May 17, 2006

NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Tulane University baseball team will look to continue its winning ways and end the regular season on a high note when the Green Wave hit the road to take on Conference USA foe UAB in a three-game series beginning on Thursday, May 18, at Young Memorial Stadium.

Tulane, 37-16 on the year and 13-8 in C-USA play, has won eight straight games and 19 of its last 23 contests. The Green Wave have already locked down the No. 3 seed in next week's C-USA Tournament and strive to stay hot and gain momentum heading into postseason play.

The Green Wave may have a tough time over the weekend, however, as UAB will be playing for its postseason life. The Blazers, 18-34 overall and 5-16 in C-USA play, come into the final weekend of the regular season tied for eight in the nine-team league. UAB could finish as high as the No. 7 seed or as low as not making the postseason tourney, depending on the outcome of the weekend.

Following Thursday's series opener, the two teams continue the series on Saturday at 7 p.m. before closing out the weekend on Saturday with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. All three games will be broadcast on the flagship station of Tulane baseball, WRBH 88.3 FM, and will also be simulcast on WODT 1280 AM, The Sports Monster. In addition, the games can be heard on the internet at www.TulaneGreenWave.com to subscribers of the All-Access Pass, and live stats are provided free via GameTracker.

As a team, the Green Wave enter the weekend hitting .288 with a .416 slugging percentage courtesy of 94 doubles, eight triples and 38 home runs. Redshirt-freshman right fielder Warren McFadden leads the Green Wave with a .401 batting average, while senior centerfielder Nathan Southard and junior first baseman Mark Hamilton follow closely with respective averages of .340 and .332. Hamilton paces the team with 16 home runs and 59 RBI, and Southard leads the squad with 25 steals in 31 attempts.

From the mound, Tulane has a 3.95 ERA and have held opponents to a .258 batting average. As a staff, Tulane hurlers have combined for 376 strikeouts and 126 walks in 474.0 innings. Sophomore Sean Morgan paces the staff with 110 strikeouts and a 2.98 ERA in a team-best 96.2 innings. Morgan and senior Billy Mohl pace the club with eight wins, and junior Daniel Latham paces the bullpen with 31 appearances and has all 13 of the Green Wave's saves.

UAB, meanwhile, comes into the season's final C-USA series hitting .257 with a .385 slugging percentage courtesy of 78 doubles, 11 triples and 38 home runs. Danny Sawyer paces UAB with a .303 batting average while Phillip Bell and Ryne Lovdahl follow with .282 and .273 averages, respectively. Lovdall paces the club with eight home runs, Sawyer leads the team with 39 RBI, and Steve Turner has 11 steals in 14 attempts.

From the mound, the Blazers sport a 5.76 ERA and have held opponents to a .291 batting average. As a staff, UAB hurlers have combined for 295 strikeouts and 281 walks in 457.2 innings. Jim Crew leads the Blazers with a 3.25 ERA, 47 strikeouts, six wins and 72.0 innings of work. Drew Murray paces the UAB bullpen with 24 relief appearances, and Brandon Flaherty has three of the Blazers' six saves in 2006.

This weekend's games mark the 34th, 35th and 36th meetings between Tulane and UAB on the diamond, and the Green Wave lead the all-time series 27-6. Under 13th year head coach Rick Jones, Tulane is 24-6 vs. UAB, including a regular-season sweep and an 8-6 win in the opening game of the 2005 Conference USA Tournament. In C-USA play, Tulane is 11-4 vs. UAB on the road, including a 2-1 series loss in 2004.

Following the series against the Blazers, Tulane will take part in the 2006 C-USA Tournament with an eye on earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals with a tourney championship. The Green Wave will play the 9 a.m. game on Wednesday, May 24, against the league's No. 6 seed, which has yet to be determined.

PITCHING ROTATION
Thursday, May 18    B/T   ERA   W-L   G/GS   IP   H   R   ER  BB   K
TU - Sean Morgan    L/R   2.98  8-4  14/14  96.2  73  38  32  31  110
UAB - Jim Crew      R/R   3.25  6-3  15/12  72.0  54  31  26  54   47
Friday, May 19      B/T   ERA   W-L   G/GS   IP   H   R   ER  BB   K
TU - Brandon Gomes  R/R   4.41  5-6  14/14  83.2 102  51  41  20   64
UAB - Drew Murray   R/R   5.47  2-5   27/3  49.1  47  38  30  32   35
Saturday, May 20    B/T   ERA   W-L   G/GS   IP   H   R   ER  BB   K
TU - Billy Mohl     R/R   3.60  8-0  15/13  85.0  90  39  34  15   56
UAB - Ben Styes     R/R   5.28  2-1   12/1  30.2  40  20  18  11   16