While most students were vacationing and taking in the sun over spring break, the Tulane baseball team was hard at work continuing a solid season. The schedule finally started to lighten up, and the Green Wave won six of eight, improving their record to 16-7 while scoring a remarkable 79 runs. The offense has come alive just in time for conference play today. The gruesome schedule they've has played so far certainly prepared them.
"Going into the season, we knew we were facing some pretty tough non-conference early season. We're 16-6 right now, and I think I would have probably signed that contract knowing who we were going to play," head coach Rick Jones said. "Once we get more guys on track and we stay healthy, I think this club can be a very special team."
Now the real season starts, and it is not going to get any easier. Tulane is in the competitive Conference USA, where Tulane was picked to only finish fourth by coaches. That is not a knock on Tulane, but it shows how tough a conference this is.
"We're in a very competitive league and one of the top power conferences in the nation," Jones said.
Rice sits at the top of the conference, with a 3-0 record in conference play and an 18-6 record overall. They are also the No.12 ranked team in the country, the lone Conference-USA team ranked. Right behind them, though, are East Carolina, Houston and the Green Wave. East Carolina and Tulane have both been ranked this season, while Houston is right on the border.
For the Green Wave, conference play will kick off on the road against the University of Alabama-Birmingham Blazers. They are one of the weaker teams in the league, with only a 7-13 record. The Blazers already began conference play by getting swept by Memphis.
The Blazers do feature two offensive standouts thus far, however. First baseman Ryan Keedy leads the team with an impressive .456 batting average and 23 RBI, while outfielder Phil Bell is hitting .346 and has a team-leading three home runs.
For the Green Wave, junior catcher Jared Dyer is hitting a team-high .377, while freshman third baseman Rob Segedin is hitting .321 along with a team-leading 23 RBI. The pitching staff has pitched well all season, led by junior Shooter Hunt. The pre-season All-American has been even better than advertised. Through five starts he is 4-0 with a 0.56 ERA. He has also struck out 45 batters through only 32 innings, while batters are only hitting a paltry .099 against him. His name is included in any discussion of best pitcher in the country.
As the Green Wave push ahead and conference play begins, it is important that this team learns how to win on the road; so far the Green Wave is winless on the road with a 1-4 record. Anything less than winning two out of three against a struggling Blazers team this weekend will certainly be considered a huge disappointment.
2008 Woodie Awards
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