NEW ORLEANS, La. - Hoping to snap out of their early season slump, the Tigers (1-10) will conclude their season-opening string of 15 consecutive road games when they visit Tulane University (6-5) this weekend for a four-game series at Greer Field. Towson and Tulane will open the series on Friday evening with a single game at 7:00 p.m. (EST). On Saturday, the teams will play at doubleheader at 2:00 p.m. (EST). The series concludes on Sunday afternoon with a single game at 2:00 p.m. (EST).
The Tulane series will be the final stop of the Tigers' 15-game road trip, a journey that has included six games in North Carolina and four games in Arizona. After opening the season by winning one of three games at the Elon Classic, the Tigers lost four consecutive games to undefeated Arizona State. The Tigers also dropped a 4-2 contest at Maryland before losing all three games at High Point last weekend. The Tigers enter the weekend series with a nine-game losing streak and their 1-10 start is their worst getaway in Coach Mike Gottlieb's 23 seasons as the Tigers' coach.
The Green Wave, which appeared in the College World Series in 2001 and 2005, has also played a difficult early season. Tulane has faced Boston College, New Orleans, Lipscomb, South Alabama and 19th-ranked Mississippi to date. Tulane is coming off a win over Mississippi in the series finale on Sunday.
A member of Conference USA, Tulane has made 19 appearances in the NCAA Division I Tournament since 1979. The Green Wave has gone to the NCAA Regionals ten times since 1998.
Freshman Blake Crohan has been the Green Wave's top hitter in the early season. He is hitting .500 with 12 runs scored in the first 11 games of the season. Sophomore catcher Jeremy Schaffer is batting .333 with three homers and 11 runs batted in while sophomore infielder Rob Segedin has a .386 batting mark and is tied for the team lead with 11 RBI's.
Senior rightfielder Kevin Collins appears to have broken out an early season slump and is tied for the team lead with a .341 batting average. He has a .545 slugging percentage with one double, one triple and two home runs. Collins leads the team with 11 RBI's. Junior second baseman Chris Wychock is also hitting .341 with two homers and seven RBI's. However, they are the only Tiger regulars hitting over .300.
"We have a number of players who are struggling at the plate," says Coach Gottlieb. "But these are guys who have done it in the past and we're sure that they will break out of it."
As a team, the Tigers are batting .260, some 61 points below their school record-setting team batting average of .321 in 2009.
The Tigers will also be looking for improved pitching this weekend. Sophomore righthander Tyler Austin leads the team with a 1-1 record and a 2.31 E.R.A. Freshman righthander Michael Trionfo has compiled an impressive a 3.38 E.R.A. in four appearances.
After the four-game series at Tulane, the Tigers will host Mount St. Mary's in their home opener at Schuerholz Park on Wednesday, March 17 at 3:00 p.m.
