Baseball Completes First Fall Practice
Sep 18, 2016 | Baseball
NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane baseball squad kicked off fall practices on Sunday morning at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium, convening for the first time officially as a team underneath a cloudy New Orleans sky. The day consisted of position-specific drills as well as batting practice and bullpen sessions for pitchers before wrapping things up with a final word of advice from first-year head coach Travis Jewett.
"The kids came in with a good mindset this morning, and we had a great team meeting to set the table for the expectations and how practices were going to work," Jewett said. "On the field, they came out and executed wonderfully. It's day one, so we're not Omaha-ready, but the spirit and the intent were good. I like this team, and I expect it to get better every day."
The morning started with a team meeting in the James W. Wilson Center, where Jewett addressed his players for the first time and went over team strategies, rules and goals for the year.
Practice got underway shortly after on the sticky Louisiana morning, beginning with stretch and warm-ups on the practice field behind Yulman Stadium. The team then split up into position groups to work with respective coaches before reconvening for fly ball drills on the middle of the diamond.
The players next brought out the pitching machine for some bunt work while pitchers long-tossed in the outfield. Rain dampened the end of the first day of workouts, with September showers coming down on the first batting practice of the year while pitchers took turns throwing in the left field bullpen.
Tulane's first fall practice wrapped with one last talk from coach Jewett, reminding his players that communication on the field will be key in the coming weeks. The Green Wave take tomorrow off but will be back in action on Tuesday for additional preseason work.
Sunday also marked the first time that many players donned the olive and blue, as this year's roster boasts nineteen newcomers.
All fall practices are free and open to the public. The team has all Mondays off but spends the rest of the week gearing up for the spring season, hitting the field at approximately 2:30 p.m. on weekdays. Weekend hours will vary depending on other events at the stadium.
Fall practices will conclude the weekend of Friday, Oct. 28 with the annual Fall Ball World Series and a Tulane baseball alumni weekend.
Fans can follow the Tulane baseball team on Twitter (@GreenWaveBSB) or find the team on Facebook.
