Baseball To Host Alumni Game On Saturday

Jan. 31, 2003

NEW ORLEANS, La. - The 2003 Tulane University baseball team will take the field for the first time on Saturday, Feb. 1 when the Green Wave hosts its annual alumni game at noon at Turchin Stadium.

Tulane, which was picked to finish second in Conference USA by a vote of league coaches, will take on former Green Wave greats, including nine players from the 2001 College World Series team and 13 who played professional baseball last year. Admission is free and baseball fans will have a chance to meet the players from both teams after the contest.

Tulane returns a wealth of talent for the 2003 season with 19 lettermen, including eight positional starters and seven pitchers from last year's squad. Headlining the list are preseason All-American Michael Aubrey, as well as 2002 All-Conference USA honorees Jonny Kaplan, Aaron Feldman and Joey Charron, and Freshman All-American outfielder Gerald Clark.

In addition to being picked second in the league, Tulane is ranked 23rd in the Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball Poll, and 26th by Baseball Weekly/ESPN and Baseball America. Aubrey was voted C-USA Preseason Player of the Year, and is joined on the preseason all-conference team by shortstop Tony Giarratano and Charron as the relief pitcher.

Among the more familiar names dotting the Alumni roster are two-time All-American and Conference USA Player of the Year Jake Gautreau, four-time first-team all-league and 2002 All-American and C-USA Player of the Year James Jurries, nine-year big league veteran Frank Wills and 1997 first-round draft pick Jason Fitzgerald.

The Green Wave officially begins the 2003 season on Friday, Feb. 7 when they play host to the St. Joseph's Hawks for a three-game series at Turchin Stadium. For ticket information, call the Tulane ticket office at (504) 861-WAVE.

FAN NOTE: Tulane baseball fans will have the opportunity to purchase their own personalized baseball t-shirt prior to Saturday's alumni game at Turchin Stadium. Green Wave fans can select a jersey number and name to be featured on the back of the t-shirts styled after the 2003 Alumni Team jersey. For more information, contact the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office at (504) 86-WAVE.

Alumni Roster

Name                Pos    Years           HonorsBen Abadie          INF    1947-49         Coached TU from 1955-57 & 1964-67Clint Allen         1B     1993-95         Team Outstanding Hitter, 1993-94Todd Ardoin         P      1995-98         First-Team C-USA, 1998Bill Babin          INF    1977-79         ------------------Scott Bell          P      1995-98         Team Outstanding Pitcher, 1995Jared Berkowitz     P      1997-2000       Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA All-American, 2001Nate Bosio          OF     1994-96         ------------------Paul Boudreaux      OF     1996-99         ------------------Nick Bourgeois      P      2000-02         First-Team C-USA, 2002Edward Brennan      ---    1946-47, 1950   ------------------Julian Brignac      ---    1942-43         ------------------Joey Brockhoff      INF    1985-86         ------------------Ronnie Brown        INF    1987-89         Team MVP/Outstanding Hitter, 1989Brad Burckel        ---    1992-94         ------------------Andy Cannizaro      SS     1998-2001       Second-Team All-American, 2001Philip Centanni     ---    1950            ------------------Rick Chanove        2B     1990-93         Team Leadership Award, 1991Neal Comarda        INF    1975-78         GTE Academic All-American, 1978Andrew Corona       P      2001-02         ------------------Jack Cressend       P      1994-96         Honorable-Mention C-USA, 1996Kenny Cronin        P      1972-75         Wins leader, 1973Vincent DeGrouttola P      1974-77         ERA leader, 1974Todd Dyess          P      1992-94         All-Tournament Winn Dixie Showdown, 1994Mike Escudier       2B     1993-96         Team Most Improved, 1995Jason Fitzgerald    OF     1995-97         First-Team C-USA, 1997Glen Formaux        INF    1981-84         ------------------Kenny Francingues   P      1977-79         All-Metro Conference, 1979Jake Gautreau       INF    1999-2001       Two-Time All-American, 2000-01 C-USA Player of the YearBrian Gibbs         P      1991-94         All-Metro Tournamen, 1994Keith Graffagnini   1B     1995-98         All-Conference USA, 1996-98Kyle Graffagnini    OF     1992-95         ------------------Matt Groff          OF     1999-2001       First-Team C-USA, 2001Carlton Hale        ---    1941-42, 1947   ------------------Brian Hughes        OF/C   1995-98         All-Conference USA, 1996-98T.J. Iarocci        2B     1997-99         ------------------Michael Johns       SS     1996-97         Second-Team C-USA, 1996James Jurries       INF    1999-2002       2-Time All-American, 2002 CUSA Player of the YearBill Kampen         P      1979-82         All-Metro Tournament, 1981Lance Licciardi     OF     1991-93         All-Metro Tournament, 1992Marcelo Llorente    3B     1995-98         Team Scholastic Award, 1997Alex Lontayo        P      1995-98         All-Winn Dixie Showdown, 1996Ted Mace            ---    1947            ------------------Mark Maher          C      1977-78         Team Home Run Leader, 1978Stan McDermott, Jr. ---    1947-49         ------------------Mickey McKee        UT     1998-2000       C-USA Tournament, 1999Barth Melius        P      1998-2001       C-USA Tournament MVP, 2001Joe Morse           C      1979-81         All-Metro Tournament, 1979Jason Navarro       P      1995-97         Consensus All-American, 1997John Owen           ---    1939-40         ------------------Warren Perkins      ---    1947-49         ------------------Mike Pursell        P      1996-98         Second-Team C-USA, 1997-98Beau Richardson     P      2001-02         All-Conference USA Tournement, 2001Chris Rivette       OF     1983-86         Team Most Improved, 1984Carlos Rodriguez    ---    1991-94         All-Metro Conference, 1994Mike Romano         P      1991-93         Consensus All-American , 1992Pat Rooney          ---    1948-49         ------------------Steve Rowley        P      1987-89         Team Outstanding Pitcher, 1989Don Schell          INF    1943-47         ------------------Karl Scheuermann    OF     1979-81         All-Air Force Tournament, 1979Larry Schneider     C      1991-94         First-Team All-Metro, 1993-94Steve Shirley       1B     1998-2001       All-Conference USA, 2000-01Scott Sidwell       C      1993-94         Team Leadership Award, 1994Wayne Tschirn       ---    1957            ------------------Bob Whitman         ---    1948-50         ------------------Bob Whitman, Jr.    INF/OF 1970-73         Team MVP, 1973Anthony Williams    OF     1993-96         Team Scholastic Award, 1996Frank Wills         P      1978-80         First-Team All-American, 1980Scott Wilson        3B     1996-97         All-Conference USA, 1996
Head Coach: Milton Retif (1967-74)

Players Mentioned

Nick Bourgeois

Andrew Corona

James Jurries

Beau Richardson

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