Tulane Baseballers Gain Pre-Season Recognition
The Tulane baseball team was recognized prominently in the recently released player rankings by D1 Baseball.
Among American Conference draft prospects, relief pitcher Aidan Rath is No. 13 in the 2026 class, infielder Nolan Nawrocki is No. 40 in the 2026 class, outfielder Tanner Chun is No. 11 in the 2027 class, while fellow outfielder Jason Wachs is No. 15 in the 2027 class.
Wachs was also named the No. 122nd ranked outfielder in the country. As a true freshman, Wachs led the team with a .335 batting average in 51 games (45 starts). He recorded 46 runs, 56 hits, 14 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs, 25 RBIs, and a .479 slugging percentage. Wachs also drew 31 walks with a .457 on-base percentage and was a unanimous selection to the 2025 All-Freshman Team. He concluded his debut season on a 23-game hitting streak and a 26-game on-base streak. Wachs was also named Preseason All-Conference by league’s coaches.
More Kudos for Senior TU Pitcher
Trey Cehajic was recognized as the No. 170th ranked starting pitching in the country. Cehajic, a senior right-handed pitcher, went 5-2 last season with 4.89 ERA. He totaled 57 strikeouts in 57 innings worked. In his first season as a starting pitcher, he appeared in 15 games on the mound with 13 starts. His 4.89 ERA and five victories led the squad’s starting pitchers. He was previously a Preseason First Team All-Conference selection by Perfect Game.
The program also saw freshman infielder Bryson Ayala and freshman outfielder Evan Burg recognized as Freshmen to Watch. Ayala, who hails from Melbourne, Florida and attended Melbourne High School, ended his high school playing career with a .310 batting average, 100 hits, 77 RBIs and 90 runs scored. He was also ranked as the 107th-best shortstop in the country and the 17th-best shortstop in the state of Florida by Perfect Game in 2025. Berg, who hails from Kenner, Louisiana and attended Rummel High School, was a two-time All-District selection who ended his high school playing career with 89 RBIs. He was ranked by Perfect Game as the third-best outfield in the state of Louisiana and was the 15th ranked player overall in 2025.
2026 Season Outlook
The Green Wave will host 27 games at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium, along with one neutral-site game in Mississippi and 28 road contests. Tulane will compete across seven states, including matchups in California, Alabama, Texas, Mississippi, Kansas, Florida, and North Carolina. Notable opponents include seven teams that participated in the 2025 NCAA Tournament: Southern Miss (2 games), UTSA (3), Creighton (3), East Carolina (3), TCU (3), Mississippi State (1), UCLA (1), and LSU (1).
The season kicks off on the road with a three-game series against Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles starting February 13 — marking Tulane’s first season opener on the road since 2023. The home opener at Turchin Stadium will feature a three-game series against Harvard from February 20-22.
Portions Courtesy Tulane Athletics
Doug has covered a gamut of sporting events in his fifty-plus years in the field. He started doing sideline reporting for Louisiana Tech football games for the student radio station. Doug was Sports Director for KNOE-AM/FM in Monroe in the mid-80s, winning numerous awards from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association for Best Sportscast and Best Play-by-Play. High school play-by-play for teams in Monroe, Natchitoches, New Orleans, and Thibodaux, LA dot his resume. He did college play-by-play for Northwestern State University in Natchitoches for nine years. Then, moving to the Crescent City, Doug did television PBP of Tulane games and even filled in for legendary Tulane broadcaster, Ken Berthelot in the only game Kenny ever missed while doing the Green Wave games. His father was an alumnus of Tulane in the 1940s, so Doug has attended Tulane football games in old Tulane Stadium, the Superdome, and Yulman. He was one of the 86,000 plus on December 1, 1973, sitting in the North End Zone to seeTulane shutout the LSU Tigers, 14-0. He was there when the Posse ruled Fogelman and in Turchin when the Wave made it to the World Series. He currently is the public address voice of the Tulane baseball team.