Baseball Heads to Rice for Fall Ball Scrimmage
Oct 10, 2014 | Baseball
NEW ORLEANS - With fall ball nearing its conclusion, Tulane's baseball squad will hit the road for some outside competition as the team will travel to Houston for a 12pm CT first-pitch against the Rice Owls in a fall ball scrimmage on Saturday afternoon at Reckling Park.
Admission for the contest will be free. There will be no live radio or live stats, but fans looking to follow the contest can do so by following Tulane baseball on Twitter (@GreenWaveBSB) as live updates will be provided. A full report on the game will be released at the conclusion of the contest on TulaneGreenWave.com.
Fourteen innings are on tap for the Green Wave and the Owls - former Conference USA foes - allowing new head coach David Pierce and his staff to get a good look at his team outside of what they have seen from practices at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.
"We want to break away from the day-to-day intrasquad," said Pierce. "That's the beauty of it. We want to create a little more excitement and build some team chemistry as we continue through our fall season. The kids are really excited to go travel and play somebody else, and I think that's the biggest thing. To play somebody in a different colored uniform breaks the monotony, and it will give (the coaches) a chance to gather some additional information."
Tulane has squared off against themselves on 17 occasions so far this fall, and the results have been promising. The team is hitting .282, and extra-base hits have also been plentiful thus far, as the team has totaled 55 doubles, nine triples and eight home runs.
"I've been impressed with how receptive the players are to the coaching," added Pierce. "I think so far this fall, we've really been trying to free some guys up so they can feel their natural swing and get comfortable."
On the mound, Tulane's pitchers have totaled 191 strikeouts with ten different arms tallying double-digit strikeout totals in limited time throughout the fall. Each pitcher has thrown anywhere between 7.0-14.0 innings through the fall during live intrasquad action.
"We've done a pretty good job on the mound (this fall)," mentioned Pierce. "We have eight guys that I feel pretty good about. We need to continue to build the staff. We have some bright spots defensively, as well."
The return to Rice will also be a reunion of sorts for Pierce, who coached under legendary skipper Wayne Graham from 2003-11, helping the Owls win the College World Series in 2003.
"It's not as big of a deal since it's just a fall exhibition game, but it's always good to return to where you're from," said Pierce. "I spent nine years at Rice. It's a great place, and I have so many great memories there. It's always fun to return to somewhere so many people care about you. I'm looking forward to seeing some friends and family."
Following this weekend's action, Tulane will return home for another week of fall ball practices before hosting crosstown rival New Orleans at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium at noon on Saturday, Oct. 18. Admission to the contest is free.
Season ticket packages and renewals for the 2015 Tulane baseball season will be released soon. The deadline to be eligible for priority seating is January 15, 2015. To secure new seats with a deposit of $50 per season ticket, call (504) 861-WAVE, visit www.TulaneGreenWave.com, or visit the Athletics ticket office on the first floor of the James W. Wilson, Jr. Center Monday through Friday, 8:30am-5pm.
Fans can follow the Tulane baseball program on Twitter (@GreenWaveBSB) or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/GreenWaveBaseball.
