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Gamecock Sports Schedule ■ Men’s tennis vs. Kentucky, 2 p.m. Friday ■ Women’s tennis vs. Ole Miss, 2 p.m. Friday ■ Track and field in Weems Baskin Relays, Friday-Saturday ■ Baseball vs. Vanderbilt, 7 p.m. Friday IOC (Bamecock Friday, March 23, 2001 » Baseball team looks to rebound against Vanderbilt Special to The Gamecock Chris Plummer and the USC baseball team have had problems leav ing runners on base. The Gamecocks left 19 runners on base in their two losses to Tennessee this past weekend. ■ USC coming off its first series loss of the 2001 season by Kyle Almond The Gamecock With Wednesday’s nonconference match-up with Wofford canceled due to inclement weather, the USC baseball team now turns its attention to a three-game series this weekend with Vanderbilt at Saige Frye Field. The Gamecocks (194,4-2 SEC) have lost their past two games and are coming off their first loss of a regular-season series since last season. As a result, the team dropped to No. 7 in the Baseball America poll after being ranked No. 2 last week. However, the team is confident it can make its way back up the polls at home against the Commodores (15-6,4-2 SEC) starting Friday night. “It definitely hurt to lose two out of three ... but you can’t beat yourself up and take that to the next game,” right fielder Brennan Dees said. “If that’s the case, then you’ll just play the same way you did before. “You just have to flush it and go on to the next game. If we do that, then we’ll be in good shape.” Vanderbilt has been a surprise in the SEC, taking two of three games from Mississippi State and Alabama. The Commodores have been led offensively by first baseman Sean Luellwitz, who is hitting .400 and has a team-high 28 hits and 14 RBIs. Luellwitz’s double in the bottom of the ninth last Friday night clinched a 4-3 win against Mississippi State. Left fielder Karl Nonemaker (.324 average) and third baseman Ashley Freeman (14 RBIs) add depth to the Commodore lineup. Nonemaker got his 200th career hit last Saturday. Steven Faulkner (3-0) is the ace of the Vandy pitching staff. The right-hander leads the team in strikeouts with 33 in 43 innings pitched. Jeff Little (3-1) and Claris Maultsby (4-2) are projected to start on Saturday and Sunday. USC head coach Ray Tanner sees the Commodores as a dangerous team, just like every other team in the SEC. “[The Commodores] have already won the series from Alabama and Mississippi State,” he said. “There aren’t any weak teams in this conference.” Tanner was concerned about how many runners the Gamecocks left on base in last weekend’s series with Tennessee — seven on Saturday and 12 on Sunday. He’s confident, however, that his team can change its fortune. “Maturity and getting hits will change everything in a hurry,” he said. “I am disappointed that we have left some runners, but that’s part of the game, and I don’t expect it to be a usual occurrence.” Kip Bouknight (5-0) will make his usual Friday start on the mound for the Gamecocks. Bouknight pitched a two hitter in USC’s 6-0 win last Friday. Gary Bell (5-2) and Chris Spigner (4-1) will start the other two days. Tanner said the Tennessee losses couldn’t be blamed on his starting pitchers. “All three of our guys pitched well enough to win,” he said “Without a doubt, they did a great job. Our pitching staff has done a tremendous job all year long and has given us a chance to win.” ■ LOCATION: Sarge Frye Field ■ TIMES: 7 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday, 1:30 p.m. Sunday ■ RADIO: WVOC 540 AM ■ RECORDS: USC (19-4, 4-2 SEC), Vandy (15-6, 4 2) The postponed Wofford game will be made up at 7 p.rn. May 1 in Spartanburg. Friday’s opener against the Commodores is also scheduled for a 7 p.nt. start. The sports desk am be reached at gamecocksports@hotmail.com Track and Field Eiland balances football, track ■ Outback Bowl hero a top hurdler for USC f Pf- ' by Steven Drummond The Kjamecock i * 9 i* •*>*«*• Deandre Eiland’s first year of collie has been one to remember. He started the yrarthis fall by having a MVP like performance for-the Gamecock football team, snagging two interceptions in USC’s Outback Bowl win and earning; Freshman All-American and Freshman All-SEC honors. Now Eiland is a hurdler for the USC track and field team, one of the country’s best track programs. $ “The Outback Bowl was nice,” Eiland said of Carolina’s 24-7 win over Ohio State. “It was a good feeling to step out ther£ and get two picks, and then to come back home and hear how excited everyone was.” Eiland started the season on the bench behind starting safety Antoine Nesmith, but took over the starting spot when Nesmith suffered a year-ending injury against Arkansas. “I started the season thinking I was going to be redshirted, but then when Nesmith went down in die Arkansas game, the coaches were like, it’s time to get ready to play,”’ Eiland said. “I knew I had to turn it up.” When the football season ended, Eiland didn’t take a break. Instead, he joined head coach Curtis Frye and the USC track team. Despite his early success on the gridiron, Eiland said track is still his first love. “I’ve been running since eighth grade,” he said. “I went out for track in seventh grade and I didn’t even make it. In eighth grade, I barely made [the team], but I wasn’t that good. In nintligrade, I finally got to be pretty good on the track” For many people, it would be impossible to finish a long, physically taxing football season and then jump right into another sport as demanding as track, but Eiland made die transition smoothly. “The transition from football to track is not that hard, because they are a lot alike,” he said. “Both sports involve a lot of technique. Football is definitely more physically demanding, but both sports are one in the same because you have to be mentally sharp and in great shape physically to be successful.” Eiland came to USC from Tupelo, Miss., where he was a track star in high school. He was a state champion in the 110-meter hurdles and was the National High School record holder in the 55 yard dash (7.70). Eland received scholarship offers from many colleges at first, but they tailed off later. “In the beginning, a lot of schools were recruiting me for football and track, but when I got my ACT scores back, they weren’t as high as I would have