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News Nuggets, 01.09.05
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Tigers' Means heads west to Shrine Bowl

Senior Memphis nose guard Albert Means was to leave this weekend for San Francisco for the 2005 East-West Shrine game that will be played Saturday, Jan. 15 at 11 a.m.

Means will play for the East team, coached by Purdue head coach Joe Tiller. Mike Riley of Oregon State is head man of the West team.

More than 100 of the country's top collegiate football players were to arrive in San Francisco on Saturday to begin preparations for the game, which is to be played at SBC Park.

Means is the sixth Tiger selected to play in this post-season event. The most recent player to be invited to the game was offensive guard Artis Hicks in 2001. Other Memphis players who have played in the game were offensive tackle Tim Borcky (1987), quarterback Dan Pierce (1969), guard Bob Parker (1969) and wingback Dale Brady (1967).

Players selected for the game with ties to the Carolinas or to current or future Conference USA schools:

East Team:

Josh Davis WR 6'1 190 (Marshall, Hickory Grove, SC)
Madison Hedgecock TE 6'3 260 (UNC-CH, Wallburg, NC)
Leroy Hill LB 6'1 225 (Clemson, Haddock, GA)
Stefan LeFors QB 6'0 201 (Louisville, Baton Rouge, LA)
Andre Maddox DB 6'1 202 (N.C. State, Miami, FL)
Albert Means DL 6'4 328 (Memphis, Memphis, TN)
J.R. Russell WR 6'3 205 (Louisville, Tampa, FL)
Darrell Shropshire DL 6'2 299 (South Carolina, Kershaw, SC)
Pat Thomas LB 6'2 230 (N.C. State Miami, FL)
Greg Washington LB 6'0 218 (Army, Fayetteville, NC)

West Team:

J.J. Arrington RB 5'11 210 (Cal, Northern Nash, NC, HS)
Robert Rodriguez LB 6'1 230 (UTEP, El Paso, TX)

Compiled from a Memphis Athletics report.

Baseball America anoints Tulane No. 1

NEW ORLEANS — The Tulane baseball team claimed its first-ever preseason No. 1 ranking as Baseball America listed the Green Wave at the top of its initial 2005 poll. The national publication released the poll earlier this week.

The No. 1 ranking comes two weeks after the Green Wave claimed the fourth spot on the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll on Dec. 22, and is the highest the Green Wave have been ranked in their 113-year history. The program's previous best ranking came in 2002 when Tulane was tabbed third in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll.

It also marks the first time a Tulane team has been ranked preseason No. 1 since 1949 when the Green Wave football team claimed the honor from The Sporting News.

"It's flattering but we all understand that this is the preseason poll," head coach Rick Jones said in a statement. "Hopefully it'll help us continue to build our support and fan base, but the big thing to remember is that it's the preseason poll. There's a reason you play out the season. That's how you find out who's really No. 1 and that will be our goal, to be No. 1 in the final poll."

Arch-rival Louisiana State was second to the Green Wave in the preseason poll, followed by Cal State Fullerton, Texas and Miami (FL). The Green Wave will play 11 games against teams ranked in Baseball America's preseason Top 25 with a home-and-home vs. LSU as well as three-game home series vs. No. 3 Cal State Fullerton (March 11-13), No. 9 Arizona State (Feb. 18-20) and No. 21 Texas Christian (May 19-21).

Tulane returns seven of its top nine hitters and four of its top five pitchers from the 2004 team that finished second in Conference USA, won the NCAA Oxford Super Regional and advanced to the NCAA Fullerton Super Regional. In addition, Tulane's recruiting class was ranked fourth-best in the nation by Baseball America and fifth in the country by Collegiate Baseball.

The Green Wave opens the 2005 regular season on Friday, Feb. 11 when they open a three-game weekend against Southeast Missouri State at 6:30 p.m. at Turchin Stadium. For season ticket information, contact the Tulane University Athletics Ticket Office at (504) 861-WAVE.

2005 Baseball America Preseason Top 25:

Rank / Team / 2004 Record /Final 2004 Rank
 1. Tulane 41-21 19
 2. LSU 46-19 7
 3. Cal State Fullerton 47-22 1
 4. Texas 58-15 2
 5. Miami (Fla.) 50-13 4
 6. Stanford 46-14 9
 7. South Carolina 53-17 3
 8. Washington 39-20 21
 9. Arizona State 41-18 22
10. Georgia 45-23 5
11. Baylor 29-31 NR
12. Arizona 36-27 12
13. Texas A&M 42-22 20
14. North Carolina 43-21 NR
15. Florida 43-22 16
16. Mississippi 39-21 23
17. Vanderbilt 45-19 17
18. Rice 46-14 11
19. Georgia Tech 44-21 10
20. Notre Dame 51-12 15
21. TCU 39-26 NR
22. Long Beach State 40-21 13
23. Oklahoma State 38-24 NR
24. Oral Roberts 50-11 18
25. Winthrop 37-23 NR

Compiled from a Tulane Athletics report.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from Associated Press and other sources. Copyright 2005 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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