Sports
April 11,1991
Page
14
Tennis teams set
sights on tourney
Chip Lupo
The Pendulum
The nationally ranked men
and women's tennis teams are
gearing up for their upcoming
conference and district
tournaments.
For the men's squad, coach
Tom Parham, despite bringing
back one starter from last year's
NAIA national championship
team, has lost little momentum in
attempting to defend that title.
The Christians are currently ranked
seventh in the Volvo
Tennis/Collegiate Team rankings.
Parham's lone star from 1990
is Mike Leonard, a senior from
Laurinburg, N.C. Leonard is
ranked 15th in both the singles
rankings and in doubles, where he
is paired with freshman standout
Peter Lindstrom of Stockholm,
Sweden. LindsU-om is ranked 31st
in the singles rankings.
The Christians will serve as
host school for the South Atlantic
Conference Tournament which
runs from April 12-13. Singles
matches begin at 9:30 am on the
12th, with doubles matches to
follow.
The NAIA District 26
tournament follows; its winner
will qualify for the NAIA
playoffs. The tournament gets
underway on April 19 and will run
through the 22nd, at Greensboro’s
Oka Hester Park.
The Christians won both the
conference and district tournaments
en route to the national
championship.
All of the successes of the
men's tennis team hasn't
overshadowed an outstanding year
by the women netters. Coach
Jackie Myers' team is ranked 21st
in the Volvo Tennis rankings and
features Helen O'Dea, Volvo’s
32nd ranked singles player.
O'Dea, a junior transfer from
Melbourne, Australia is paired
with Coleen Smythe as the 17th
ranked doubles team.
The Lady Christians will
travel to Presbyterian College in
Clinton, S.C. for the South
Atlantic Conference Women's
tournament on April 12 and 13th.
The District 26 tournament
will be held at Elon from April
19-21.
Christians make
late-season surge
Ted Toomer
The Pendulum
The Fightin' Christians
baseball team is trying to do what
they normally do this time of the
year, and that is to perform well
enough in conference play to earn
yet another trip to the NAIA
World Series.
The Christians won three
pivotal games last weekend to put
themselves in position to make a
late-season run during the
upcoming South Atlantic
Conference Tournament and to
make it back to the NAIA Worid
Series playoffs, which has
become an annual trip for the
Christians.
Hie Christians defeated Gardner-
Webb 3-2 and 9-1 in a double
header last Saturday and cruised to
a 7-2 victory over Lenoir-Rhyne
on Sunday.
Freshman Chris York, who llitJ'
a three run homer in the bottom
Rob White«idamic Pendulum
Thi Lady Christian tsnnls team . rankad 21 in ^
toumammi thi. mtond. " ""*■ »“™ “P '« “>• SouUi AMntIc Conf.nn«
Don't count on A's and Reds in '91
of the first inning in Sunday's
game against Lenoir-Rhyne thinks
the team is in a good position.
"We're playing well right now
considering how we started the
season. We have a chance to
finish either first or second in the
conference," York said.
Junior right-hander Scott
Gulley, who is 4-2 this season,
led Elon on Sunday with seven
strikeouts and two earned runs.
On the offensive side Mike
Beckom, Rick Ulasewich and Bart
Wingerd all had two hits apiece.
The Christians are 18-9 and 10-
8 in the SAC. The Christians are
in fifth place just behind Catawba
and Presbyterian who are both tied
for fourth place with 9-7 records.
The Christians have three games
remaining and must perform well
during this sketch.
"I'm feeling good about our
team. We just need tq s^tjpn^
to play well," York said.
Major League Baseball is in
full swing this week, with the
opening week of the season jusi
underway.
What makes this country's
national pastime so great is the
level of parity in both leagues that
makes championship dynasties
improbable at best Oakland came
close, but blew it.
Not since 1978, when the
New York Yankees captured their
second su-aight World Series has a
major league team repeated as
champions.
Last year the Cincinnati Reds
shocked the baseball world by
sweeping the Oakland A's to win
the Worid Series. So does that
mean that we can look forward to
another Oakland-Cincy matchup in
1991?
Baseball logic says don't
count on it. Never mind the fact
that the A's have defied this logic
by winning the American League
West division three straight times.
Expect someone else to come
forward and take a crack at creating
a baseball dynasty.
Exactly who is favored to
make a run a the Fall Classic this
year? With the talent level on
many clubs the highest its been in
years, we'll go out on a limb,
looking at each division:
^^4M^ICAN l^EAGUE EAST:
Boston Red Sox: Once again
Toronto will fight
and nail for the UUe in an
otherwise mediocre division. The
Baltimore Orioles, however, are
waiting in the wings and cou^d
prove to be a challenge.
The Red Sox have way too
many weapons this year, including
the addition of slugger Jack Clark
and pitcher Danny Darwin, the
majors'E.R.A. leader from a year
ago while at St. Louis. With the
addiuon of Joe Carter in Toronto,
and the luxury of playing in a
home run factory known as the
Sky Dome, Gruber, Olerud and
Co. are definitely going to make
thuigs interesting in the East.
AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST:
California Angels: Oakland’s
thr^ year reign atop the AL West
will be seriously threatened by
ijis bunch from Anaheim. The
serious steps to
re ound from last year's 80-82
JMord. Gary GaetU arrives from
Mmnesota to anchor third base
of Dave Parker
Winfierd1,opcsu( benefit in his
frOin
first full season away j^^es
troubled New York
franchise. If the pitching
Kirk McCaskill, Mark L^g„^
and Jim Abbott can comP
Chuck Finley (18-9, 2.40
1990), while Bert . list,
the season on the disa ^
then the Angels shou jj^ant
serious run at the A. .’ .g pitch
that eluded them by a
in 1986.
in 1986. rr-cAST
NATIONAL LEAGI^E ■^s
Chicago Cubs: T
competitive in 1991. W
noL Montfeal, New
... 1
Chicago CUDS. *■ jjgveit®'
competitive in 1991. and
noL Montfeal, New (Qt
Pittsburgh will all c a
the division title, thr^®
there are no wild
must try to keep pac® Th®
Carey's pride-and-Joy^.^j,
Cubbies are loaded.
names such as
Sandburg, Dunston,
Smith. „
With Danny Jackso
in Wrigley Field frof^
Carey might live to ggries
win their first ^ iias
since....il has been a w t
it? Holy Cow! You
that, right, Harry?
NATIONAL LEAGl^Jf jftJi
Los Angtles «j
men from Tinscltow pitc**'g
both the offense an ^.^5,
in sync at the v ; l5