sports__
Freshman duo gives Oregon pitching promise
By Brent Paz
Of the Emerald
When Oregon softball coach
P.). Harlin went recruiting last
year, she wanted a top-notch
pitcher and a catcher who could
give her pitching corps some
direction.
She didn't have to look far. In
fact, the second-year coach
found pitcher Sony Schroeder
and catcher Christi Long right in
her own backyard at Churchill
High School.
There was one minor hitch,
though, with the Schroeder
Long pitching and catching
combination: Schroeder had
never pitched in high school.
"It was a big transition," says
Schroeder of her switch from
third base to the pitching
mound.
But the transition was made,
and Oregon is collecting the
dividends.
The Ducks are 15-25, a vast im
provement from last season's
6-21 mark, and Schroeder has
played a part in half of those vic
tories. She has a 7-12 record,
which is an insult to her 1.30
ERA.
You want to talk heartbreak?
Schroeder pitched a three-hitter
against Oregon State March 9,
but lost. She gave up five hits to
Chico State March 26, but lost
1-0 on an unearned run. And last
Friday, she threw a three-hitter
and walked none, but Universi
ty of San Francisco beat the
Photos by Kirk Hirota
Ex-Churchill High freshman Sony Schroeder has given Oregon a
dependable arm on the mound...
r
i
i
i
L
ONEY SAVING OFFER* ■■ *
I’ll tune-up any car
for $10.00 (plus parts)
★★★★★★★
COMPLETE CAR CARE
FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC
★★★★★★★
KEN’S MOBILE TUNE • 689-7170
■■ HHmoney saving offer* MB *
1
I
I
1
Ducks, l-u.
"It kind of brings you down a
little bit," says Schroeder.
Harlin is more blunt.
"She has gone head to head
with some of the toughest
teams/' says Harlin, "and her
record doesn't reflect the job
she's done this year."
Schroeder's record does in
clude a no-hit gem against Lewis
& Clark College April 13, but
Harlin insists her freshman star
is more of a jewel than 7-12 can
explain.
Schroeder's emergence stems
partly from the other half of
Harlin's recruiting effort, Long.
"I didn't know what to ex
pect," says Schroeder, and she
talks about someone who did —
Long. "She is the brains of the
whole thing," says Schroeder.
Long, Scroeder's teammate at
Churchill, is hitting only .115
this year. That is a poor average
even at Oregon, where Harlin's
team is batting .158 as a group.
But when the talk turns to pit
ching, Long gets much of the
credit for the Ducks' 1.19 team
ERA. Harlin says her skills
behind the plate and her throw
ing accuracy make Long one of
the best catchers in the NorPac
Conference.
"I don't think there is any arm
as strong as hers in the league,"
says Harlin. "Her bat is not as
active as I would like it, but I
know she will put it all
together."
Long's ability to work with pit
chers has simplified things for
Harlin.
"I don't have to worry about
call selection for the pitchers,"
says Harlin, who lets Long run
the show.
. .. and fellow frosh Christi Long, a teammate of Schroeder's at
Churchill, is a strong arm behind the plate.
Oregon's catcher is most
renowned for a cannon of an
arm which keeps opposing
baserunners flat-footed.
“Not very many people steal
on me," says Long.
When they do, they start to
wonder why. Fourth-ranked
University of Pacific tried to
steal on Long three times when
the teams met last Saturday.
Long threw out two of three,
and the Tigers got the idea.
Harlin thinks Long is only a
year away from all-star status in
the NorPac.
"All she needs is time before
it all comes together for her,"
says Harlin.
Schroeder and Long will come
together today, as the Ducks
travel to Portland State for a pair
of games beginning at 2:30 p.m.
Sports shorts
Oregon’s golf team is in 7th
place after 36 holes of the
Pac-10 Golf Championships at
Tucson, Ariz.
Mike Hegarty and Gerry Nor
quist are in a tie for 10th and
19th place to lead the Ducks
with a team score of 730, 18
strokes behind the tourna
ment leader, Stanford (712).
Hegarty shot a pair of 71’s
for a 36 hole total of 142. He is
five strokes off the pace for in
dividual medalist honors. Nor
quist finished with a 70 and 75
for a 145 total. 18 holes will be
played today and tomorrow to
decide the Pac-10
championship.
• • •
Oregon’s Club Sports
women’s crew team finished
second to Oregon State Satur
day in Pasco, Wash. The
Ducks won the Lightweight-8
race and took seconds in
Varsity-8 and Novice-8. OSU, a
varsity program, had nine
points to Oregon's eight.
Washington State was third
with five points.
• • •
Oregon’s Club Sports men’s
lacrosse team won the Pacific
Northwest Lacrosse Associa
tion B Division trophy at Delta
Park in Portland Saturday. The
Ducks beat University of
Washington 9-5, Whitworth
7- 2, and Western Washington,
8- 6, to win the title and im
prove to 5-1 in league.
• • •
The Eugene Sports Program
needs volunteer baseball
coaches. Those who can give
6-10 hours of their time a week
should call 683-2373.
TUI
Food Service
Now there are
TWO Food Vans
to serve you
Freshly Baked Croissants
is Sandwiches
✓ Fresh Fruit
✓ Yogurt
^ Hot and Cold Drinks
Look for our new food van at Chapman
Hall. 8 am 2pm
We re still at our regular location at the
Library turnaround 9:30 am - 2 pm