The U baseball team (1-5) is in New Orleans, La., today where it will begin a three-game series against the No. 9 Tulane Green Wave (5-1).
Tulane boasts an excellent pitching staff, and a power-packed lineup that is capable of scoring a lot of runs quickly. In six games, the Green Wave have scored 49 runs, in contrast to the Utes, who have scored 23 in as many games.
Six starters for Tulane have batting averages more than .300, and two have averages more than .420. The pitchers have been even more impressive, as none of the starters has an ERA above 1.64. They have combined for 30 strikeouts and seven walks in 28 innings.
The Utes, on the other hand, have looked thin on the mound and at the plate this season.
Only two Ute regulars are batting more than .300 and only one of their starting pitchers has an ERA below 17.00.
Despite the obvious disparity in talent, the two squads will play three games in three days in a city known for its carousing, during the time of peak carousal.
The Utes will put their ace, Jason Price, on the mound today in game one to face Billy Mohl of Tulane. Mohl has a 1.64 ERA in 11 innings of work. He has allowed 12 hits, but he’s also fanned 12 and hasn’t walked a batter.
This might prove to be a healthy challenge for a Ute lineup that has struggled so far this season. They are sure to see a lot of strikes from Mohl, so they should get pitches to hit.
On Saturday, the Utes’ chances look even worse as they send Doug Mackay and his 17.05 ERA to the hill, to face J.R. Crowel of Tulane. Crowel, like his teammate Mohl, has 1.64 ERA and a 2-0 record.
In game three, the Utes will pitch Eric Schaler, who has been a batter’s best friend in his three innings of work this season. Schaler has averaged one strikeout per inning, but he has also allowed eight runs, seven hits and three walks.
He will face Tulane’s Cory Hahn, who has yet to allow a run or a walk in five innings of work.
The Utes are coming off their only win of the season, a 10-inning affair at Central Florida. The victory came on a John Welsh 10th-inning homer and two innings of scoreless relief by Clay Westmoreland.