Tulane Baseball Welcomes WKU for a Three-Game Series Beginning on Friday

NEW ORLEANS — The Green Wave baseball team returns to action on Friday as they open up a three-game series with Western Kentucky inside Greer Field at Turchin Stadium. 

TULANE OPENS THREE-GAME HOME SERIES AGAINST WKU

• The Green Wave baseball team returns to action on Friday as they open up a three-game series with Western Kentucky inside Greer Field at Turchin Stadium. 
• The first pitch is set for 6 p.m. on Friday. Saturday afternoon’s first pitch is set for 2 p.m. The series finale on Sunday is set to begin at 11 a.m. All three games will be aired live on ESPN+ and can be heard on WRBH 88.3 FM. 
• The Green Wave will look to bounce back following a 6-1 setback at Southeastern. 

SERIES HISTORY

• Tulane’s matchup with Western Kentucky will mark just the second time the two teams have met. 
• The last meeting between the two teams occurred back in 2004 at the Oxford, Mississippi NCAA Regional. 
• The Green Wave defeated the Hilltoppers in 2004 to advance to the Super Regional where they would take on Cal State Fullerton. 

SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS

• Western Kentucky enters its matchup with Tulane after it took two of three games from Cincinnati this past weekend to move to 3-4 on the year. 
• The Hilltoppers did not compete in a midweek game this week. 
• As a team, WKU is batting .241 and has totaled 17 doubles which ranks 24th in the nation. Jackson Gray leads the Hilltoppers with a .348 batting average. 
• The Hilltopper pitching staff owns an earned run average of 5.82.
• Friday night starter Jake Kates currently ranks 16th in the nation with 18 strikeouts on the year. Hilltopper pitchers have struck out 80 batters in 65.0 innings this season. 
• Prior to the season, Western Kentucky was picked to finish fourth in the East Division of Conference USA.  
• WKU head coach John Pawlowski enters his sixth season with the Hilltoppers. Pawlowski also has made head coaching stops at the College of Charleston and Auburn. The 2021 campaign marks his 20th year as a collegiate coach. In his 20-year career, Pawlowski has over 600 career wins. 

LAST TIME OUT

• The Tulane University baseball team suffered a 6-1 setback on Wednesday to the Southeastern University Lions at Alumni Field.
• Southeastern freshman starter Will Kinzeler was the story of the night, as he worked 6.2 innings and struck out 13 en route to his first win on the year.
• Both teams struggled at the plate, as they each totaled four hits apiece, but the Lions capitalized on their opportunities.
• With no score on either side through the first three frames, SLU broke the silence in the fourth inning, as it plated five runs on just one hit. Tulane gave up five free bases in the frame which gave the Lions a 5-0 lead.
• Sophomore right-hander Tyler Hoffman got the start for the Green Wave and worked 3.1 innings and struck out seven, but did not figure into the decision. Hoffman was tagged for four runs.
• Offensively for the Green Wave, Haydan Hastings, Trevor Minder, Frankie Niemann and Collin Burns all totaled hits. Burns’ hit extended his hitting streak to 12 games.

TULANE BASEBALL MOVES TO 18 PERCENT CAPACITY 

• Tulane University Athletics announced this week an increase in capacity for Green Wave baseball games inside Greer Field at Turchin Stadium. 
• In accordance with state, local and American Athletic Conference guidelines while maintaining six feet between seating pods, capacity for remaining games will increase to 18 percent.
• With this announced increase, Tulane Athletics has a limited number of tickets available to the general public for purchase. 
• Fans can purchase tickets for the Western Kentucky (March 5-7) and Louisiana Tech (March 19-21) series matchups. In addition, fans can purchase tickets for mid-week matchups with Southern (March 9) and Texas Southern (March 17) while supplies last.

PLAYING A CLEAN GAME

• Tulane’s defensive unit has proven to be a tremendous asset for the Green Wave in the early portion of the season.  
• Through eight games, Tulane has only committed seven errors which is tied for third in the league. 
• Tulane has gone an AAC-best 20 consecutive innings without creating an error.  

