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Wildcats face No. 15 Tulane this weekend

Traditionalists claim that two things are necessary to win a baseball game - pitching and defense.

Right now, the UA baseball team would be satisfied having just one of them.

The Wildcats, back from a road trip in which UA won two of four games against Texas A&M and Texas A&M at Corpus Christi, return to Sancet Field this weekend to take on No. 15 Tulane.

For the Wildcats (10-8), this weekend will be a chance to improve on the two areas that have dogged them throughout the early season. The week's practices have focused on the basics.

"We need to improve on defense mostly," UA head coach Jerry Stitt said. "(Our problems) have been a collective deal."

Stitt will attempt to patch his relief staff by adding senior Mike Crawford to the bullpen for the weekend.

Sophomore Ben Diggins will take the hill for UA on Friday, while sophomore Brian Pemble will start Saturday's game.

Stitt will replace Crawford with senior left-hander Rob Shabansky, who missed most of the 1999 season following Tommy John surgery. Shabansky will start Sunday's contest, his first start since last season's opener.

Stitt, however, is optimistic about the lefty's start on Sunday.

"It'll be great for the team," he said. "He's pitched a couple of times in relief and done real well."

Shabansky, the winningest Wildcat pitcher in the 1990s, attempted to start last Wednesday's game against Corpus Christi, but was scratched prior to gametime due to shoulder stiffness.

Shabansky returned to pitch an inning on Sunday against the Aggies, retiring all three men he faced while striking out a batter.

In Tulane, the Wildcats will be facing a team that is ranked 15th in the nation. The Green Wave (5-3) are coming off of a heartbreaking 9-8 loss to Nichols State, a game in which Tulane blew an 8-3 lead.

The Green Wave is led by first baseman Mickey McKee, whose .593 on base percentage leads the team. McKee went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two runs scored in Tuesday's losing effort.

"We're just going to try to focus on playing well and get better with each game," Stitt said. "There have been days when we've gotten worse. We need to play the game the way it's supposed to be played. We've never been real concerned with ranking itself."