Tulane coach Rick Jones opened the door and quietly walked out of the clubhouse. He saw the media, but looked down at the ground. Jones already knew what questions would be asked.

Minutes earlier, Tulane fell to Central Florida in the season finale Saturday – a loss that eliminated the Green Wave from playing in the 2010 Conference USA Tournament. This is the first baseball postseason that won’t include the Green Wave in Jones’ 17 years of coaching the squad.

“It’s unacceptable for the expectation level for our program, and that starts with me,” Jones said. “We’re going to work as hard as we can to make sure this never happens again.”

But the woes of Tulane baseball this season are deeper than just Jones putting the blame on himself.

Even before Tulane became a Conference USA member in 1995, the Green Wave had played in the postseason every year since 1989 and in 11 of the 12 years prior to that. But getting past the conference tournament has proved difficult in recent years. At one point, the Green Wave reached the College World Series nine years in a row under Jones, but the team has failed to even make the NCAA Tournament three of the last four years.

While the conference tournament was recently changed to include only six rather than eight of the league’s nine teams, that didn’t affect Tulane this year as the team finished last in the standings and would have missed the tournament under the older format, too. The tournament starts next week in Houston with Rice as the top seed.

“Never in a million years did I think coming to Tulane I would be sitting right here with the season over a couple of days before the conference tournament starts,” catcher Jeremy Schaffer said after the season-ending loss. “It’s a shock.”

Jones said he has fielded good teams in the past few years. Yet Tulane has struggled to stay as one of college baseball’s elite teams since Hurricane Katrina. The aftermath of the storm made recruiting more difficult as the entire city has struggled to rebuild. Tulane combated the problem by building Turchin Stadium in 2008, a 5,000-seat ballpark that has been called the crown jewel of the school’s athletic facilities.

The Green Wave has also struggled to execute on the field. Unlike some of the World Series teams, this season was unusual because Tulane played inconsistently in every facet of the game. The biggest problem area may have been pitching – Jones actually thought the pitching staff was going to be the strength of the team, but Tulane gave up 48 homers this year, the second-highest total in the conference.

“Our pitching staff has to get better,” Jones said. “We have to have starters go deep in the game. We’re going to continue to recruit pitching.”

On the bright side, next year the Green Wave is projected to return with seven seniors and a pitching staff that can build off the experience of this season.

But for the current players, next season feels a long way away. For a school where baseball is the most popular sport, ending the season before June is hard to comprehend.

“We didn’t see this coming,” shortstop Garrett Cannizaro said. “We have to get back into it next year.” That pain was evident at Turchin Stadium following the difficult last game, a 17-6 loss made worse because it was shortened by the 10-run mercy rule.

Senior pitcher Matt Petiton left the clubhouse and hurried into an equipment room. Even if his teammates couldn’t see him, his tears were still heard in the hallway.

In the stands, one fan lingered more than 30 minutes after the last pitch. An older man who was wearing Tulane shorts, T-shirt and cap was sitting in the third row behind home plate. In 85-degree heat, his head was down.

The season was over, a tough fact for all Green Wave fans.

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Tulane’s season turned from optimistic to bleak within the first 35 minutes of Saturday’s season finale. The University of Central Florida scored six runs in the first inning, a lead that expanded into a 17-6 season-ending loss for the Green Wave at Turchin Stadium.

The loss breaks a streak of 21 consecutive postseason appearances for Tulane. Even before 1996, when the Conference USA tournament was created, the Green Wave had played in postseason baseball since 1989. Not this year.

“I’ve never thought of it before,” said coach Rick Jones of missing the tournament. “This is a first. I don’t know what to say right now other than it’s unacceptable.”

What made the season-ending loss even worse was that Tulane received the help it needed to reach the tournament. Both East Carolina and Rice won their final games of the season, which was more than the Green Wave needed. A win by either team could have sent Tulane to the conference tournament in Houston next week. But Tulane didn’t keep up its end of the deal.

Starter Matt Petiton struggled from the first pitch.

He gave up two hits before center fielder Ronnie Richardson came to the plate. Richardson hit a three-run homer to left center. It was only the beginning, as the next four batters reached base before Petiton recorded his only two outs of the game.

“I felt like no matter how good of a pitch I threw, they got a barrel on it,” Petiton said. “I envision something completely different, but this is a tough day.”

Tulane (32-24, 10-14 in Conference USA) did score two runs in the bottom of the first to give temporary hope to the 2,727 fans who came expecting the Green Wave to beat a UCF team (33-22, 10-14 in Conference USA) that already knew its season was over.

But the pitching woes continued throughout the game.

Here’s what the band of relievers did for six innings: Gunner Wright gave up four runs. Drew Zizinia allowed two runs. Preston Claiborne offered up three runs. And Nate Fury let two Knights cross the plate.

For Jones, it wasn’t just that the Green Wave lost two games out of the three-game series to end its season. He knows that his team isn’t going to win every series, but it was how his team lost that surprised him. Of the 25 innings played in the three games, UCF scored in 20 innings.