STARTING STRONG

• Tulane freshman second baseman Chase Engelhard has made his presence felt in the first seven games of his collegiate career. 
• Through seven games, Engelhard has batted .296 to lead all Tulane freshmen. 
• All eight of Engelhard’s hits have gone for extra bases. 
• Engelhard currently leads the team in home runs with three.

OLTHOFF PICKS UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF

• Tulane right-handed pitcher Braden Olthoff was masterful last Friday at No. 5 Mississippi State, as he guided the Green Wave to a win over a Top 5 opponent since 2014. 
• Olthoff struck out six batters in 8.0 innings of work while only allowing one run on just two hits en route to his first win of the season.
• In two outings this year, Olthoff owns a 1.35 earned run average and is holding opponents to a .216 batting average. He also leads the team with 13.1 innings pitched.

SO CLOSE

• In the first two weekends of the collegiate baseball season, Tulane has suffered three losses by two runs or less. 
• In its matchup with No. 5 Mississippi State this past weekend, Tulane was four outs away from completing a three-game sweep of the Bulldogs on the road. 
• Tulane also held the lead in all three games last weekend, heading into the bottom of the ninth. 

A 20 SPOT

• In the series finale against Louisiana-Lafayette on Feb. 21, Tulane posted a season-high 20 hits.

WORKING OVERTIME

• The Tulane baseball team got its money’s worth at the diamond during opening weekend, as it began its 114th baseball season.
• In all three games with in-state rival Louisiana-Lafayette, nine innings weren’t enough to decide the outcome. 
• Games one and two both went 10 innings with the series finale going 12 frames. 
• During the first weekend of Division I collegiate baseball, 20 games went into extra frames. 
• Tulane and Louisiana-Lafayette were the ONLY teams in Division I to see all three of its opening weekend games go into extra frames. 

A THREE-HEADED MONSTER

• The Tulane baseball team returns all three players from its 2020 rotation for this season in the form of Braden Olthoff, Jack Aldrich and Donovan Benoit. 
• The Green Wave trio combined for an 8-0 win-loss record, posted a 1.89 earned run average, logged 66.2 innings, struck out 83 and held opponents to a .181 batting average.

ESPN+ THE HOME FOR TULANE BASEBALL

• Tulane University baseball games will be more accessible than ever, as the program announced today that all 33 home games will be aired exclusively on ESPN+ for the 2021 campaign. Televised Tulane baseball road games will be announced on a weekly basis. Fans should check back on TulaneGreenWave.com for the latest broadcast information.

TULANE LOOKS TO BUILD OFF STRONG 2020 START

• The Green Wave will look to build off of their momentum from the 2020 campaign. 
• Tulane finished the year with a 15-2 mark, which matched its best start to a season since 1972. 
• The Green Wave closed the year on a nine-game winning streak – the program’s longest since 2010.
• Tulane also posted an incredible 11-1 record at home. 

LEADING THE WAY

• The Green Wave led the American Athletic Conference in 11 team statistical categories in 2020. 

TULANE RANKED AMONG THE FAB 50 

• The Green Wave enters the 2021 season ranked among the Fab 50 by Collegiate Baseball. 
• Tulane checked in ranked No. 43.The Green Wave were one of five teams ranked in the Fab 50 from the American Athletic Conference. 

GREEN WAVE FEATURES A 56-GAME SCHEDULE

• The Tulane baseball team’s 2021 schedule features 10 non-conference games against teams from the state of the Louisiana, including matchups with Louisiana-Lafayette, New Orleans, Southeastern, Southern, Louisiana Tech and LSU. 
• The Green Wave’s upcoming slate also features 32 games against American Athletic Conference opponents.
• Tulane will face four opponents that are ranked in the preseason Top 25 this fall. 

BRINGING HOME THE PRESEASON HARDWARE

• Following a 2020 campaign where right-handed pitcher Braden Olthoff posted a 4-0 record in just four starts while recording a microscopic 0.32 earned run average with 47 strikeouts across 28 innings of work, folks across the country are starting to take notice. 
• Prior to the 2021 campaign, Olthoff was recognized as the American Athletic Conference Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
• Olthoff has also earned preseason All-America honors from Perfect Game, Collegiate Baseball and D1Baseball. 

