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Show SPORTS WWW.UVUREVIEW.COM VOLUME 1.11 ISSUE 28 I N THE Z NE with Man Paterson Madsen shows patience in midst of team's inconsistency By JONATHAN BOLDT Sports Writer Rome wasn't built in a day. The way you eat an elephant is one bit at a time. Whatever the euphemism, an eternal optimist will always find a way to spin any situation in a positive way. This year has been a mixed bag for the Wolverine base- APRIL 2, 2012 ball club, winning big games against big-name opponents, losing by large amounts and winning by vast margins. With such inconsistency at the plate and ups and downs on the mound, the Wolverines are lucky to have a coach in Eric Madsen that prefers a rosy tint to his shades in the dugout. Last year's Great West Conference pitcher of the year Jeremy Gendlek took the mound Thursday night but failed to meet the standard he set last season, giving up six runs over four innings But true to their inconsistent form, Utah Valley only surrendered two runs over the final five innings. "You can't say you're satisfied with that (six runs)," Madsen said. "But a mistake on a slider gives up a home- run and then you miss with another pitch and all of a sudden you've given up a few runs. Jeremy is doing a good job, you just have to give credit to Southern Utah. They capitalized on those mistakes." In their wins the Wolverines have found the best tonic for overcoming runs given up is to smash the ball into obliv- MADSEN B2 Baseball has chance to make statement at home Rivalries aren't just about hate or extreme dislike. It's also about attention. When the "other school" loses to someone, the rival knows about it. Not only that, but they don't forget it, either. So rest assured nationally ranked Arizona baseball is well aware of how dangerous Utah Valley can be. They know the Wolverines gave their rival, Arizona State, an unexpected 9-6 defeat in Tempe, Ariz., less than three weeks ago. Having been raised in Arizona, I know there had to be some ribbing going on — which disappeared as soon as the Wildcats realized UVU was also on their schedule. Both Grand Canyon State universities are annual baseball powerhouses. Both were nationally ranked heading into the weekend, Arizona at No. 15, ASU at No. 17. Then again, the Arizona coaching staff likely already respects UVU's program. Indeed, they wouldn't have scheduled their game in Orem if they didn't. Credit the Wolverines for earning that respect. Seventy-four wins in two years will do that. Now the Wolverines need to cash in on that respect. Inviting power programs to play, only to get creamed in front of your home fans will only get them so far. Fans will only accept so many consolation prizes, so many at-leastwe-got-to-play-them's before the wonder starts to wear off. Make no mistake, it will wear off if UVU sports keeps losing the precious few marquee matchups it earns. Granted, earning them in the first place is an achievement for this school. Fans attending the home wrestling match against defending national champion Penn State cheered every time UVU did something good. It's the final score, however, that leaves the biggest impression. Here are a few from big-name home games this season: Wrestling vs. No. 2 Penn State — 39-3, L Volleyball vs. No. 24 Michigan — 3-0, L M. Basketball vs. Wyoming — 76-70, L W. Soccer vs. Miami — 4-1, PHOTO BY KEVIN BRYAN/UVU REVIEW Utah Valley sophomore Michael McPherson competes in the 110-meter hurdles during the UVU Invitational on Friday, March 30. McPherson owns school records in the heptathlon, long jump and 4x100 meter relay. McPherson turns promise into passion By MATT PETERSEN Sports Editor Michael McPherson's hands twitch and shake repeatedly, as though he had three too many cups of coffee. It's violent enough to be seen from the start line to the end of the long jump pit. The sophomore track and field athlete doesn't have a logical answer. Logic doesn't have much say when it comes to a hand-shaking routine right before a legsonly event. "I dunno, it's like magic fingers?" McPherson jokes. "It's to kind of bring the energy spirits close to me. I don't know how it devel- CONTACT: At least, they used to ask that. Not anymore. *** McPherson was in sixth grade when it happened. It was P.E. class, and the class was going through the trackand-field portion of the curriculum. A Colorado native, McPherson hadn't yet found his sport of choice. He wasn't inspired by the sand-filled pitch at the end of the runway on sight. This was P.E. The teacher said "jump," and so he jumped. Further than everyone else in the class. "That's when it all started, MCPHERSON B2 Softball splits in home opener By KEVIN OLSEN Sports Writer .0' .0 .., Y .0.,....... A doubleheader against The University of Missouri Kansas City brought Utah Valley University to play on their home field for the first time since the opening of the season in early February. The Y r- %!..- Wolverines split the doubleheader as their second game resulted in a 10-7 victory following their 8-9 loss. UVU came into their first contest at home sitting on a five-game winning streak and winning eight of their last nine games. The two-game series put UVU's record at 19-7-1. "We started off sluggish in both games but as you can see, [Tiffany] Mills can bring it," head coach Todd Fairbourne said. "She came in and finished off." Mills struggled in the first game and pitched only the last two innings during game two of Wednesday's doubleheader, but during those two she stopped UMKC with zero SOFTBALL B3 Perez has lifetime's worth of focus on one goal L Utah Valley wants to be seen as a legit NCAA program, considered on the same playing field as the Arizonas, UCLAs and BYUs of the world. In a literal sense, they already are. In order to be considered equals to their peers, UVU has to beat them to join them. UVU has a chance on Wednesday. Where it matters. In front of those who matter. If baseball comes away with the win, maybe will start to matter back. oped, it just kind of came to me." If nothing else, it gets people's attention, though not the kind an aspiring athlete would hope to receive. "It's funny, 'cause I get crap for [the hand-shaking thing]," McPherson said. "Everybody's like 'what the heck? What are you doing?"' " ,," ( -10 PHOTO BY KEVIN BRYAN/UVU REVIEW The Wolverines women's soccer team practices between road games. After a four-game losing streak, Utah Valley won two straight over Idaho and Montana, respectively. By NICK HEFLER Sports Writer Amanda Perez has her priorities in order. She is a team player who wants nothing more than to see her senior season end in a winning fashion. UVU softball has never won the Pacific Coast Softball Conference (PCSC) title, a mark that Perez hopes to change before she graduates in April. If the team can advance beyond the PCSC, they will have the opportunity to compete for an NCAA championship. "I just want to go to the NCAAs ," Perez said. SPORTS EDITOR SPORTS DESIGNER petersensports@gmailcom gonzamatic@gmail.com MATT PETERSEN ERIC GONZALEZ When Perez was a prep player at La Serna High School in La Mirada, Calif., UVU head coach Todd Fairbourne recruited her during her senior year. After looking into the school further, she fell in love with the atmosphere and the people, as well as a notable love for the Utah mountains. Perez credits her father as the reason she has attained PEREZ B3 FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! @UVU_SPORTSDESK |