had been prac- ~
ticing with the team for three weeks
before her debut.
"I was just looking for the best person
to help the team," Hawkins said.
"This had nothing to do with politics or
publicity. This was about putting the
best people on the field, and Liz helped
us do that." 0
Still, Hawkins knows he participated
in making a little bit of history.
"Sure, it was a big deal," he said.
"But if you think about it, a person that
kicks like Liz does belongs on a football
field. The fact that she's a woman has
nothing to do with it."
Gordon Thomson, the injured kicker
Hawkins sought to replace when he
recruited Heaston, played in Saturday's
game as well. He ftood beside Heaston
on the sidelines through most of the
game, ready to offer help or advice if
she needed it.
"But I never had to say anything,"
Thomson said. "After she nailed that
first extra point, what could I say? It
was a perfect kick."
Heaston, who earned a varsity let- A
ter for her performance, says she's ready
j . l. l i _______ ii i rm
lo go DacK to soccer now mat inomson
is fully recovered. But she'd love to come
back if given the opportunity.
"It was a great experience," she
said. "If they needed me, I'd be there
again in a heartbeat."
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