NEW ORLEANS — Tulane baseball returns home this week for its final home series of the year and will welcome the UCF Knights to Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.
GREEN WAVE CONCLUDES HOME SLATE ON THIS WEEKEND
• Tulane baseball returns home this week for its final home series of the year and will welcome the UCF Knights to Greer Field at Turchin Stadium. The Green Wave enter the weekend in second place while the Knights sit in a fourth place tie with Cincinnati.
• Prior to the Green Wave’s Sunday matchup, Tulane will honor Justin Campbell, Keagan Gillies, Haydan Hastings, Trent Johnson, Bryce Mackey, Frankie Niemann, Robert Price and CJ Whelan as part of the department’s senior day festivities.
• Tulane comes into the weekend series after dropping its first league series of the year on the road at ECU. The Green Wave dropped three out of four games this past weekend in Greenville, N.C.
• The first pitch for Friday’s doubleheader is set for 2 p.m. (CT). On Saturday, the two teams will meet for a single game, beginning at 4 p.m. (CT). The series will conclude on Sunday with the first pitch slated for Noon (CT). All four games will be aired live on ESPN+. Fans can listen to all four games on WRBH 88.3 FM.
AROUND THE HORN WITH THE WAVE
• Tulane enters its matchup with UCF, having won 14 of its last 18 games.
• Tulane currently owns the American’s fourth-best team batting average (.279) and ranks second in the league in overall team earned run average (3.92).
• The Green Wave also leads the American Athletic Conference in doubles (79) and hits allowed per nine innings (8.08). In addition, Tulane ranks second in the league in WHIP (1.32), third in triples (10), third in stolen bases (59) and fourth in walks (158).
• As a team, Tulane has driven in 86 runs with two outs.
• Freshman Bennett Lee leads the team with a .453 batting average, heading into the weekend. Collin Burns ranks second on the team in batting average (.344).
• Freshman Chase Engelhard leads the team with 34 RBI, while Burns has collected a team-best 63 hits.
• Junior Jack Aldrich will make his team-best 12th start on Friday.
SERIES HISTORY
• Tulane’s matchups with UCF will mark the 50th, 51st, 52nd and 53rd all-time meetings between the two programs.
• The Green Wave own a 25-24 all-time series lead.
• The Green Wave’s matchup with UCF will mark the two teams’ first and only series this year.
• Tulane has dropped four of the last five games with UCF. The Green Wave have dropped seven of the last 10 meetings with the Knights.
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
• UCF comes into its four-game matchup with Tulane after it dropped three of four games against Wichita State. The Knights’ series loss to WSU was their first of the year.
• The Knights enter the series in fifth place in The American.
• UCF enters the weekend, having homered in 31 of its 48 games on the year and have combined for 57 round trippers on the year. Senior Jordan Rathbone and sophomore Ben McCabe each have 11 home runs on the year.
• UCF owns a team batting average of .267, while its pitching staff owns a team ERA of 4.80.
• The Knights have faced three nationally-ranked opponents this season, including Ole Miss (No. 1), Florida State (No. 15) and ECU (No. 7). UCF owns a 4-4 mark in those eight meetings.
• Head coach Greg Lovelady is in his fifth year on the Knights bench. Prior to the COVID-19 shorten-season of 2020, Lovelady had posted 35 wins-or-more in the 2017, 2018 and 2019 campaigns.
RECAPPING THE LAST TIME OUT
The Tulane University baseball team continued American Athletic Conference play this past weekend versus ECU. The Green Wave suffered its first series loss in league play this year.
Listed below are some of the key stats and figures from the team’s four games last week.
.400 – Freshman catcher Bennett Lee batted .400, going 6-of-15 at the plate.
38 – The Green Wave collected 38 hits.
30 – Tulane pitchers struck out 30 ECU batters this past weekend.
25 – The Green Wave now have 25 wins on the year.
5 – Luis Aviles drove home a team-best five RBI last week.
4 – Keagan Gillies picked up his fourth save on the year after he worked 2.0 scoreless innings in game three.
2 – With its three losses last weekend, Tulane dropped to second place in the American Athletic Conference.
WE’RE GOING STREAKING!!!!
• Tulane enters its weekend series against UCF having won 14 of its last 18 games.
• The Green Wave had their winning streak snapped at 12 games against Houston on May 1.
