Baseball Nabs Preseason Ranking, McFadden Named All-American
Dec 22, 2006 | Baseball
Dec. 22, 2006
NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Tulane University baseball team claimed the No. 16 spot in the Collegiate Baseball Top 40 Preseason Poll, and sophomore outfielder Warren McFadden was named Louisville Slugger Preseason All-American, the national publication announced Friday.
McFadden, who received Freshman All-America honors last season from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and Rivals.com, was named to the preseason third-team. It is the second preseason honor of the season for the native of Plantation, Fla., as McFadden was also named to the 2007 Brooks Wallace Award Watch List.
"Preseason polls, as we know, are based on speculation, but it's always nice to be ranked in the Top 20 in the preseason," Tulane head baseball coach Rick Jones said. "It certainly means that we have the opportunity to have the type of club that, if they play as well as they are capable of, could go deep into the postseason.
"The positive from our standpoints is when you can be in the preseason polls in and year out, it certainly helps in the recruiting process because you're linked to that group of Top 25 teams, regardless of what time of year it is."
The Collegiate Baseball poll is the first to be released for the upcoming 2007 season and comes six months after the Green Wave posted a 43-21 record, earned a berth in the NCAA Regionals for the ninth straight season and advanced to the Regional Championship game for the third consecutive year.
The preseason ranking marks the sixth straight year that Tulane claimed a spot in the Collegiate Baseball Top 25 and the 11th consecutive season the Green Wave earned a spot in the publication's preseason Top 40. McFadden, who redshirted the 2005 season with a wrist injury, bounced back last season with a performance that earned him Conference USA and Louisiana Freshman of the Year honors, first-team All C-USA recognition and a spot on the C-USA All-Freshman Team.
As a redshirt-freshman last season, McFadden led the Green Wave with a .382 batting average and 24 doubles while finishing second on the club in RBI (50) and on-base percentage (.457), and third in total bases (122) and slugging percentage (.513). He also tallied a pair of triples, one home run and six stolen bases.
During the summer, McFadden starred for the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League where he hit .239 (38-for-159) with a team-leading two triples, eight home runs, 21 RBI, 23 walks and 29 runs scored. McFadden's home run total was second in the Cape, he claimed mid-season All-Star honors and was named the No. 25 prospect in the CCBL by Baseball America.
"Warren had a great freshman year for us," Jones said. "He was a consistent player for us throughout the year hitting in the middle of the lineup. He followed that up by having a very good summer in the Cape Bod League, so this is a very well deserved honor for him."
As a team, Tulane returns 23 lettermen, including eight starters, from last year's team and adds 10 newcomers. Of the returning players, the Green Wave bring back two of its weekend starters (Brandon Gomes and Sean Morgan) on the mound as well as its set-up man (Trey Martin) and closer (Daniel Latham). From a position standpoint, Tulane will welcome back six starters, including McFadden and fellow Wallace Watch List member Brad Emaus, shortstop Cat Everett, designated hitter Tim Guidry and catcher Ty Wallace.
The list of new faces consists of two transfers and eight true freshmen. Sophomore right-hander Shooter Hunt comes to Tulane via University of Virginia, and spent this past summer in the Cape Cod League where he was named the No. 9 prospect in the summer league by Baseball America. Sophomore catcher Jared Dyer from San Jacinto College-North is the other transfer.
Rounding out the freshman class are utility athlete Preston Claiborne (Dallas, Texas/Newman Smith HS), southpaws Hunter Johnson (Bellaire, Texas/Bellaire HS) and Aaron Loup (Luling, La./Hahnville HS), right-handed pitchers Taylor Rogers (Round Rock, Texas/McNeil HS) and Drew Zizinia (Bellaire, Texas/Bellaire HS), outfielders Jay Ackal (Mandeville, La./St. Paul's School) and Ryan Scott (New Orleans, La./Archbishop Rummel HS), and catcher Andrew Robinson (Gonzales, La./East Ascension HS).
McFadden and the Green Wave open the 2007 season on Saturday, Feb. 3, with the annual Alumni Game, and host Southeastern Louisiana on Friday, Feb. 9, in the season opener at Zephyr Field. Season ticket renewal forms for the 2007 Green Wave baseball season will be sent out next week and new season ticket packages will go on sale shortly thereafter. For more ticket information, contact the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office at (504) 861-WAVE.
