Baseball Closes Out Fall Ball with Alumni Weekend
Oct 31, 2016 | Baseball
NEW ORLEANS – Since mid-September, the Green Wave baseball team has been hard at work practicing day in and day out to prepare for the upcoming 2017 season, which kicks off on Friday, Feb. 17 with a 6:30 p.m. contest against Army. Those six weeks of fall practice are now up, and the program closed out this year's fall ball slate with an Alumni Weekend, welcoming Tulane baseball alumni back to campus for a weekend of food, fun and Tulane Athletics.
"The Alumni Weekend was a lot of fun for everyone involved," head coach Travis Jewett said. "You could sense the excitement that the kids had knowing that there were former players coming back. We talked about what it means to respect tradition and the alumni who have done great things here, and the guys were very engaged with them coming through the dugout throughout the scrimmage. Being new to this program, it was great getting to meet players and coaches from before my time here."
Friday afternoon's practice began at 2:00 p.m., with the first pitch of the final eight-inning scrimmage of the fall going out at 5:00. Throughout the afternoon, alumni trickled in to mingle with former teammates and watch the current group of 35 play under the lights of Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.
The scrimmage saw a 10-1 win by Team Blue, boosted by a dominating performance from freshman righty Chase Solesky, who fanned nine through five frames on the mound. Solesky was opposed by sophomore left hander Ross Massey, who struck out six of his own through the first four innings.
Blue also enjoyed the offensive production of redshirt junior infielder Matt Rowland, who went 3-3 with an RBI and a double to left center. Freshman outfielder Michael Kirsch sealed the deal for Blue with a towering seventh-inning homer over the net in left field.
Following the scrimmage, alumni enjoyed a meal with the current players and coaches, and were then invited to take to the turf for some baseball fun of their own.
This year's alumni festivities welcomed back former Greenie greats such as Tommy Manzella (2002-05), Cary Livingston (1969-72) and a slew of recent grads whose professional baseball careers are still in the making, including pitchers Alex Massey, Emerson Gibbs and Patrick Duester.
Saturday morning saw one final practice to wrap up the 2016 fall season before alumni and current players alike hit the tailgate for Tulane's Homecoming match-up with SMU.
With the conclusion of fall ball, Tulane baseball will host one final prospect camp, the Ultimate Catching Camp, on Friday and Saturday Nov. 5-6. Parents of interested players can visit www.TulaneBaseballCamp.com for more information or to register.
In the next few weeks, renovations will begin on the turf playing surface at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium, as well as a handful of other modifications.
Season ticket packages and renewals for the 2017 Tulane baseball season will be released soon. To renew or to purchase tickets, call (504) 861-WAVE, click here, or visit the Tulane Athletics ticket office on the first floor of the James W. Wilson, Jr. Center Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Fans can keep up with the Tulane baseball program by following along on Twitter (@GreenWaveBSB) or finding the team on Facebook.
