NCAA Regional Preview: New Orleans

By Will Kimmey
June 2, 2005

1. Tulane 50-9, automatic, won Conference USA regular season, tournament co-champion, No. 1 national seed, 17th NCAA tournament, eighth consecutive appearance
2. Alabama 38-21, at-large, fifth in Southeastern Conference, 14th NCAA tournament
3. Louisiana-Lafayette 47-17, at-large, won Sun Belt regular season, 10th NCAA tournament
4. Southern 29-16, automatic, won Southwestern Athletic tournament, seventh NCAA tournament

Player To Watch: On a Tulane team with three skilled two-way players, junior lefthander/right fielder Brian Bogusevic stands out as the most important. His 12-1, 2.57 record and command of a low-90s fastball, slider and changeup make him the staff ace. A cranky hamstring limited Bogusevic to 30 starts as a hitter, and he owns as much power potential as any Green Wave player despite not homering this season.

The Favorite: Tulane enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed for the first time. The preseason No. 1 team has worn the target well all year, and there's no reason to expect that to change now. Depth abounds across the roster, with five capable starting pitchers (3.79 team ERA), a power bullpen, seven hitters with on-base percentages of .400 or better and a .502 team slugging percentage. The team's .975 fielding percentage also ranks among the nation's top 10.

On The Other Hand: Lake Charles, La., natives Gabe Scott and Wade LeBlanc are excited about playing in their home state. They're also Alabama's best players, and each must come through. Scott, a senior outfielder, is the best hitter (.379/.495/.655) on an otherwise average offense that moves runners along to set the table for him and Evan Bush (15 homers). But the Crimson Tide's strength is pitching; it struck out 539 batters in 527 innings led by LeBlanc (96 K's) and freshman closer David Robertson (102 K's).

Bracket Buster: Louisiana-Lafayette climbed into the teens of the Top 25 a few weeks back, but stumbled at the end of the year in losing five of its last eight games. Still this is a dangerous team that batted .330 and averaged 8.3 runs per game with a veteran lineup. Senior aces Kevin Ardoin (10-4, 3.42) and Austin Faught (12-0, 2.45) give the Ragin' Cajuns a one-two punch that could lead them to wins in their first two games. Expect a rabid fan base traveling the 135 miles from Lafayette to New Orleans to add a home-field presence at times.

Don't Forget About: It seems like Southern can't ever get out of Louisiana for regional play, and it’s back again this year. Don't dismiss the No. 4 seed; the Jaguars topped Louisiana State 9-5 in Baton Rouge on May 3 and dropped an 11-7 decision to Louisiana-Lafayette on Feb. 18. Led by sophomore Gerard Gouse's .387 average, Southern batted .319 as a team and stole 863 bases.