Top pro prospect to start against Michigan

Pro baseball scouts dotted the stands of Fisher Stadium during Michigan's series with Minnesota last weekend. Not checking out any player in particular, according to one of the scouts, they lounged in the warm weather and most were gone by mid-game.

They were probably just warming up their radar guns for this weekend.

There will be many watchful eyes as Michigan (5-7 Big Ten, 15-17-1 overall) begins a four-game series with Michigan State today.

FILE PHOTO Michigan State shortstop Tom Grigg, a senior, has been starting for the Spartan since his freshman season. This weekend, Grigg and the Spartans will try and steal a series from the Wolverines.

Taking the hill for the Spartans tomorrow will be Mark Mulder, considered by many to be the top left-handed pitching prospect in college baseball. The 6-foot-6, 200-pound junior, who is Michigan State's everyday first baseman when he is not pitching, will throw the first game of a doubleheader at Oldsmobile Park in East Lansing.

Mulder has been one of the few bright spots for the struggling Spartans (4-8, 15-18), but has gotten little run support in his outings. Because of this, he posts a mediocre 3-4 record with a 3.86 ERA on the season.

But the hard-throwing southpaw has been on fire of late, sitting opposing batters down with ease. Last week, he struck out 10 in a scoreless six-inning performance against Oakland - a 4-0 Michigan State victory. He followed this with a 14-strikeout performance against Indiana, a game in which the Spartans struggled offensively, losing 2-0. The hurler has 76 strikeouts on the season, and is chasing the Michigan State single season record of 107.

So is Michigan coach Geoff Zahn doing anything special to prepare his Wolverines for the possible No. 1 overall pick in June's draft?

Not really. He's just offering them the same choice they've had all season.

"Every time you are at the plate, you only have to make one decision - whether to swing or not," Zahn said. "This isn't (Seattle Mariners ace) Randy Johnson in mid-season form; this is a kid with a lot of potential. We're going to go after him like we do anybody else."

When the Wolverines do go after people, they have been successful. They played aggressive baseball last weekend against second-place Minnesota and took three of four games from the Gophers.

And after playing Illinois, Ohio State and Minnesota - the top three teams in the conference standings - the Wolverines finally meet a team that is not playing its best baseball. The Spartans dropped an 8-5 decision to Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, mustering just five hits against the Eagles. The Spartans also split a conference series with Indiana last weekend.

But Zahn, whose squad has also seen its share of difficulty this year, will not let the Wolverines take their arch-rival lightly.

"It's going to be a very intense series," Zahn said. "They generally pitch pretty well and play good defense, so they'll be a tough opponent."

But while the team will not look past Michigan State, the Wolverines are primarily focusing on their own performance.

"We're more concerned with doing what we do well, both this weekend and for the rest of the year," Zahn said. "We're working on our mental approach."

If Michigan is as mentally tough as last weekend, the middle-of-the-pack Wolverines could be a contender come crunch time in the Big Ten.

04-17-98