Oregon to
Get Ski Team
Webfoot Baseball Starts
Friday Against Linfield;
Willamette Saturday
By PETE CORNACCHIA
Coach Don Kirseh’c Webfoot nine isolated to open its non
conference campaign tomorrow afternoon at McMinnville
against Linfield, provided (1) dredging operations on the Wild
cat diamond are completed, ana
no more professional raids are
made on the boys who are left.
If the latter provision lasts until
Saturday, the Ducks move over to
Salem to meet the Willamette Bear
cats, rain willing.
Kirsch, who has picked up two
second-place finishes in as many
seasons at Oregon, doesn’t have
what most people would call a vete
ran club. Other than pitchers, he
has exactly one regular back from
last year’s crew. Professional scouts
with a ready pen have been to Ore
gon’s 1950 baseball edition wha’t
Barnum K. Blurb has been to the
Eudd family, only the Ducks were
unable to get the protection of
Steve Roper.
Rain has hampered practice, but
that isn’t news anymore.
Despite all his troubles, Kirsch
isn’t ready to drown himself in the
swirling water at Howe field. Most
of his men are fairly new to college
ball, true, but they seem to have the
hustle that often is absent on vete
ran clubs.
The catching staff should be
stronger* than last year’s. Joe Su
gura, a Ausky strong-armed lad up
from the Frosh is one reason. Norv
Ritchey, a sophomore from Yon- I
valla, is another. Both can hit, and
the pair won’t leave much to be de
sired behind the plate.
As for first, Phil Settecase, an
other sophomore, has demonstrated
some heavy hitting and fair field
ing which is likely to get him the
nod for that position. Jim Bocchi,
former K. Falls athlete, is next in
line at present.
i no enures aruunu aixunu waov,
w ill be handled by Daryle Nelson or
Jerry Lake, with Nelson likely to
eel the bid on opening day. Nelsor,
a sophomore up from Vanport, is a
very fast lad.
Third base is among the least of
Kirsch’s worries, for Don Kimball is
hack. The hard-hitting boy from
Pleasant Hill is one of the few who
didn't have to give his name, ad
dress, and clippings to Kirsch at the
start of the season.
Three players have been showing
good reason why they should grab
the shortstop spot. Ray Coley, a
sophomore (if we may use the word
again) from New York, appears to
tie the best bet. Joe Tom has the
same good arm he had in football,
: .id his hitting is even better. An
other footballer. Tommy Hines,
seems to be the fastest of the three.
Letterman Ray Stratton is ex
ported to land one of the outfield
berths, but the other two haven't
any steadier renters as yet. Dick
Salter and Johnny Jones (no. we're
not making up names to scare the
enemy) are strong candidates.
Others showing well are Chuck
Strader. Ed Vannet, and Sanford
Owens.
A lot of the pitching staff is track.
There's Mel Krause, Swede John
son, Jim Hanns, Sid Mills, Lyle
Rogers, Joe Elkins, and Kukamon
go. A newcomer is big Gus Knick
i ohm, who looks as good on the
mound as he did for Jim Aiken
which was pretty good.
It certainly won't be “Nine Olo
iren" out there this season, but
neither will Kirsch have to carry
any of his players to and from a po-1
Spring Football
Starts Monday;
100 to Turn out
Spring football practice will start
Monday, Coach Jim Aiken said yes
terday.
“I’d like to start sooner with the
weather as nice as it has been/’
Aiken asserted. “We may get under
way before then.”
More than 100 hopefulls are ex
pected to dig their cleats into the
first workouts on the lower practice
field by Monday.
Pacific Coast Conference rules al
low the team six weeks of spring
practice. This time can be used up
at will, but a maximum of six weeks
of practice is allowed.
The practice will be climaxed by
a full-dress inter-squad game on
May 20. That is the Saturday on the
weekend of the football coach’s
fclinic on the campus. Aiken said
yesterday there is also a possibility
that an inter-squad game will be
held on Junior Weekend.
“I expect to start scrimmages
Monday,” the mentor stated. His
first job during the spring session,
Aiken said, will be to separate the
“whaet from the chaff” in his ma
terial.
The list of hopefuls includes about
14 or 15 transfers from other
schools, Aiken said.
Amphibians Exhibit
Amphibians, women’s swimming
honorary, will give a demonstration
at 4 p.m. today in the women’s pool
at Gerlinger Hall.
The demonstration will be for the
benefit of any coeds who are antici
pating trying out for the Amphibs
this spring.
Anphibians officials have an
nounced that the regular spring try
outs will be held within a few weeks
for all girls who are interested and
eligible.
REPORTERS
Anyone interested in being- a
sports reporter on the Emerald
stuff is urged to contact either
one of the sports editor or see
Clyde Fahlman, intramural edi
tor. Experience is not necessary.
There are several vacant posi
tions to fill.
sitlon. Hitting will be the big worry.
The fielding is fairly good for this
time of year, but the rains have
kept tin' boys from facing any hon
est- to-goodness pitching.
The squad was divided into two
teams yesterday afternoon and
went through several innings of an
informal intersquad game. Most of
the pitching staff saw action, with
little wildness shown.
