Projetion:Tallahassee Regional: Florida State (No. 4 national seed), Kentucky, Tulane, Bethune-Cookman
April 30, 2008
Lots of shuffling in the middle of the major conferences; this year it seems like nothing (other than the dominance of the ACC’s big three) will be decided until the last few weeks:
National seeds: Miami (No. 1), Arizona State (No. 2), North Carolina (No. 3), Florida State (No. 4), Georgia (No. 5), Rice (No. 6), Stanford (No. 7), Nebraska (No. 
Multi-bid conferences: SEC (8), ACC (7), Big 12 (6), Pac-10 (6), C-USA (5), Big West (4), Big East (2), Southern (2), WCC (2)
Last five in: Clemson, College of Charleston, Houston, Oklahoma, UCLA
Also under consideration: Auburn, Baylor, New Orleans, UC Santa Barbara, Washington State
Quick thoughts: The Big 12 seems poised to grab the final national seed; at this point it’s probably a coin flip between conference leader Texas A&M and Nebraska, but their series in Lincoln in two weeks should help clear that up. … There’s been a greater-than-usual disconnect this year between the RPI and the human polls; these projections follow the RPI fairly closely, while Wichita State, UC Irvine and San Diego will benefit if the human factor dictates (at the expense of NC State and Arizona). … No major movement from last week as far as bids per conference, with the ACC and Pac-10 each picking up one bid at the expense of the Big West and Sun Belt. … While the number of SEC berths remains the same, the last two spots this week go to Arkansas and LSU based on their recent performances. … Clemson continues to be an interesting decision, but if the Tigers can finish the season with a winning record (which will be tough with their closing schedule), they should squeak in.
And now, the bracket:
Coral Gables Regional: Miami (No. 1 national seed), Ole Miss, Dallas Baptist, Canisius
Gainesville Regional: Florida, Southern Miss, St. John’s, Jacksonville
Tempe Regional: Arizona State (No. 2 national seed), Long Beach State, Houston, Army
Fullerton Regional: Cal State Fullerton, San Diego, UCLA, Dartmouth
Cary Regional: North Carolina (No. 3 national seed), UNC Wilmington, Elon, Monmouth
Columbia Regional: South Carolina, Virginia, College of Charleston, Stony Brook
Tallahassee Regional: Florida State (No. 4 national seed), Kentucky, Tulane, Bethune-Cookman
Nashville Regional: Coastal Carolina, Vanderbilt, Clemson, Notre Dame
Athens Regional: Georgia (No. 5 national seed), Georgia Tech, Oklahoma, Jacksonville State
Raleigh Regional: NC State, East Carolina, Oregon State, Charlotte
Houston Regional: Rice (No. 6 national seed), UC Irvine, Texas, Southern
College Station Regional: Texas A&M, California, TCU, UTSA
Palo Alto Regional: Stanford (No. 7 national seed), Pepperdine, UC Davis, Fresno State
Stillwater Regional: Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Oral Roberts, Louisiana-Monroe
Lincoln Regional: Nebraska (No. 8 national seed), Wichita State, LSU, Illinois-Chicago
Ann Arbor Regional: Arizona, Michigan, Missouri, Kent State
Quick thoughts: This version ended up with two No. 1 seeds that might not be hosting. Arizona has declined to bid in the past, and Coastal Carolina doesn’t have the option of using the ballpark in Myrtle Beach this season. Michigan continues to be on the hosting radar as the NCAA looks to grow the game outside the Sun Belt, while Vanderbilt or East Carolina also could host as a No. 2 seed. … This looks like another year when the NCAA will be able to funnel most of the western teams through the same half of the bracket. UC Irvine and San Diego are still contenders to host, but probably won’t if the NCAA continues its recent trend of geographical balancing. … Based on last weekend, it doesn’t make much sense that I dropped Oregon State from a 2-seed to a 3-seed after the Beavers won a series from a team that I moved up from a 2-seed to a 1-seed. It helps balance out other moves across the country, though. … The Atlantic Sun should have its automatic bid rescinded this season. Five teams have winning conference records, and four of those are still transitioning to Division I and are ineligible for the NCAA tournament. Lipscomb is the only qualifying team over .500 in league games, and Jacksonville is the only other school over .500 overall.
Bullpen Comes Through As Baseball Downs Nicholls State, 10-3
April 30, 2008
Green Wave relievers combine for nine strikeouts in 9.0 shutout innings as Tulane improves to 30-13-1April 29, 2008
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NEW ORLEANS, La. - Six Green Wave relievers combined for nine strikeouts in 9.0 shutout innings as the Tulane University baseball team defeated Nicholls State, 10-3, Tuesday evening at the new Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.