MINDER EARNS PRESEASON NOD FROM THE AAC

• Redshirt junior Trevor Minder was named to the preseason all-league team this past December.
• Minder earned the preseason all-conference nod following a 2020 campaign where he finished the year with .359 batting average, three home runs and 14 RBI. In addition, the Springfield, Illinois, native posted 23 hits, five doubles and scored a team-best 20 runs.
• Minder also led The American in runs scored. 

RANKED WAVE

• The Green Wave finished the 2020 campaign ranked No. 20 in the D1Baseball.com Top 25 poll. 
• Tulane also earned national rankings in the NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball National Polls. 

FIVE YEARS WITH JEWETT

• Tulane baseball head coach Travis Jewett begins his fifth season in Uptown this spring. 
• Jewett owns a career record of  102-97.
• In each of Jewett’s first three seasons at Tulane, the Green Wave have steadily improved in batting average, hits, runs, home runs, RBI and slugging percentage. 

JEWETT WELCOMES 20 NEW PLAYERS

• Earlier this fall, Travis Jewett announced the addition of 20 members of the 2020 recruiting class. 
• The 2020 class marks the fifth under Jewett.
• Joining the Green Wave for the 2021 season will be: Aaron Ball, Matthew Bihm, Walker Burchfield, Andres Castro, Zach DeVito, Chase Engelhard, Jared Hart, Tyler Hoffman, Brandon Howell, Keaton Knueppel, Jacob LaPrairie, Bennett Lee, Blake Mahmood, Jake McDonald, Kennedy Norton, Camryn Szynski, Lane Thomas, Turner Thompson, Brian Valigosky and Charlie Yanoshik.

GETTING IT DONE IN THE CLASSROOM

• This past fall, Tulane baseball continued to excel at a high level in the classroom, as 36 players earned their way onto the 3.0 club.
• As a team, Tulane posted a fall semester GPA of 3.367.
• Prior to the fall semester, the Tulane baseball team received the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Team Excellence Award for the fourth year in a row.
• The Green Wave are one of just 22 NCAA Division I baseball programs who have received the award in four consecutive years and one of just four American Athletic Conference programs along with Cincinnati, East Carolina and Memphis to earn the recognition.
• Tulane has posted a team GPA of 3.0 or better in nine straight semesters. 

PLEDGE PER WIN

• Tulane fans can ensure that every Green Wave win makes a lasting impact this season by joining the Pledge Per Win campaign.
• Fans can participate in the Pledge Per Win campaign by pledging to give $5, $10, or $25 to the Green Wave Club for each game the Tulane Baseball team wins this season.
• Additionally, supporters are encouraged to pledge $1 for every strikeout by Tulane pitchers this season. Fans interested in enrolling in the Pledge Per Win and Pledge Per Strikeout campaigns are encouraged to visit www.GreenWaveClub.com/ppw.

HASKIN DRAFTED BY THE ORIOLES

• Tulane baseball outfielder Hudson Haskin was selected by the Baltimore Orioles with the 39th overall pick in the 2020 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
• Chosen with the second selection in the second round of the MLB Draft, Haskin becomes the highest-picked outfielder in program history topping Jason Fitzgerald who was taken No. 41 overall in the 1997 draft.
• Haskin extends the Green Wave’s streak to nine consecutive years with at least one player selected and becomes the third player in program history to be selected in the second round joining first baseman Mark Hamilton (St. Louis Cardinals, 2006) and pitcher Steve Mura (San Diego Padres, 1978).
• Haskin garnered significant national recognition prior to the 2020 season when he was named a Preseason All-America Second Team selection by Collegiate Baseball, Perfect Game/Rawlings, D1baseball and the NCBWA, respectively.

LOOK GOOD. FEEL GOOD. PLAY GOOD.

• The Tulane University’s uniform combinations are some of the most unique in all of collegiate baseball. 
• The Green Wave baseball team features 33 different uniform combinations.

{Courtesy: Press Release from Tulane Athletics}