It was a strange day at Turchin Stadium because David Pierce was ejected in the first inning and the 13 players honored on Senior Day played little role on Tulane's 9-5 victory against Memphis that put the Wave in the driver's seat for the AAC championship and kept its regional hosting hopes alive.

Patrick Duester pitched the final two innings after Tulane went up by 4. Alex Massey gave up five runs before leaving in the sixth. The other seniors did not play. Richard Carthon has been benched, and the rest are bit players besides Friday starting pitch Emerson Gibbs.

Pierce could not conduct post-game interviews on the field because the ejected lasted through the post game, so he did it from the walkway behind the dugout.

On Sean Allen coming in...

"He and I, we've worked together so long. He does a good job and he understands what we're trying to do offensively, defensively and with pitching."

On playing against Memphis' defensive shift...

"They shifted all weekend, and they burned Jake [Rogers] a little bit, but he did a great job staying on it with those first three RBIs and really just hitting it. I'm really proud of him to do that."

On Sam Bjorngjeld getting out of a jam with a runner on third in the 7th inning by striking out the only batter he faced:

"He's been so outstanding when he matches up. The way he's matching up for us, he's good enough to get extended. We've been really fortunate to have Patrick Duester right behind him. I like that combination of the two."

On watching the game from the outside...

"This is a team that we fight together, I fight for and they fight for each other. It was unfortunate that I was tossed. I thought it was very short-fused. I was in control. It was just in control, it's just upsetting that that's what happened. I felt good about the other two guys because they're very veteran umpires, and I just didn't feel the same with the situation."

On what it was like:

"I wasn't a fan, I was biting my nails. That's all I did. It was nerve wracking because I don't do a whole lot during the game, but it's part of the program. Calling the pitches and working with the pitchers and catchers is very critical, but I rely and depend on and believe in my assistants and they did a great job today."

On the team going 4-1 after rising to No. 15 in some national polls:

"No doubt they kept focus this week. After the game yesterday, it wasn't a state of panic. We were basically going back to business and understanding that we clean slate that game and move on. What a great game to get today to win the series."

On Alex Massey struggling to keep his cool after not getting a called third strike in the fifth:

"Massey has to overcome that. It's one of those things that he might have made the pitch and could've, should've gotten the call, but he's got to catch his breath and regroup. He's been good for us. Fortunately we had a lot of people behind him that we could go to and rely on."

On sitting at first in the American:

"You would like to be maybe another game up, but I think we're a game and a half. If that's the case, we're probably going to have to win at least two out of three at Houston."

On Emerson Gibbs setting the tone with sterling performance Friday:

"The way he's matured and grown, and how the entire staff has really worked around his growth and grown with him, it's neat to watch them challenge and compete against each other as well as the opponents. He's just been outstanding. He's such a leader and he's such a guy with high character. I'm really proud of him and all of our seniors, with graduation and then continuing to play in this great one."

On moving Hunter Williams and Jake Willsey higher in the lineup and getting two hits from both of them:

"Hunter's (Williams) been swinging the bat really well for the last two or three weeks, and we made a little adjustment for the simple fact that he has been swinging the bat so well. It's the same with Jake Willsey, we bumped him up and he came up big in a clutch situation against a tough arm."

Tulane beat Memphis, taking a two-spot RPI hit in the process, but the day was a net gain anyway because Southern Miss lost to La Tech, ULL lost to South Alabama and Coastal Carolina, Michigan, TCU and Oklahoma State also lost. Those are all teams competing with the Wave for one of the final regional hosting spots.

As long as Tulane keeps winning, I really can't see any of those teams beating it out as a host. And before you get too concerned about LSU, remember that the Tigers and Wave both hosted in 2001 and 2005. LSU is competing with Vanderbilt for the sixth hosting spot out of the SEC, so the only way Tulane could be in trouble there is if they give seven hosting roles to SEC teams.

As of tonight, my guess for the hosts is Florida, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, South Carolina and LSU out of the SEC, Louisville, Miami, NC State, FSU, Virginia and Clemson out of the ACC, Texas Tech out of the Big 12, Tulane and two West Coast teams to be determined later or maybe one West Coast team plus Rice.

Tulane's toughest battle may be finishing ahead of East Carolina in the AAC. The Pirates were trailing USF 7-2 tonight when their first 11 batters reached base to start the 6th, sparking a 14-7 comeback win. That's incredible, and all 11 got on by hits or walk instead of errors. There's a good chance ECU will lose only one more conference game with USF at home and UCF on the road, and the Pirates might not lose any.

Hi Guerry, I was wondering, in your interviews with CWF or Dannen have facilities improvements been discussed? I was told by my source that the locker room renovation was to begin following spring practice, has that been started? I was told it would take 90 days, with the center "cell blocks" being knocked out to open the space and then have the lockers go all the way around the room, a preferance of CWF. Also, any truth to the "new football operations building" rumors?

Tulane's RPI really did not drop at all after the Southern game, and at No. 23 entering the Memphis series, the Green Wave is in good shape in that department as long as it keeps winning. In my view, a sweep of Memphis, a victory against Nicholls State and a series win at Houston (which won't be easy) should be good enough to get Tulane a regional, although nothing is certain since it also matters how the competition performs.

Here's a side-by-side comparison of the leading candidates for the last one or two spots.

TULANE

Record: 33-14
RPI: 23
Minimum requirement: Needs to finish ahead of East Carolina in AAC and avoid a bad loss.
Best case: Tulane is a solid 16-9 against the RPI top 100 and a spectacular 8-2 against the RPI top 25, including 4-0 against nearby regional contenders LSU and Southern Miss. That stat is the money one because no one on the bubble for a regional is close to that percentage. Tulane also has lost only one weekend series.
Biggest issue: The AAC is having a down year, although it had jumped two spots to No. 6 overall this week.