The Colonels plated three runs on a single and a pair of bases-loaded walks with nobody out in the top of the first. From there, freshman right-hander Robby Broach got a pair of strikeout and an inning-ending ground ball to get out of the stanza without any further damage done and the Tulane offense pounded out 14 hits over the next eight innings.
The win, combined with an 11-2 decision on April 2 in Thibodaux and an 8-1 victory on April 8 in New Orleans, gave the Green Wave a three-game regular-season sweep of the Colonels as Tulane improved to 30-13-1 on the year. Nicholls State, meanwhile, fell to 7-38.
“They pitched very well,” Tulane head coach Rick Jones said of his relievers. “I thought each guy had good stuff. Robby Broach did a good job of getting us out of that inning with no more runs, and then had a real solid second and third innings. Preston Claiborne got into a rhythm, as did Mason Griffin and Nick Pepitone. The guy that was really, really impressive was Josh Zeid as far as his stuff and his command (are concerned). I didn’t think Rob Segedin had his best stuff, but pitched really well and had good depth on his breaking ball.”
Broach (5-1) earned the victory after fanning a pair and allowing just one hit over 3.0 innings. From there, Claiborne tossed the next two innings while Pepitone, Griffin, Zeid and Segedin threw 1.0 inning apiece.
Offensively, junior Anthony Scelfo - who started the game in left before shifting to second and third base - went 3-for-3 with a double, a triple and a sacrifice fly. Segedin, who played the first eight innings of the contest at third, also posted three hits and drove in a pair. Scelfo and Segedin where two of four Tulane players to post a multiple-hit ballgame as junior right fielder Drew Allain went 2-for-2 with three walks and junior catcher Jared Dyer was 2-for-4 with a sacrifice bunt and a run scored.
“We’ve been seeing the ball well lately,” Allain said. “The one thing that (associate head) Coach (Mark) Kingston has been preaching the whole year is that we just have to keep going with our approach, and then at the end of the year, things would take care of themselves. I feel that as a team, right now, we’re swinging the bat real well.”
Tulane got off to a rocky start as NSU right fielder Walter Jones - who went 4-for-5 on the day - opened the game with a first-pitch single up the middle. Colonel first baseman Patrick Thompson dropped down a successful sacrifice bunt, but the throw to first was high and that allowed the runners to advance to second and third. Green Wave starter Taylor Rogers walked second baseman Keith Kulbeth to load the bases, gave up an RBI single to left fielder Brandt Boudreaux and issued bases-loaded walks to third baseman Anthony Wray and designated hitter Shane Barksdale to give Nicholls State a 3-0 lead.
Broach put the fire out by retiring the next three batters of the inning and the Colonels did not threaten again until the ninth. As a staff, the Tulane pitchers faced just four more than the minimum from the second through eighth innings. Broach allowed a single and a walk, but got a pair of inning-ending ground balls during his time on the hill. Claiborne allowed one hit and one walk, but induced a twin killing of his own and picked off Jones at first in the fifth.
Pepitone gave up a single and a walk in the sixth and Griffin pitched his way around a hit batsmen and a single in the seventh. Zeid sat down all three batters he faced, and Segedin - who allowed three consecutive two-out singles - was able to wiggle off the hook with a liner to short for the final out of the ballgame.
“Today, we kind of went kitchen sink,” Griffin said. “Coach said from the get-go that everybody was going to get in. We were going to use a lot of pitchers and kind of use this as a tune up for the weekend. I think everybody did a great job, especially Broach coming in with bases loaded and no outs. He was nominated for the `Money Award’ tonight, which is basically like the courage award for the night.”
While the pitching staff got the job done on the hill, the offense chipped away at the deficit with two runs in the second on an RBI-groundout by junior designated hitter Andrew Rodgers and a sacrifice fly to right off the bat of junior first baseman Sam Honeck.
Junior second baseman Seth Henry tied the game in the third with a run-scoring grounder to second, and Segedin gave Tulane a 4-3 lead it would not relinquish one at-bat later with an RBI-single through the left side of the infield. Following a scoreless fourth, the Green Wave padded the lead with a base hit to right and Tulane blew the game open with a four-run sixth.
