'M' nine open season with frosh faces

By Dena Beth Krischer

Daily Sports Writer

After losing 14 seniors, the Michigan baseball team is looking for some young, enthusiastic and unintimidated reinforcement this season. Michigan Coach Geoff Zahn believes that some old faces and even a few new ones will "do all right" for the Wolverines this season.

The probable line-up for tomorrow's season opener against Jacksonville State will include four players who have never started a game at the collegiate level - a stark contrast to the players they are replacing, each of whom had 100 or more career starts at the beginning of the 1999 season.

"They don't act like they don't have the experience," senior outfielder/first baseman Jay Dines said. "I don't see those guys as being inexperienced. I see it as a lot of guys that really like playing together."

The infield alone will have two freshmen, both at the corners. At first base will be freshman Jordan French, who, according to Zahn, "isn't intimidated by anything."

At third will be freshman Brock Koman, who Zahn refers to as his "old-timer in a rookie's uniform."

"He's a freshman but he plays like a crusty, old veteran," Zahn said. "He's not wowed by anything."

Junior Scott Tousa will move from shortstop to second base and senior Bill LaRosa will take Tousa's place at shortstop.

In the outfield, senior Robert Bobeda will start at either left or in the middle. If Bobeda starts on the side, freshman Blake Rutowski will go in center. If Bobeda starts in the middle, Zahn will send redshirt freshman Mike Sokol to left. In right field will be Dines, if he doesn't start the game at first base.

"It depends on what the team needs right now," Dines said. "I want to play both (first and right), but it's going to really depend on where the coaches need me to play. And that's fine with me as long as I get in and get a chance to hit.

DANNY KALICK/Daily

Michigan's Szandra Fuzesi and the Michigan women's tennis team will face a challenging in defending Big Ten champion Northwestern this weekend.