The Tigerpen

Author: Aaliyah Brown

  • Memphis Drops series Against Inter Rival Foe Charlotte 49ers 

    Memphis baseball on the road versus the 49ers at Robert & Mariam Hayes Stadium (Image Credit: Brock Busick / Memphis Athletics)

    By: Chandler Black and Aaliyah Brown

    CHARLOTTE, NC – The University of Memphis Tigers baseball team traveled to Charlotte to face a new rival in the 49ers, who are in their first year in the AAC. Memphis aimed to secure some conference wins this weekend to strengthen their resume, but they ultimately fell short on the road, swept in the series and losing four games in a row.

    Game 1

    David Warren started pitching for Memphis, while Cole Reynolds took the mound for Charlotte. Will Marcy began the game with a double down the third base line.

    Memphis took a 2-0 lead in the first inning after a double by Austin Baskin and a sac-fly. Pierre Seals drew a walk to load the bases early on, setting up the scoring opportunity.

    In the second inning, the offense maintained their momentum. Brennan DuBose hit a solo shot to deep center field, extending the lead to three runs. This was DuBose’s seventh home run of the season.

    The 49ers’ bats awakened in the third inning, as Carson Bane hit a sac-fly to score a run. The Tigers turned a double play, but Charlotte added another run. Memphis led 3-2 after three innings.

    Charlotte maintained their momentum in the 4th, tying the game at 3 runs apiece with an RBI double from Kaden Hopsen. With two outs in the fifth and the bases loaded, Charlotte was able to escape the half inning thanks to a strikeout from Jacob Compton.

    The 49ers offense kept rolling after escaping a bases loaded jam. Brandon Stahlman’s RBI single gave his team the lead, and Shane Taylor’s triple brought home Noah Furcht for a 5-3 advantage.

    With the game on the line, Memphis faced their final three outs. In the 9th inning, they had two runners on and one out. Austin Baskin’s walk loaded the bases for Daunte Stuart, creating a dramatic finale.

    Stuart struck out, leaving Memphis with their final out. A wild pitch allowed one more tiger to score, but it was too much to overcome. Charlotte took game one with a final score of 6-4.

    After the game, head coach Matt Riser said, “They grabbed the momentum and just ran with it…that’s how you win ball games. Those middle innings will always beat you.” 

    Doubleheader at Charlotte

    The University of Memphis baseball team dropped its final two games against South Florida on Saturday evening, losing by scores of 12-11 and 5-4 at Robert & Mariam Hayes Stadium.

    With the loss, the Tigers are four games under .500 to a record of 18-22 and 6-9 in AAC play, while the 49ers improve to 19-21 and 8-7 in the conference. 

    “I thought the guys competed well, but the story of the weekend was we lost by a combined four runs and left 30 runners on base, and they left 15 on base,” head coach Matt Riser said. 

    Will Macy led off the top of the first inning with a single in game one of a doubleheader. The Tigers scored a run after Pierre Seals’ sacrifice fly to right field, giving them an early 1-0 advantage.

    The 49ers started strong with Shane Taylor’s lead-off single, followed by Carson Bayne’s two-run homer at the bottom of the first, giving Charlotte a 3-1 lead.

    In the second inning, Memphis responded with a run after Marcy’s double drove in Aaron Smigelski, putting the Tigers on the board for two runs. Jake Curtis’ two-run single gave Memphis the lead 4-3.

    Bayne hit his second home run of the game for Charlotte at the bottom of the third inning to tie it up at 4-4.

    Jonah Sutton’s fourth-inning home run gave the Tigers a 5-4 lead, and the team went on to load the bases following a Jacob Compton walk.

    Seals hit his second double of the game by the top of the sixth, bringing Compton up to bat for the Tigers, who hit a two-run homer to give Memphis a 9-4 lead.

    After a two-hour weather delay for lightning, the 49ers came out swinging in the bottom of the sixth, with Dante DeFranco scoring the first run and Shane Taylor hitting a two-out single to cut the lead to 9-6.