Scelfo got things going in the big inning with a one-out triple to left central, Henry followed with a walk, and the pair scored on a Segedin double to center and a throwing error by Jones to make it a 6-3 ballgame. Segedin advanced to third on a wild pitch by Colonel reliever Ryan Harding, , and following a two-out walk by Allain, junior Warren McFadden came through with a two-run, pinch-hit triple to right center to stretch the lead to six.
Tulane closed out the scoring in the seventh when reserve outfielder Scott Powell lifted a long fly ball to right that popped in and out of the glove of Colonel reserve right fielder Anthony Marino for a three-base error, and Scelfo brought him home with a sacrifice fly to left.
NSU starter Justin Breaux (1-5) was saddled with the loss after allowing five runs on 10 hits and three walks while striking out one in 4.2 innings of work. Tulane touched up Harding for four runs on three hits and a trio of walks in 1.0 frame of relief, and got an unearned run of southpaw Nathan Quebedaux - who walked two, struck out one and allowed a hit - in 2.1 stanzas out of the bullpen.
The Green Wave return to action on Friday, May 2, when they open a three-game weekend series against Conference USA foe UCF at 6 p.m. at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium. The two teams will play again on Saturday at 6 p.m. before closing out the weekend on Sunday with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. For ticket information to those ballgames, as well as future Green Wave events, contact the Tulane University Athletics Ticket Office at 504-861-WAVE or log on to the internet at www.TulaneGreenWave.com.
Tulane Honors Student-Athletes at 2008 Athletic Banquet
April 30, 2008
Official Athletics Site of the Tulane University Green Wave
Forté, Asumnu Named Tulane’s Male/Female Student-Athletes of the YearApril 29, 2008
NEW ORLEANS - Tulane University star student-athletes Matt Forté and Gloria Asumnu were named the Male and Female Student-Athletes of the Year, as the athletic department honored its 2007-08 student-athletes at the annual athletic banquet held at the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life on Sunday night.
The athletic awards banquet was a joint effort between Tulane athletics staff and the department’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council, which is composed of 20 current Green Wave student-athletes.
Five of Tulane’s six head coaches - the baseball team was returning home from a series at Memphis - awarded team honors and discussed their respective seasons, and the 2007-08 senior class was also honored for their contributions both on and off the playing field during their careers as Green Wave student-athletes.
Former Green Wave quarterback Shaun King, who led Tulane to an undefeated 12-0 season in 1998, was the night’s keynote speaker. King was a four-year letterman and starter for the Green Wave from 1995-98, was a two-time Conference USA Player of the Year in 1997 and 1998 and was selected to the Conference USA All-Decade Team in 2005.
King played in the 1999 senior bowl and was drafted by his hometown team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in the second round of the 1999 NFL draft. He spent eight years in the NFL and was a member of Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl XXXVII championship team. King was enshrined in the Tulane Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004, and is currently a football analyst for ESPN’s First Take.
Tulane also presented the Male and Female Scholar Athletes of the Year in addition to the Male and Female Student-Athletes of the Year.
The Male and Female Scholar Athletes of the Year is awarded to the male and female student-athletes with the highest cumulative grade point average after at least three semesters at Tulane University, while the Male and Female Student-Athlete award was based on performance.
The 2008 recipient for Female Scholar Athlete of the Year was junior volleyball athlete Ashley Bernards. Bernards, a finance major and defensive specialist from McMinnville, Ore., boasts a current GPA of 3.964, but carried a 4.0 GPA through her first 50 credits of college and has never received a grade lower than an A-. Bernards has been named to the ESPN the Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-America Team and the Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll, and is a C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal award winner.
Bernards is a repeat-winner of the Tulane Scholar-Athlete of the Year, earning the award last year with a 3.958 GPA. She appeared in 10 games in 2007, with a pair of eight-dig matches and posted three service aces. She will return to the volleyball team in the fall of 2008 while working on master’s degree in accounting, as she will receive a bachelor’s of science in Finance in May after just three years.
Redshirt-freshman baseball athlete Hunter Johnson was the 2008 recipient for Male Scholar Athlete of the Year. A finance major and pitcher from Bellaire, Texas, Johnson sports a current GPA of 3.650 He was a member of the Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and Tulane’s 3.0 Club last year.
Hunter Johnson has not played this season due to an arm injury, but is an integral part of the team. He has served as a scout filmer and helps keep pitching charts both for the Tulane hurlers as well as the opponents. As a true freshman in 2007, he appeared in two games in relief, allowing one run on two hits in 1.0 inning of work.