SOUTHERN MISS

Record: 34-14
RPI: 18
Minimum requirement: Needs to finish ahead of Rice and FAU in C-USA. Rice and FAU play in Houston this weekend. USM is tied with Rice at 18-6, a game ahead of FAU, and has a tricky home series v. La Tech and a road series against FIU to close the regular season.
Best case: USM is a solid 18-11 against the RPI top 100 and has played a whopping 19 games against the top 50. C-USA has been stronger than the AAC this year, so winning it would carry more weight.
Biggest issue: The lopsided sweep by Tulane hurts in a side-by-side comparison, and the Golden Eagles are only 2-4 against the top 25.

LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE

Record: 31-18
RPI: 21
Mininum requirement: The Cajuns need to sweep Sun Belt leader South Alabama on the road this weekend, a long shot occurrence but one that would that would vault them into the top 15 of the RPI. They are three games behind the Jaguars with two weeks to go and have to win the Sun Belt outright to have a shot at hosting.
Best case: As just stated, the RPI would be extremely high with a sweep of USA. Inexplicably, their non-conference strength of schedule is ranked No. 1 in the nation.
Biggest issue: Aside from the RPI and schedule strength numbers, both of which appear inflated, the Cajuns' case is flimsy. Their 16-12 mark against the top 100 and 6-6 mark against the top 50 is not as good as some of the other regional contenders. One loss in Mobile this weekend would kill their chance to host. The Sun Belt ranks ninth in the RPI, so they have to win it outright.

RICE

Record: 31-15
RPI: 28
Minimum requirement: Needs to win the FAU series at home this weekend, beat Houston next midweek in a neutral-site game and win a series at surging Louisiana Tech to close the year.
Best case: An outright C-USA championship would carry a lot of weight, particularly with a non-conference schedule strength that ranks second nationally. Although C-USA is only one spot ahead of the AAC at the moment, it is within striking distance of third while the AAC was eighth just two days ago.
Biggest issue: The other metrics don't hold up to Tulane. Rice is 6-8 vs. the RPI top 50 and 5-8 against the top 25, facing largely the same teams (Arizona, East Carolina, USM, ULL). The 10-0 loss at Houston on Tuesday was not a good look.

EAST CAROLINA

Record: 30-17-1
RPI: 22
Minimum requirement: The Pirates have to win at least five of their last six conference games, which is doable with a home series against USF and a series at UCF, and overtake Tulane for first in the AAC.
Best case: ECU is a solid 18-13 against the top 100, a respectable 8-8 against the top 50 and will be 5-5 vs. the top 25 if UNCW improves one spot. They won a series at 2015 national champion Virginia and have the nation's No. 8 non-conference schedule.
Biggest issue: Catching Tulane won't be easy, and with no top-100 teams left on the schedule, the RPI won't go up much regardless of the results. I discount conference tournaments to an extent because the committee usually already has made decisions by then, but ECU needs a strong AAC tourney.

COASTAL CAROLINA

Record: 34-14
RPI: 15
Minimum requirement: Keep winning. Playing in the weak Big South, the Chanticleers must sweep Charleston Southern and Campbell and win a pivotal midweek home game against UNCW to have a shot.
Best case: That high RPI keeps Coastal Carolina in the discussion. Its non-conference schedule strength ranks No. 5 nationally, making up for the Big South schedule. The Chanticleers have no bad losses.
Biggest issue: With a chance to prove their worth after going 3-2 against likely ACC NCAA regional teams, Coastal Carolina laid an egg at Georgia Tech recently, getting outscored 22-11 in a three-game sweep. That debacle highlights a decent but not regional-hosting worthy record of 6-8 vs. the top 50 and 14-12 vs. the top 100.

LSU

Record: 33-16
RPI: 13
Minimum requirement: The Tigers have to win series at Tennessee and against No.-1-ranked Florida at Alex Box Stadium to end the regular season. If they win 2 of 3 from the Gators, which only Kentucky has accomplished this year, it's hard to imagine them not hosting, which will enrage Tulane fans.
Best case: The RPI is destined for the top 10 if the Tigers keep winning. An 18-12 mark in the SEC with series wins against Florida and Vanderbilt would give them a compelling resume.
Biggest issue: The Tigers did not have a tough non-conference schedule and did not fare well out of the league. In addition to getting swept home-and-home by Tulane, they lost to Lamar, Sacramento State, Ball State and McNeese State. If they get a regional, it might be at the expense of another Vanderbilt rather than Tulane. Florida, Texas A&M, South Carolina, Ole Miss and Mississippi States are virtual locks to host.

VANDERBILT

Record: 36-13
RPI: 12
Minimum requirement: The Commodores need to three of their last six SEC games against Florida (road) and Auburn (home), preferably with at least one win in Gainesville this weekend.
Best case: A 17-13 record in the loaded SEC likely would be deemed regional-hosting worthy. Vandy is 18-12 against the top 100 and 10-9 against the top 50.
Biggest issue: The resume is not as impressive as the RPI number. Vandy is 6-9 against the top 25 and could be 6-12 after this weekend. Against top SEC teams, it lost series to LSU, Texas A&M and Mississippi State while beating South Carolina. It even lost a series to Tennessee, which has little shot at an at-large bid. Its non-conference schedule strength was a pitiful 182, and if the baseball selection committee thinks like the basketball selection committee, that number will be a killer if the Commodores are on the bubble for a host site.

OKLAHOMA STATE

Record: 31-15
RPI: 20
Mininum requirement: At least 5 wins in the final six Big 12 games.
Best case: The Cowboys have won 12 of their last 14, including a key series win against TCU and a non-league win against Dallas Baptist. They are in second place in the Big 12, which is rated third in the RPI despite being perceived as having a down year.
Biggest issue: Oklahoma State is 12-14 vs. the RPI top 100. That normally is not hosting material and is considerably worse than anyone else competing for one of the last hosting spots.

TCU

Record: 33-12
RPI: 17
Minimum requirement: The Horned Frogs need to pass Oklahoma for second in the Big 12. They are a game behind the Cowboys with series left against Baylor and Kansas State.
Best case: TCU is an impressive 19-8 vs. the RPI top 100, which sounds really good until you look a little closer. Its non-conference RPI is No. 10 nationally. It is 8-6 against the top 50.
Biggest issue: Of those 19 top 100 wins, 11 came against teams ranked 80th or worse. Since starting 17-3 with wins against Rice (twice) and ULL, TCU has cooled down, losing series to Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State.