    The 49ers tied the game 9-9 in the seventh inning after two RBI singles and a sacrifice fly. Jacob Compton would come up to bat at the top of the eighth hitting his second home run of the ballgame to give Memphis a 11-9 lead.

    In the bottom of the ninth inning, down by two runs, Juan Correa hit a solo home run and Bayne hit his third homer of the game to tie the score. With no pressure on the 49ers after tying the game, pinch hitter AJ Bianchina went up to bat. A walk-off homer would give the 49ers a 12-11 victory over the Tigers.

    Game 3

    Despite their efforts to avoid a sweep and earn a conference victory, the Tigers were edged out by the 49ers in a one-run game, losing 5-4.

    Charlotte took an early 3-0 lead for the first time this series in the bottom of the first inning after an RBI double from Juan Correa and two RBI singles. The Tigers responded with three runs of their own to tie the game 3-3 in the sixth. 

    Daunte Stuart scored off a double from Pierre Seals, making it a 3-2 ballgame. Brennan DuBose’s RBI single tied the game, but the 49ers regained the lead with a RBI single. Memphis responded with a single from Austin Baskin to tie the game. 

    In the 7th inning, the 49ers scored on a sacrifice fly to take the lead 5-4. Neither team scored in the final two innings, giving Charlotte the series sweep over the Tigers.

    UP NEXT

    Memphis will return to FedExPark Avron Fogelman Field on Tuesday for a one game match against Mississippi State at 6 p.m.  

  • AAC Baseball Weekend Recap

    AAC Baseball Weekend Recap

    Memphis Baseball Faces Rice in Game Three at Reckling Park (Eli Parker / Memphis Athletics)

    By Aaliyah Brown and Chandler Black

    East Carolina University Pirates (23-7) (6-3 AAC)

    Following their road victory against NC State, No.9 ranked East Carolina traveled to Florida to face FAU in a three-game conference series. The Pirates secured a 4-1 victory in the first game of the series against the Owls. FAU halted East Carolina’s six-game winning streak by edging out a 6-5 win in the second game. In the final game of the series on Sunday, East Carolina University emerged victorious with an 8-6 win to secure the series victory. The 9th-ranked Pirates are scheduled to play a single-game match against Elon at home on Tuesday, followed by a two-game series against Old Dominion on Wednesday. They will transition into conference play, hosting a three-game weekend series against AAC opponent Charlotte at home.

    University of Memphis Tigers ( 17-17) (5-4 AAC)

    The Tigers have reached a .500 record for the season and are currently on a four-game winning streak following their victory over Ole Miss. The team defeated the Rebels with a score of 9-4 at FedEx Fogelman Field before heading to Houston for a three-game series against Rice in the conference. This road sweep against conference opponents marks Memphis’ first since 2012 when they were part of C-USA and defeated Houston. Notably, there were no home runs hit by either team during the series. The Tigers clinched a hard-fought 4-3 victory on Friday night in a 15-inning game.  Next, they will travel to Conway, Arkansas, to take on Central Arkansas in a one-game matchup before returning home for a three-game weekend series against UTSA, who are currently ranked No.1 in the AAC with a (7-2) record and (19-13) overall. 

    Florida Atlantic University Owls (18-11) (5-4 AAC) 

    After securing a three-game series win on the road against Memphis, the Owls returned home on Tuesday to face the University of Miami, emerging victorious with a 3-0 score. They took on the formidable No. 9-ranked ECU in a challenging series. Despite ECU claiming victory in games one and three, the Owls managed to defeat them 6-5 on Saturday, ending ECU’s six-game winning streak. This weekend, the Owls achieved a 2-2 record and will now hit the road once more to rematch against Miami in a single-game showdown on Tuesday night. As conference play kicks off, FAU will travel to Wichita, Kan., for a three-game series against Wichita State.

    University of North Carolina at Charlotte 49ers (14-18) (4-5 AAC) 

    The 49ers ended the week with a 1-3 record. They played against Campbell, who has a .710 record (22-9), and lost 13-9 at home. In a three-game conference series on the road against UTSA, the 49ers won game one 10-5 on Friday night but then lost the next two games 4-14 and 1-13, bringing their AAC record to 4-5. Next, the 49ers will face North Carolina A&T at home on Tuesday. Following that, they will head to Greenville, N.C., for a three-game series against ECU later in the week.

