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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 5, 1976)
Sizzler Oregon’s Shawna Baxter doesn’t serve up steak, just blazing fast balls that leave most batters hungry for a piece of the ball emerald sports Photo by Kerne Stanhajw “It took about a year to get the speed,” says Baxter and Oregon softball coach Becky Sisley is hoping it sticks around for a few more. EMU Food service offers you a variety: By JEFF NIELSON Of the Emerald The Oregon women's softball team has to be the only college team with Nolan Ryan as their number-one pitcher. Well, not really. But while no body has clocked freshman Shawna Baxter's fastball at 100 mph, you don't have to ask many opposing batters about her repu tation for slingin' a softball. Ask her catcher. Peg Rees, a three-sport athlete who was a pitcher last year, now catches Baxter “for the chal lenge.” "Shawna is by far the toughest pitcher I've worked with,” said Rees, a junior PE major. “The ball comes awful hard. I generally catch the ball in the webbing, be cause if I don't, I invariably bruise my hand.” Baxter, a blue-chipper if the softball program ever had one, came to campus last September from Eugene’s Churchill High with a list of credentials as long as your arm. When she was 12, Baxter held national age group records in the half-mile. Last year as a senior, she scored in the shot, discus and javelin in the high school AAA State meet. She also has softball awards from four years of compet ition that are too numerous to mention. How did she develop her fast ball? Baxter points to her summer league competition with McCulloch’s Chain Saws. “It took about a year to get the speed," said Baxter. "After that, it just comes with timing — the more you practice, the better your timing becomes." Experience like this has given the Ducks a new start after last year’s mediocre 6-9 finish. With only three returning players — Hanna Munson, Debi Segura and Rees, Oregon has improved greatly with an influx of new talent from freshmen and junior college transfers. Some of the new faces this year include Melanie Schaefer, a field-hockey regular who shunned golf for softball this year; Connie Anderson, the only member of the squad moved up from last season’s JV team and the back up pitcher; and promising new comers Joanne Betloni, Melinda Shoulders, Sally Blickle and Ally son Smith. Right now. Oregon is flying high with a record of 10-4 and a trip to the eighth-annual Women’s Col lege World Series later this month firmly in hand after defeating Oregon State in a playoff last Future success, however, could be riding on Baxter’s arm. Coach Becky Sisley says she brings a dimension to the squad it didn't have before. "Shawna adds the element of an experienced, consistent pitcher,’’ said Sisley. “Right now, she’s erratic at times, but she’s got a lot of potential yet. A lot will de pend on the stability of the team she’s pitching for.’’ The Ducks' next challenge will be tonight, as they host Oregon College of Education on the Ama zon Park field at 3:30 p.m. The game itself might not mean a lot for tournament-bound Oregon, but Sisley’s squad has a black eye to avenge — the Ducks were beaten Sunday by OCE, 4-0, in the championship game of the OCE Invitational Sunday after noon in Monmouth "We re looking forward to play ing a good game on a good field," said the Duck coach. "We’d like to win this one — it should be a tight game." And should Oregon win, Baxter might be engaged in another activ ity — teaching uppity men just how fast she is. Often, guys will ask her to throw a few. She usually does. “A lot of guys like to bat against me," she laughed ’’They have a bit of trouble at first, though." Which isn't surprising, for dish ing up trouble is Shawna Baxter's bread-and-butter. German AUTO SERVICE VOLKSWAGEN reliable service for your foreign car MERCEDES • DATSUN • TOYOTA GUENTER SCHOENER f25 Fra£H" *«■ Eugene, Ore. 97403 Bus. Ph. 342-2912 Home Ph 746-1207
