Baseball To Host Southeastern Louisiana Tuesday At Turchin Stadium
Feb 24, 2003 | Baseball
Feb. 24, 2003
NEW ORLEANS, La. - Fresh off the first three-game sweep of a California team in the history of Green Wave program, the Tulane University baseball team will look to keep the momentum flowing in a positive direction Tuesday when it plays host to Southeastern Louisiana at 6:30 p.m. in Turchin Stadium.
With the three-game sweep of Pepperdine, Tulane ran it's winning streak to four games and the Green Wave will attempt to close out its 10-game, season-opening home stretch on a positive note before heading to California to take on Cal State Fullerton, UCLA and defending national champion Texas this weekend at the KIA Baseball Bash.
Tulane, 8-1 on the season and ranked as high as 21st in the nation, will once again send a freshman to the mound as rookie Brandon Gomes will be making his first start of his collegiate career. Gomes is one of seven freshmen pitchers on the Green Wave roster and part of a recruiting class that Collegiate Baseball ranked 18th in the nation.
Gomes, the 2002 Massachusetts Gatoraid Player of the Year, has appeared in three games so far this season and has posted a 3.60 ERA with seven strikeouts and two walks in 5.0 innings of work. He will be matched up against Southeastern's Mark Weinmunson, a graduate of De La Salle High School, who has been virtually unhittable so far this season.
In two starts, Weinmunson has a flawless 0.00 ERA, struck out 11 and walked five while giving up just five singles in 13.0 innings of work. Opponents are hitting just .114 against the junior southpaw and the native of Metairie is coming off a week where he earned Southern Region Player of the Week honors by CollegeBaseballInsider.com.
Tulane, however, is not without the bats to give Weinmunson a challenge as the Green Wave heads into Tuesday night's contest with a team .369 batting average and a .565 slugging percentage courtesy of 24 doubles, three triples and 10 home runs.
Preseason All-American Michael Aubrey paces the squad with a .576 batting average and 16 RBI, and is tied for the team lead with two home runs. Senior centerfielder Jonny Kaplan is second on the squad with a .455 mark, and freshman outfielder Brian Bogusevic is next with a .379 clip.
Southeastern Louisiana, meanwhile, is hitting .258 as a team with 18 doubles, a triple and three home runs. In addition to pacing the Lions' staff Weinmunson also leads the SLU hitters with a .353 batting averge, followed by Jeff Jenzen with a .345 mark.
As a staff, the Lion hurlers have a 8.08 ERA with 42 strikeouts and 23 walks in 59.0 innings.
Tulane leads the all-time series with Southeastern Louisiana 55-25, and the Green Wave are 15-5 against the Lions under head coach Rick Jones. Tulane has won four straight games against SLU, with the last Lion win coming on April 12, 2000 when Southeastern defeated the Green Wave 5-1 at Turchin Stadium.
For ticket information to Tuesday's game, as well as future Green Wave contests, please call the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office at (504) 861-WAVE.
