The Green Wave picked up a series win at home against Memphis to open league play, but the program will face a tougher task as it heads to Birmingham to take on the Blazers.
After a series win over the Memphis Tigers to open American Conference play at home, the Tulane Green Wave baseball team will now turn to its first conference road series against the UAB Blazers.
While the Sluggerbirds have been on a hot streak lately -- winning five of their last six games, two of which came in run-rule fashion -- the Blazers prove to be another tough challenge. UAB is 15-10 on the year with a key win over the Florida Gators to open the season and a pair of victories over the Cincinnati Bearcats. The team is a big inconsistent, however, and enters the matchup with a 1-2 American record following a series loss to the East Carolina Pirates.
Tulane will once again roll with right-handed pitcher Trey Cehajic on Friday night, and he's looking to bounce back in a big way following a tough outing against Memphis. The graduate student has posted a 7.20 ERA with 31 strikeouts and is 1-1 on the year.
Jack Frankel has earned the Saturday start on the mound following a 1-2 start to the season. The transfer righty has a 4.45 ERA and 16 strikeouts through 28.1 innings played.
Tulane has not announced a starting pitcher for Sunday's contest, though quite a few viable options have stepped up in the bullpen over the past few weeks and could fare well in the starting spot.
Offensively, Nate Johnson has become a rising star for the Green Wave, boasting a team-high .358 batting average to go along with 19 hits, 22 RBI, 10 runs scored and three home runs. Meanwhile, Jason Wachs has been arguably the most consistent offensive threat. The sophomore has a team-high 28 RBI and 10 doubles on the year with a .340 batting average through 26 games played. Kaikea Harrison is the last Tulane player with a batting average above .300 -- sitting at .303, to be exact -- and he leads the program with 33 hits, 30 runs scored, three home runs and 51 total bases.
While these three players have been the biggest offensive threats as of late, the team boasts a well-rounded lineup, and nearly every Sluggerbird who has been a consistent starter on offense has risen to the occasion in big moments. Simply put, there are no players that UAB can "overlook" in this lineup.
The first game of the weekend series at Young Memorial Field in Birmingham begins Friday at 5 p.m. Saturday's game two is scheduled to start at 2 p.m., and the series wraps up at 1 p.m. on Sunday.