Despite a dismal season in 2026, Coach Jay Uhlman has Tulane in a position to use it as a learning opportunity and a motivator starting this fall, when the Green Wave have four games scheduled and plenty of time to break in 21 newcomers and continue shaping the 13 returning guys from last season. Unlike a lot of other places, one or two subpar seasons don’t tell the full story, as the Green Wave have the resources, the coaching staff, and the talent to make a return to competing for championships and earning a trip to Regionals and beyond, and all of that begins with an intentional fall filled with development and getting things right, because what happened last season is in the rearview mirror for this program; all that matters now is the road ahead. Part of the issue last year was the injury bug that seemed to plague the Green Wave, with a few guys who started strong but then suffered season-ending injuries.
Part of turning the page on a disaster season is embracing what happened in the prior year and using that as a learning experience for the future; that’s exactly what Coach Jay Uhlman and his staff did this offseason and will now look to use that as real-world teaching moments in the upcoming fall slate.
Coming into the fall season, Tulane announced a jersey patch deal with American Safety that will provide Tulane baseball with additional financial support that many in the American don’t have for their baseball programs.
Coach Uhlman added Kyler Harris as the Volunteer Player Development Coordinator. Coach Kyler Harris brings an impressive background as both a player and a coach. His last coaching stop was as a pitching coach at Pitt Community College, where he helped lead the school to an impressive 31-17 record, including a trip to the NJCAA Division II Region 10 Tournament. During his time at Pitt Community College, Coach Harris had five guys go on to four-year colleges, with four of those five going the Division One route. As a player, Harris began his journey at the Juco level at Western Nebraska Community College before finishing his degree at Northwestern Oklahoma State University.
Coach Uhlman also added a new pitching coach to his staff in Coach Chris Wojick, who spent the last four seasons at Yale, where he turned Yale baseball into one of the most feared pitching rotations in the Northeast and really in the entire country. From the Tulane baseball bio on tulanegreenwave.com, “ His coaching accomplishments include producing the Ivy League and Northeast Pitcher of the Year in both 2025 (Jack Ohman) and 2026 (Tate Evans), 2025 National Freshman Pitcher of the Year (Perfect Game), coaching 10 all-conference selections, and leading a pitching staff that consistently ranked among the conference’s best in multiple categories. “ During the 2025 season, Coach Wojick helped lead Yale to the league’s best ERA of 3.59, which also ranked 5th in the country.
From there, Coach Uhlman and his staff retained 13 guys from last season, including Nate Johnson, AJ Groeneveld, Nolan Nawrocki, Evan Burg, Julius Ejike-Charles, Bryson Ayala, Jack Brafa, Beau Simpson, Michael Devenney, Johnny Elliott, Luis Pablo Navarro, and Caden Tarango.
Adding to the 13 guys returning, Tulane put together a class of 21 newcomers, with four freshmen and the rest coming from the portal. Per an article from tulanegreenwave.com, the transfer class for the Green Wave included, Sage Adams (C), Tomas Bilvado (RHP), Conner Connell (RHP), Jacob Croxford (OF), Ryan Darrah (OF), Robbie Demetree (INF), Brady Fitzpatrick (OF), Aidan Grab (RHP), Cole Greer (RHP), Evan Kleinhans (RHP), Kieran Kostanoski (LHP), Josh Midbo (RHP), Owen Morgan (INF), Carson Orvis (LHP), Sebastian Rhoades (INF), Hunter Shaw (LHP), and Sam Weinstein (C), and Noah Bolinger (LHP), Branden Place (RHP), Beckett Suh (INF), and Laird Williams (RHP) joining the program as true freshman.
On roster construction, Coach Uhlman and his staff were intentional about who they added to the Green Wave baseball program, as winning games and maintaining Tulane’s culture were top priorities this season. It wasn’t just about adding bodies to the roster, but last season’s debacle of a season left a sour taste in Coach Uhlman’s mouth, as he wanted to construct a roster that not only added talent to the starting lineup, but added depth as well for greater success over the marthon of a season that would make the road ahead in the postseason a tad bit easier as he would have the depth once again to trust every guy on the roster to do their job in getting Tulane baseball back in postion to win the conference and earning a trip back to a Regional and beyond.
As for the fall schedule itself, Coach Uhlman wanted his guys to be challenged this fall, so he constructed the four-game schedule to reflect both regional interest from the fans and to challenge his team against outside competition that either has had recent success or is in likewise positions to compete for championships in the spring. Tulane will open its fall ball slate on October 24th as it heads to Mobile, Alabama, to take on a Sun Belt rival in South Alabama. On October 25, Tulane will welcome Lamar to New Orleans. From there, a two-game home-and-home fall series starts on November 20th and then again on the 21st against crosstown rival New Orleans. The first game of the mini-series with New Orleans will be at Tulane, while the second will be across town, giving New Orleans baseball fans a chance to see both teams compete for the final time before spring.
Overall, there’s a lot of optimism and excitement for Tulane baseball in the upcoming 2026-2027 season as they appear on paper to have the depth, combined with two additions to the coaching staff, to return the Green Wave to competing for championships and Regional bids. Keeping everyone healthy might be the key to success this season; if they can manage that, this fall ball season could give the program the momentum for a memorable regular season.
Photo Credits- Tulane baseball on X ( Tulane Athletics)