TAKEAWAY

I still expect the SEC and ACC to have six hosts as the dominant leagues in college baseball. Texas Tech is a lock, and the West Coast likely, though not definitely, will get two undeserved host spots. That leaves one definite open regional, and Tulane's qualifications will be as good if not better than anyone else if it keeps winning. The Houston series could be a bear after the Cougars beat Rice and ULL at home the past two days. Sweep Memphis and win 2 of 3 at Houston, and I think there will be baseball at Turchin Stadium after the Nicholls State game next Tuesday.

I had my first one-on-one interview with Mike Dunleavy this week, but I didn't get to talk much about Tulane hoops because there was limited time and I was working on a Mother's Day story about his wife that will run in The Advocate on Sunday.

I did ask him about the status of Justin Moore, the 3-star California point guard who signed with Tulane under Ed Conroy but has reportedly asked for his release. Here's what he said:

"We've had conversations with him. I know that his mom and his AAU coach and his high school coach think this is the best place for him, but particularly when you don't recruit somebody, you basically put all the real facts on the table and you hope that it will resonate. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. Basically what I've told him was to think about it, and here are all the pluses that I see, but ultimately that if he wants his release, we'll give him his release."

Dunleavy said he expected Colin Slater, the other player who signed in Conroy's last class, to come.

I had time for one more question--how quickly did he think he could turn it around at Tulane.

"It has to do with how many scholarships you have and what you can bring in. We've got a lot of positive traction right now for next year with guys we're dealing with that we like and the potential chances. There's guys we're looking at even for this year, but it's not the normal situation. Obviously I'm getting into that part of the game a little bit late, but we think there are pieces to be added that hopefully will come to fruition pretty quickly. I'm extremely pleased with the staff. We did it in a timely fashion, hit the floor running and the chemistry is pretty good."

By far the easiest way to a Super Regional is to host a regional. That's obvious. Tulane has been to 10 regionals since the NCAA went to its current format in 1999. The Wave has traveled for eight of them and won only one, when host and No. 1 seed Ole Miss went two and barbecue, Tulane got past Washington's Tim Lincecum in the opener and cruised the rest of the way without having to face the Rabels.

The Wave has hosted twice--once at Zephyr Field and once at Turchin--and won both of them without losing a game.

While I would bet against Tulane being a host this year, it's certainly possible and will be pivotal in the Wave advancing, particularly if it is a No. 1 seed. I see no scenario where Tulane would host as a No. 2 seed (there is no evidence the NCAA selection committee will keep Mississippi schools from hosting because of recent legislation), and I'm not sure Tulane is good enough at the plate to go somewhere else and knock off a No. 1 seed on the road.

So how does Tulane rise to a No. 1 seed?

First, the Wave absolutely, positively has to win the AAC regular season title. The league is down this year, ranking sixth in the RPI after placing third last season, so there's no way Tulane could be a No. 1 without even being No. 1 in the AAC. A series win at USF followed by a sweep of Memphis followed by a series win at Houston almost certainly would guarantee first place. That's a 7-2 record.

Second, Tulane has to win its remaining non-conference games against UNO, Southern and Nicholls State. That would make the Wave 38-16 going into the AAC tourney. At that point, Tulane's other metrics would be strong--an 8-2 record against the top 50 in the RPI that is as good or better a percentage than any team in the country, a 15-10 mark against the top 100 that is decent and zero losses outside the top 200 (assuming Nicholls State stays on the plus side of 200).

Third, Tulane would have to start off well in the AAC tourney. The regional hosts are selected on the Sunday before the field is announced on Memorial Day, so I'm not sure winning the tournament would be relevant, but a 3-0 performance in the bracket would make Tulane 41-16 when the regionals were decided. My dream bracket scenario is Tulane at 1, Cincy at 4, UCF or USF at 5 and Memphis at 8, leaving Houston, East Carolina and UConn on the other side.

Four, Tulane would need some help. That means its RPI rising because teams it already has played perform well the rest of the way, helping the RPI rise to the high 20s (which is as high as it probably can go). That means LSU continuing to muddle along in the SEC, Southern Miss not winning the stronger (by RPI standards) C-USA and ULL having a mediocre finish. If any of those teams got a regional, Tulane would have no chance to host. I doubt the NCAA would look at Tulane's sweeps of LSU or USM. They would just look at the overall body of work. I also don't think LSU's huge attendance would be a swaying factor. The Tigers usually have not hosted on the rare occasions when they were on the borderline. The NCAA does not make the right decisions sometimes, but it's not based on money like it used to be.

If all of those things happen, Tulane would have an excellent shot to get to a super regional. The Wave's starting pitching depth is excellent. Its ability to hit home runs is excellent. And it has the potential to make sensational plays in the infield. I'm not confident that Corey Merrill will return to full health, but just as important is Patrick Duester becoming a reliable closer. Teams can go deep with a shaky bullpen, but not without a closer they can trust.

Right now, the SEC appears to be a lock for six regional hosts--Florida, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and most likely Vanderbilt. The ACC has locks in Louisville, Miami and FSU and probably NC State with Virginia, Georgia Tech and Clemson as other contenders. Texas Tech in the Big 12 is in good position. The West coast is a mess, but it has a good chance to get two hosts just on geography alone. That leaves maybe two open spots at most, with teams like Tulane, Southern Miss, Rice, LSU, TCU, and Minnesota/Michigan having a chance to get them. A lot can change in the next three weeks, but that's where I see it now.

Anyone have any thoughts on what Tulane needs to do to host?

The Wave keeps rolling along!

Well we now know to bet the opposite of what Guerry writes. First it was all about the pitching in the Houston series. Well that didn't play out that way. Then it was all about how rare sweeps have been. So of course we sweep. ( Just kidding Guerry.)

Good to see us in the mix for a P5 spot in the eyes of an expert, at least. Give it a look:

http://espn.go.com/college-football...ge-football-expansion-realignment-looked-like

Has any thought been given to resurrecting the old Magnolia Conference idea? I probably need to put the crack pipe away but in this period of lots of conf shuffling/reshuffling and debate about the value proposition for well ranked but not highly ranked academic oriented schools like Tulane, it seems like a southern ivy/magnolia conference idea could have legs with proper $ backing.

