Tulane Baseball inks new crop of talent
during Early Signing Period   

Written by Colleen LeMasters (Tulane University Athletics)
Friday, 21 November 2008

Robinson, Garrett Cannizaro, Brennan Middleton, Kyle McKenzie, Blake Crohan, Bowen Woodson, Brandon Boudreaux, Brian Barry and Greg Miller. Gunner Wright rounds out the group as the only junior college transfer.

Jones, who was tapped as the skipper of the 2009 Team USA club earlier this year, is excited about the incoming class.

"This is one of the largest recruiting classes we've had since I became the head coach. This was done out of design and out of necessity," Jones said. "We have ten seniors [on this year's team] and a lot of draft eligible kids on our roster. [Associate head coach Chad] Sutter and [pitching coach Jack] Cressend have done a tremendous job recruiting for us. I have no doubt that these kids will have great success once we get them on campus."  <snip>

Brandon Boudreaux comes to Tulane from St. Paul's High School in Covington, where he was a 7-5A All-District and All-St. Tammany Parish selection in 2007 and 2008. The 6-0 outfielder finished the 2008 season with a .350 average that included six doubles, three triples and a homerun and 21 RBI.

"Brandon is going to be a great college player. He can play all three outfield positions and his versatility will give us many options," Cressend explained.

"Brandon hits from the left side and has the ability to drive the ball to all fields. He is also a plus runner. He brings an energy level to the field every day which is contagious to his teammates. He is also a great student which makes him a perfect fit at Tulane. Brandon will no doubt be a great asset to our program."

Boudreaux has also excelled in the classroom, where he is in the top ten percent of his class.   <snip>

Opposing Teams 'fear' Boudreaux's Prowess
He's hitting over .500 in four district games

By Billy Turner, Staff writer                                                      Friday, March 28, 2008

It's a simple notion: put the bat on the ball. But it's among the hardest tasks  in sports.  In the hands of a hitter like St. Paul's Brandon Boudreaux, it's not as difficult as it is for others.

As a sophomore last season, he hit .430 with 30 RBIs, following in the hitting tradition of many other Wolves such as Ryan Schimpf, who now plays for LSU.  "He can swing it," St. Paul's Coach Mick Nunez said.  Without a doubt.

"You fear him," said Coach Rick Mauldin, whose Northshore pitchers faced Boudreaux on Tuesday in a 10-9 Panthers victory. "You put a chart on him and move your players defensively, and he hits it somewhere they're not. It's like he wills the ball into that spot. He is an amazing hitter. He will make you have nightmares.

"It's not luck when he does it; it's skill. If a coach doesn't respect him, they know nothing about baseball. He's respected by everyone in our district."

And he's even better this year, even though his average isn't as high. He's better, said Nunez, because he's using the whole field, adjusting even as coaches and pitching staffs, particularly in district, try different approaches to getting him out.

Tuesday's game is a perfect example.  After striking out in his first at-bat against Northshore sophomore Ryan Eades, Boudreaux got three hits to raise his average to .382, going above .500 in four district games. Two hits were seeing-eye singles that found the open spot though they weren't hit hard. He even had two hits in the fifth inning, as the Wolves batted around.

Boudreaux credits all that he has done at the plate with a simple philosophy: He works hard.  "When I was younger I kind of had raw ability, but it wasn't refined," he said. "Here they work with you a lot. In the eighth, ninth and 10th grades they get you ready for varsity. You get a lot of cuts. We work hard on this."

Boudreaux, whose grandfather played basketball at St. Paul's and father played baseball for De La Salle, came to St. Paul's for the eighth grade and has been taking cuts ever since.  "He works extremely hard," Nunez said. "He used to be a dead-pull hitter, but now he can use the whole field. He's one of these kind of Charlie Hustles, who runs out everything. He has a lot of desire."

Said Boudreaux: "You want to use the whole field because people are sure to change their approach to you if you have had some success. Particularly in district, they know you well. You can tell early in the count what they're going to do, and you try to make the adjustment."

And he's a team player above all. Against Slidell last week, he came up in a tie game with runners on first and second. Nunez called on his No. 3 hitter, who is second on the team in hitting, to lay down a bunt.  Some might think Boudreaux was bucking the call when he took two strikes, looking for a chance to swing the bat, but that was not the case.  "He didn't miss a beat when we called on him to bunt," Nunez said. "He's a complete team player." 

"It didn't surprise me much when he called for it. We bunt a lot," Boudreaux said. "With men on first and second, it wasn't a problem."  But with two strikes, leaving the bunt on?

"Yeah, I think that's the first time I've ever done that," he said. "But it was kind of exciting because I knew if I bunted foul, I would be out." 

He didn't. He moved the runners up, though even that disturbed him.  "I kind of bunted too hard, straight back to the pitcher, but I got it down."

The Wolves have lost two consecutive one-run games in which the winning runs have been scored in the final inning. But Boudreaux and his teammates will keep swinging.