Yesterday I talked to Tulane's Hawaiian connection--USC shortstop transfer Kaikea Harrison and freshman center fielder Tanner Chun--for an upcoming feature on NOLA.com. Both are going to start at the beginning of the year. Can anyone tell me the last player Tulane has had from Hawaii? These two played against each other in high school in Hawaii, as you'll see in the Harrison interview.
I also talked to Jay Uhlman, and he said no one has a serious injury 10 days before the opener against Omaha.
CHUN
On how comfortable he feels:
""I feel really comfortable just being out here with my teammates and my coaches. They really helped me be comfortable and find my groove."
On why he chose Tulane:
"Just the atmosphere they have here and the coaches. They made me feel like family. They made me feel welcome when I took my visit and all that stuff. They are all real with me, like they'll be coaches at times but they'll also be boys and parents when we need them. They're just the best."
On excited that season is almost here:
"I'm very excited season to get to the season. I can't wait for Feb. 14 to play with my teammates instead of against them because we've been doing that for so long."
On how good team can be:
"We can be really good. We haven't arrived yet, so we have a high ceiling for ourselves. If we just continue to do what we do and stay focused on the process instead of the end result, we'll be great."
On why he has excelled so far:
"Probably just not trying to do too much and just staying in my lane and trying to take it every day, trying to learn from all the players and the coaches and just having a good time."
On what makes him effective as a hitter:
"For me I feel like it's just sticking to my approach. Talking with my coaches before every at-bat, figuring out what a good game plan is and just sticking to it."
On if he thinks he will lead off in lineup:
"I'm not sure. I will leave that up to all the coaches. Wherever they put me, I'm happy with."
On what other schools he considered:
"I was considering some west coast schools, maybe staying home, but ultimately Tulane all the way."
On where he can get better:
"Everything. I feel I can get better in everything I do on the field and off the field."
HARRISON
On how he ended up at Tulane:
"I hit the portal at the end of my season. I decided I wanted to have a starting spot. I was kind of tired of starting only part time. You've got to compete everywhere, but I hit the portal and found my way here with a great coaching staff."
On other schools considered:
"There were a pretty good amount. It was U Dub (Washington), Oregon, small West Coast schools like Long Beach State and Nevada. I'm blessed to be here. I love it here."
On connection to Uhlman:
"It's kind of funny. He recruited one of my older brothers when he was at Oregon, and he recruited my oldest brother, so we kind of had a relationship already. My oldest brother went to Oregon State and my brother right above me went to Texas A&M and NC State, so I knew Jay."
(his older brother, KJ Harrison, was Pac 12 Freshman of the Year in 2015 and a first-team all-Pac 12 pick the following two seasons and was part of the Oregon State team that was the No. 1 overall seed in the CWS in 2017 but lost twice in a row to LSU to miss out on the championship round).
On being comfortable at Tulane:
"It's like riding a bike. I love shortstop. I love everywhere. At SC I learned to play every position and played outfield, too."
On why could not crack starting lineup regularly at USC (he started 4 games as a freshman and 17 last year despite hitting .323.):
"It's just baseball. Coaches have to feed their family, so they did what they did and went with their gut, so that was just really it."
On biggest strength defensively:
"My biggest strength is I have really good hands. Especially since we're on a turf field, I'd be pretty mad if I made a lot of errors, but I don't think I will. Defensively my footwork has gotten a lot better."
On good enough to get at-large bid:
"Absolutely. I've been around my older brother's teams and my dad lived baseball and I've been around a lot of good baseball, and I've never been around a team like this from top to bottom, the pitching staff. I think the best thing is our culture. We've got great culture here. I've never seen it before. I've never been so close to a group of freshmen, especially Tanner, he's one of my boys, but also there's a big stigma at other schools between pitchers and position players and they don't really mesh well. Over here it's awesome. I room with two pitchers. It's awesome."
On USC coming within an inning of winning the Pac-12 tourney a year ago:
"That was a heartbreaker. I was sitting on the bench, so it was even more heartbreaking."
On what team success what mean for him:
"It would mean a lot. Both of my brothers have been to a College World Series (the other brother, Kailea, made it at Texas A&M in 2022, although he did not play in Omaha), so hopefully I can do the same. That would be awesome."
On his best strength as a hitter:
"I think my bat to ball is really good. JB (hitting coach Justin Bridgman) saved my life, man. I felt like I was really good already baseball wise, but he's been helping me out so much. He's the man. He knows all about mechanics and is also a really good players' coach. He's one of the boys. Not everything's cookie cutter. I love that a lot."
On Chun:
"He's the man. I played against him back at home in high school. He's two years younger than me, and he was a sophomore, and he was still competing. I think he will play a big role this year. Coach Jay loves the Hawaii kids."
On good mix on team:
"Absolutely. There's a lot of veterans and a lot of newcomers and each one's going to make a big impact. Some of these freshmen look like veterans. It's awesome. We'll have a lot of freshmen playing. It's good for the morale and all around."
I also talked to Jay Uhlman, and he said no one has a serious injury 10 days before the opener against Omaha.
CHUN
On how comfortable he feels:
""I feel really comfortable just being out here with my teammates and my coaches. They really helped me be comfortable and find my groove."
On why he chose Tulane:
"Just the atmosphere they have here and the coaches. They made me feel like family. They made me feel welcome when I took my visit and all that stuff. They are all real with me, like they'll be coaches at times but they'll also be boys and parents when we need them. They're just the best."
On excited that season is almost here:
"I'm very excited season to get to the season. I can't wait for Feb. 14 to play with my teammates instead of against them because we've been doing that for so long."
On how good team can be:
"We can be really good. We haven't arrived yet, so we have a high ceiling for ourselves. If we just continue to do what we do and stay focused on the process instead of the end result, we'll be great."
On why he has excelled so far:
"Probably just not trying to do too much and just staying in my lane and trying to take it every day, trying to learn from all the players and the coaches and just having a good time."
On what makes him effective as a hitter:
"For me I feel like it's just sticking to my approach. Talking with my coaches before every at-bat, figuring out what a good game plan is and just sticking to it."
On if he thinks he will lead off in lineup:
"I'm not sure. I will leave that up to all the coaches. Wherever they put me, I'm happy with."
On what other schools he considered:
"I was considering some west coast schools, maybe staying home, but ultimately Tulane all the way."
On where he can get better:
"Everything. I feel I can get better in everything I do on the field and off the field."
HARRISON
On how he ended up at Tulane:
"I hit the portal at the end of my season. I decided I wanted to have a starting spot. I was kind of tired of starting only part time. You've got to compete everywhere, but I hit the portal and found my way here with a great coaching staff."
On other schools considered:
"There were a pretty good amount. It was U Dub (Washington), Oregon, small West Coast schools like Long Beach State and Nevada. I'm blessed to be here. I love it here."
On connection to Uhlman:
"It's kind of funny. He recruited one of my older brothers when he was at Oregon, and he recruited my oldest brother, so we kind of had a relationship already. My oldest brother went to Oregon State and my brother right above me went to Texas A&M and NC State, so I knew Jay."
(his older brother, KJ Harrison, was Pac 12 Freshman of the Year in 2015 and a first-team all-Pac 12 pick the following two seasons and was part of the Oregon State team that was the No. 1 overall seed in the CWS in 2017 but lost twice in a row to LSU to miss out on the championship round).
On being comfortable at Tulane:
"It's like riding a bike. I love shortstop. I love everywhere. At SC I learned to play every position and played outfield, too."
On why could not crack starting lineup regularly at USC (he started 4 games as a freshman and 17 last year despite hitting .323.):
"It's just baseball. Coaches have to feed their family, so they did what they did and went with their gut, so that was just really it."
On biggest strength defensively:
"My biggest strength is I have really good hands. Especially since we're on a turf field, I'd be pretty mad if I made a lot of errors, but I don't think I will. Defensively my footwork has gotten a lot better."
On good enough to get at-large bid:
"Absolutely. I've been around my older brother's teams and my dad lived baseball and I've been around a lot of good baseball, and I've never been around a team like this from top to bottom, the pitching staff. I think the best thing is our culture. We've got great culture here. I've never seen it before. I've never been so close to a group of freshmen, especially Tanner, he's one of my boys, but also there's a big stigma at other schools between pitchers and position players and they don't really mesh well. Over here it's awesome. I room with two pitchers. It's awesome."
On USC coming within an inning of winning the Pac-12 tourney a year ago:
"That was a heartbreaker. I was sitting on the bench, so it was even more heartbreaking."
On what team success what mean for him:
"It would mean a lot. Both of my brothers have been to a College World Series (the other brother, Kailea, made it at Texas A&M in 2022, although he did not play in Omaha), so hopefully I can do the same. That would be awesome."
On his best strength as a hitter:
"I think my bat to ball is really good. JB (hitting coach Justin Bridgman) saved my life, man. I felt like I was really good already baseball wise, but he's been helping me out so much. He's the man. He knows all about mechanics and is also a really good players' coach. He's one of the boys. Not everything's cookie cutter. I love that a lot."
On Chun:
"He's the man. I played against him back at home in high school. He's two years younger than me, and he was a sophomore, and he was still competing. I think he will play a big role this year. Coach Jay loves the Hawaii kids."
On good mix on team:
"Absolutely. There's a lot of veterans and a lot of newcomers and each one's going to make a big impact. Some of these freshmen look like veterans. It's awesome. We'll have a lot of freshmen playing. It's good for the morale and all around."