20 Years Ago Tulane Baseball Made History
Jun 3, 2021 | Baseball
On June 3, 2001, Tulane University captured the attention of the collegiate baseball world as it punched its first-ever ticket to the College World Series with a thrilling 7-1 victory over in-state rival LSU.Â
The 2001 Green Wave compiled an NCAA-best and school-record 56 wins. TulaneGreenWave.com looks back at the team's magical run from 20 years ago.
Tulane finished 2001 with a 56-13 overall record and captured a C-USA regular season and the C-USA Tournament title.
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20 years ago today, we made history!
— Tulane Green Wave Baseball (@GreenWaveBSB) June 3, 2021
Relive our first @NCAACWS appearance.
Full story: https://t.co/Xb0TsTqOqo#RollWave pic.twitter.com/1FEZ2K5E3D
Tulane hosted a Regional and Super Regional, and bested cross-state rival LSU in three games – including the final game of legendary coach Skip Bertman's career.
Head coach Rick Jones captured his second Coach of the Year award from the league while Jake Gautreau defended his title as the league's top player. Freshman Michael Aubrey followed in the footsteps of James Jurries, as he won the 2001 Conference USA Freshman of the Year along with the National Freshman of the Year awards from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and The Sporting News.Â
The Green Wave had earned 12 regional berths and had never advanced to an NCAA Super Regional during their postseason history, but in 2001 their 13th postseason berth turned out to be the lucky number.Tulane's first trip to the College World Series was a dream come true as the Green Wave sandwiched a nail-biting 6-5 victory over Nebraska between a 13-11 loss to Stanford and an 11-2 defeat at the hands of Cal State Fullerton.
The Green Wave looked comfortable on the big stage as Tulane staked claim to an 8-0 lead over the Cardinal after three innings. The lead would not hold up, though, as Stanford scored seven runs in the fifth and five in the seventh to take a 12-8 lead. The Green Wave cut the lead to 12-9 in the top of the eighth on a two-RBI double by Jake Gautreau, but Stanford answered in the home half of the inning with a single run, and Tulane left the tying run at second base in the top of the ninth.
In game two against the Cornhuskers, Michael Aubrey went 2-for-5 and picked up the first save of his career, and Gautreau went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI to lead the Green Wave to a one-run victory over Nebraska. Tulane took a 1-0 lead in the first on an RBI single by Gautreau.Â
Nebraska answered with three runs in the second, but the Green Wave responded with a solo homer by Gautreau in the fifth and a four-run sixth to take a 6-3 lead. Nebraska chipped away at the lead with single runs in the sixth and seventh frames, but Aubrey relieved starter Beau Richardson in the eighth to close the door. Richardson earned the win, scattering seven hits and striking out four in 7.0 innings.
Game three was all Titans as Cal State Fullerton scored two in the second, one in the third, three in the fourth and a pair in the eighth to take a commanding 8-0 lead. Tulane got on the board with a pair of unearned runs in the eighth, but CSF came right back with three runs in the ninth to eliminate the Green Wave from the postseason.
Tulane's dominance at the national level was just beginning.
Tulane went to NCAA Regionals from 2002-04 while also reaching the Super Regional level in 2004.
In 2005, Tulane returned to Omaha, as the Green Wave went 56-12 overall, getting past Rice in the Super Regional to earn their second College World Series berth in four years. Tulane had the Conference USA Player of the Year (Micah Owings), the Conference USA Freshman of the Year (Brad Emaus) and the Conference USA and National Coach of the Year (Jones).