The conf could include Rice, Tulane, SMU, Vandy, Wake, Duke, Miami perhaps TCU, perhaps elevate Richmond to BCS, others? You could make it where fewer conf games were required to maintain rivals like UNC/Duke, etc.

Nice article on Mrs. Dunleavy, Guerry.

She says some people compare her life to that of a military spouse. Sounds about right, though Mike was probably paid more.

Roll Wave!!!

I note on the latest roster from the official site that Devon Breaux is back on and Ricky Preston is no longer listed. Brian Webb is now listed at Offensive Guard and Tristen Coopr has been moved to Wide Receiver.

Roll Wave!!!

Good article by Guerry on hosting. Some additional thoughts:

As of May 9th, we are in the top 30 in all five major ranking systems: Perfect Game (#15), Baseball America (#18), D1 Baseball (#15) Collegiate Baseball (#19), and the Coaches poll (#28). Our RPI is at #26. And we’re 8-5 against “top 50” RPI teams as both SELA and Nebraska are now in the top 50 and we went 0-3 against them.

Warren Nolan predicts an 8-1 finish for the Wave—winning all six at home and 2 of three against Houston. According to his model, that would move our RPI up to #24. For what it’s worth, I currently estimate an 8-1 finish would result in a #27 RPI. I calculate we’d need to go 9-0 to finish at #24. 7-2 would drop us to around #33 and each additional loss would drop us a few more slots. But, due to the competition, we will be favorites in every game and heavy favorites in most of them. But, even wins against Memphis and Southern will not improve our RPI; they will likely drop it, depending on other results.

Regardless, with an 8-1 record (and clearly a 9-0 record) I think we have a great shot at hosting, though regional politics could go against us. I don’t think 7-2 would do it unless several teams ahead of us effectively collapse.

Right now, based on the five polls plus the ever-present RPI, only 12 teams are ahead of us in all six rating systems: Florida, Texas A&M, Miami, Mississippi State, Florida State, Louisville, South Carolina, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt, North Carolina State, TCU, and Virginia. If the selections were made today, it’s hard to believe that we would be chosen over teams that are ahead of us in all of these. Of course, the selections are not made today.

Four other teams (Ole Miss, LSU, Oklahoma State, and Rice are ahead of us based on composite rankings, with us coming in at #17. Don’t get me started on LSU; they clearly do not deserve a host spot based on “on field” performance, and certainly not ahead of us.

If we go 8-1 our RPI will stay about where it is and our rankings should improve. I’d think we’d look pretty good for hosting depending on the regional biases.

And regional issues could make the “way forward” very difficult for the Wave. Florida, Miami, and FSU are obviously all from one state—a southern state. Virginia, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, North Carolina State, and South Carolina are also from southern states. Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and TCU are from Texas and Louisville is from a border state, but a mostly southern conference. So the 12 most likely “hosts” are all from essentially the same region and represent only three conferences. 28 conferences are not included and the entire Northeast, Mid-West, and West would are completely excluded.

Arizona may be a likely host from the west. At least they are represented in all five polls and have a #25 RPI. They are also right behind Tulane in my composite calculations (#18), justly so since we beat them. But, they would probably get a host slot before another southern team. Washington is another west coast possibility though their RPI is only #35 and they are not even included in the Perfect Game rankings, though they are ahead of us in three others.

The mid-west is a problem. Michigan, Creighton, and Minnesota look to be the most likely contenders but none appear to be particularly deserving of a host slot. Their RPI’s are #23, #31, and #34 respectively, but each of them was excluded from the top 30 in two of the five polls, so that can’t be good when you’re looking for 16 hosts.

Nonetheless, I expect at least one west coast team to host as well as one mid-west team. I simply see no way for a northeastern team to get a host spot, no matter the politics.

So, what’s our chance? I’m with Guerry on this; we need to “take care of business” and I think we can make it. If the west and mid-west get one slot each, I think we’re fighting with about four other teams right now for two slots. If we only go 7-2 in remaining games, I doubt we’d make it. 8-1 and no conference tourney loss before selections are made and I think we’re in. Someone else will falter and we’d move up.

Of course, 8-1 will be tough. That means sweeping six games over the next eight days and going 2-1 in Houston. Sweeping six games even against weak competition is a tall order. Mathematically, you’d need to have a 90% likelihood of winning each game to even have a 50% chance of “sweeping” six. If you had a 75% likelihood of winning each game, your chance of “sweeping” drops to less than 18%. Of course, none of that matters; what happens on the field is the only thing that is important.

We need to take them one at a time and see where we end up. You can’t win them all unless you win the first. UNO beat us earlier this year and Southern, who is 8-27, beat Auburn back in February and also #37 RPI South Alabama only two weeks ago. No game in baseball is a “sure thing.”

Roll Wave!!!

Baseball coach David Pierce talked Wednesday as Tulane prepared for its weekend trip to Tampa to face South Florida. The Green Wave is in the same position it has been in for three of the last four weeks with a real chance to take over first place in the American Athletic Conference this late in a season for the first time since 2005, the last time it won a league title.

Here is what Pierce said in a one-on-one interview:

Do you have any explanation for why there have been only two sweeps out of 20 league series?

"Because everybody can pitch, and pitching and defense keeps you in the games. When you have guys on the mound that can give you an opportunity to win either early or late, that’s what creates the parity."

South Florida, which has struggled all year, has outstanding Friday and Saturday starters. Is that an example of what you're talking about?

"That’s exactly right and they’ve got a guy in the bullpen. The sweep that we had at UCF, we scored late in one of them, we had a close game and then we had a 6-0 game. You’re not playing anybody in this league and getting any type of blowout. We’re just trying to survive and right now we’re just trying to win on Friday night. Mark Kingston and Billy Mohl can teach pitching. South Florida’s got a lot of pride and a lot of good players, so we’ve got to go to work."

How has Corey Merrill handled not being able to pitch much since early in the season?

"I don’t think he’s handled it well at all because he’s such a competitor. He wants the ball. That’s a good thing. He was actually in my office yesterday and wants to pitch. He had a real good intrasquad yesterday. A lot of positives came out of that for him and a lot of confidence from me after seeing yesterday."

How close to 100 percent is he?

"He’s very close. His competitive juices help him no matter what. As far as what’s on the ball, I think he’s probably a couple miles an hour off. He was much sharper yesterday than the previous outing at Central Florida. The command is the last thing that comes, and it’s starting to get a little better feel after yesterday."

What will his role be?

"Right now I’m not willing to disrupt the starting pitching because that hasn’t been our issue. He can come in and close for us."

The bullpen has been an issue all year. How comfortable are you with what you have in relief?

"Sam Bjorngjeld and Patrick Duester have been the glue to the bullpen right now, and having the availability of France this past weekend really helped, but I’m seeing improvements from a lot of guys. It really gets exposed when they don’t do the job, but there are a lot of times when they haven’t done the job. The duty for me is to make sure I’ve got the right guy in the right situation. I see the right frame of mind and a lot of of guys working right. Now we’ve got to convert it to the competition."

Tulane struck out 15 times on Saturday but still scored 10 runs on Houston. What does that say about this team's resolve?

"It says that we have a very good OBS. We have a very good run-production type team. At times it looks like we’re out of it, but at the same time we can get a base on ball and then another 2-run home run. its’ working. We still talk about a two-strike approach. That’s a part of the offense. Right now we want to continue the strengths and improve the weaknesses. We’ve also been scoring the last couple of weeks in multiple ways."

USF's staff leads the league in strikeouts. Is that a concern considering your own propensity to strike out?

"We’re not going to strike out a lot more (laughs). Usually when you see guys with high strikeouts, there’s stuff, either power or they have an out pitch. That’s what they have. When we get a ball, we’ve got to be ready."

Hunter Hope struck out four times on Saturday and is on pace to break his own school record for strikeouts, but he also leads the team with 11 home runs, is second in hits (45) and batting average (.302) and tied for first in runs (36). Is he emblematic of the entire team?

"He’s our offense in a nutshell."

USF has three guys who have stolen a lot of bases and rarely been thrown out, but hardly anyone has run successfully on Jake Rogers. Do you like that matchup?

(Kevin) Merrill and (Luke) Maglich can really run. Merrill came back against UCF. He’s 16 of 16 and Maglich is 23 of 25. What you have to do is identify the runners. That’s when you have to pay a little more attention on the mound. The key is paying attention but not giving up anything with the pitch."

Your home run differential remains one of the best in the country (42 hit, 13 allowed). How do you explain that huge a disparity?

"Us hitting them I attribute to guys having the right swing plane and really working hard on their bodies outside of the season and then just confidence. We’re swinging the bat with authority. The reason why we don’t give us as many is a little baffling but more than anything we don’t give in. We’ll throw 3-1 breaking balls. We just don’t give in."

Dominant pitching :

http://www.theneworleansadvocate.co...rs-take-the-spotlight-as-tulane-faces-houston

Guerry the inset in the paper said the game is on CBSSN. However that's not showing up on either teams site nor on the guide for CBSSN. Can you verify. Also the article said Memphis is in last place. Actually they are second to last.

Does not exist because I don't want to waste mine or anyone else's time.

I've read where Darion Monroe and Royce LaFrance could be late-round picks, but it is not going to happen. CBSSports.com does not have either player among its top 1,000 prospects, and the draft has 253 picks. CBSSports.com does have Arturo Uzdavinis at No. 765 as the 56th best OT.

These guys will be scrambling to get free agent invites.

I'm working on a story about the AAC's dominant starting pitching (seven guys have an ERA below 2.00 when the league had zero by the end of 2015), and I caught up with David Pierce after practice today in his office. Here's what he said as the Wave prepared to face Houston's terrific 1-2 punch of Seth Romero and Andrew Lantrip. Tulane, of course, has two of thus sub-2.00 ERA guys in Emerson Gibbs and Ross Massey.

On the great starting pitching across the league:

"They talk about the SEC and the power five conferences, but we have as good a pitching as anybody in the country. It makes for a tough weekend because we have to overcome that as a hitter."

On Houston being second nationally in ERA at 2.37:

"That’s what makes them so dangerous. You know they are going to be in every game. A clutch hit here and there and it will change the outcome of the game."

On getting Houston's best shot as Cougars desperate to make late push after disappointing year:

"They’ll be at their best. They got stung last weekend (a three-game sweep at the hands of UConn two weekends ago). They’ll be well prepared. They got great film on us last night, so they’ll come in with a team that’s hungry and a team that’s fighting for their position."

On preseason AAC co-pitcher of the year Seth Romero:

"He’s so unique because he throws a fastball to the glove side with such angle. It’s hard to get to that pitch and if you do barrel it, it’s tough to keep it fair. And if hit that pitch, you usually don’t handle the rest of the plate. So he’s a guy that’s going to attack a lot with the fastball to his glove side. He’s very confident and he’s got power. He goes up to 95 and he’s left-handed."

On Lantrip, who has a better ERA than Romero and has walked four batters in 74 innings:

"He doesn’t walk anybody. He’s 88 to 92 and he has a very good breaking ball. Especially when he gets to two strikes, he tries to put you away with it. He’s very competitive, but they don’t walk anyone, so everything that you get against Houston, you really have to earn."

On overcoming that great pitching to win:

"We have an objective of the game is to score more runs than the opposing team. The philosophy of our offense is to do it in multiple ways. Fortunately we’ve had opportunities with the long ball. Unfortunately we’ve probably struck out more than most or what we want, but we do have the ability to play the short game. We won the game against Central Florida on Saturday because of the hit and run in the eighth inning as opposed to just bunting. Stephen ends up hitting a double after the leadoff single, so we have runners on second and third with nobody out and get those two runs in. The ability to do that with personnel gives you options."

On getting the job done at the plate in last five games:

"We also had two-out hits last night. It’s clutch hitting. Hitting’s about timing. That’s the thing that makes you definitely prepared for a team like Houston because anything can happen there."

