Baseball Heads West For The 2003 KIA Baseball Bash
Feb 27, 2003 | Baseball
Feb. 27, 2003
FULLERTON, Calif. - Fresh off a 7-1 win over Southeastern Louisiana Tuesday night and riding the wake of a five-game winning streak, the Tulane University baseball team has an opportunity to continue climb in the national rankings this weekend when they participate in the KIA Baseball Bash hosted by Cal State Fullerton.
Tulane, ranked as high as 21st in the nation by Baseball America, will play the host Titans on Friday before taking on UCLA Saturday and defending national champion Texas on Sunday. Cal State Fullerton ranks as high as No. 2 in the nation and the Longhorns are as high as sixth.
"We're excited to be a part of this outstanding field," head coach Rick Jones said. "The quality of competition speaks for itself, and this is a great situation to be in. Playing is this tournament will go a long way for us improve as a team."
The Green Wave come into the weekend hitting an impressive .374 as a team and are led by All-America candidate Michael Aubrey with a .541 batting average. Senior centerfielder Jonny Kaplan is next with a .474 average with two home runs and nine stolen bases, followed by freshman outfielder Brian Bogusevic and sophomore second baseman Tommy Manzella with identical .364 marks.
As a team, the Tulane pitching staff has tallied a 2.72 ERA after giving up just 26 earned runs in 86.0 innings so far in 2003. Opponents are hitting .259 off the Green Wave hurlers with 87 hits in 336 at-bats. Tulane has also done a good job of keeping the ball over the plate with 97 strikeouts and just 22 walks.
Junior Cory Hahn leads the team with a 3-0 record and a 1.12 ERA, followed by freshman Matt Goebel with a 2.03 mark. Rookie Billy Mohl, who is third on the squad with a 2.40 ERA, paces the Green Wave with 19 strikeouts.
The KIA Baseball Bash enters its fourth year of existence and Tulane will represent the first Louisiana team to ever play in the event. The Green Wave are the second Conference USA squad to participate in the tournament as Houston won the title in 2002. Of the 12 teams that have participated in the first three tournaments, seven went on to make super regional appearances and three reached the College World Series (USC in 2000, Tennessee and Cal State Fullerton in 2001).
If Tulane is to make a splash in the Baseball Bash, the Green Wave will have to forget about their history against the field as the home team is just a combined 6-17 against the three opponents. Tulane is 1-4 against Cal State Fullerton, 3-9 against Texas and 2-4 against UCLA. The last time Tulane defeated one of the tournament opponents was last season when the Green Wave downed UCLA 4-1 in the second half of a doubleheader on March 2.
After the KIA Baseball Bash, the Green Wave returns to action back in the Big Easy when they play host to in-state foe Louisiana-Lafayette on Wednesday, March 5 at 6:30 p.m. For ticket information, call the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office at (504) 861-WAVE.
