NEW ORLEANS – After splitting the series last year, the University of New Orleans (5-7) hosts Tulane University (6-5) for the first of three midweek tilts Tuesday at 6:37 p.m. at Maestri Field. The Pelican Cup will be awarded to the team that wins two of the three matchups in 2018.
The game will be televised on Cox Sports TV with Tim Grubbs, Ronnie Rantz and Carley McCord on the call.
LAST TIME OUT
Darren Willis registered four multi-hit games last week and was the extra innings hero on Friday with his second walk-off hit of the season. Willis finished last week 10-16 at the plate with four runs scored, a triple and five RBI.
Head coach
Blake Dean will send lefty
John Michael Stephens to the mound. Last Tuesday, Stephens tossed 6.0 innings giving up six runs (four earned) on seven hits and struck out five.
ABOUT NEW ORLEANS
Willis has been the bright spot at the plate for the Privateers, hitting .455 on the season with eight RBI and eight runs scored. The shortstop and Metairie native has reached base safely in 11 of the first 12 games of the season.
Beau Bratton follows suit with a .378 average with six ribbies and seven runs scored.
Owen Magee rounds out the top hitters with a .319 batting average with six RBI and four runs scored.
ABOUT TULANE
The Green Wave are led by Grant Witherspoon at the dish, who is hitting .333 on the year with seven RBI, a triple, five doubles and six runs scored,
Tulane will run right-hander Josh Bates to the mound. Tuesday will be his second start of the season and Bates has 5.1 scoreless innings early in 2018.
SERIES HISTORY
The Privateers are 61-81 against Tulane after splitting the matchups last year. UNO defeated the Green Wave 9-5 at Maestri Field April 4, 2017.
Matthew Gillis earned the W in the meeting and
William Griffin picked up the save with 2.1 scoreless innings out of the pen.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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