The Green Wave will look to bring the Mardi Gras magic to Los Angeles as it takes on the top team in the nation.
It appears that the Tulane Green Wave is going to be challenged pretty early on this season.
After picking up a series win over the Loyola Marymount Lions on Opening Weekend, the Green Wave stuck around California for a bit of midweek action. The program is now set to take on an incredibly talented team in the UCLA Bruins on Tuesday afternoon.
UCLA is currently the top team in baseball, coming in at No. 1 overall in the D1Baseball and Baseball America rankings. Although they ultimately dropped their Opening Weekend series finale to the UC San Diego Tritons, the Bruins picked up a pair of strong victories on Friday and Saturday.
Additionally, UCLA is set to throw one of the top freshman arms in the country against Tulane. Angel Cervantes, a big name on D1Baseball's Preseason Freshman of the Year watchlist, will make his first collegiate start. He did pitch one inning of relief for the Bruins on Friday, giving up two hits and one run while walking two batters. Cervantes did not record a strikeout in the matchup.
However, the Green Wave is set to counter with an equally impressive arm, one that had a much bigger start to opening weekend than Cervantes. JD Rodriguez will officially get the start on the bump on Tuesday after putting together an impressive few innings of relief on Friday night. The senior pitcher 4.2 scoreless innings in the team's opening game against LMU, giving up two hits and two walks while striking out a career-high nine batters. He was ultimately credited with the win on the mound.
Offensively, UCLA does have the ability to be explosive. Four players are currently batting above .300 on the year, and six different players recorded a home run on opening weekend. The team has also hit seven doubles and one triple so far.
In comparison, Tulane also has four players batting above .300 on the year. While the team has only hit three home runs so far, it's found a way to capitalize on extra-base hits, with 11 doubles and one triple so far.
Can the Green Wave roll with a bit of Mardi Gras magic? Taking down the Bruins will be a tough task, but Tulane looks to have plenty of talent this year. Additionally, the team doesn't have too much to lose in the matchup: a win will do wonders for the program, but a loss to the top team in the nation so early in the year isn't the end of the world by any means.
First pitch is set for 3 p.m. CT from Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles.