Tulane baseball coach David Pierce talked right before the start of the opening practice Friday, weighing in on the high expectations for the Green Wave, what he expects will be improved production at the plate and Lex Kaplan's quick recovery from shoulder surgery. I asked only a few of the questions, with most of them coming from TV types.
Here's the transcript:
Expectations are raised from last year because you have so many starters returning. Can you talk about that?
"Yeah, I think you said it. That's the key word for this team this year is expectations. We have a great amount of expectations going into today. The first three weeks going into Illinois, the team's really excited and looking forward to the end of the season."
You had a great start last year. Is the start the key to set the tone to a season?
"Well I think it's always great to start the right way and get some wins under your belt, but it's the length of the season and for us to be consistent throughout, you'd like to start really well, but there's nothing guaranteed. I just want to see them understand the process and go through it day to day and understand how to prepare. The wins and losses hopefully will take care of themselves."
What were your impressions of the American Athletic Conference in your first year?
"The American was great. You get outside of the American, there are some really good conferences, but it's been publicized quite a bit how good our conference was. It was the No. 3 conference in the country per RPI. I don't see that dropping off at all. We talked at our meetings last September and we didn't want to change the formula because it worked. I think you'll see it again. I think you'll see a great conference with a lot of competition."
You have a lot of returning pitchers. How do you start to figure out what roles each guy will have?
"It's never difficult when you have pitching. Right now we only lost (Ian) Gibaut. We have a lot of guys returning. We have a lot of guys that are moving parts that are going to fit, so it's going to be very important that we handle it in the next three weeks the right way to make sure everybody's prepared."
You had to scrap for wins last year because your offense was 200th in the nation in runs scored. How much more complete a lineup do you have this year?
"Well, the strength of our team is truly in numbers. Unfortunately we can only play nine, DH one and pitch one. The key is coordinating the defenders with the offensive players and utilizing that personnel the right way. We're definitely deeper. We did a great job of adding some left-handed hitters and some guys in the middle of the order that can help us, so it's just going to be nice to see day in and day out we have an opportunity to score."
What do Jeremy Montalbano and Jarrett DeHart add to the lineup?
"They truly add a presence in the box. Guys are really going to have to pitch right against them, and that's going to free up some opportunities for others. I truly believe the strength of our team is numbers."
What is Lex Kaplan's status?
"I think Lex is right on track and I know he is going to play this year."
Is the message a little different now that you're top 20 preseason (in one poll, unranked in the others) and expected not only to be in the tournament, but to do some damage?
"Well the great thing about is you add some new transfers, you add a great group of freshmen, but the most impressive has been the returning players with that sense of urgency, that sense of expectations. This is where we're trying to get. The kids are excited about it. They are talking about playoffs. They are talking about the postseason. They are talking about winning championships, so that's always exciting."
How far in advance do you select your Friday starter for the season opener against Illinois, and when do you tell them?
"It will probably be within the week, but it won't be until then. We have a lot of guys that return, and I like what we did on the mound on the weekend last year. I like guys settling in roles fairly early, so it looks very promising."
You have a starting lineup laden with juniors, which is about as good as you can hope for in college baseball. What does that mean from a day-to-day perspective, having guys that have been through the wars?
"The experience of the team is going to play every single day, and the experience of struggling one day but finding other ways to help the team win, taking care of your bunts, doing the little things that are going to help us win games. It's not just about getting hits, it's about being a run producer and scoring runs, so that's what we're looking forward to."
Do you feel a difference in terms of the attitude of the team from a year ago after they made the postseason?
"There's no doubt. This team has a great attitude. The team has, from day 1 in the early part of the fall, done everything that we asked them to do and exceeded that. They get it, and that taste of being in the postseason last year has carried over, their veteran leadership. It's going to be a very exciting year."
Do you have a thought about the closer right now?
"By committee?" (EDs note: I have been told Trevor Simms is the frontrunner)
Is everybody healthy?
"We have a few guys banged up. (Jake) Willsey's got a little hamstring he's nurturing right now. Matt Rowland's got a little back issue right now, but for the most part we're healthy."