LONGEST WINNING STREAKS IN SCHOOL HISTORY
1. 15 2001
15 1982
15 1966
4. 14 1983
5. 13 1998
6. 12 2021
12 1945
8. 11 1998
11 1987
10. 11x (Last 2006)
TULANE BASEBALL MOVES TO 18 PERCENT CAPACITY
• Tulane University Athletics announced 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.
BURNS NOTICE
• Redshirt sophomore Collin Burns currently leads the team in runs scored (44), hits (63), doubles (15), triples (3) and total bases (99).
• He leads The American in doubles and ranks second in triples. His 15 doubles and three triples rank in the top 60 nationally.
• Burns opened the season by hitting safely in nine straight games. He then went on to post a season-best 17-game hitting streak.
BENNY BARRELS
• Tulane freshman catcher Bennett Lee leads the Green Wave in batting average (.453), slugging percentage (.598) and on base percentage (.522).
• The Florida native is now batting a team-best .439 in his last 10 games.
THE FIREMAN
• Tulane senior relief pitcher Keagan Gillies has established himself as one of the team’s top relief pitchers.
• In 15 appearances this season, Gillies has posted a 1.31 earned run average and collected 30 strikeouts.
• He currently ranks second on the team with four saves.
• Since suffering his lone blown save against Mississippi State back on Feb. 28, Gillies has posted an incredible 0.56 earned run average and given up just one earned run in 11 appearances.
• The New Orleans native, who enters each home game with the introductory song of Fireman by Lil Wayne, can touch 98 miles per hour on the radar gun.
THE GETTING ON BASE CLUB
• Tulane sophomore Collin Burns and freshman Bennett Lee have made a habit of getting on base this season.
• Burns currently owns a team-best 25-game streak of getting on base.
• Lee has reached safely in 24 straight games.
TULANE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
• Earlier this season, the Tulane University baseball team marched up the rankings in two national collegiate polls, earning a No. 22 spot in Perfect Game and the No. 24 slot in Collegiate Baseball.
• Tulane had also received votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll for two straight weeks earlier this year.
OLTHOFF PICKS UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF
• Tulane right-handed pitcher Braden Olthoff owns a 2.98 earned run average and is holding opponents to a .239 batting average in 10 outings this year. He also is second on the staff with 60.1 innings pitched and leads the team with 72 strikeouts.
• Olthoff was masterful on Feb. 26 at then No. 5-ranked Mississippi State, as he guided the Green Wave to a win over a Top 5 opponent for the first time since 2014.
• Olthoff struck out six batters in 8.0 innings of work at Mississippi State while only allowing just two earned runs en route to his first win of the season.
• Against Troy, Olthoff struck out nine batters and allowed just two runs to lead the Green Wave to a 9-4 victory over the Trojans.
• Olthoff struck out a then season-high 11 Louisiana Tech batters on March 19.
• Against Wichita State (April 16), Olthoff struck out 10 batters in 5.1 innings of work.
• Against Houston on April 30, Olthoff totaled a then season-high 12 strikeouts to lead the Green Wave to a 3-0 shutout win.
SO CLOSE
• In 2021, Tulane has suffered eight losses by two runs or less.
• In its matchup with then No. 5-ranked Mississippi State, 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 at Mississippi State, heading into the bottom of the ninth.
• In the Green Wave’s lone loss against Western Kentucky on March 7, Tulane held a two-run lead heading into the seventh inning.
• Tulane dropped a pair of games to Louisiana Tech by two runs falling 2-0 in game one (March 19) and 8-6 in game three (March 21).
• Against Grand Canyon, Tulane was edged by one run in game two on March 27.
• Against Memphis on April 1, the Green Wave dropped a 4-3 decision in game one against the Tigers.
• Tulane has won its last four games that were decided by one run or less, as it defeated Wichita State 3-2 (April 16) and 8-7 (April 18). Tulane also earned a 6-5 win over Houston (May 1). Last week at ECU, Tulane held on to earn a 7-6 win over the Pirates.
THE HIT PARTY
• In the series finale against Louisiana-Lafayette on Feb. 21, Tulane posted a season-high 20 hits.
• This season, Tulane has totaled 10-or-more hits in 19 games. The Green Wave collected 13 hits in their lone win at ECU (May 8).
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.
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 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.
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.
FIVE YEARS WITH JEWETT
• Tulane baseball head coach Travis Jewett begins his fifth season in Uptown this spring.
• Jewett owns a career record of 124-109.
• 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: release from Tulane Athletics}
