We're taking a look back and a look ahead at college baseball teams from around the country. Next up are the Tulane Green Wave!
One of the most storied programs in the South, Tulane (32-26, 12-11 American) is looking to return to a Regional in 2020.
A Look Back at 2019
In this third season at Tulane, Head Coach Travis Jewett notched the first winning season in his tenure and led the Green Wave to a third place finish in the American Athletic Conference, their best finish since winning the conference in 2016.
Highlights from the non-conference slate included a win over Ole Miss and a win over Louisiana-Lafayette. After starting conference play at 7-2, Tulane struggled down the stretch, losing the remainder of their conference series. Of note, the Green Wave avoided being swept in any conference series and were competitive in all series.
Tulane earned the third seed in the American Conference Tournament and defeated UCF to open up play. However, subsequent back-to-back losses to Cincinnati and UCF spelled the end of the tournament and the season for Tulane.
With a whopping 7.7 runs per game in 2019, the Tulane offense was a beast to behold. The Green Wave offense was led by 3B Kody Hoese, a consensus All-American and the 25th overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. Hoese hit to the tune of 0.393 and mashed 23 home runs. Beyond their offensive prowess, the Green Wave were also steady in the field. They averaged only 0.8 errors per game, good for 32nd in the country.
Along with Hoese, five other Green Wave players were drafted in 2019. The total of six players drafted tied a program record for Tulane.
A Look Ahead at 2020
Once again Tulane has scheduled aggressively in non-conference play. Trips to Cal State Fullerton and Dallas Baptists will offer huge early opportunities for the Green Wave, and a midweek at LSU provides a big road test for Tulane right before conference play begins.
A road series at Wichita State and a home set against Houston requires a fast start from Tulane if the Green Wave hopes to be competitive in the American. The middle stretch of conference play will likely determine where Tulane finishes in the conference standings. If the Green Wave want to finish in the top half of the American, they will be looking for series wins at home against Memphis, on the road versus USF and UCF, and back home against Cincinnati.
The regular season ends with two of the toughest series for Tulane: a home showdown versus ECU and a road trip to UConn. Tulane took a game off both of these teams in 2019 and will look to do the same or better in 2020.
The 2020 Tulane team will once again be a major offensive threat. The Green Wave returns Hudson Haskins, the second best hitter in the American Conference from 2019 (see the top ten American hitter here). Add sluggers like Grant Matthews and Jonathon Artigues, and Tulane will again be one of the best offenses in the country.
John’s (@johnny_omaha_) 2020 Prediction: I see Tulane as the fourth best team in the American, heading into the season. ECU and Houston stand out as the front runners, and I think UConn is a small step ahead of Tulane. The American has averaged 3.4 Regional teams per year over the last five years (see a full breakdown of teams by conference here), and I could see the conference being a four-bid league in 2020. A few wins in their non-conference matchups would massively upgrade the Green Wave's at-large chances. Tulane will likely be a bubble team all season.
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