• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_1985-04-18_Vol49_No26_08

8 Western Carolinian April 18, 1985 Sports Baseball Squad Makes Playoffs The Western Carolina baseball team earned its second Southern Conference Tournament berth in as many years by taking three games from The Citadel in Cullowhee last weekend. With the sweep of the Bulldogs, WCU clinched at least a second place finish in the SC's south division. Davidson, which swept three games from Furman over the weekend, remains 2 and Vi games behind Western heading into a three-game series between the two teams at Davidson this weekend. The Catamounts, 11-3 in the conference and winners of seven of their last eight games, need only one win over the Wildcats to sew up their second straight south division title. Davidson, with an 8-5 conference mark, must take all three to claim the championship. Three of the four spots are now filled in the tournament, which will be hosted by north division winner Appalachian SOUTHERN CONFERENCE BASEBALL STANDINGS NORTH DIVISION Appalachian State Marshall VMI E. Tennessee State w 12-2 8 -7 7-8 2- 12 SOUTH DIVISION Western Carolina Davidson The Citadel Furman 11 -3 8-5 5- 10 4- 10 CONFERENCE GAMES REMAINING Sat., April 20 - WCU at Davidson (2) Sun., April 21 ' WCU at Davidson State. WCU and Davidson will represent the south division, while Marshall and VMI each have a shot at the final opening in the north. The tournament is scheduled for April 26-28 in Boone, with the top two teams from each division squaring off in a double-elimination format. At stake will be an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Catamounts, now 27-25 overall, began the week Wednesday with a 15-3 loss at Tennessee, but bounced back to beat UNC-Asheville 13-3 in Cullowhee. Shortstop John Pust led the barrage as he hit for the cycle, collecting a single, double, triple and home run with five RBIs in five at bats. Pitching ace Scott Gay opened the weekend series with a complete-game 5-3 win over The Citadel on Saturday. The victory was Gay's 23rd as a Catamount, breaking the school career record of 22, set by Jerry Reed from 1974 through 1977. In raising his 1985 record to 9-1, Gay scattered eight hits and struck out seven. In the second game Saturday, Andy Rickman singled home Robert Gordon with one out in the eleventh inning to give WCU a 9-8 win. Pust continued his hot hitting by going 3 for 4 and driving in game-tying runs in the sixth and eighth innings, keeping the Cats' hopes for victory alive. Keith Smith evened his record at 3-3, giving up only two hits over five and a third innings in relief of starter Al Donovan. Lefthander John Milewski completed the sweep by going the distance in WCU's 10-3 win on Sunday. Now 4-0 on the season, Milewski scattered ten hits with three strikeouts and only one walk. Carson paced Western's 15- hit attack, going three for four with four RBIs. '85 Cat-A-Thon: A Success 1985: The Year of the Tiger? BY JEFF CHAPMAN Sports Writer The familiar sounds of wood cracking and leather smacking were heard last week as Major League Baseball's twenty-six teams opened the 1985 campaign. The biggest surprise of the young season is the Seattle Mariners, off to a 6-0 start after finishing fifth in the American League West a year ago. Led by AL Player of the Week Phil Bradley (batting .400 with two doubles, two triples, and two home runs ) and third baseman Jim Presley (four homers in six games), the Mariners outscored the Oakland A's and Minnesota Twins a combined 40-22 last week to tak an early two and a half game lead over the Chicago White Sox. In the AL East, the Detroit Tigers are the leaders again after a 5-0 start. Detroit has held first place in the East for 189 consecutive days, including all of last year. Elsewhere in the American League, catcher Rick Dempsey, a lifetime .239 hitter, in Baltimore leads the Orioles with a .375 Elsewhere in the American League, catcher Rick Dempsey, a lifetime .239 hitter, leads the Orioles with a .375 battinc average in Baltimore. Boston Red Sox third baseman Wade Boggs has a 17-game hitting streak (11 last year and six this year) and had two consecutive three-hit games Sunday and Monday. Outfielder Mike Davis of the Oakland A's leads the AL with 12 RBI and Jerry Hairston of the Chicago White Sox had a pinch-hit RBI single Monday to set a club pinch- hit record with 51. The National League finished its first week with the Atlanta Braves leading the NL West and the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets sharing the top spot in the NL East. Outfielder Dale Murphy of Atlanta, who on Sunday became the 30th major leaguer to play in 500 consecutive games, is leading the Braves with a .500 batting average, four home runs and ten runs batted in. Pete Rose, the Cincinatti Reds' player- manager, has reached base safely with a hit or walk in the 28 games he's started since returning to the Reds last August. Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros snapped a string of five consecutive losses against Steve Carlton Sunday as their much-talked-about duel for Continued - page 9 Cats Enjoy Banner Recruitment BY GERRY NEAL Sports Editor The 1985 WCU Cat-a-thon on Saturday was once again a successful event. Representatives from 42 organizations contributed to a field of over 300 participants who were supported by donors for their efforts. Afterwards, the runners were treated to a picnic in the campus recreational park, sponsored by Coca-Cola and "Grand Central Station", a new restaurant opening in Sylva. Tom Bommer, executive director of the Big Cat Club, feels optimistic about this year's Cat-a- thon proceeds. "This could be the best Cat-a-thon ever," Bommer stated in reference to beneficial campaigns from the past years. As of Monday, his office had collected 12,637 dollars in pledges, "which will increase substantially over the next two weeks," said Bommer. The leading organization is the football team, credited with around 6,000 dollars as of Monday, April 15. Tau Kappa Epsilon and Sigma Kappa are the frontrunners of the Greek organizations. Bommer felt it was too early to accurately determine the favorite to win the trip to the WCU-Florida State football game this Fall. "Seven individuals are in position to win but I won't know for another two weeks," said Bommer. The leader had a total of $309 on Monday. Bommer would like to send his thanks to all runners and sponsors who made his job a little easier. Among those mentioned were the cheerleaders, who have raised about $400, WCU football coach Tommy Scott who led the pack with a total of forty laps, and finally, Chancellor Coulter, who persuaded ten local businessmen to contribute $100 each. The Chancellor's sponsors are as follows: Jack Haney of Western Sirloin Steak House, Jimmy Childress of WRGC Radio, Roy Cloer of Jackson County Savings and Loan, Wayne Edwards of Northwestern Bank of Sylva, Gary Peek of Wachovia Bank, Raye Parker of First Union National Bank, Robbie Sutton of Sylva Coal and Lumber, David Smith of Grand Central Station Restaurant, Ralph and Barbara Herring of Town House Motor Court, and Phil Haire of Holt, Haire, and Bridges. WCU Catamount Football Recruiting Team BY GERRY NEAL Sports Editor The future looks positive for the Catamount football program. Momentum is high, Spring practice was very successful, and perhaps best of all, recruiting was better than it has ever been, "I feel we had an excellent recruiting year," said veteran coach Bob Waters. "This year we recruited big, quality athletes, especially on the defense where we needed help the most," said Waters. Coach Waters is pleased with the efforts of his coaching staff and the outlook of the Catamount football program. After hours spent traveling and watching game films, the coaching staff could sit back and relax with the fruit of their labor. The result was the signing of twenty-five new WCU football players. "We won more battles than ever before against area schools such as Appalachian, Furman, East Tennessee State, and UT-Chattanooga. It is a key factor to note that we signed all first group picks. Sometimes you have to settle for a few second group choices, but not this year," said Waters. According to Waters, the group will add valuable depth to the squad in the 1985 campaign. "We seemed to pick up help in the areas where needed the most, primarily on defense. We lost a lot of defensive players," said Waters. Of the twenty-five recruits, Western added seven linemen, five linebackers, and five defensive backs to a defense depleted by graduation. Maybe the Cats' success will insure the students and faculty that the winning tradition Coach Waters has established will continue. National Sports Shorts By JEFF CHAPMAN Sports Writer Here's a glance at national and world sports Defending World Middleweight Champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler needed only three rounds to stop challenger Thomas "Hit Man" Hearns in their title fight Monday night at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. Early in round three, Hearns opened a cut under Hagler's right eye causing Referee Richard Steele to stop the fight in order for Hagler to be examined by a doctor. After being given the go-ahead to continue fighting, Hagler stunned Hearns with two rights to the head, dropping the challenger to the canvas. Hearns arose groggy and the fight was stopped, with Hagler being awarded a technical knockout On Sunday, in the Masters Tournament at Augusta, GA., West German Bernard Langer finished with a 4-round total of 282 (6-under par) to claim his first-ever PGA major championship. The PGA tour lands in Hilton Head, S.C. this weekend for the Sea Pines Heritage Classic The NBA Playoffs got under way this week with the defending champion Boston Celtics, led by Larry Bird, trying to become the first team in over a decade to win consecutive titles. The Los Angeles Lakers, with veteran center Kareem Abdul- Jabbar and point guard Earvin "Magic" Johnson, are also strong favorites for this year's NBA crown. The Lakers, the league's hottest team, won 31 of their last 35 games to finish with a record of 62-20, second only to Boston's 63- 19. Moses Malone, who leads the Philadelphia 76ers into the NBA's "second season," won his fifth consecutive rebounding title, hauling in 1,031 caroms for a 13.1 per game average The future of the Tulane University Basketball Program, which has been under investigation for a point-shaving scandal, looked grim today as the university's board met. The student senate there voted Monday to accept President Eamon Kelly's recommendation to drop the program. The board will make the final decision today Trivia: Comiskey Park, home of the Chicago White Sox, fell victim to 180 home runs in 1984, tops in major league baseball. CAT-A-THON '85 WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY The Big Cat Club would like to thank the following organizations for their participation in Cat-A-Thon '85 WCU Cheerleading Helderwood RHC Basketball WCU Women's Basketball Football Managers Cullowhee Volleyball Kiwanis Soccer Team Stray Cat Security Young Life SCEC Baseball WCU Alpha Kappa Psi Omega Psi Phi Sigma Phi Epsilon Pi Lambda Phi Little Sisters Program in Comm. Disorders Criminal Justice Club Delta Zeta Sorority National Speech, Hearing & Language Burke/McDowell Alumni-Scholarship Fund Golf Sigma Kappa Sorority Cystic Fibrosis Cross Country Lambda Chi Alpha Alpha Xi Delta Sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Heart and Lung Association Epsilon Sigma Pi Big Cat Club Catamount Kittens Track Housing Corporation Volleyball Developmental foundation Tau Kappa Epsilon Kappa Alpha Football Team Alphi Chi Omegai Barbell Club

The Western Carolinian is Western Carolina University’s student-run newspaper. The paper was published as the Cullowhee Yodel from 1924 to 1931 before changing its name to The Western Carolinian in 1933.

• Creator
  • Western Carolina University
• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Date
  • Date original: 1985-04-18
  • Date digitized: 2019-02-28
• Extent
  • Dimension: 22.75" x 15"
  • Pages: 12 pages
• Subject - Topic
  • College student newspapers and periodicals
  • Cullowhee (N.C.) -- Newspapers
  • Universities and colleges -- North Carolina -- Cullowhee -- Newspapers
• Location
  • Jackson County (N.C.)
  • Cullowhee (N.C.)
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Source Collection
  • WCU Students Newspapers Collection
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_1985-04-18_Vol49_No26
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library