On the potential for low-scoring games against Houston:

"You better get to the ball park on time because the game might be over in about two hours when you’re looking at Gibbs and Ross Massey going against Lantrip and Romero. There’s a lot of strikes and stuff on the ball. I don’t see any type of base on balls or a long type of game because of poor pitching."

On Gibbs and Ross Massey having huge years:

"The thing with Emerson is he has the ability to throw the fastball up to 92 now, and he understands how to command it. He throws a spike curve ball that it is a dominating pitch now, and he has a workable changeup. He’s really good at pitching to spots and understanding the actual hitter. He’s cerebral. When you look at coaching and what you’re trying to strive for, he’s the model.

"And Ross has been such a pleasant surprise. To have Ross in between Emerson and Alex gives us a chance to win three games. The thing that you’re always looking for is your starting pitching gives you a chance. You want to be close at the end or leading a close game. If you blow it open, that’s great, but if you don’t pitch and play defense, you’re not going to win."

On splitting against UConn's dominant 1-2 punch:

"When you look at (Anthony) Kay, he can throw a power 95 and throws a very good breaking ball. The key to getting to him is getting him in the stretch. The freshman, (Tim) Cate, has a plus curveball and is really tough on left-handed and right-handed hitters. Left-handed hitters are hitting .113 against him. You get a kid like Grant Witherspoon to hit a home run off of him to allow us to win the game, it’s guys coming up at the right time.

"There’s just so much to the pitching in our league. It’s not only just stuff, but what we’re really seeing is the command. UCF didn’t walk anybody. We had to earn three wins, so there’s not a lot of bad baseball in this league."

On Tulane being a half-game out of first place:

"It’s a good position. We would like to be three games up, but when you look at a league like the AAC and you look at the balance in it, that tells you the strength in the league. Usually when you have one or two teams running away from a league, the league’s not as strong as you would like it to be. Our league is very balanced. Our position is good, but every weekend you can go from a half game back to two games up to being four games back and being in seventh place."

On not being flat after LSU win:

"It’s an interesting question because it’s a very emotional win on a Tuesday night. We’re in exams. Everybody is pretty occupied with exams and excited about the win. That’s why I’m so glad we had two days of practice. Today we made sure we got a sweat in. We focused on the short game offensively.

"The only thing I said to them in the meeting is how quickly it could turn on you, and they understand that. We’re not guaranteed anything. We could go out and play three great games and still struggle winning the games. You’ve just got to go to work every day and then we have to have some guys step up. We have to have pitching performances to give ourselves a chance."

On sticking with the lineup that has produced a 30-5 surge in last five games:

"I’m pretty good at sticking with what works, so I’m going to stick with it. I kind of like it the way it is right now."

It didn't happen with Randy Livingston like I thought it would, but that's ok. Sometimes things don't always work out. Here's the article about who was hired: http://www.nola.com/tulane/index.ssf/2016/04/tulane_coach_mike_dunleavy_sr.html#incart_river_home

Rumor has it that we have a new commit, Jaelen Greene, a 3-star RB by both Rivals and 247 out of Georgia. According to his HUDL info, he’s 5’10” and 190#. More impressive, he presumably benches 315# (pretty good for a junior RB in high school) and has run a 4.39 40. His tape looks good. He’s clearly faster than everyone else and can bull his way through tackles. Take a look: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/4231802/highlights/285878434

Coach Fritz has not posted his usual “Roll Wave” so I don’t know how accurate the rumor is. Kid has a lot of G-5 offers but none from P-5 schools.

Still, I like him. Hope it’s true.

Roll Wave!!!

He definitely will play football for Tulane in the fall.

I didn't doubt his Facebook account, but I still wanted to get it confirmed from Tulane.

Tulane will not run the exact same system as Georgia Southern because the QBs are not as comfortable in the option, but I expect the offense to be pretty similar next fall--limited passing and very-run heavy. Plus, Willie Fritz had so much success there that it made him a believer he could win big that way. Coaches evolve, and after watching Tulane's QBs this spring, I think it would be counterproductive to throw much until they get a QB they trust or a QB with experience in the passing game.

Here is some stuff I learned from researching Georgia Southern:

In all but two games the past two years, Georgia Southern began with three wide receivers, a tight end and a running back. The lone exceptions were against ULM and Bowling Green last year (Fritz did not coach that one), when they had three wide receivers and two running backs without a tight end. Now, I'm not sure what defines a wide receiver, but it was generally the same guys. That jibes with what I saw this spring, when Tulane's base formation had three wideouts even though the team was incredibly thin there. Fritz and offensive coordinator Doug Ruse like to spread the field and run out of that formation with a ton of inside zone plays. That's the huge difference between the system he ran at Georgia Southern and the true option teams like the service academies, which rarely spread the field.

In 2014, Georgia Southern began every game with three WRs, 1 RB and 1 TE. Only the tight ends have varied, with four different ones starting in 2014 and two sharing the starting role last season. The two guys last year combined for one touch--a 23-yard reception by James Dean--and no carries, so I'd be a little concerned if I were Charles Jones or Kendall Ardoin. In 2014, the tight ends combined for one touch, too--an 8-yard reception. Obviously Tulane recruited tight ends heavily under CJ and Fritz tailors his offense to his personnel, but I'm not sure Jones and Ardoin are good enough to merit a significant change in approach.

Another question is whether or not Fritz has played more than one quarterback regularly, and the answer is yes. He did it at Georgia Southern. His starter the past two years was Kevin Ellison with the exception of the first two games of 2015, when Favian Upshaw took his place due to an academic suspension. But Upshaw played in all 13 games last year as a running specialist, gaining 583 yards on 80 carries. His bowl MVP performance distorted the stats a little bit when he rushed for more than 200 yards against Bowling Green, but he had 40 or more rushing yards three other times in games he did not start. He had a 48-yard run to set up a TD against Georgia. He also played in 11 games in 2014 and rushed for 385 yards while completing 19 of 27 passes. That must have come via the element of surprise because his passing stats were abysmal last season --19 of 48 with five interceptions.

