Season's End Hot for Wave Baseball
If you're a Green Wave baseball fan, it doesn't get any better than this a three-game series against Conference USA rival Rice University starting on Thursday (May 15), followed by the 2008 Entergy C-USA Baseball Championship May 21â“25, all right at home in Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.
Junior outfielder Andrew Rodgers (No. 44) celebrates a home run with Green Wave teammates. Tulane is now 36-15-1 on the season. (Photos by Dave Browning)
The new Tulane stadium, in its inaugural season on the uptown campus, will be in the spotlight as fans, teams and media hit New Orleans for the eight-team tournament.
First up, though, is the season-ending Rice series, and it's all about momentum, says Travis Goff, associate athletics director for external affairs.
Tulane, now 36-15-1 on the season, is fresh from three victories on the road against East Carolina University.
"To close out the regular season with a win or two over Rice would be great," Goff says. "It's become a big rivalry in C-USA."
But the entire Tulane athletics department as well as fans are pumped up for the C-USA baseball tournament, which Tulane had hoped to host last year but could not because of the stadium construction project.
The new Greer Field at Turchin Stadium is in the spotlight for the final home series against Rice University starting on Thursday.
"The ability to bring in a number of other schools, other fans who maybe haven't been to New Orleans in the past two and a half years, to see the progress the campus has made and New Orleans has made, to really see what is our premier facility (the stadium), and showcase that to a national audience it's huge for Tulane baseball and Tulane University," Goff adds.
"It's another pretty large-scale event in the city, at a time when it's as important as ever to show progress."
The tournament bracket and exact schedule will be announced by the conference on Sunday (May 18), he says, after the last regular-season games end on Saturday.
He expects many fans from all competing conference schools to attend, with those from C-USA intitutions in neighboring states, such as Rice, the University of Southern Mississippi and the University of Houston, traveling in greater numbers.
Plenty of "hullabaloo"-chanting Green Wave fans will be on hand as well to help fill up Greer Field at Turchin Stadium. Tickets are available by calling 504-861-WAVE.
The championship game on Sunday (May 25) will be on national television, spotlighting the new Tulane stadium.
"This tournament has become a showcase event for C-USA," Goff says. "It's a great opportunity for Tulane fans. They have been excited about this all year. It's a long time coming for us."