“I know the players are disappointed, but we have to play better,” Jones said. “The numbers don’t lie, and it starts on the mound.”

The fans were disappointed, too. They started to leave in the top of the seventh inning after UCF left fielder Chris Duffy hit a grand slam to give the Knights an 11-run lead, which allowed the game to end after seven innings based on the 10-run mercy rule.

“We have to learn from it,” catcher Jeremy Schaffer said of the disappointment. “The next season starts today, and we have to start working toward that goal.”

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Shortstop Garrett Caunizaro (2) celebrates with teammates after Tulane player Gunner Wright (31) made a grand slam during their game against University of Central Florida on Friday May 21, 2010 in New Orleans at Turchin Stadium. (Imani Cheers/NYT Institute)

Tulane’s season looked all but over when designated hitter Gunner Wright stepped to the plate in the seventh inning, his team down three runs to the University of Central Florida. A loss would have eliminated the Green Wave from postseason play.

Game over, right? Season finished, right? Not exactly.

You have to understand this about Tulane: Fortunes can turn quickly.

Wright stepped out of the batter’s box and took a deep breath and started his on-deck routine: singing “Forgot about Dre,” by Eminem to himself.

“After I saw the slider on the first pitch,” Wright said of UCF reliever Matt Manning, “I knew he was coming with another one.”

And indeed he did. Wright turned the hanging slider into a grand slam, and the one-run deficit into a three-run lead. UCF scored two runs in the eighth, but the Green Wave was able to hold on for a 14-10 win in front of 2,571 fans at Turchin Stadium on Friday night.

The Green Wave (32-23, 10-13 in Conference USA) can still advance to the Conference USA Tournament next week with a win in Saturday’s season finale and a win by either East Carolina or Rice.

The team is just excited to have an opportunity at postseason baseball, given how things looked when UCF scored four runs in the sixth inning to take an 8-5 lead.

Instead of pressing with just three innings left to mount a comeback, the Green Wave showed a level of calm that impressed coach Rick Jones. When UCF reliever Joe Rogers entered the game in the seventh, Tulane hitters didn’t swing at the first pitch.

He watched ball one pass. Then ball two. Ball Three. And eventually, ball four.

“We had to have patient at-bats,” Jones said. “They were having some command issues.”

Still, Jones had a decision to make when Wright stepped to the plate. In recent games, Wright struggled against lefthanders like Rogers. But instead of playing the numbers, Jones left Wright in, who had already hit a home run in the game.

“The wind was blowing out, so we felt like maybe if he could get a hanger, and sure enough he got one,” Jones said. “He put a good swing on a mistake.”

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Tulane

The sound was sharp. Loud. Aggravating. Describe it any way you want, but Tulane reliever Drew Zizinia knew the baseball was never coming back. And neither was Wednesday’s game.

Down four runs in the sixth inning, Zizinia bowed his head in frustration as Chris Duffy, University of Central Florida’s best hitter, began his home run trot.

It wasn’t the first time the Green Wave watched a Knight take his time rounding the bases. Tulane never led in the 12-6 loss, as the Knights hit five solo home runs. Tulane must now win its final two games to have a chance of advancing to the Conference USA Tournament, which begins in Houston next week.

Tulane

A loss tomorrow or Saturday will eliminate the Green Wave from the tournament for the first time since it began in 1996.

“There was nothing I could say that was a bright spot,” coach Rick Jones said.

Tulane starter Conrad Flynn began the night of bad pitching by giving up a home run to Darnell Sweeney in the first inning. He then gave home runs to center fielder Ronnie Richardson in the second and another in the third to right fielder Shane Brown.

The Knights (31-21) scored in every inning but the ninth.

But given all of that, with UCF leading 5-3, the Green Wave did have an opportunity to tie the game in the fifth inning. With one out, Tulane (31-23) loaded the bases on three walks. UCF starter Bryan Brown was struggling with his command, and his first two pitches to second baseman Brennan Middleton were balls.

But the third pitch ended the Green Wave’s momentum when Middleton grounded into a double play.

“Conrad got us out of some big innings there to give us a chance,” Jones said. “We just didn’t capitalize. When we got a chance to get something going, the double play just took our energy.”

From there, Zizinia entered the game, and Duffy’s homer gave the Knights a comfortable lead.

“Anytime you play a team that scores every inning, it’s tough to beat them even if you answer back a few times,” Tulane shortstop Garrett Cannizaro said. “Playing from behind puts pressure on everybody.”

What made the performance such a surprise to Jones was how well his team played Tuesday when the Green Wave defeated defending national champion Louisiana State University in such a convincing fashion, 9-1.

“I just didn’t see this coming,” Jones said. “I wish I could explain it.”