After watching Tulane's spring practice, I do not think Darius Bradwell will morph into an effective passer in the fall. He has too far to go and will be thinking too much to suddenly become accurate if he plays a key role in the fall. That being said, I fully expect him to be a change-of-pace QB who enters almost every game and runs. If he is successful, he will stay in. The starter will likely be Glen Cuiellette. Since Cuiellette struggled for most of the spring, I'm not totally ruling out Johnathan Brantley although it is awfully tough to be effective as a true freshman QB who missed spring ball.

And for the first time in his stay at Tulane, I'm not even rulling out Devin Powell. With Powell, the option would be used less and he would hand off to the talented running backs. If the offensive line proves it can block effectively for a straight ahead running attack (I have my doubts), Powell would give Tulane its only real threat of the pass, and there are going to be games Tulane loses next fall simply because it has no threat of the pass (Georgia Southern fell behind early in its three losses to West Virginia, Appalachian State and Georgia State and still threw for only 29, 64 and 68 yards while going 18 for 43 with eight INTs).

I can't stress enough how much better Powell was as a thrower in the spring than either Cuiellette or Bradwell. The issue with Powell is all of the ancillary things a QB needs to do in Fritz offense (or any other one, for that matter). He has to know the plays (a problem under CJ), and his focus has come and gone in every game he started under CJ, exacerbating his own inaccuracy. Really the only thing he did well in his starts was the first two OTs against East Carolina in 2013. The rest of the time he got by on luck or the team did well in spite of him in 2013, including his long stint in the New Orleans Bowl. But he can hit open receivers most of the time, something Cuiellette demonstrated only sporadically in the spring and Bradwell never showed.

My guess is Tulane will throw as little as 10 to 15 times a game in the fall provided it runs well, and from talking to the coaches, I believe they believe they can make the offensive line work. They need a second guard and a second tackle they can trust (right now it is Junior Diaz, Chris Taylor and John Leglue), and they need all of the guys with the exception of Diaz to get in better shape.

This will be a real test for Fritz and his offensive staff. The schedule is friendly, but they either have to get the QBs to improve a ton or figure out a way to win without a passing attack or any proven player on the offensive line. The good news is they know what they have now and still have more than four months before the season opener.

I attended all 15 of Tulane's spring practices and posted reports after all of them. Here is my unofficial depth chart based on what I observed.

OFFENSE

QB

1) Glen Cuiellette--took reps with first unit every practice
2) Darius Braswelll--took reps with second unit at start of team drills every day
3) Devin Powell--took reps with third unit every day.

Comment: Nothing is settled. Brantley will enter picture in fall. I expect 2 to play because none has full skill set.

RB

1) Dontrell Hilliard--He can be a stud
2) Sherman Badie --Still a home run hitter
3) Josh Rounds --For first time, I get why coaches like him
4) Lazedrick Thompson--will have a role

Comment: Fritz is every bit as high on these guys as CJ was. Says all have 1,000-yard ability. A lot of times two of these guys will be on field, with one as an H back, a role Devin Glenn and Trey Scott can handle, too.

WR

1) Terron Encalade --Only guy with any real experience
2) Rickey Preston--Hurt for most of spring. Has ability, but untapped

1) Trey Scott--Runs well but a total unknown at wideout
2) Marshall Wadleigh--Converted RB is better than walk-on designation, but won't scare anyone

1) Larry Dace--Most polished receiver on the roster, but struggles to get separation
2) Devin Glenn--Also an H back but spent most of spring as WR

Comment: At least two incoming freshmen need to be productive. This group is weak, inexperienced

TE

1) Charles Jones-Didn't notice him much in the spring
2) Kendall Ardoin--Noticed him as receiver a little more often than Jones

Comment: tight ends don't catch the ball much in this system, at least from what I've seen.

LT

1) Todd Jacquet--It's a scary concept
2) Devon Johnson --still needs to shed pounds

LG

1) Chris Taylor --trying to rebound from rough year
2) Leeward Brown--did not make impression

C

1) Junior Diaz--Fritz loves him
2) Keyshawn McLeod--someone had to be the backup

RG

1) Kenneth Santa Marina--don't get sense coaches are totally sold on him at G
2) Jason Stewart --a placeholder unless he loses massive weight

RT

1) John Leglue--Fritz likes him, too
2) Devon Johnson--no depth on OL

Comment: Diaz, Taylor and Leglue could be OK. The other two spots need work.

DEFENSE

LE

1) Quinlan Carroll -- He looked decent in practice with Williams hurt
2) Daren Williams -- Can reclaim starting spot with good preseason

LT

1)Sean Wilson -- Improved as spring went along.
2) Eldrick Washington --injury issues slowed him after good start

RT

1) Tanzel Smart--best player on the team. Hands down.
2) Braynon Edwards--a placeholder unless he sheds significant weight. Good feet, though.

RE

1) Ade Aruna --The coaches really like him but recognize he has to get better
2) Robert Kennedy--up and down but finished with bang. Still needs work.

Comment: Tackles are terrific. Ends have potential.

WLB

1) Nico Marley--Coaches like him, recognize he can't play conventionally
2) Zachery Harris--a playmaker and hard hitter who will carve out time at some spot

MLB

1) Eric Thomas --Dependable.
2) Rae Juan Marbley--Came on late in spring, can play multiple LB spots

Buck LB

1) Eric Bowie --Had a good spring. Buck usually not on field in base defense, though.
2) William Townsend--Learning the position. Can be a good pass rusher.

Comment: The backups will be better than most people think.

NB

1) Richard Allen --although Donnie Lewis often moves here and Allen goes to CB in nickel)
2) Taris Shenall --This was Dedrick Shy's spot but he missed most of spring.

Comment: Not the strongest spot on the roster, but usually 3 CBs are on field.

CB

1) Parry Nickerson --the knee issue is worrisome. Needs to regain 2014 form for defense to excel.
2) Richard Allen--Coming off rough season.

CB

1) Donnie Lewis --The coaches are high on his potential, want more focus.
2) Dedrick Shy --missed most of spring with injury.

