Baseball To Take On Cross-Town Foe UNO In Popeyes Cup Opener
Feb 16, 2004 | Baseball
Feb. 16, 2004
NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Tulane University baseball team returns to action on Tuesday, Feb. 17 against cross-town foe UNO in game of the Popeyes Cup at 6:30 p.m. at Maestri Field.
The meeting between the two teams is the earliest matchup in series history, and the Green Wave will be looking to improve on a five-game winning streak against the Privateers and get a an early win toward their third consecutive Popeyes Cup championship.
The game will feature a pitching matchup of sophomore Brian Bogusevic against UNO's J.P. Martinez. Tuesday's contest will be the first appearance of the year for Bogusevic, a 2003 Freshman All-American, and Martinez comes into the game with a 9.00 ERA with five strikeouts and five walks in two appearances and 4.0 innings of relief work for UNO.
"UNO is a much improved since last year, and with Martinez on the mound, they become one of the better teams in the country," head coach Rick Jones said. "He's given us a lot of trouble in the past with his cut fastball, and it'll be one of the tougher games we'll play all year.
"Brian's a guy we pitched quite a bit for us last year, and he's been impressive in the preseason. We're going to count on him to give us a quality start, and this is the time of year where you want to get as much work for the guys you're going to count on in the long haul."
Last season, Bogusevic went 3-2 with a 3.41 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 34.1 innings of work. He got his first career start in game one of the Popeyes Cup on April 1 last season at Turchin Stadium, earning his first win against the Privateers with a 6.0-inning performance where he struck out six and scattered six singles in the Green Wave's 7-1 victory.
Tulane (2-0) enters the game on a high note after sweeping Texas-Arlington in a doubleheader on Sunday, 10-3 and 6-1, at Turchin Stadium. Bogusevic was one of several Green Wave hitters to enjoy a solid opening series as the big lefty from Oaklawn, Ill., went 4-for-7 (.571) with a double, a triple and three RBI.
Junior outfielder Matt Barket, a transfer from the University of Miami, and junior first baseman Wes Swackhamer are tied for second on the team with .429 (3-for-7) batting averages, and Barket ranks second on the team with five RBI. In his first two collegiate starts, freshman designated hitter Mark Hamilton hammered three triples and posted a team-best six RBI.
As a team, the Green Wave sport a .328 batting average while the pitching staff tallied a 1.50 ERA with 13 strikeouts and five walks in 18.0 innings of work. Rookie Daniel Latham paces the squad with a flawless 0.00 ERA and is tied for the team lead with three strikeouts.
UNO, meanwhile, comes into Tuesday's matchup with a 2-3 record after dropping a 2-1 series at Alabama over the weekend. The Privateers are hitting .222 as a team, and Joe Pietro paces the Privateers with a .300 batting average with six hits in 20 trips to the plate.
From the mound, the UNO pitching staff has a 6.33 team ERA with 48 strikeouts and 31 walks in 42.2 innings of work. Grant Barkley has the Privateer's lone save of the season, and has a win and nine strikeouts in two appearances and 6.0 innings of relief.
Tuesday's game is the first of three contests between Tulane and UNO as the two teams square off again on March 9 at Turchin Stadium before closing out the series on April 13 at Zephyr Field. Tulane has won the previous two Popeyes Cup series, taking the 2002 crown two games to one before sweeping the three-game slate from the Privateers last season.
Following game one of the Popeyes Cup, the Green Wave returns to action on Friday, Feb. 20 when they open a three-game series against Maryland-Baltimore County at 6:30 p.m. at Turchin Stadium. For ticket information, contact the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office at (504) 861-WAVE.