The female athlete of the year was senior track and field All-American Gloria Asumnu. A native of Houston, Texas, Gloria Asumnu completed her Tulane career as a four-time All-American - in the indoor 60-meter dash (twice), and the outdoor 100- and 200-meter dashes - and holds six school records and one Conference USA record. She won eight individual C-USA championships, and became the first student-athlete in conference history to win four championships in a single event when she won the 60-meter dash in March. She was named C-USA Indoor Performer of the Meet two years in a row.
The Male Athlete of the Year was senior football athlete Matt Forte, who is a finance major from nearby Slidell, La. Matt Forté set Tulane’s single-season records with 2,127 yards, which ranks as the seventh-best rushing effort in NCAA history. He also notched 23 touchdowns on 361 carries while ranking second on the team with 32 receptions for another 282 yards through the air. His rushing total and 177.2 rushing yards per game average ranks second in the NCAA, and he also ranked second nationally in scoring with 11.7 points per game.
Forté became the first Green Wave football player in five years to earn All-America honors with his selection to four different teams by various publications. He was not only selected to the Under Armour Senior Bowl, but claimed MVP honors after rushing for a game-high 59 yards and tallying 38 yards receiving and leading the South team to a 17-16 victory over the North squad
No. 27 TULANE at NICHOLLS STATE
April 29, 2008
No. 27 TULANE at NICHOLLS STATE
When/where: Today at 6 p.m., Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.
Radio: 88.3-FM. Records: Tulane 29-13-1; Nicholls State
7-37.
PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUP
Tulane RH Taylor Rogers (3-0, 2.73 ERA) vs. LH Justin Breaux
(1-4, 7.53).
TULANE’S TOP HITTERS
Player | Pos. | Avg. | HR | RBI
R. Segedin | 3B | .346 | 5 | 43
A. Scelfo | INF/OF | .325 | 7 | 41
J. Dyer | C | .324 | 5 | 28
NICHOLLS STATE’S TOP HITTERS
K. Kulbeth | INF | .303 | 1 | 21
B. Boudreaux | INF | .303 | 2 | 21
A. Wray | INF | .281 | 1 | 24
CUSA Weekend Roundup
April 28, 2008
Conference USA Official Athletic Site
TULANEThe Green Wave won a pair of games at Memphis over the weekend, scoring 17 runs on Friday and 15 runs on Saturday before Sunday’s game was rained out. For the weekend, the Green Wave hit .368 (32-for-87) with a .586 slugging percentage courtesy of 10 doubles and three home runs. Junior CF Anthony Scelfo led Tulane with a .667 batting average (8-for-12) with two doubles, a home run and six RBI. Freshman 3B Rob Segedin continued to swing a hot stick for the Green Wave last week, hitting a team-best .583 (7-for-12) with a .917 slugging percentage on the strength of a double and a home run while driving in five runs and scoring six. With a two-run homer in the sixth inning during Tulane’s 15-3 win at Memphis on Saturday, junior 1B Sam Honeck now has at least one hit in the last 16 games dating back to April 2. Honeck got off to a rough start to the 2008 season and saw his batting average dip to as low as .217 following April 1’s home game against McNeese State. Since then, however, Honeck is connecting at a .423 clip (22-for-52) with a .673 slugging percentage courtesy of seven doubles and two home runs while driving in 12 runs. Tulane hit 15 doubles in three games last week. The two-bag totals from those games brings the Wave’s season total to 87, which is already six more than the 60-game total of a year ago. Sophomore LHP Matt Petiton earned his fourth straight win on Saturday, allowing two runs on three hits over six innings.
Former Wave Standout Andy Cannizaro Gets Call From Big Leagues
April 27, 2008
April 27, 2008
NEW ORLEANS, La. -
Former Tulane baseball All-American and Green Wave Hall of Fame member Andy Cannizaro has been called up the Major Leagues, the Tampa Bay Rays announced Sunday.
A native of Mandeville, La., a 1997 graduate of St. Paul’s
School and a four-year starter at shortstop for the Green Wave from
1998-2001, Cannizaro will be making his second trip to the Majors since
being drafted in the seventh round by the New York Yankees in 2001. He
is slated to suit up for today’s game between the Rays and the Boston
Red Sox at 12:40 p.m. (CDT).
“Obviously, I’m very excited,” Cannizaro said. “It’s a great
opportunity and I’m going to try and take full advantage of it. This is
another opportunity for me to put on a Major League uniform, and that’s
a very special thing.”
A key member of Tulane’s inaugural trip to the College World
Series team in 2001, Cannizaro rejoins the Big Leagues after spending a
portion of the 2006 season with the Yankees, when he hit .250 (2-for-8)
with a home run and an RBI in 13 games.
Cannizaro spent Spring Training with the Rays and was one of
the last players to be released. He was sent to Tampa Bay’s Triple-A
affiliate, the Durham Bulls, where he hit .289 with five doubles and
five RBI in 13 games.
Cannizaro began his professional career in 2001 in short-season
Staten Island, and began the 2002 season in Advanced-A Tampa. He was
bumped to Double-A Trenton in 2003 and began the 2004 season there as
well before being promoted to Triple-A after hitting .314 with 18
doubles, three homers and 44 RBI in 54 games with the Thunder.
He completed the 2004 season in Columbus, and in 2005 hit .276
with 32 doubles, a triple, three home runs and 32 RBI before receiving
the call. His batting average was a team high for players with more
than 150 at-bats, and his doubles total paced the club.
In 2006, Cannizaro led Columbus with a .361 batting average off
left-handed pitchers and paced the club with 32 doubles, which ranked
fifth in the International League. He went to Spring Training 2007 with
the Yankees, but missed nearly four months with a back injury. He
opened the year rehabbing in Trenton before moving on to Triple-A
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on June 30 and played in a combined 36 games at
second, 14 at shortstop and eight at third and hit .283 with 13 doubles
and two home runs while driving in 22 runs.
Seven years after the conclusion of his collegiate career, Cannizaro
still holds the Tulane single-season and career records for games
played (69/248), at-bats (299/1,030), hits (118/350), doubles (34/85)
and stolen bases (52/128).
A two-time, first-team All-Conference USA selection, Cannizaro
was named second-team All-American by Baseball Weekly and Collegiate
Baseball in 2001 when he hit .395 (118-for-299) with 34 doubles, three
triples, three home runs, 70 RBI and 52 stolen bases.
TULANE/MEMPHIS UPDATE: The Conference USA series finale
between Tulane and Memphis has been postponed to a 2 p.m. start due to
rain in the Memphis area. The game was originally slated for 1 p.m. as
the Green Wave are looking for their first league sweep after winning
the first two games 17-4 and 15-3.
Tulane Football All-American Matt Forté Selected by Chicago Bears in Second Round of NFL Draft
April 27, 2008
Tulane Football All-American Matt Forté Selected by Chicago Bears in Second Round of NFL DraftForté is the first Green Wave player chosen in the NFL Draft since Anthony Cannon in 2006
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April 26, 2008
Forté Action Photos Photos
Forté’s Career Bio Get Acrobat Reader
Matt Forté HighlightsHighlights
www.mattforte25.com www.ChicagoBears.com
NEW ORLEANS - Tulane University All-American running back Matt Forté was selected today in 2008 National Football League (NFL) Draft when the Chicago Bears made him the 44th overall player selected and 13th pick of the second round.
Forté was the second player selected by the Bears and the sixth running back taken overall in first two rounds. He is the first Tulane running back to be selected in the NFL Draft since 2004 when the Minnesota Vikings took Mewelde Moore in the fourth round (119th overall) in 2004. Forté is the 35th running back in school history to be selected in the NFL Draft, and the seventh Tulane player to be taken by the Bears since 1937. The last Green Wave standout taken by Chicago was offensive lineman Bernard Robertson in the fifth round (138th overall) in 2001.
“Chicago is a great place,” Forté said from his home in Slidell. “Look at the history of their running backs. I want to follow in their footsteps.”
Forté, a 6′2″, 222-pounder from Slidell, La., is the highest selection by a Tulane player since J.P. Losman’s first round (22nd overall) selection by the Buffalo Bills in 2004, and Forté is the highest drafted TU running back since the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Warren Bankston in the second round (42nd overall) in 1969.
Forté is the sixth running back to be selected on a team coached by current Tulane head football coach Bob Toledo since 1974. He joins Karim Abdul-Jabbar (UCLA), DeShaun Foster (UCLA) and Skip Hicks (UCLA), Lionel Manuel (Pacific) and Derek Williams (Cal-Riverside) to be drafted on a Toledo-coached team.
“Matt is very deserving of being picked early in the second round,” Toledo said. “Matt is a hard worker and a very productive player, and I believe he will make the Chicago organization proud. He is a great football player and a super person. We are very happy for him and wish him the best of luck with his professional career.”
Forté was a four-year letterman and three-year starter for the Green Wave from 2004-08, and concluded his distinguished career ranked second among TU’s all-time rushing leaders with 4,265 yards. He started 30 of 43 career games and also ranks among the Green Wave’s elite players in several categories, including first for rushing yards per game, (99.186), rushing touchdowns (39) and total touchdowns (44) while ranking second in all-purpose yards (5,261), rushing yards (4,265), rushing attempts (833) and 100-yard rushing games (16), third in total points (266), and fourth in yards per carry (5.12). Forté’s points total is the most by a non-kicker and his career receiving totals included 103 receptions for 985 yards and five touchdowns.
During his senior campaign, Forté thrived in the under first-year head coach Bob Toledo’s West Coast offense. He set Tulane single-season records with 2,127 yards and 23 touchdowns on 361 carries while ranking second on the team with 32 receptions for another 282 yards through the air. His rushing total and 177.2 rushing yards per game average ranked second in the NCAA in 2007, and he also ranked second nationally in scoring with 11.7 points per game.
Forté’s 2,127 rushing yards marked the seventh-best single-season rushing total in NCAA history and he became the 11th all-time player in to surpass 2,000 rushing yards in one season. He registered eight games with 100-plus yards, including three 200-plus yard games and two 300-plus yards contests.
Along the way, Forté eclipsed the former Green Wave single-season rushing record of 1,421 set by Mewelde Moore in 2001. His 23 touchdowns in 2007 and 44 career scores are both tops in school history, and his 266 career points (44 TDs, one two-point PAT) ranks third in school history and tops among non-kickers.
A two-time Conference USA and Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week honoree, Forté posted five of Tulane’s Top 10 single-game rushing performances in 2007, including a C-USA record 342-yard effort on Oct. 20 at SMU which stood as the top individual rushing performance by an NCAA Division I-Bowl Subdivision student-athlete last season. His five touchdowns against Southeastern Louisiana and Rice are also Tulane single-game records and tie a C-USA mark.
Forté completed his collegiate career with an MVP performance in the 2008 Under Armour Senior Bowl where he led all players with 59 yards on eight carries, snared a game-best four receptions for another 38 yards and posted a tackle on special teams in leading Team South to a 17-16 victory.
Forté’s outstanding achievements in 2007 netted him numerous accolades, including second-team All-America honors from Sports Illustrated (SI.com), third-team recognition from the Associated Press and Phil Steele Publications, and he was a first team All-Conference USA performer. He was also a Heisman Trophy candidate and was also listed among the semifinalists for both the Doak Walker and Maxwell Awards. Forté also collected the top collegiate award in the state of Louisiana with his selection as the 2007 James J. Corbett Memorial Award which is presented annually to the most outstanding male college athlete in the state.
A three-time All C-USA performer, including a first and second team performer in 2007 and 2006, respectively, Forté was named to the all-league freshman team in 2004. He led Tulane in rushing three of four seasons (2005-07), and completed his career ranked second on Conference USA single-season rushing list. He also ranks third among the league’s career leaders in rushing touchdowns, and fourth in both rushing yards and rushing attempts.
A Finance major at Tulane, Forté followed in his father’s footsteps as a Green Wave football player. His father, Gene, played football for Tulane from 1975-77 and both served as a team captain during their respective senior years.
Forté joins current Tulane alumni Anthony Cannon (Detroit), Losman (Buffalo), Moore (Pittsburgh), Patrick Ramsey (Denver), Lester Ricard (Jacksonville), Israel Route (Detroit) and Roydell Williams (Tennessee) in the NFL ranks.
Forté’s Career Stats
Rushing Year GP/GS Att. Yds. Avg. YPG TD Long/Opp 2004 11/3 140 624 4.5 56.7 4 48/Army 2005 11/6 169 655 3.9 59.5 4 26/Southern Miss 2006 9/9 163 859 5.3 95.4 8 64/Rice 2007 12/12 361 2127 5.9 177.2 23 77/SMU Career 43/30 833 4265 5.1 99.2 39 77/SMU
Receiving Year GP/GS No. Yds Avg. YPG TD Long/Opp 2004 11/3 20 180 9.0 16.4 2 47/Army 2005 11/6 23 163 7.1 14.8 1 24/UCF 2006 9/9 28 360 12.9 40.0 2 49/Houston 2007 12/12 32 282 8.8 23.5 0 28/Miss. State Career 43/30 103 985 9.6 22.9 5 40/Houston
All-Purpose Yards Year Games Rush Rec Return Total Avg/G 2004 11 624 180 0 804 73.1 2005 11 655 163 0 818 74.4 2006 9 859 360 0 1219 135.4 2007 12 2127 282 11 2420 201.7 Career 43 4265 985 11 5261 122.3
Scoring Year Games TD Rush Rec 2PAT Total 2004 11 6 4 2 0 36 2005 11 5 4 1 0 30 2006 9 10 8 2 0 60 2007 12 23 23 0 1 140 Career 43 44 39 5 1 266
Sunday’s C-USA Series Finale At Memphis Cancelled Due To Rain
April 27, 2008
Sunday’s C-USA Series Finale At Memphis Cancelled Due To RainGreen Wave conclude week 2-1 after taking first two games from Memphis, 17-4 and 15-3
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April 27, 2008
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Sunday’s Conference USA series finale between the Tulane and Memphis baseball teams has been cancelled due to inclement weather.
Rain began falling in the Memphis area at around 10 a.m. and did not let up until the game was called at 1:17 p.m. (CDT). Tulane (29-13-1, 8-5-1 C-USA) had already won the weekend series against the Tigers after taking the first two ballgames, 17-4 on Friday and 15-3 on Saturday.
For the weekend, the Green Wave hit .368 (32-for-87) with a .586 slugging percentage courtesy of 10 doubles and three home runs. Junior centerfielder Anthony Scelfo led Tulane with a .667 batting average (8-for-12) with two doubles, a home run and six RBI.
From the mound, Tulane posted a 3.00 ERA and held Memphis to a .177 batting average (11-for-62). Green Wave hurlers combined for 21 strikeouts and eight walks in 18.0 innings of work, including 12 punches by junior right-hander Shooter Hunt on Friday.
The Green Wave return to action on Tuesday, April 29, when they plays host to Nicholls State at 6 p.m. at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium. For ticket information to that ballgame, as well as future Green Wave events, contact the Tulane University Athletics Ticket Office at 504-861-WAVE or log on to the internet at www.TulaneGreenWave.com.
Baseball Opens C-USA Series At Memphis With 17-4 Victory
April 26, 2008
Baseball Opens C-USA Series At Memphis With 17-4 VictoryShooter Hunt fans 12 in 7.0-inning start; Andrew Rodgers, Anthony Scelfo belt three-run homers
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April 25, 2008
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Junior designated hitter Andrew Rodgers and junior centerfielder Anthony Scelfo each hit a three-run homer, and junior right-hander Shooter Hunt tied a season high with 12 strikeouts in a 7.0-inning start as the Tulane University baseball team opened its Conference USA series at Memphis with a 17-4 win Friday evening at Nat Buring Stadium.
Tulane took advantage of a pair of errors and Rodgers’ round tripper in the first inning to jump out to a 6-0 lead and scored nine runs over the final three stanzas. With the win, the Green Wave improve to 28-13-1 on the year and 7-5-1 in C-USA play. Memphis, meanwhile, falls to 16-26 overall and 4-9 in league action.
“I was impressed more with what we did late than what we did in the first inning,” Tulane head coach Rick Jones said. “Even though we had a big hit there after the error, you can’t count on that happening very often. It was a fluke thing where a good player just lost the ball. What I was really impressed with was the way we stretched the lead late, the way we played defense, the way we pitched out of the bullpen and the way Shooter pitched in a starting role.”
Hunt (7-1) got off to a rocky start as he walked the first three batters he faced to load the bases with nobody out but came back to strike out the next three in a row to strand three Tigers on base. From there, he faced just three more than the minimum over the next five innings.
The Tigers posted four hits of Hunt in the seventh, including a two-out grand slam by left fielder Tyler Huelsing. The early lead and late surge, however, proved to be the difference in the ballgame.
“You’re just trying to throw strikes in that situation,” Hunt said. “You’re attacking the zone. It’s not a game wher ee you want to knit-pick around, especially when you’re on the road, we want to get back to hotel and get rested up for the next day. But hey, a win is a win.
“It was definitely the hitters’ day today. They carried us throughout the whole game. Putting up those runs early was huge for us. It was easy for me to go out there and settle down when you have an 8-run lead. In the first inning, I guess I kind of lost my concentration on the bench with there being such a long inning, but I was able to settle down. I was very happy that I was able to conserve my pitches through the middle half of the game.”
Eight of the nine Tulane position players had at least one hit, including a 3-for-6 performance by Scelfo. Junior right fielder Drew Allain, junior first baseman Sam Honeck and sophomore shortstop Josh Prince each had a pair of hits as the Green Wave out-hit the Tigers, 14-6. Tulane also drew 10 walks on the night, five of which eventually came around to score.