    University of South Florida Bulls (19-13) (6-3 AAC)

    After a three-game losing streak following a 9-19 defeat to Stetson on Tuesday night, the Bulls turned the tide and swept Wichita State in a three-game conference series at home. They emerged victorious in game one with a score of 7-3 and clinched game two with a close 8-7 win. The final game of the series extended into 10 innings, resulting in a tight 3-2 victory for the Bulls as they sealed the sweep. This week, the Bulls have a single home game against Bethune-Cookman before heading to New Orleans, La., for a three-game series against Tulane, who currently hold a 17-15 overall record and a 3-6 AAC record.

    Wichita State Shockers (19-13) (1-4 AAC)

    The Shockers had a chance to make some big moves this week. They had two great home opponents and a conference road series over the weekend. The started off the week by dropping a game to the University of Oklahoma by a score of 2-11. They did bounce back however by beating the Kansas Jayhawks 7-6 the very next night. They did not have a good weekend, however. They were swept by the South Florida Bulls. They went just 1-4 for the week.

    Rice Owls (9-23) (1-8 AAC)

    Rice has had a disappointing season, and this week was no different. They visited a familiar foe on Tuesday when they battled the Houston Cougars. The Owls lost this matchup by a score of 3-4. They then hosted the Memphis Tigers over the weekend at Reckling Park. This series saw Memphis defeat Rice three straight times including a marathon 15 inning loss on Saturday night. Rice went 0-4 for the week and fell to 9-23 for the season.

    Tulane Green Wave (17-15) (3-6 AAC)

    Tulane went 2-2 this week. They did however manage to score a whooping 41 runs this week. They kicked off this week’s campaign by defeating Texas Southern 19-1 in just seven innings. They then traveled to Tulane where they lost a weekend series two games to one. The Green Wave now sit at 17-15.

    UAB Blazers (14-17) (3-6 AAC)

    UAB split their four games this week. On Wednesday, they traveled to face an in-state rival, the Auburn Tigers. The Blazers dropped this game by a margin of 10-4. They then hosted the Tulane Green Wave over the weekend. They won this series two games to one. Their loss came on Saturday where they did manage to cross the plate 13 times. They move to 14-17 for the season.

    UTSA Roadrunners (19-13) (7-2 AAC)

    The Roadrunners had a good week. They started off by traveling to an inner-city rival, the UIW Cardinals. They picked up a road win 7-4. UTSA then hosted the Charlotte 49ers. They won this series 2 games to win, tallying a total of 22 runs over the three games. They took care of Charlotte in just seven innings on Saturday and at Sunday’s rubber match. UTSA now finds themselves at 19-13 for the year.

  • Memphis baseball falls on the road, USF evens series with 9-5 win

    Memphis baseball falls on the road, USF evens series with 9-5 win

    The University of Memphis baseball team lost its game two against South Florida on Saturday evening, as the Bulls evened the series 1-1 with a score of 9-5 at USF Baseball Stadium. 

    With the loss, the Tigers drop below .500 at 12-13 and split their first two AAC games, as the Bulls improve to 13-10 overall and also 1-1 in league action.

    “We got off to a slow start with the four runs there in the first,” head coach Matt Riser said. “On a day we had probably our worst baseball, no defense and big moments we could’ve had some big hits and didn’t do it, still in it to win the ballgame tonight.”

    In the first inning, South Florida scored four-runs to take an early lead. Jackson Mayo hit an RBI single through the left side, and Stewart Puckett followed with a two-run single to put the Bulls up 3-0. Puckett then stole a base, allowing John Montes to score on a passed ball and extend the score to 4-0. 

    South Florida loaded the bases in the first inning before Dawson Mock grounded out to end the frame. 

