Privateers Baseball Battles for First NBC Cup Against Tulane

NEW ORLEANS AT TULANE
TUESDAY, MAY 10 | 6:30 PM
GREER FIELD AT TURCHIN STADIUM | NEW ORLEANS, LA

LIVE STATS | TWITTER | AUDIO | VIDEO | GAME NOTES
 
The University of New Orleans baseball team (28-18, 12-12 Southland) will have another tough mid-week task on their hands against the 15^th-ranked Tulane Green Wave (31-14, 11-5 AAC) on Tuesday in the second game of the First NBC Cup. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
 
UNO won the first meeting between the two teams in walk-off fashion by a 10-9 score. Ryan Calloway scored the game winning run on an error to give UNO their 60^th career victory against the Green Wave. Tulane leads the all-time series 79-60.
 
Over the weekend, the Privateers bounced back from a 6-1 loss in the series opener at Abilene Christian to take the last two games of the series. UNO got solid pitching throughout the weekend to help sustain an offense that scored eight runs against the Wildcats. Daniel Martinez added two more saves to run his season total to 11.

"Obviously hitting is what's gotten us to this point, but our pitching stepped up last weekend," said Coach Blake Dean. "We didn't do what we needed to at the plate against Abilene but the staff stepped up and did a great job."
 
Martinez has been a lockdown closer for the Privateers and has been no stranger to saves of longer than three outs. Out of his 11 saves, four have come with two or more innings of work including his two-inning save last Saturday. Martinez is on the precipice of program history as he is two saves from tying the Privateers single season mark set in 2008.
 
The Privateers added their 20^th triple of the season on Sunday when Calloway tripled in the first inning on Sunday. UNO leads the Southland in triples and Aaron Palmer and Dakota Dean co-pace the team with four triples each. The Privateers are tied for ninth in the nation in triples.
 
UNO will deal with a Tulane squad that has won nine of their last ten and continues to move up in the rankings. The latest D1Baseball poll moved the Green Wave up one spot to 15. Tulane has swept two weekend series (South Florida and UCF) in their recent stretch.
 
"We're going to have our hands full," said Dean. "They've been playing very well and confident. We're definitely going to have to put quite a few runs on the board to have a chance to beat those guys tomorrow night."
 
Jordan Priddle is going to get the starting call on Tuesday. Priddle was a weekend starter before being moved to the bullpen. Priddle had eight relief appearances in April and picked up a save against Central Arkansas. As it was in the first meeting, RHP J.P. France will start for the Green Wave. France is 4-1 with a 3.42 ERA.
 
Tulane has also posted their fair share of home runs this season, ranking 20^th in the nation in that category. Individually, Hunter Hope (11) and Jeremy Montalbano (10) lead the team. Montalbano was named AAC and Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week after hitting four home runs and driving in seven last week.
 
Season tickets for the 2016 campaign are available for as low as $125 and single-game tickets start at $5. For additional information, contact the UNO Athletics Ticket Office at (504) 280-GAME (4263) or click HERE.
 
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