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Show TDOORS Furlough ends for diamondmen BY DAVID COOPER Southern Utah baseball fans who were disappointed when baseball was cut from the SUSC athletic lineup can dust off their caps and oil their gloves. Baseball is back. Preparations for the 1991 season are currently under way. The sport, along with womens volleyball, was dropped from the school offerings in 1989 due to budgetary constraints. Rifle was added instead. However, the ROTC program is being discontinued at SUSC and with it goes the rifle team. Baseball is being reintroduced with a limited schedule and no scholarships. Because of the sudden comeback, the athletic department has had little time for the structuring of this years team. Head Coach Gordon Dotsons main concern is to evaluate the available talent. Only four starters remain from the 1989 season. All of those interested in trying out for the new team must attend the tryout meeting scheduled for Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. in room 227 of the Centrum. Tryouts for the team officially begin Oct. A fall season will not be played because of Dotsons obligations as assistant football coach. But a heavy spring schedule of 35 games, including teams like Utah, Sacramento State, Mesa, and Grand Canyon, has been lined up. 11-1- QB Brad Mathews is the second-highe- rated passer in the WFC. He will lead SUSC against Santa Clara Saturday. SU to battle Santa Clara on road BY BRIAN HOWARD Winning a football conference is like winning a war. Youve got to do it away from home. For the Thunderbird gridders one of the key battles in the bid for the conference title comes Saturday on the road against the Santa Clara Broncos. This is a game that we have to win in order to win the conference, said SUSC Football Coach Jack Bishop. We always play them tough, but weve had a bit of a hard time beating them. The Birds are against the Broncos, winning for the first time last season in Cedar City. On paper the game boasts the conferences number one passing offense against the top rushing team. Santa Clara leads the conference both in total offense (421 yards a game) and passing offense (269.5 yards a game). Leading SUSCs top rushing offense (196 yards a game) is converted quarterback Steve Hutchings, averaging 63.3 yards a game. Behind Hutchings is a dozen or so other running backs who split time. Although USC leads the conference in passing, SUs air attack is holding its own. Brad Mathews is the WFCs second-bes- t passer thus far, earning a 154.9 efficiency rating. Bob Stookey leads the conference in yards receiving, pulling down 80 yards per game on 3.8 receptions a contest. Southern Utahs stats may be impressive, but with a conference schedule sporting only two home games, each road game is more important than numbers. Included with Santa Clara in SUs away schedule is perennial conference powerhouse Portland State. The Vikings lost at home to Cal 3 in the WFC opener last Poly San Luis Obispo week as Cal Poly pulled the shocking upset. Cal Poly remains undefeated at while dropping PSU to Santa Clara moved into a tie- - for second by Cal State thrashing Cal State Hayward Northridge downed Central State Oklahoma (a team SU beat 35-- 0 earlier in the season) in Edmond, Cal State Sacramento evened its record Okla., 17-at 2 with a 2 victory over UC Davis. The return home after the Santa Clara swing for three straight home games. Sacramento State travels to Cedar City Oct. 6 for a conference matchup; Northridge will try to spoil SUSCs homecoming Oct. 13 the way they did in 1989; and St. Marys, a foe, will provide SU a break from WFC action on Oct. 20. 36-2- 3-- 3-- 50-2- 0. 2-- 16-1- Cheerleaders are vocal, spirited bunch potential, along with a can do, will do attitude, Birch said. The most visible athletic team on campus also has the longest season, the most hours spent in practice per day and the least financial support. Rather than spend their time complaining, however, SUs cheerleading squad has been practicing instead. Head cheerleader Shellie Poulsen along with head yell leader Gordon Birch think this year is absolutely fantastic, and plan to improve as much as the squads potential will let them. Most of our squad is new, but they are catching on so fast that its going really good, Poulsen said. The yell leaders this year have a lot of strength and With at least three hours spent each day, including 6:30 a.m. practice, individual workouts and partner this years squad knows how to work. It takes a certain personality, stamina and dedication to be a cheerleader, Birch said. We are the public relations team of the school, and our season continues after other sports are finished. According to Birch, the cheerleading season starts after spring tryouts, and each member is given a rigorous individual workout to improve his or her own stunt-trainin- (CONTINUED ON PAGE IS) |