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Hitters to begin Zahn era

Wolverines start season with trip to Lone Star state

By Will McCahill
Daily Sports Writer

Catch-up, anyone?

That is what the Michigan baseball team will be playing as it swings through Texas next week. It hopes to get up to competitive speed with southern and West Coast teams that have been playing for at least three weeks.

"It's an evaluating trip, for sure," Michigan coach Geoff Zahn said. "But we're also there to win ball games."

One disadvantage of Michigan's northerly location is that it shortens the season considerably, cutting out spring training and compressing the regular season from 15 to 12 weeks.

"It cuts down on practice time," Zahn said.

That is why the Wolverines need to hit the ground running next week and why adaptability is key on the trip. Mistakes will be made as the players get reacquainted with the game and the veterans get to know the newcomers. But if Michigan is to advance in the ratings, Zahn said that there is little room for error.

"We should catch up quickly," he said.

The Texas trip is Zahn's first chance to get a good look at his squad. Not only has the weather kept outdoor workouts to a minimum, but this is Zahn's first season at the helm, and he is almost as new to the team as are the incoming freshmen.

Nonetheless, he knows what to expect of his returning players. Zahn said he is looking to juniors Kelly Dransfeldt at third base and Kirk Beermann at second for leadership, and he also hopes that the Besco brothers -- Bryan and Derek, both sophomore pitchers -- will step up for the Wolverines.

Dransfeldt batted .291 in 52 games last year with 27 runs batted in. Beermann hit .276 in 42 games.

"(Senior pitcher) Chuck Winters might be a surprise," Zahn said. Winters, who also played free safety for the Michigan football team last fall, chalked up a pair of wins against one loss for the Wolverines in 1995, but posted a 15.43 earned-run average.

The backbone of the staff looks to be senior right-hander John Arvai and junior right-hander Brian Steinbach.

Arvai led the team both in wins (eight) and ERA (4.02) last season. Steinbach had the second-lowest ERA at 5.53 while going 2-3 in 16 appearances.

The Wolverines start the road trip with four games at Houston from March 2-5. Then they play a game at Rice before competing in the Aggie Continental Classic at Texas A&M against the likes of the Aggies, Old Dominion and Northern Iowa.