Rosters Set for Tulane Fall World Series
Nov 3, 2009 | Baseball
Nov. 3, 2009
Video Preview of Fall Ball World Series
NEW ORLEANS - Tulane baseball head coach Rick Jones announced the rosters for the annual Fall World Series this week at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium. The intra-squad best-of-five series begins Wednesday with assistant coach Jack Cressend's Green squad taking on associate head coach Chad Sutter's Black squad.
Coach Jones spoke of the rivalry between his two coaches as the intensity picked up Tuesday in the final day of preparation before the series.
"There's a lot riding there," he said. "They were teammates and had a lot of success as battery mates in the 90s. So there is already a lot of banter back and forth and the teams will feed off of that. That's what I want to have happen. I want to see guys in competitive situations who want to be in those situations."
"Having a staff of former players of mine, all Tulane guys, that helps from the fact that [the young players] have someone to draw from who's been through it, who is in a coaching role," Jones continued. "But we still need to be able to find out more things about this club and this week will provide some of those things."
For Wednesday's game one, slated for a 2:45 p.m. first pitch, Cressend will send junior RHP Nick Pepitone to the mound opposite Sutter's starter, freshman RHP Alex Byo. Pepitone has struck out 12 batters in 13 innings of work this fall while compiling a 4.15 ERA. Byo sports a 4.05 ERA this fall in 13 1/3 innings with 13 Ks this fall.
Pepitone, who owned a 3.26 ERA last season with nine saves, was eager to get the call for Team Green.
"The Green team, we have a lot of young guys here," he said. "So I'm just trying to go out in game one, pitch a good game and put my team in position to win. Game one is always important, but every game is important in the Fall Ball World Series."
Thursday's game two will feature freshman RHP Kyle McKenzie (2.70 ERA, 6 K, 13 1/3 IP this fall) for the green squad versus junior RHP Conrad Flynn (5.68 ERA, 9 K, 12 2/3 IP), while Friday's tilt will see junior RHP Gunner Wright (4.50 ERA, 9 K, 12 IP) take the hill for team green opposite senior lefty Matt Petiton (3.00 ERA, 13 K, 12 IP). Game four starters are redshirt sophomore RHP Robby Broach (1.64 ERA, 10 K, 11 IP) for the black squad versus senior RHP Preston Claiborne (2.70 ERA, 16 K, 13 1/3 IP) for the green team. Both coaches have listed Sunday's starters as To Be Announced.
Cressend's green team will have a trio of freshmen in the bullpen: RHP Nate Fury, LHP David Napoli and redshirt RHP Ross Hardy. Fury owns a 1.59 ERA this fall, allowing just two earned runs in 11 1/3 innings, while striking out 15 against just five walks. Hardy has seven Ks in 8 1/3 innings pitched, but has been touched up for 13 earned runs. Napoli has struck out 12 to go with a 6.08 ERA this fall.
Sutter's black bullpen consists of sophomore RHP Ryan Doiron, redshirt sophomore RHP Rob Segedin and redshirt junior RHP Drew Zizinia. Zizinia has yet to allow an earned run this fall, giving up just seven hits with five walks, against 16 strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings pitched. Segedin boasts a 1.64 ERA in limited duty, posting seven Ks in 4 2/3 innings of work. Doiron holds an 8.10 ERA in fall ball, in 6 2/3 innings.
The position players for the Green team include OF/RHP Wright, sophomore catcher Jeremy Schaffer, freshman 2B Brian Barry, freshman SS Brennan Middleton, freshman 3B Quinn Pippin, junior outfielder Nick Boullosa, freshman outfielder Cody Robinson, freshman outfielder Greg Miller and redshirt sophomore DH Karl Mundt.
The black squad's arsenal will include Byo (outfield) and Segedin (infield) as two-way players, freshman catcher Matt Shortall, sophomore 1B Jamie Bruno, freshman 2B/OF Adam Zabel, freshman SS Garrett Cannizaro, redshirt sophomore 3B/2B Matt Ryan, freshmen outfielders Brandon Boudreaux and Bowen Woodson.
"I'm very excited about this club as far as the talent level," Jones continued. "It's very young though. It's a very young club. And we need to grow up as quickly as we can and this is one of the ways we'll try and do that."
All told, Cressend's Green Team features nine freshmen (including one redshirt), two sophomores (one redshirt), three juniors and a senior, while Sutter's Black squad features six freshmen, five sophomores (three redshirts), a junior, a redshirt junior, and one senior.
The young Wave will have ample intensity to feed off of, provided by Sutter's and Cressend's escalating war of words and gamesmanship. The Green squad drew first blood, picking up home-field advantage for game one by virtue of Cressend "calling it first." The two teams will alternate last ups through game four, with the home team in game five being determined by coin toss.
The series will be played to its entirety even if one side reaches three wins prior to game five.
| Team Black (coach Chad Sutter) | ||||
| No. | Name | Pos | B/T | Year |
| 1 | Adam Zabel | 2B/SS | L/R | FR |
| 2 | Garrett Cannizaro | SS | R/R | FR |
| 4 | Brandon Boudreaux | OF | L/R | FR |
| 6 | Jamie Bruno | INF | L/L | SO |
| 7 | Ryan Doiron | RHP | R/R | SO |
| 11 | Bowen Woodson | 2B/SS | R/R | FR |
| 15 | Drew Zizinia | RHP | R/R | RS JR |
| 22 | Alex Byo | RHP | R/R | FR |
| 24 | Conrad Flynn | RHP | R/R | JR |
| 26 | Rob Segedin | INF/RHP | R/R | RS SO |
| 28 | Robby Broach | RHP/INF | R/R | RS SO |
| 29 | Matt Petiton | LHP | L/L | SR |
| 30 | Matt Shortall | C | R/R | FR |
| 45 | Matt Ryan | INF | R/R | RS SO |
| Team Green (coach Jack Cressend) | ||||
| No. | Name | Pos | B/T | Year |
| 3 | Cody Robinson | OF | R/R | FR |
| 5 | Brian Barry | INF | R/R | FR |
| 8 | Jeremy Schaffer | C | R/R | SO |
| 9 | Brennan Middleton | 2B/SS | R/R | FR |
| 13 | Kyle McKenzie | RHP | L/R | FR |
| 16 | Nick Boullosa | OF | L/L | JR |
| 19 | Nick Pepitone | RHP | R/R | JR |
| 23 | Greg Miller | OF/3B | R/R | FR |
| 31 | Gunner Wright | OF/RHP | R/R | JR |
| 32 | Preston Claiborne | RHP/INF | R/R | SR |
| 33 | Nate Fury | RHP | R/R | FR |
| 35 | Ross Hardy | RHP | R/R | RS FR |
| 38 | Karl Mundt | C | R/R | RS SO |
| 42 | David Napoli | LHP | R/L | FR |
| 44 | Quinn Pippin | 3B/OF | L/R | FR |
