Short Hops
Apr 19, 2005 | Baseball
April 18, 2005
NEW ORLEANS, La. - Hey guys. It's good to be writing again. The last few weeks have been exciting and the next couple will only be better. Right now, the team is on a roll, which is just what we need as we head into the brunt of our conference schedule with two consecutive road series against Southern Miss and South Florida.
Before I start to talk about the last few weeks, I would like to first offer some sympathy, on behalf of the team, to Sen. John Hainkel's family. Sen. Hainkel has been such a huge part of not just our baseball program but for Tulane University and its athletic program as a whole. I've known Sen. Hainkel for quite some time now, dating back to high school. He was good friends with my high school principal, John Serio. I remember being totally inspired by the way he talked about Tulane University, and he was one of the key figures whose words influenced my decision to attend Tulane. His love for our team and dedication to the University will never be forgotten. I was glad we were able to pull out the series win over Houston in his honor.
Now, on a lighter note, I'll get you guys caught up with the last few weeks. Two weekends ago, we took all three games from a very hot Charlotte ball club. It was definitely the strongest Charlotte team that I have played against in my four years here. It was really fun to watch the team fight to win every game. After Friday night's convincing victory, we showed strong persistence in pulling out the last two closer games to sweep the series. I was so relieved when we got that final out on Sunday. I thought I was going to leave Tulane never having swept a series on the road. Now that we got the monkey of our backs, I hope we'll be able to string a couple more together.
The midweek game against Nicholls State was one of the most bizarre games I have ever played in, mainly because of the fact that the lights went out during the middle of the game. I think we had a little bit of fun with it, though. Those of you who were in attendance know what I'm talking about.
This past weekend's series against our conference rival, the Houston Cougars, really demonstrated our maturity as a ball club. Friday's game was one of missed opportunities and costly miscues. No one made excuses, though. We knew it was a game that we handed to them and one that we should have won. However, no one pointed fingers. Instead, we came out and took care of the last two games of the series - a situation when an average team would have caved. It really showed how disciplined and mentally tough our team is.
Well, I don't think this week's midweek game needs any talking up. National television. Packed house. Tulane vs. LSU. It doesn't get too much more electric than that! It's going to be a great experience for our guys and one that will help prepare us for the postseason type of atmosphere.
Okay guys, I've got to run. I need to head over to Bravo's for Coach Jones' Monday morning radio show. I'm supposed to be on during the last segment. I hope you guys have a great week and really enjoy this week's games. Until next time...
Roll Wave,
Tommy