Tulane got things going early as the Green Wave sandwiched a pair of singles around an error and got the first run of the night on the second error of the stanza by Memphis third baseman Brett Bowen. From there, junior left fielder Warren McFadden ripped a two-run single to left and Rodgers followed with a three-run bomb to stake the Wave to a 6-0 advantage.
Junior catcher Jared Dyer’s two-run single in the second made it an 8-0 ballgame, but Memphis starter Scott McGegor bounced back to keep Tulane off the scoreboard over the next four innings.
In the seventh, however, the Green Wave jumped on Tigers reliever Andrew Haley as the lefty walked two, gave up Scelfo’s three-run shot to left central, walked one more and hit another before Honeck hammered a two-run double off the wall in right to stretch the lead to 13-0. Scelfo tallied a two-run single in the eighth, reserve catcher Marc Robért posted an RBI-double in the ninth later scored on a wild pitch to account for the final score.
The lone blemish on the Tulane pitching staff on Friday came in the seventh when Memphis first baseman Trey Wiedman and catcher Chris Kirkland hit back-to-back singles to open the game and shortstop Chad Zurcher reached safely on a short chopper in front of the plate before Huelsing left the yard.
Tulane was nearly perfect out of the bullpen as freshman right-hander Nick Pepitone opened the eighth with a leadoff walk before striking out the next three batters, and junior righty Josh Zeid retired all three batters he faced in the ninth.
McGregor (1-5) was saddled with the loss after giving up eight runs (two earned) on nine hits and three walks while striking out six in 5.0 innings. Reliever Andrew Haley did not fare much better, allowing nine runs (seven earned) on five hits and seven walks while posting a strikeout over the final 4.0 stanzas.
Tulane and Memphis continue the series on Saturday at 2 p.m. before closing out the weekend on Sunday with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. Following the three-game weekend at Memphis, Tulane’s next home game is schedule for Tuesday, April 29, when the team plays host to Nicholls State at 6 p.m. at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium. For ticket information to that ballgame, as well as future Green Wave events, contact the Tulane University Athletics Ticket Office at 504-861-WAVE or log on to the internet at www.TulaneGreenWave.com.
Wave is getting it together
April 25, 2008
Wave is getting it together- NOLA.com
Tulane looks to gain ground in C-USA against Memphis
Friday, April 25, 2008
By Nakia HoganThe baseball season hasn’t gone as smoothly as some Tulane supporters would like. There have been inconsistencies at the plate and on the mound.
But the Green Wave just might have it all figured out.
After struggling to find the right weekend rotation for much of the season, it appears the Tulane coaches have settled on a starting staff of Shooter Hunt, Matt Petiton and Taylor Rogers.
And led by freshman Rob Segedin, the Conference USA co-Hitter of the Week, the Green Wave has increased its team batting average to .291.
That combination couldn’t have come at a better time for the Green Wave, which begins a pivotal three-game C-USA series at Memphis today.
The Tigers (16-25, 4-8) have struggled this season, ranking last in the nine-team conference in team batting average (.252) and seventh in ERA (5.35). Memphis has lost 15 of its past 20 games.
Tulane Coach Rick Jones declined to be interviewed for this story. But those statistics likely aren’t lost on the Green Wave (27-13-1, 6-5-1).
With a strong showing this weekend and another solid outing next weekend against another league cellar-dweller — Central Florida — Tulane, which is in third place in C-USA behind Rice and East Carolina, can play its way back to the top of the conference race.
The Green Wave, coming off two victories in a three-game series against Southern Mississippi, can’t afford to overlook Memphis. The Green Wave lost two of three at home to the Tigers last season.
But in Hunt, Petiton and Rogers, the Green Wave has a formidable pitching rotation that can pose problems for the Memphis batters.
Hunt (6-1, 1.59 ERA), the staff ace, hasn’t allowed more than four hits in any start this season.
After toiling in the bullpen earlier in the season, Petiton (4-0, 1.71) has emerged, and Rogers (3-0, 2.73) has been solid in most of his outings.
With an improving pitching staff, the Green Wave has been happy to see Segedin, a freshman third baseman, thrive in his first collegiate season. Segedin, who is batting a team-best .336 with 41 RBIs, has hit three of his five home runs in Tulane’s past four games.
Now, the Green Wave is hoping it doesn’t have a setback.
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Nakia Hogan can be reached at nhogan@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3405.