Knichrehm pounded out the long
est hit of the day a line-drive over
the left fielder’s head for a triple.
It might have been a homer if Gus
could have had the wind behind him
on his gallop around the bases.
Settecase. Nelson, Salter, and Jones
also lined out some good hitting.
MANAGERS
A plea has been issued by the
Athletic Department for spring
sports managers. Needed are:
An assistant varsity baseball
manager, two freshman baseball
managers, and twb freshman
track managers. Applicants have
been asked to see Don Kirsch or
Bill Bowerman.
Slats Squad Gets Official OK
From U. O. Athletic Department
By SAM FIDMAN
(The following release is an Emerald exclusive.)
The University of Oregon’s athletic family has officially given
birth to a new, bouncing baby offspring—varsity skiing.
Leo Harris, director of athletics, released the announcement
Ducks 'Team to Beat'
In ND Track Circuit
Bowerman Declares
Oregon’s Webfoot Thinclads will be “the team to beat" in
Northern Division track competition this spring, Bill Bowerman,
head track coach of the Ducks, said yesterday.
“With two weeks of good weather, we can round ourselves in
such shape that we can tacaie any
team in the Northern Division with
out fear of being laced,” the Web
foot cinder boss said. “However, as
far as predictions on the coming
season are concerned, I would be
forced to pick the Washington State
Cougars as the top team because
they are the defending champions.”
Then Oregon, Washington, Oregon
State, and Idaho in that order.”
The Cougars have won 17 con
secutive dual meets since 1946 when
Jack Mooberry, present WSC track
coach, took over as head man. Moo
berry was injured earlier this week
when he was struck in the side of
the head with a 16-pound shot dur
ing a practice session.
However, Mooberry’s injury will
not hinder the Cougars chances to
defend their crown, according to
Bowerman.
“A well-coached track team team
will roll along on its own momen
tum,” Bowerman said, “and Wash
ington State is a well-coached team,
besides having a wealth of return
ing experienced keymen.”
Much of the Ducks' cnances to
cop the ND championship depends
on the weather for the next two
weeks when the team will be going
through its early season workouts.
The Webfoots’ hopes are bolstered
by crews of strong entries in certain
events like the 100-yard dash and
the pole vault. In these two particu
lar events, the Ducks are loaded
with three-man entries that look to
be tops in the Northwest.
The Ducks will be stronger in the
distance events than they've been in
several years. In these endurance
matches, Bowerman has two prize
sophomores in Jack Htuchins, little
Canadian Olympian, and Art Back
lund, holder of the state high school
record in the mile.
The broad jump appears to be the
strong point of the Ducks in the
field events. Woodley Lewis, ND
champion, and Bob Weber, senior
letterman, will be fortified in this
event by the addition of Bill Hut
chinson, a find produced by Bower
man's intramural track program of
winter term.
As for the rest of the team, it is
still in the formative stages and this
is too early in the season to deter
mine its true strength.
Concerning the remainder of his
predictions, Bowerman said."Wash
ington is too large a school to not
rate at least a role as a strong con
tender. The Huskies have consider
able potential material, but how
they will fare in competition re
mains a mystery.”
Oregon State has plenty of ma
terial in the distances to avoid be
ing the tailenders while the strength
of the Idaho Vandals for the ‘50 sea
son will not be such to rank them
as a contender
Interamurals Start
On Campus Monday
Spring Intramural Sports pro
gram will get under way at 3:50
p.m. Monday. Softball games will
begin on three fields; tennis will be
gin on courts 4, 5, and 6 and two
golf contests will be played at the
Laurelwood Course.
All schedules have been made up
and will be mailed' Friday.
Everett D. Peery, intramural di
rector, has announced several open
ings for softball officials. Anyone
interested should contacthim at the
inttramural office immediately.
today trial int; auucut ucpaumcuu
has set aside a budget providing for
a varsity ski team next winter. Har
ris did not make a statement in re
gards tto the more concrete aspects
of the new undertaking, such as
training site, coach or instructor,
summer conditioning, or arrange
ment of schedule and dates.
It is believed that the slats crew,
which will probably carry 12 to 15
men, with the meet participantts
limited to six in accordance with
team regulations, will go through
their training paces at Suttle Lake
Lodge.
The resort, under the ownership
of Oregon alum Lyle Baker, is lo
cated some 13 miles from Sisters.
It is reportedly ideal for skiing.
In Harris’ first year as athletic
director here, a budget was set aside
for the adoption of skiing to the uni
versity sports roster, though not
definitely to major sport stature.
At that time, however, nine of the
men who turned out for competitive
action on the snowy slopes proved
ineligible before the University
could be represented in even one
meet.
Harris pointed out that his de
partment’s decision to make the fi
(Please turn to page eight)
Meeting tlie gang to discuss a quiz
—a date with the campus queen
or iust killing time between classes
-the Field House at Louisiana State
University in Baton Rouge is one
of the favorite places for a rendez
vous. At the Field House, as in
college campus haunts everywhere,
a frosty bottle of Coca-Cola is al
ways on hand tor the pause that
refreshes-Coke belotigs.
Ask f or it either way ... both
trade-marks mean the same thing.
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