    Memphis Seth Cox at bat against South Florida at USF Baseball Stadium ( Image Credit: Brock Busick / Memphis Athletics)

    Reaching the fifth inning after going scoreless the first four, a fielder’s choice by Seth Cox allowed Jake Curtis to score, putting the Tigers on the board. Austin Baskin’s RBI single allowed Cox to advance to second and Brennan DuBose scored, cutting the Bulls lead to 5-2. 

    Through the bottom of the fifth inning and up until the top of the eighth, neither team scored a run with only four hits combined for both sides. There was also a pitching change made by South Florida.

    After two innings closed by double plays, Brennan DuBose cut the deficit to one run with a fielder’s choice. The Bulls then exploited a four-run eighth inning including John Montes’ game changing grand slam.

    Jacob Compton kept the Tigers’ hopes alive in the top of the ninth by hitting an RBI single to left that made it a 9-5 ballgame with two outs. Unfortunately, Pierre Seals struck out next, ending any chance at a comeback.

    “We have a lot to clean up, but I think you take confidence in that, knowing you played poorly and still had a chance to win it against their guys,” head coach Matt Riser said.

    The Tigers will return to USF Baseball Stadium on Sunday for the series’ final game against South Florida at noon in hopes of claiming the series win. 

  • Memphis Baseball Falls to No.21 Mississippi State in explosive offensive battle

    Memphis Baseball Falls to No.21 Mississippi State in explosive offensive battle

    Brock Busick/University of Memphis Athletics
    Memphis Tiger Pierre Seals scores Tuesday against Mississippi State on an RBI ground out by Jake Curtis.


    The Memphis Tigers baseball team lost against No.21  Mississippi State Tuesday at Dudy Noble Field by a score of 17-9. The win puts the Tigers a game under .500 (11-12) and Mississippi State improves to (16-6) on the season. 

    Cade Davis drew the start and had a solid performance through three innings, allowing three runs on four hits and tailing a strikeout. 

    “We did a good job coming out early and Cade Davis was pretty good,” Memphis head coach Matt Riser said. “I know he gave up a couple of homers but at the end of the day, I thought he pitched well.” 

    A double by Jacob Compton to right field led to Riley Davis’ single to third that drove in Compton and allowed Brennan DuBose to score and gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead after an error by the left fielder. That was the first error of the season for Logan Kohler and it came against his former Memphis team. 

    The Tigers took a 9-3 advantage in the fifth inning after a two-run double by Jacob Compton. Memphis tallied five consecutive hits at the top of the fifth to start the inning and had the Bulldogs on the ropes. 

    Seven hits in the fifth inning included five singles, one double, and a home run. Seth Cox hit a three-run home run to extend the Tiger’s lead, and then Compton doubled to center which drove in Austin Baskin and Daunte Stuart. 

    But the Bulldogs responded with seven runs of their own at the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 10-9 lead into the sixth. 

    Connor Hujsak drew a walk, which scored David Mershon from third with the bases loaded. Mississippi State Amari Larry (0-3) got his first hit of the night to tie the game 9-9. Then Johnny Long scored with the bases loaded as Dakota Jordan got hit.

    Memphis struggled to score after the fifth inning. While the Bulldogs added a run in the sixth and four runs in the seventh. Hujsak hit a home run with runners on second and third to put the Bulldogs up 15-9. 

    After the game, Coach Riser spoke of the team’s defense and miscommunication heading into the conference play. 

    “These middle innings are killing us, and we have to be better, not only on the mound but also defensively,” said coach Matt Riser. “We have to do a good job of getting some things fixed these next couple of days to get ready for conference play.” 

    UP NEXT 

    The Memphis Tigers are back in action Friday against South Florida in Tampa, Florida at Red McEwen Field. This marks the Tigers first conference series of the season. First pitch is set for 5:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+. 

  • AAC baseball weekly preview: The conference has a combined record above .500

    AAC baseball weekly preview: The conference has a combined record above .500

    Jacob Morgan/Tigerpen
    Tiger centerfielder at bat Will Marcy versus Bowling Green at the FedExPark Avron Fogelman Field.

