Baseball To Take On Nicholls State Tuesday In Thibodaux
Feb 18, 2002 | Baseball
Feb. 18, 2002
NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Tulane University baseball team will look to run its winning streak to five games when the Green Wave travels to Thibodaux to take on the Colonels of Nicholls State at 6:30 p.m. at Ray E. Didier Field.
Tulane, which swept a three-game series from Villanova this weekend, is showed flashes of brilliance against the Wildcats and is coming together like the team that earned a preseason Top-10 ranking from every major college baseball poll. The Green Wave won't have an easy opponent on Tuesday, though, as the Colonels are 8-1.
"They're off to one of the greatest starts in the history of their program," head coach Rick Jones said. "It doesn't matter where we play them, or when we play them, or how they're doing, we always have great games with them. And certainly, tomorrow night, we're going to have a challenge."
As a team, Tulane is hitting .353 and has talled a .583 slugging percentage with 16 doubles, four triples and 10 home runs. Sophomore second baseman Turner Brumby leads the team with a .533 batting average while senior third baseman James Jurries paces the team in slugging percentage with a .963 mark (1 double, two triples and three home runs) and RBI with 11.
As a staff, Tulane pitchers have brought the team ERA from 11.88 last weekend to a respectable 6.62 mark. Senior Beau Richardson leads the Green Wave staff with a 3.68 ERA, and releiver Joey Charron paces the club strikeouts (14), appearances (3) and wins (2).
The Colonels come into Tuesday's game red-hot as NSU is off to its best start since making the jump to Division I status in 1980. Nicholls is coming off a loss, though, after dropping a 10-1 decision to Birmingham Southern on Sunday.
Nicholls is entering its third year under head coach B.D. Parker and, like Tulane, is getting it done at the plate. As a team, Nicholls State is hitting .319 and has a .565 slugging percentage thanks to 17 doubles, 6 triples and 15 home runs. Chuck Hickman leads the Colonels with a .543 batting average and in slugging percentage with a .914 mark (2 doubles, a triple and three bombs).
The Colonels have gotten it done from the hill as well, sporting a 3.88 team ERA. Mike Prejean and Phillip Aragon both sport 3-0 records, and Aragon threw the first perfect game in school history on Feb. 9 against Prairie View A&M.
Tuesday night's game at Nicholls State marks the 58th time the two teams have squared off on the diamon, and Tulane holds a 36-21 advantage in the all-time series. Under head coach Rick Jones, the Green Wave are 16-5 over the Colonels, dating back to 1994.
Last season, Tulane took two games from Nicholls State, winning 14-6 on Feb. 20 in Thibodaux and taking a heard-faught 6-5 decision at Turchin Stadium on May 9.
The last time Tulane dropped a game to the Colonels was back in Feb. 22, 2000 when Nicholls beat the Green Wave 9-8 at Ray E. Didier Field. Since then, however, Tulane has won three straight head-to-head matchups.
After Tuesday's contest, Tulane returns to the friendly confines of Turchin Stadium where it will take on George Washington in a three-game series beginning on Friday, Feb. 22. The series against GW is the second of five consecutive weekends that the Green Wave host series' in The Big Easy. Following the Colonials, Tulane will host UCLA (March 1-3), Rutgers (March 8-10) and Conference USA foe Charlotte (March 15-17).