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Designated hitter Neil Wilson slides safely at home Tuesday afternoon under Sacramento River Cats pitcher Clay Mortensen. (Thaisi H. Da Silva/NYT Institute)

Give the New Orleans Zephyrs credit for this in Tuesday’s afternoon game: They took advantage of the Sacramento River Cats miscues. In a game where the River Cats had two errors and three wild pitches, the Zephyrs turned those mistakes into a 12-2 win at Zephyrs Field.

It was the type of performance manager Edwin Rodriguez wanted from his team with a fourth of the season already gone. Unlike their performance in recent games, the Zephyrs played solid defense and scored when the opportunities presented themselves. The win gave the Zephyrs (17-20) a split in the four-game series with the River Cats (17-22).

Now the Zephyrs will try to keep their momentum when their eight-game road trip starts Thursday against the Tacoma Rangers (16-21), who have lost their last four games. If Rodriguez wants to see his team improve, the Zephyrs need to win the four-game series against a Rangers team that has had as slow a start as the River Cats.

That means doing what third baseman Hector Luna and designated hitter Neil Wilson did Tuesday when the Zephyrs needed a spark.

With the score tied at 2-2, the Zephyrs opened the fifth inning by loading the bases. But two consective outs left it up to Luna to deliver the key hit with Wilson on third base.

But Luna didn’t even have to swing the bat.

A wild pitch by Clay Mortensen allowed Wilson to slide home on a close play.

And when Luna struck out later in the at-bat, he was still able to advance to first base on another wild pitch from Mortensen, forcing center fielder Lorenzo Scott home, to give the Zephyrs a 3-1 lead.

“I think that was the turning point,” manager Edwin Rodriguez said of the two runs, and particularly Wilson’s base running. “That was a very good play by him because there was two outs, two strikes and the ball wasn’t that far away.”

From there, Luna and Wilson carried the offense: Wilson hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning, while Luna’s three-run homer came in the eighth.

The big lead was more than enough cushion for starter Brian Lawrence, as he pitched six innings, giving up one earned run. Lawrence continued the Zephyrs success by using his newest pitch – a palmball – to get of out jams in the fifth and sixth inning.

“He’s a pleasure to catch because it’s a really good pitch,” Wilson said. “That palmball sometimes looks like a split-finger because it has some serious action on it.”

What Rodriguez said he was most impressed with in the win was how Luna, one of the Zephyrs best hitters, has stopped putting pressure on himself. The adjustment has help Luna bat .423 in the past eight games. It also proved important in the field, as he made a difficult play to record an out in the sixth inning.

“He played good defense, too, by making a play in the hole that saved a run,” Lawrence said of Luna. “When you can play good defense and have good at-bats, it’s going to carry over to the next guy.”

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New Orleans Zephyrs pitcher Ryan Tucker during the Zephyrs

It was only the fourth inning, but it was clear that Ryan Tucker was heading into the dugout for the night because the Zephyrs were down four runs and he had walked four batters.

But before walking off the field, he stopped for an angry exchange with the plate umpire, Mike Jarboe, to complain about what he considered a night of inconsistent calls.

And no matter how hard the Zephyrs struggled the rest of the Monday night, they were never able to overcome Tucker’s poor performance. They lost 9-8 to the Sacramento River Cats.

Tucker didn’t hang around the locker room to explain how he felt. But Manager Edwin Rodriguez made clear he was more disappointed in Tucker than in Jarboe, saying the pitcher shouldn’t have allowed the umpire to affect the way he pitched.

“The umpire is going be behind the plate the whole game,” Rodriguez said. “We fell behind early, and it’s hard to come back. That was pretty much the game.”

Tucker’s trouble began in the second inning. After the Zephyrs took a 1-0 lead, Tucker walked four consecutive batters. After the fourth walk, Tucker disagreed with Jarboe’s call. Jarboe then fired back, ordering Tucker back on the mound.

“The two of them of were irritated at each other,” Rodriguez said.

The third inning wasn’t any better. An error by third baseman Danny Richar set up two runners on base before catcher Josh Donaldson drove both runners in with a double. Left fielder Steven Tollesen followed by driving in Donaldson to give the River Cats a 3-1 lead.

The fourth inning was worse. Tucker allowed three consecutive singles to give the River Cats a 4-1 lead before he left the game.

The loss was as much a drag on Tucker’s record as the Zephyrs’. After throwing a series of strikes in the middle of the plate, he left the game, having allowed five earned runs on six hits. And he has been the losing pitcher in each of his last five starts.

“Ryan is a good pitcher, but he’s been struggling,” Richar said. “The umpire had a bad zone, but that happens.”

The rest of the Zephyrs didn’t help Tucker until it was too late. The Zephyrs left 11 runners on base – many of which reached second base – before they scored six runs in the final two innings to make the game close.

Still, Rodriguez said Tucker bears the brunt of the blame for the Zephyrs’ loss, bringing their season record to 16-20. And before taking Tucker out of the game, Rodriguez said he let the pitcher know what was on his mind.

“This game is all about pitching,” Rodriguez said. “ When you get on the mound, you have control of the game because you have the ball. He has to learn from that.”

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