Baseball Readies for 2002 Season
Jan 23, 2002 | Baseball
Jan. 23, 2002
NEW ORLEANS, La. - To say that expectations are high in the Green Wave dugout for the 2002 season would be a vast understatement.
After winning the Conference USA regular season and tournament championships in 2001, Tulane made team history by winning an NCAA-leading 56 games. Along the way, the Green Wave went 3-0 in the first-ever NCAA Regional held at Turchin Stadium, won a three-game series against arch-rival LSU in the Super Regional and earned a trip to the College World Series for the first time since the program's inception in 1893.
And while the Green Wave will have to replace a pair of All-Americans, a first-team All-Conference USA outfielder and another pair of four-year lettermen, Tulane is not without the firepower to have another successful season. With the return of six positional starters and seven of the top nine pitchers from a year ago, the Green Wave show no signs of slowing down in 2002.
"We've got an experienced club, a talented club and a club with high expectations," head coach Rick Jones says. "Nonetheless, we have to have solid years out of our veteran players, and some new players are going to have to step up and fill some voids. Our team chemistry has to be good and we need to stay as injury-free as we can. But I like this club.
"When a team has a very successful season, they will lose some players. We were no different. The five seniors, along with Jake Gautreau, all had major roles in our success. But I think our program has reached a point where it can withstand losses to professional baseball and graduation and still maintain the level of excellence our fans expect."
PITCHING
Last season, a young and inexperienced staff took the hill and not only impressed the Green Wave coaches, but also the opposition, as their prowess on the mound helped Tulane set a school record for victories.
Headlining the list of returning starters are seniors Beau Richardson and Andrew Corona, along with junior Nick Bourgeois and sophomore Michael Aubrey. Richardson was a workhorse for the Green Wave in the postseason last year, pitching in three games in the Conference USA Tournament, tossing a complete-game, one-run victory over LSU in the NCAA Super Regional and giving a 7.0-inning performance against Nebraska to give Tulane its first-ever College World Series victory.
Corona, meanwhile, was an eight-game winner as a junior, and Bourgeois had a solid second half for the Green Wave after recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. Aubrey, the 2001 National Freshman of the Year, became a weekend starter for Tulane as a rookie, finishing the year with a 3-1 record, and picked up the save against Nebraska in the College World Series.
Also returning to the Tulane rotation are sophomore relievers Joey Charron and Will Walter. At one point in the postseason, Charron earned the victory in four consecutive games, including all three in the NCAA New Orleans Regional to earn Regional Most Outstanding Player honors. Walter, meanwhile, finished second on the team with three saves and tallied a 7.76 strikeout-per-nine average.
Joining the mix for 2002 are redshirt-freshman Kelly Comarda and true freshmen Ray Liotta and Ricky Fairchild, all of whom had excellent falls.
"I believe this is our deepest, most talented and most experienced staff we've had since I've been at Tulane," Jones says. "Guys like Beau Richardson, Michael Aubrey, Andrew Corona, Joey Charron, Dirck Hoagland, Nick Bourgeois and Will Walter all pitched in some big-time game situations last year, so they should be prepared for those situations in 2002. Couple that with a pair of freshmen that had extremely good falls, and that should give us some quality depth."
INFIELD
The Green Wave infield will have a new, yet familiar look in 2002. Starters James Jurries and Anthony Giarratano return, but both will be in the line-up at new positions to start the year. Jurries, the 1999 National Freshman of the Year and a three-time first-team All-Conference USA selection, will likely make the switch to third base after lining up at first base a year ago. Giarratano, meanwhile, will slide over from second to shortstop after a stellar rookie season when he earned first-team Freshman All-America honors.
Tulane will also have a familiar face at first in 2001 National Freshman of the Year Michael Aubrey. While he made a name for himself last year with his offense, Jones calls Aubrey "the best defensive first baseman I ever coached." Last season, Aubrey finished second on the team with a .361 batting average while belting 13 home runs and tallying 69 RBI.
True freshman Tommy Manzella emerged as the starting second baseman after fall practice. Sophomores Turner Brumby, who saw action in nine games last year, and Brian Bormaster, who transferred to Tulane after one season at Rice University, will provide depth.
"Our infield features three former Freshman All-Americans and two players who were the National Freshman of the Year," Jones says. "That's obviously a very talented group of players. Then, with guys like Turner Brumby who can play second, short and third, and a freshmen like Tommy Manzella who had a great fall, we should once again have a very solid infield."
CATCHER
A question mark in 2001 with no player with Division I experience on the roster, the catcher's spot appears to be in good hands with the return of sophomores Scott Madden and Matt Mann. The duo started 52 games behind the dish last season, and Madden had an outstanding postseason as he was named to the All-Conference USA and NCAA New Orleans Regional all-tournament teams.
"Matt Mann started 35 games last season and Scott Madden earned a spot on two postseason all-tournament teams," Jones says. "Those two guys caught the bulk of our games last year, so they have more experience than the typical college sophomore has. My concern at catcher is only from a depth standpoint."
Providing depth will be reserve infielders Brian Bormaster and Carter Hill.
OUTFIELD
Tulane returns only one starter in the outfield for 2002 after Michael Aubrey moved to first base and Matt Groff graduated. But the Green Wave has a host of talented players ready to step in and join 2001 second-team All-Conference USA selection Jon Kaplan in the outfield.
Coming out of the fall, juniors Aaron Feldman and James Burgess are penciled in to start in left and right field, respectively. Last season, Feldman hit .292 with four home runs and 29 RBI while Burgess was big in Tulane's best-of-three showdown against LSU in the NCAA Super Regional when he hit .500 with a double in two starts.
Providing depth will be redshirt-freshmen Gerald Clark, who hit better than .400 in the fall, and Brad Rosenblat, along with junior college transfer Bryan Stelmack. Also joining the outfield for 2002 is two-year football veteran Roydell Williams, who was a fifth-round draft pick by the Cincinnati Reds out of high school in 2000.
"Jon Kaplan is as fine a defensive outfielder as I've ever coached," Jones says. "We also have veteran players that have had a great deal of success as role players in the past. The key is for them to continue to play at a high level on a day-to-day basis as full-time starters."
THE SCHEDULE
A trip to Malibu, Calif., and games versus five teams that qualified for the 2001 NCAA Regionals highlight the Tulane University baseball team's 2002 schedule.
The Green Wave's 56-game regular season schedule features 30 games to be played at Turchin Stadium and contests against in-state foe LSU and intra-city rival UNO at Zephyr Field. In addition to the Tigers and Privateers, Tulane will also battle Louisiana foes UL-Lafayette, Nicholls State and Southeastern Louisiana, as well as last year's Regional squads Houston, LSU, Pepperdine, Rutgers and South Florida.
"The addition of East Carolina and TCU strengthens Conference USA," Jones says. "Along with ourselves, ECU was one of the eight national seeds last year. Pepperdine, UCLA and Rutgers gives us a challenging preconference schedule, and as always, the state of Louisiana provides the nation's toughest midweek competition."
Tulane opens the season on Feb. 8 with a three-game series at Pepperdine and will look to win its fifth Conference USA Tournament title on May 26 when they travel to Kinston, N.C., for the league tourney. In between, the Green Wave has road games at Nicholls State and LSU, as well as C-USA opponents Houston, Memphis, UAB, Cincinnati and Louisville.
Tulane opens its home slate on Feb. 15 with a three-game series against Villanova, and will also play host to George Washington, Louisiana-Lafayette, UCLA and Rutgers before playing league foes Charlotte, Saint Louis, TCU, Louisville and Southern Mississippi in the friendly confines of Turchin Stadium.
