Texas Tech University has been home to Red Raider students and faculty since 1923.
And for the fall 2005 semester, the campus in Lubbock, Texas, wrote another chapter in the school’s 82-year history.
With Hurricane Katrina bearing down on South Louisiana in August, Tulane baseball players scattered across the country to find a safe haven from the natural disaster.
After the storm passed, the option to play baseball on Tulane’s campus became impossible.
Tulane baseball coach Rick Jones said the university’s administration began to have conference calls to discuss the future of the team with communications breaking down in the storm’s aftermath.
A call from one of Jones’ old friends changed the team’s plans for the fall 2005 semester.
Jones said Texas Tech University baseball coach Larry Hays was the first to contact him and offer the 38-man Tulane team the option of training and attending school on Texas Tech’s campus.
Jones reported the offer to Tulane administrators who immediately gave him permission to relocate the team.
“Right away, they provided our students with dorms and meals,” Jones said. “And they oriented us in no time.”
Jones said the transition was almost flawless with both teams sharing practice time and the coaches having their own office space.
“We had our own batting cages and our own locker rooms,” Jones said.
But Jones was not shy of admitting some of the downfalls.
“I had no way of saying ‘OK, guys, this is how we’re going to do it,'” Jones said.
Even though both teams shared the same field, they were not allowed to practice together because of NCAA rules, but they did meet Feb. 11 to play in the Houston College Classic.
Tulane won the game 6-4, and the Green Wave presented the Texas Tech players and coaches with a sign of Tulane’s appreciation.
“We gave them a banner that said exactly that – we will forever be indebted,” Jones said.
But when Tulane returned to New Orleans for the spring semester, the situation still was not completely desirable.
Jones said the team’s facility, Turchin Stadium, is now the site of trailers and other construction equipment being used to repair the campus.
The team is now practicing and playing its home games at Zephyr Field, a 10,000-capacity stadium for the New Orleans Zephyrs, the AAA farm team for the Washington Nationals.
“It takes 15 minutes to drive to Zephyr Field and 15 minutes back,” Jones said. “It doesn’t seem like a lot when you think about it, but we’re dealing with it.”
From an outsider’s perspective, LSU baseball coach Smoke Laval said he could not imagine completely moving his team to another campus.
“I don’t know [of Tulane’s situation],” Laval said. “And I don’t want to know.”
Senior catcher Matt Liuzza echoed Laval’s thoughts, saying he could not fathom the idea of starting all over.
“It’s almost like all of them are freshmen, moving to another school, a new city and a new system,” Liuzza said.
With all the outside circumstances aside, Jones said he is ready to focus his attention on his young team.
“That’s all in the past now,” Jones said
The Tigers and Green Wave play tonight at 6:30 p.m. in Alex Box Stadium in their first of two meetings this season.
The game will be televised on Cox Sports Television, local cable channel 37.
 
Contact Kyle Whitfield at [email protected]