SS

1) Jarrod Franklin--Good leader who makes plays but needs to be more consistent
2) Will Harper --Really did not get much of a read on him because of passing issues

FS

1) Leonard Davis --Must play better than he did in 2014. Not tested in spring.
2) Roderic Teamer --Will have shot to win job, but played behind Davis all spring.

Comment: the safety spots concern me. Lack of passing game did not allow them to prove themselves.

K

1) Andrew DiRocco--Pitiful performance in spring game leaves position wide open
2) Randy Harvey--looked decent in two viewings.

Comment: Hopefully Coby Neenan is accurate with a strong leg

P

1) Zach Block --looked pretty good in spring game.
2) Go for it on fourth down

Comment: Block should be better as a sophomore than he was a freshman.

I have no idea what they are going to do at punt returner. The three guys who got the work--Hilliard, Nickerson and Dace--are not players I would use in that role.

Hilliard could be on kickoff returns, but I would prefer they use someone who is not as important as he is. It's not like he's a game-breaker in that role.

If I were doing a third-team depth chart, the CBs would be Shenall and Jeremie Francis. The DEs would be Luke Jackson, who spent plenty of time with the second unit, and Peter Woullard. The DT would be John Washington. I didn't see enough from Eric Bell to put him there. The safeties would be Tristan Cooper and Sam Davis. there are no third team LBs because of depth issues.

On offense, there's really no third-teamer to mention other than WR Chaz Augustini, who caught a TD in the spring game and got plenty of reps all spring because of the severe shortage at his position. I didn't see anything from Sergio Medina.

Tulane had two visitors on Thursday for the 2017 class and offered both of them.

One of them is OG Charlie Clark, an offensive lineman from Marist (Ga.) who lists himself as 6-4, 270 on his Hudl page.

http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3592952/charlie-clark

I'm hearing Tulane is very high on him even though he is not in the Rivals.com database and does not have a rating from 247Sports. He is underrated to this point, and Tulane will have a monstrous need for O-linemen in the 2017 class. He's had offers from Georgia Southern and FAU.

The other one is DE Carson Wells from Bushnell (Fla.) South Sumter. He is a 6-4, 235-pound 2-star recruit with offers from Army and Southern Miss.

DP's faith in Alex pays off. Real good outing for him. We hit well again and get the sweep. Way to bounce back w/a 4-0 week. Now let's sweep those tiggers. We set our record for shutouts.

Another Great Win; some thoughts:

1. Terrific performance by Massey. 8+ innings and zero earned runs.
   
   
2. Great relief job by Simms. After Duester’s effort on Friday night, that’s two in a row. Really needed.
   
   
3. Tough luck on what started as a great play in the fifth inning to eventually set up the one run. With men on first and second and no outs, UCF tried to bunt them along. Terrific jump on the bunt by Rogers and a quick relay to first by Hope. Cameraman missed the play on that end so I don’t know exactly what happened, so I don’t know if we would have gotten the double play with a good throw. Too bad; great effort.
   
   
4. Spectacular play later in the next inning by Alemais to throw a runner out at the plate from fairly deep short. When I first saw the play, I thought he was safe. On looking at replays, Rogers clearly had the plate partially blocked and one of the baserunners feet didn’t get to the plate on time. The other? Still not sure. Anyway; big play.
   
   
5. Two really nice hit and runs executed by Alemais with DeHart running. I’m not sure I’ve seen a successful hit and run all year before this game.
   
   
6. Speaking of DeHart: he’s started to swing the bat much better. His batting average is still way down (.196), and he’ll have to hit .300+ to get to .250 by season’s end. But he’s making contact now, which he didn’t do at the beginning of the year.
   
   
7. Staying on DeHart, I questioned the decision to send him home on the short blooper to left by Witherspoon. He was out a mile if the catcher doesn’t drop the ball. But, he did. So there is that. On that play: some odd official scoring. They credited "Spoon" with a sacrifice fly and an RBI but gave the catcher an error and called the run unearned. I don’t see how it could be both a SF/RBI and an error.
   
   
8. After fanning in the first, Witherspoon got a hit and put the ball in play on succeeding at bats. He’s clearly still struggling, but it was progress from recent efforts.
   
   
9. Montalbano, Kaplan, and Williams, the middle of our line-up, went 0-11 in the game. Only one hard hit ball among the three. We need more production than that over the long haul. I’m confident we’ll get it.
   
   
10. Rogers looked much more comfortable at the plate than in the last few weeks. Big HR to give us some breathing room late, but generally good swings throughout the game. And he’s still making great throws.
    
    
11. Carthon has been out for quite a while. Is he hurt? I know he was slumping a little but I thought he might give Witherspoon a rest during the latter’s prolonged slump; but no. We’ve been playing well the last few games so the strategy has worked, but I’m surprised that we’ve not seen him out there.
    
    
12. We need to keep winning. Our opponents are not helping us on the RPI front. Even with the win on the road against a 50/50 team, our RPI went down.

Roll Wave!!!

This is a big series for Tulane. A sweep on the road would probably move our RPI to the range of 40. Going 2-1 would also likely move our RPI up a little while losing 1-2 would drop us into the #60+ range. Let’s not even contemplate getting swept: that would move us into the #70+ range.

Despite my strong feeling that we are definitely a tournament-worthy team, some numbers mitigate against us. According to Warren Nolan’s computer predictions, our current strength of schedule (#66) would drop to #90 over the rest of the regular season.

Nolan goes on to predict we will go 10-5 in our remaining conference games and 3-1 in our OOC games (13-6 total) to finish the year at 36-19. That sounds pretty good to me, but Nolan predicts that record, with our predicted SOS, will give us a #58 RPI. In recent years, very few teams with 50+ RPI's have made the tournament. But,frankly, I have trouble getting to that RPI with 36 wins. Even with a worst case SOS, I see a 36-19 record putting us in the top 50 as a minimum. And, BTW, Boyd's world agrees with me. In his RPI needs report, he says that 13 more wins would put us in the top 45, and 14 more wins would put us in the top 32. Big differences.

Regardless, the key is to go on a solid win streak, continuing this weekend off of Tuesday's big win.

Roll Wave!!!