Bragging Rights Up For Grabs When Tulane Battles LSU
Mar 10, 2003 | Baseball
March 10, 2003
NEW ORLEANS, La. - Bragging rights as the best baseball team in the state of Louisiana will be up for grabs Tuesday night at Zephyr Field when Tulane and LSU continue one of the biggest rivalries in college baseball in the first of three games between the two teams in 2003.
The Green Wave (13-4) and the Tigers (11-6) are both coming off three-game sweeps, of Manhattan and Winthrop, respectively, and both will be looking to use this game as a momentum boost for this weekend's conference openers. Tickets to the outfield levee area remain on sale for $10 and can be attained by contacting the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office at 504-861-WAVE.
The game will also be broadcast live on television by the Jumbo Sports Network and can be seen in the New Orleans Area on WNOL, WB 38. You can listen to the game live on the radio at WRBH 88.3 FM and on the internet at www.tulanegreenwave.com.
For the season, the Green Wave are hitting .344 as a team and are led by All-America candidate Michael Aubrey, who has hit .492 with four home runs and 28 RBI so far in his junior season. Sophomore second baseman Tommy Manzella is batting .412 with two home runs and 15 RBI, while freshman outfielder Brian Bogusevic, the reigning Conference USA Hitter of the Week, is next with a .407 mark.
As a team, the Tulane pitching staff has tallied a 3.06 ERA after giving up 50 earned runs in 147.0 innings so far in 2003. Opponents are hitting .271 off the Green Wave hurlers with 156 hits in 575 at-bats. Tulane has also done a good job of keeping the ball over the plate with 147 strikeouts and just 41 walks.
LSU, meanwhile, is hitting .288 with a .447 slugging percentage courtesy of 30 doubles, six triples and 16 home runs. Ivan Naccarata paces the LSU squad with a .367 batting average, followed by Aaron Hill with a .310 mark. Quinn Stewart leads the team with four home runs and Hill heads the Tiger team with 14 RBI.
On the mound, LSU has a 3.12 team ERA after allowing 52 earned runs in 150.0 innings. Tiger hurlers are holding opponents to a .255 batting average and have tallied 128 strikeouts to just 44 walks.
The game will feature a pair of freshman pitchers as Tulane will send rookie right-hander Matt Goebel against Tiger righty Justin Meier. Goebel comes into the game 2-0 with a 2.10 ERA after allowing just six earned runs in team-leading 25.2 innings of work. Meier, meanwhile, is 3-0 on the year with a sparkling 0.60 ERA after giving up just one earned run in 15.0 innings.
Tuesday night's game against LSU marks the 279th time the Green Wave and the Tigers have met on the diamond with Tulane trailing in the all-time series 117-158-3. Under head coach Rick Jones, Tulane is 10-13 against the Tigers. The 2003 season marks the first time the two teams will play three regular-season games against each other with the squads set to do battle again on April 15 in Baton Rouge and on April 29 in the Louisiana Superdome.
