University of South Carolina Libraries
KIM PIETRO Softball senior Kim Pietro was named to the Louisville Slugger All-America first team. Pietro led the Lady Gamecocks in batting with a 419 average ' o [Wednesday, June 2,1999 Wooden bats are -I "t needed CHARLIE WALLACE From the editor's desk 21-14,38-16,25-4,26-5. At first glance, these four sets of scores look like an average Saturday college football scoreboard, but they're not The last two scores involve South Carolina teams that played just a few days ago in the NCAA Baseball Tburnament. Imagine picking up the morning paper and reading that Southern California beat Arizona State 21-14, or that Carolina beat Clemson 38i n 4.1. c io, wiiiui was me case a iew yeais back. One would think, "Football in June?" Of course not. Two teams playing football in the summer is about as ridiculous as two teams scoring a combined 35 runs in a single baseball game. Oddly enough, it happened last summer in a contest that was far from ordinary. The final score of the 1998 College World Series championship game was 21-14, as Southern Cal. overpowered Arizona State in a game that broke all kinds of CWS records. In the aftermath of this fiasco, MP A A fnpH lfc hoef fr* ntwtn cirlor UIL X 1 vyx JO. A wivu ilAJ WVkJV W IV/WliUlUV/l the murdering of the great American pastime by its lifelong enemy: the aluminum bat. After months of bickering in the off-season, the NCAA came up with a decision that would basically take speed off a ball hit with an aluminum bat. The exact measurement formula that the NCAA used to decipher how to scale down the power of the bats is more confusing than the procedures used for USC's sorority rush. Tn fart it's sn iHintir that, a week into this year's NCAA tournament, scores have remained the same, and averages haven't declined at all. The NCAA is once again involved in heated discussions about what to WALLACE continued on page 11 s Track to NO Track Roundup Special to The Gamecock Carolina brought home two men's and five women's titles in 1999, including the 4x400 meter relay. Hot off winning the SEC title, the USC women's team will send nine women to the NCAA Outdoor Track \\i~i? cuiu x idu vyiJxxLupiuiiamjja yvcuiicouay through Saturday in Boise, Idaho. The Gamecock men will send eight participants, including Terrence Trammel! and Brad Snyder, who are both No. 1 in the nation in their respective events. Hie men were 11th last year, while the women finished seventh. Indoors this year, the men were fourth, while the women finished 18th. The USC women's team won the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championship May 15, with the men finishing sixth. On the men's side, Brad Snyder won his eighth SEC title, winning the shot put Tferrence Trammell shattered the SEC record to win the 110 m eter hurdles. Ellakisha Williamson won both the 100 meter and 400 meter hurdles Men's go Special to The Gameca Sophomore Kyle Thompson and tl men's golf team will travi Wednesday to Minneapolis, Minn. 'PORTS The Gamecock and fie iA chai and ran a leg of the school record 4x400 meter relay team. Mikki Barber won her second consecutive SEC title in the 400 meter and ran the anchor leg of the relay. Erin Narzinski won her second | heptathlon in three years, and senior Michelle Foumier won South Carolina's fourth straight, hammer title "We will be looking to finish in the top 10 this year. We finished 11th last year, and improving this year is our main goal. We would like to finish as high as we did indoors this year fourth," head coach Curtis Fiye said. "We would like to bring home everybody as an All-American. If everyone comes back as an AllAmerican and a personal best, we will be quite happy with where we finish." "Stanford and Arkansas can score as much as 70 points. Auburn and SMU look to have the most points available. Southern Cal., Florida, Tbxas, Clemson and South Carolina - those teams are in the top 10. Track is a sport where you either got it or you don't. You have got to TRACK continued on page 11 E If travels ~1 AaII Dnnnilim R uvii nvuiiuup ^ Special to The Gamecock "t The llth-ranked USC men's l; golf team, fresh off an impressive f, second-place showing at the NCAA cl East Regional, head today through i< Saturday to Chasta, Minn., to participate in the 1999 NCAA Men's ir Golf Championships at the a Hazeltine National Golf Club, n The Gamecocks come into this w I year's event on somewhat of a roll, 1 having finished in the top three in all but one of their eight p fmirnjamon+c in cnrinor \xrVnlo m !VV/VU J.1U1UV11VU U1 bllV/ TT 1U1V J \ racing past top-ranked Georgia E and No. 3 Clemson in regional n action to finish nine strokes behind w rati Georgia Tech in the team a j?| competition. a ck Carolina heads to the NCAA's cl ie for the 10th time in school history el and the fourth time in as many n seasons under head coach Puggy tl SCH Men': onship in Mini Tmr"b - iiav.n pionsh Saturck Id hea npion: - "i i Z$y-:L'*$xm- wW JK%, v .. v Bp ' jjpppflKi^ rin Narzinski leads the women's tr* to Minn lackmon. dn The Gamecocks have been in ^ he show" eight times in the last ^ 2 years, and the best finish ever or a USC team in the lampionsnips is eigntn Dy tne i l 988 team in Thousand Oaks, Calif na Last year, the Gamecocks were 1 the top eight the first three days ^' nd seventh entering the final 111 )und, but finished in 11th place, Ej rithin five strokes of tying the 988 team for best finish ever. Of the five players who articipated for Carolina in last to ear's event, three (Kyle Thompson, re Iric Ecker, Mark Catalano) are p, laking a return trip to the NCAAjs rhile two (Ecker and Catalano) m re playing for the third time in bs s manv vears in the v,r tiampionships. ^ Also last year, the Gamecocks lade the cut for the first time since at le NCAA went to the "cut" format, w EDULE 5 golf at the NCAA champis from Wednesday to Saturday neapolis, Minnesota. ; and field at the NCAA chamips from Wednesday to ty in Boise, Idaho. Page 9 ded ships sl ^ Ashton June Photo Editor ick team into the NCAA's. eaDolis A opping the bottom 15 teams after e opening two rounds of the ornament. Gamecock sophomore Kyle rnmpson, quite possibly the ition's hottest golfer dining the ist six months, made an tprecedented move in the NCAA ist Regionals in Barrington, R.I. Down, six strokes to Georgia eh's Matt Kuchar with 18 holes play, Thompson tied the course oord held by PGA tour star Brad ixon with an eight-under 63, eluding a six-under 30 on the ick side, and captured medalist mors by one stroke over Kuchar. lompson finished the tournament five-under 208 to post his second in of the spring.