    The 10 teams in the American Athletic Conference have a combined record of 59-53 to start the 2024 baseball season. East Carolina is ranked 11th among the top 25 D-1 baseball. UAB and Rice are the only two teams below .500. 

    East Carolina University Pirates (7-4)

    The Pirates opened up the week facing off against four teams in a one-game stretch. After winning two straight against No.15 ranked North Carolina, they lost on the road Tuesday against Old Dominion 5-6. Then on Friday faced Purdue at home winning 7-1. ECU closed out the weekend at home against Cal State Fullerton and Southeastern Louisiana. The Pirates won 2-1 and lost 9-11 against Southeastern Louisiana. The 11th-ranked Pirates will meet VCU in the two-game series at home. Next up the Pirates take on VCU in a two-game series. 

    University of Memphis Tigers (7-6)

    The Tigers are above .500 so far this season and tied the two-game series against UT Martin at home. They took on Wright State in a three-game weekend series, winning 2-1. Memphis were looking for their first series sweep but fell short in the finale of the series 17-7. This marks the Tiger’s second straight series win. They now go to Oxford, Miss., to face Ole Miss (8-5) in a one-game match. The Rebels are on a two-game winning streak and have a 6-3 record at home. 

    Florida Atlantic University Owls ( 6-5) 

    The Owls finished the week with a 2-3 record. They faced off against UCF in a one-game series at home and lost 6-11. UCF have won 5 of their last 6 games with a record of 8-1 (.889). Then on Wednesday, losing the game against UNF 6-8. The Owls went on to win the three-game series against Stonehill. This week they face off against No.4 Florida. 

    University of North Carolina at Charlotte 49ers (6-6)

    The 49ers opened up the week with a one game series 3-2 win Tuesday at home against the Wofford Terriers who have a record above .500 (9-2). They then went on the road to Norfolk, VA to face Old Dominion in a three-game series, losing 2-1. The 49ers are back at home Tuesday against Western Carolina and then take on Maryland in a three-game weekend series. 

    University of South Florida Bulls (5-5)

    The Bulls went to Tallahassee, FL to take on Florida State. They went on to lose 4-12 in a one-game. Then on Friday they opened up the three-game weekend series on the road against UCF losing 1-2. They face off against a North Florida team who have won six straight games. 

    AAC weekly baseball honors list 

    PLAYER OF THE WEEK 

    Caleb Hill, Sr., OF – UTSA 

    PITCHER OF THE WEEK 

    Caden Favors, Sr. – Wichita State 

    HONOR ROLL

    • Trey Yesavage, Jr., P – East Carolina 
    • Carter Cunningham, Sr., INF – East Carolina 
    • Jacob Compton, Sr., 1B/DH – Memphis 
    • Gavin Schulz, Jr., INF – Tulane 
    • Camden Johnson, Fr., INF – Wichita State 
  • Stuart Completes Long Journey from Bahamas to Memphis by way of Texas, Louisiana

    Stuart Completes Long Journey from Bahamas to Memphis by way of Texas, Louisiana

    Matt Smith/Memphis Athletics

    Memphis second baseman overcame injury to set records before transferring for final season

    Long Road to Memphis

    When Daunte Stuart was 14 years old, his parents moved the family from the Bahamas to the United States so his parents could attend college in Houston, Texas.

    One of the things that traveled with Stuart on that long journey to the U.S.—his love of baseball.

    “Growing up living in the Bahamas it’s different than over here,” Stuart said. “The biggest difference is that I was around family so much and the culture. It’s a smaller place where I’m from and I got to play a lot of baseball with my childhood friends.”

    In Houston, Stuart played baseball for Woodlands High School before committing to Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana.  

    While at Northwestern State Stuart made his mark.

    He tied the single-game school hitting record with three doubles, which scored two runs, in a loss against Stephen F. Austin.

    During his senior season, he ranked second on the team with 40 RBIs and tied for third with seven home runs. Stuart broke the school record in single-game total stolen bases and single-game home runs (3).  

    His impressive season at Northwestern State caught the attention of Memphis, who reached out to Stuart when he announced his decision to enter the transfer portal as a graduate student for his last year of eligibility.  

