Tulane places 3 on Preseason All-American Athletic Conference baseball team, picked fourth In Preseason Poll

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Tulane seniors Jonathon Artigues and Grant Mathews, along with sophomore Hudson Haskin were named to the 2020 All-American Athletic Conference Preseason Team, while the Green Wave were picked to finish fourth in a vote by the league’s head coaches it was announced on Monday.

The three selections are tied for the most in the league along with ECU, with Houston and Memphis each having a pair of picks on the preseason team.

Artigues started all 58 games for Tulane at second base in 2019, averaging .310 at the plate with 63 hits, including nine doubles, five triples and two home runs. The five triples tied for the fifth-most in a single season in program history, finishing fourth on the team with 20 multi-hit outings, while also leading the team in stolen bases with eight.

Starting all but one game last year, Mathews hit .319 at the plate with 72 hits, including 13 doubles, two triples and sitting tied for second in home runs with 10. The local product had 55 RBI and slugged .527 for the season, finishing a hit short of the cycle twice and driving in six in one game thanks to a pair of home runs in a win against Memphis.

Named a preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball two weeks ago, Haskin earns another accolade before the start of the regular season in February with the preseason all-conference selection. Last year Haskin finished second on the squad in batting average, doubles, total bases and slugging, while finishing third in RBI, hits and runs scored.

The Green Wave are coming off a season where the team finished third in the American Athletic Conference, going 32-26 overall with a 12-11 mark in league play. Tulane earned 38 points in this year’s preseason poll to claim the fourth spot, one point ahead of UCF in fifth. ECU earned six first-place votes to take the top spot, followed by Houston who earned the other three to sit second.

In its final season as members of the conference, UConn earned 49 points to sit at No. 3 ahead of Tulane and UCF, as reigning tournament champion Cincinnati was picked sixth. The poll rounds out with USF at No. 7, Memphis at No. 8 and Wichita State at No. 9.

Tulane will open the 2020 season on February 14 at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium with a three-game series against Florida Gulf Coast.

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