Coach, players remain hopeful of turn around with full slate of conference games ahead

Andy Morris Sports Beat

Remaining upbeat during a difficult losing season can be tough, but the inaugural Appalachian State University softball team has no problem staying positive.

Lael Rorie, a sophomore transfer from Brigham Young University, is pleased with the team's enthusiasm. "Everyone is a lot more positive than I expected," she said. "We've lost a lot of close games, but everyone is staying up."

With a 6-20 overall record and a 1-3 Southern Conference (SoCon) record so far, the Mountaineers do not appear to have much to be happy about.

The home debut last weekend against Furman University was canceled due to poor field conditions and the threat of inclement weather conditions.

The team will try again to open its home season this weekend in a doubleheader against the University of North Carolina at Wilmington at the Watauga County Recreation Complex at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

But that losing record has not bothered the Mountaineers.

"Usually when a team doesn't have a winning season most people aren't as positive as we have been," said Rorie.

The season has been neither above nor below Appalachian head coach Willie Rucker's expectations.

"I didn't really know what to expect, but I was very optimistic," she said. "Having the experience of working with young people, I knew that anything could happen Ñ we could lose all our games or win all our games. It all depends on how quick they learn."

In a first-year program, the key is not to focus on wins and losses but on improving and building a strong team. However, if improvement was counted in the wins column, the Mountaineers would have a lot more to show for their season.

"Our record doesn't reflect the efforts and progress we've made," said sophomore Amber Joyner. "Improvement has been great every game, and the girls really get along well."

Rucker said that the team has gained experience and knowledge during the season.

"We were making a lot of mistakes primarily because of nervousness," she said. "That prior experience we've gained will help us in the conference season and make us more successful."

A key part of the Mountaineers' improvement has been a significant progress in the team's defense. After losing the first four games of the season by a combined total of 29 runs, the Appalachian team has not lost by more than three runs in the past nine games.

"Our defense has gotten a lot better, and our outfielders have been awesome," said Rorie. "They're pretty much unstoppable out there."

The improvement of the pitchers has also helped the team.

"Our pitchers have settled down as a result of the catchers learning the pitchers better," Rucker said. According to Joyner, the team has improved beyond the physical aspect of the game.

"We've improved mentally and strategically," she said. "We're a lot more focused on our goals, what we expect to do each game and what we expect of each other."

The Mountaineers have had plenty of guidance throughout the season. "We've had some really quality leadership from some of the transfers and some of the walk-ons," said Rucker.

Appalachian will try to pick up some wins as the team still has 25 games remaining in the season, 13 of which are conference games. For now, Joyner remains optimistic.

"I'm really, really happy with our progress," she said. "I think we're going to surprise a lot of people, especially in conference."

Panthers shouldn't have waived veteran Beuerlein

Chris Boyce Varsity Sports

The Carolina Panthers seemed to be a team on the rise in 1999.

The organization had been able to put the Kerry Collins controversy behind it, and new head football coach George Seifert was quickly working his 49er magic on a team that had previously nosedived under former coach Dom Capers.

Quarterback Steve Beuerlein, a decade-long journeyman, had finally found a home in Charlotte, serving up a Pro Bowl season in 1999. Beuerlein threw for 4,436 yards that season and 36 touchdowns.

He became one of only 13 players in NFL history to throw for over 4,000 yards and throw 30 or more touchdowns in a single season.

It looked as if the Panthers were moving in the right direction. But the promise of 1999 soon gave way to the bleakness of the 2000-2001 season.

The Panthers' Pro Bowl quarterback endured several surgeries following his magical season but was ready to play when the season started.

The expectations on the 2000-2001 Panthers were high, but few could justify why they wouldn't be. The front office had poured huge free agent moneys on past-their-prime defensive legends such as Eric Swann, Reggie White and Chuck Smith.

But bolstering their defense cost the team, mainly by ignoring their prized quarterback's bodyguards, the offensive line.

So as expectations on defense rose, the expectations on offense remained the same: extremely high. Beuerlein's porous offensive line allowed 69 sacks last season and when Beuerlein didn't feel the pain of the turf, he was hurried and was unable to throw perhaps as effectively as he did in the previous season.

Yet with every sack and every knockdown, Beuerlein always got back up. Never did he resort to a selfish attitude and put himself before his team.

He played hurt because he wanted to help his team. And could you blame him? Over his shoulder stood backup quarterbacks Jeff Lewis and Dameyune Craig. Not exactly job competition.

Yet job competition is exactly what Beuerlein dealt with week after week when Seifert routinely mentioned wanting to see Lewis get more snaps in practice and in games.

How quickly did the Panthers forget about what Beuerlein had accomplished. On a team with a tarnished history of the likes of Ray Carruth and Kerry Collins, Beuerlein was one of the few players in the team's short history that was both popular and productive.

Despite this, more blame was placed on Beuerlein than on his offensive line which simply isn't fair. Beuerlein's numbers at the end of the year, 3,730 yards and 19 touchdowns, were respectable, even though they were a drop-off.

So one year after Beuerlein produced his Pro Bowl season, the Panthers waived their veteran starter. The quest for Beuerlein's successor will be underway shortly when mini-camps begin and a candidate, either Lewis or Craig, will emerge.

But know this. Neither will fill the void left by Steve Beuerlein both on and off the field. Neither will play the game the way Beuerlein would've played it, and this is truly a shame.

Beuerlein should've been given the decency to finish his career in a Panther uniform. Instead, he will return to his journeyman ways, wondering and hoping that any team will have use for a 36-year-old frequently repaired yet always-durable veteran leader.

I wish him the best and all football fans should hope he will find a place to be treated as he should Ñ somewhere far away from George Seifert and the Panthers.