    Stuart saw the chance to play for the Tigers as an opportunity to have his best season yet.

    “I thought that Memphis would be a great program for me to play one of my best seasons possible,” Stuart said. “And be part of a team that I see having a successful season.”

    The main goal for his final season? Putting it all out on the field so that when he looks back on his time at Memphis he can say he gave it his best.

    Bouncing back from injury   

    A few years ago Stuart’s chances of playing for Memphis or any other school were in jeopardy.

    In the last game of his Sophomore season at Northwestern State, he fractured his hamate bone, which forced him to be out for the entire summer.

    When he returned for fall ball, the hamate bone fractured again, and surgery was needed right before his junior season.  

    “That whole process was a tough mental battle because I never had surgery before,” Stuart said. “So having to deal with that and understanding what it’s like to come back from a serious injury helped me become a stronger ball player.”

    Missing out on baseball for seven months was a major setback, especially because the injury prevented him from being able to swing a bat. Despite months of recovering, Stuart said the injury made him stronger.

    It was an emotional ride for Stuart, who felt like he was having to relearn how to swing a bat. But he came back in a big way.

    The second baseman posted a career-high five hits in a game his junior season and went 4-for-9 with a double, four RBIs, and a home run in a doubleheader sweep of Alcorn State University.  

    “It’s easy to put in work when you just had a good game but when you haven’t got a hit in your last five or six games that shows this is something I really want to do,” Stuart said. “You have to love baseball and it has to be a part of who you are.”  

    Despite all the adversity, Stuart’s success on the baseball field is centered around his love for the game and those who inspire him to become the best version of himself.  

    Through the obstacles and challenges, Stuart defeated the odds and kept grinding no matter the circumstances. Stuart looks to finish his collegiate career with the Memphis Tigers baseball team, knowing that he left it all out there on the baseball field.  

  • Memphis Baseball Ties Series Against Jacksonville State

    Memphis Baseball Ties Series Against Jacksonville State

    Jacksonville, Ala.—The University of Memphis Tigers baseball team defeated Jacksonville State 7-4 Saturday to tie the three-game series at one each. Coach Matt Riser earned his first win with the Tigers and 321st of his career.

    Photos by Brock Busick/University of Memphis Baseball
    Coach Matt Riser recorded his first win at the helm of the Memphis baseball program. Saturday’s 7-4 victory over Jacksonville State marked Riser’s 321st career win.

    Austin Baskin struck first, putting the Tigers on board early in the top of the 1st inning with his first RBI of the season. He hit a double to the left-center field.

    Jacksonville State tied the game in the 2nd inning with a bases-loaded hit by pitch from Michael Dallas.

    The Tigers’ regained the lead with Jacob Compton’s first solo home run of the game in the top of the third inning.

    Jacksonville State added one in the bottom of the third off the hit of Derrick Jackson Jr. to tie the ballgame 2-2.

    An RBI-triple from Pierre Seals and an RBI double from Alex Fernandes, his first hit of the game, extended the Tigers lead to 4-2 in the fourth inning.

    The hits and runs continued in the fifth inning. Aaron Smigelski and Daunte Stuart hit back-to-back home runs, a first for each this season.

    “The offense showed up again there early in the game and mentally we got to continue to grow and get stronger to finish off some games,” coach Matt Riser said.

    Seth Cox made his pitching debut walking the first batter before recording back-to-back strikeouts heading into the ninth inning.

    “I really enjoyed seeing what he did and that’s a great job of separating,” Riser said. “[Seth Cox] didn’t have a great day at the plate at all, and really had a big day yesterday, so he could’ve carried that over to the mound.”

    Riser commended his team for handling the Friday afternoon marathon 13-inning loss and coming back Saturday with a superior offensive showing.

    “I’m proud of the guys bouncing back after a tough game last night,” Riser said. “I thought again we had some big plays, some big moments, and I think this time we finished it.”

    UP NEXT
    Memphis and Jacksonville State will face off in their series finale on Sunday. First pitch between the Tigers and Gamecocks at Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. on ESPN+