Baseball Continues To Make Progress In Fall Ball Practices
Oct 18, 2006 | Baseball
Oct. 18, 2006
METAIRIE, La. - Outfielders Nate Simon and Jay Ackal had two hits apiece, and the Green Wave pitching staff showed good control by combining for just one walk in 13.0 innings of work as the Tulane University baseball team wrapped up its eighth Fall Ball practice with a spirited intrasquad contest Wednesday afternoon at Zephyr Field.
Thirteen Green Wave hurlers took the mound for an inning each in split squad action, tallying nine strikeouts and allowing just 12 hits in the fourth intrasquad of the non-traditional season. Senior closer Daniel Latham along with rookies Aaron Loup and Drew Zizinia retired the side in order during their time on the hill.
"I always have mixed emotions about the overall results of fall ball," Tulane head coach Rick Jones said. "For one area to excel, that means you need work in the other. The things I look for are effort and individual adjustments. I think we have some freshmen who are still making the adjustment. I've been impressed with the pitching of Aaron Loup, Taylor Rogers and Drew Zizinia."
"Aaron has one of the most lively fastballs that you'll ever see. Drew has mixed his pitches well and shown good mound presence, and Taylor has been a very pleasant surprise. Today was his third solid outing in a row."
The two offenses made things happen early on as Ackal, junior second baseman Brad Emaus, sophomore left fielder Aja Barto and senior catcher Ty Wallace all had RBI in the first two innings. Junior shortstop Cat Everett snapped a 2-2 tie in the third with a single before advancing the bases on a steal and a groundout before scoring on a wild pitch. Simon closed out the scoring with an RBI-double to right center in the fourth.
Simon posted a pair of doubles on the day while Ackal had a double and an RBI-single. The Green Wave also did a good job of running the bases as Ackal, Barto, Everett, sophomore right fielder Warren McFadden and junior infielder/outfielder Grayden Greiner all had one steal each, while sophomore third baseman Seth Henry swiped a pair before scoring on Simon's double to account for the final run of the afternoon.
Latham, who enters the 2007 season with a Tulane and Conference USA career-record 33 saves and is just 16 off the NCAA mark of Jack Krawczyk (49 at USC from 1995-98), led all players with a pair of called strikeouts before getting a grounder to third to close out the day.
Prior to Latham taking the hill, Claiborne flashed some of the talent that made him a three-time first-team all-district player and a 2005 all-state selection during his prep career at Newman Smith High School in Dallas. Claiborne, who also has played solid defense at third base and swung a pretty good bat, toed the rubber in the bottom of the fifth and the only base-runner he allowed reached via error.
"Today, Preston Claiborne showed us what kind of impact he can have on a game from a pitching standpoint," Jones said. "His stuff is so good that he doesn't have to do too much. Today, he geared back a little bit and showed consistent movement within the strike zone.
"Offensively, Nate Simon continues to impress. Aja Barto looks like he's getting more comfortable and getting more rhythm at the plate also."
The Tulane team will continue its Fall Ball practices throughout the week, and will play intrasquad scrimmages on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All Tulane practices are open to the public and admission is free. Weekday practices are slated to begin at 2 p.m. with Saturday and Sunday sessions scheduled at 1 p.m. All intrasquad games will start approximately one hour after the start of practice.
Fall Ball 2006 will culminate with a five-game Fall World Series from Nov. 1-5. The first three games are slated to begin at 2 p.m. while the final two games will start at 1 p.m. Game four of the Fall World Series will also be St. Michael's Day as members of St. Michael's Special School will take the field with the Tulane team prior to the Green Wave's slated intrasquad contest.