liked and a lot of schools started falling off,” Eland said. “But South Carolina and a couple of others stuck with me, so when I received the score I needed, I wanted to repay them.” The great tradition of the USC track program weighed heavily in Eiland’s decision to come to Carolina. USC sent a number of track athletes to the Olympics last fall, and Eiland wanted to be a part. “The track program really got me,” he said. “I looked at what great athletes USC had in Terrence Trammell and the Barber sisters, plus Coach Frye, who is the best hurdle coach in the nation, and it had a big impact on me.” Eiland has started this track season strong for the Gamecocks, winning his first collegiate race in the 60-meter hurdles. He believes if he has a shot at making the Olympics in 2004, it will be because of Frye’s help. “If I have what it takes to get to the Olympics, it’s because of what Coach Frye has taught me,” Eiland said. “He’s helped me so much with my technique, and he’s taught me how to do the little things right.” Eiland said he has been lucky enough to be coached by two outstanding, but different, coaches, in Frye and football head coach Lou Holtz. Eiland see page 9 - II I ——---_J Special to The Gamecock Deandre Eiland plays at defensive back for the USC football team in the fall, and in the spring he runs track for the Gamecocks. Carolina to host first home meet this Friday BY MANESHKA Eliatamby The Gamecock After a tremendous indoor season, the Gamecock track and field team is back in action — this time outdoors in its own Weems Baskin Relays. The Gamecocks competed at their tirst outdoor meet last weekend at the Miami Invitational and took five individual titles. Today, they go into their second outdoor competition and look to build momentum tor an FRYE outdoor season just as successful as the indoor one it just completed. Ten schools from around the East Coast are expected to participate at the meet. The visitors include such schools as Maryland-Eastern Shore, St. John’s and Appalachian State. USC’s women finished second overall two weeks ago in the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. The Gamecock men finished 16th. NCAA winners for Carolina were sprinter Demetria Washington and the women’s 4X400 relay team. Being only the second outdoor meet of the season though, head coach Curtis Frye isn’t expecting any spectacular performances. He is hopeful, however, that the athletes participating will achieve some personal bests and a few NCAA provisional qualifiers. Both the coaches Track seepages Gamecock men’s soccer team signs four players for next fall by Kyle Almond The Gamecock USC men’s soccer coach Mark Berson announced Tuesday that the Gamecocks have signed four recruits to play next season. According to Berson, all four players have attacking abilities and will strengthen an offense that scored 41 goals in 2000. The incoming class is a diverse blend coming from as close as South Carolina and as far west as Utah. It includes forward/midfieldcr Jacob" Cavanaugh, midfielder Ricky Francis, forward Anthony Stovall and midfielder Kotby Runagcr. Cavanaugh, a native of Sandy, Utah, was first team all-region and all-stale his junior and senior scasonsrat Alla High School. He was named Gatoradc Player of the Year his junior season, and, according to Berson, is a versatile goal-scorer. “Jacob is an effective attacking player who brings good speed to our team,” Berson said. “He has the ability to take players on and finish goals. He will help us on the right flank and up top at striker.” Francis brings playmaking ability from Santa Teresa, N.M. Like Cavanaugh, Francis was a Gatorade Player of the Year. In his junior year at Santa Teresa High School, Francis led the state in scoring. His senior year, he set the state record for assists with 35 and led Siuita Teresa to the state title. Willi Francis on the team, Suita Teresa didn’t lose a game in district play over four years. “Ricky is a tremendous competitor who will help us in the middle of the midfield,” Berson said of Francis, who was bom in London. “He has good range and pace. He distributes the ball well. An unselfish player, Ricky makes a lot of other players better through the work rate and intensity he brings to the game.” Stovall, an Elgin native, becomes only the second player on the Gamecocks team from South Carolina. Sophomore Michael Kozak is from Florence. “Anthony brings good pace and attacking ability to our front line,” Berson said. “He can beat players and has good finishing ability. Anthony’s quickness creates a lot of opportunities.” Stovall attends Ridge View High School ;uid was named to the all-region tCiun his senior season. Rounding out the qlass is Runager, a Philadelphia native who was all-district his senior year at Jamestown High School. The 6-foot-2 midfielder is the son of Max Runager, a punter for USC’s football team from 1974-78 who also played 10 seasons in the National Football League. “Kolby will help bolster us in the midfield,” Berson said. “He is equally comfortable on the left or in the middle. Kolby has good attacking ability and vision and keeps the ball well. He has good size and strength.” The four players will add depth to a Gamecock team that finished 12-4-3 tliis season and lost to Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Carolina will lose only two seniors to graduation, defender Chris Lockwixxl and goalkeeper Henry Ring. Ring was chosen in the third round of Major League Soccer’s entry draft. “We are very pleased with this recruiting class,” said Berson, who acknowledges that the class won’t be able to step in and make a huge difference right away. “Certainly, there is an adjustment to the college game,” he said. “But as these young men develop, they will be able to contribute to our program.” This season’s freshman class was productive for USC. Forward Ryan Daley was the team ’s second-leading scorer with 10 goals and five assists for 25 points. Daley also scored six game-winning goals. Midfielders Jack Cummings and Robert Rosenberg each scored eight points, tying for fourth on the team. The sports desk am he reached at gamecocksportsfehotmaiLcom 2001 USC Men’s Soccer Recruits Jacob Cavanaugh Ricky Francis Anthony Stovall Kolby Runager Forward/Midfielder Midfielder Forward Midfielder Sandy, Utah Santa Teresa, N.M. Elgin Philadelphia