The Memphis Tigers have bounced back after their loss on Friday night. Against the conference-leading UTSA Roadrunners, they scored twelve runs, while only giving up five. A balanced offense was the key as the Tigers scored in six of the nine innings with a total of eight players contributing a run.
Both teams started off quick as each one scored a run early in the first inning. UTSA contributed another run in the second, but just as it looked as both teams would go blow for blow, the Tigers blew the game wide open. A total of five runs in the second saw Memphis jump up in front big – a lead that they would not give up for the whole game. Coach Riser was more than pleased with his offense after the game: “The hitters did a really good job of digging in. They had some big at-bats for us with big moments early.”
Austin Baskin slides home for a Tigers run. He added another one later on. Photo: Florian Krempel
Starting pitcher Seth Garner had a good showing on the day. After giving up the two runs in the first two innings, he would only allow two more runs during his five played innings. Although the Tigers defense had a couple of easy errors with pitches sailing high over first base, UTSA was not able to capitalize completely.
Luke Ellis pitching in the last inning. He finished the game for the Tigers. Photo: Florian Krempel
The Tigers offense on the other side did not take the foot of the gas pedal as they continued their scoring after the big second inning. Over the next four, they added another six runs to put the game out of reach. Something that, according to coach Riser was immensely important: “We knew, we had to keep the pressure on UTSA. We did a really good job with that.”
When Seth Garner’s day was over, Luke Ellis filled in on the mount. He continued the great pitching performance for Memphis. Over the last four innings, he only allowed one more run for UTSA. The combination of Garner and Ellis already worked for the second time after the same duo finishing off Rice University last Saturday. Coach Riser was full of praise for the tow after the game: “Both of them did a fantastic job. The helped us to get through some difficult stuff today as we did not play great defense today.”
The Tigers offense was on form on Saturday. They scored a total of twelve runs. Photo: Florian Krempel
With using only two pitchers on the day, coach Matt Riser looked forward to having a full bullpen for tomorrow’s rubber match. The Roadrunners, on the other hand, had to burn through another five pitchers on the day. After using the same amount yesterday, tomorrow’s pitching will be something to keep an eye on.
Matt Riser hopes for his team to put on a good showing in all aspects of the game: “We did pitch really well and swung the bat really well. Let’s put all aspects of the game, also the defense, together tomorrow and go win the series.”
The series decider between the Memphis Tigers and the UTSA Roadrunner will kick off at 1 pm at FedEx Park.
With more than half of the season played, the Tigers are still not sure where the team is standing. Bright flashes with big wins are promptly followed by devastating losses only a few days later. So far the Bullpen especially lacks any form of consistency. To one guy this does not apply – Brayden Sanders. He is coach Riser’s man when things get tight.
It is the seventh inning of game one against Florida Atlantic. David Warren has just delivered the best outing of his career as starting pitcher. He tallied seven innings, over a hundred pitches thrown and only one run allowed. But now, his arm gets tired. The score is 2 – 1 for Memphis and the bases are loaded for FAU. What now? For head coach Matt Riser, it is clear what to do. It is time for Brayden Sanders: “When Brayden is in the game, you know it is over.”
And so, it comes: Although FAU loads the bases twice in the last two innings, they are not able to score another run. After the final pitch the Tigers’ dugout erupts – a 2 – 1 victory for Memphis. After the game, Sanders talked about his performance: “As a closer, it is the best feeling ever. It is everybody’s dream. It is the best feeling in baseball.”
Brayden Sanders after his game-winning pitch against FAU. Jacob Morgan/Tigerpen
While Memphis’ season continues to be up-and-down, Brayden Sanders is one bright spot for the Tigers. So far, he has appeared in eleven games and has pitched for 16.1 innings. During these appearances, he only allowed three runs for the opponent. His ERA right now is at 1.65 and he has recorded a whopping 26 strikeouts.
His personal success also translates onto the whole team: From the eleven games he has played in, the Tigers won eight. In six of the matches, he was credited with a save, supporting the argument of coach Riser: When Brayden Sanders is in the game, the game is over most of the time.
Sanders was born in Olive Branch in Mississippi. He started his college career in Ole Miss in 2021. Before that, he attended Lewisburg High School, where he played baseball for the Patriots. During his time there, he started to show his potential: In March 2020, he pitched a complete game no-hitter, striking out 13 and driving in two runs himself. In his junior season, which was cut short due to the COVID-pandemic, he recorded a 1.71 ERA while striking out 27 hitters in only 16 innings. He improved these numbers even more in his senior campaign to a 1.50 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 37 innings.
With those stats he was ranked as the number four RHP and the number 10 overall player in Mississippi coming out of high school. After he spent his first semester at Ole Miss, he transferred to Northwest Mississippi Community College. For the Rangers, he appeared 13 times on the mound. During that, he struck out 53 batters across 36.1 innings. His season high came against Wallace State, when he recorded eight strikeouts in the game. Prior to the 2023 season, he signed with the Memphis Tigers.
Now, one season later, head coach Matt Riser values his skills as the closer highly. After the win against FAU, he had nothing but praise for Brayden Sanders: “If you want to win a championship or have an opportunity to win championships, you got to have a guy that can finish games. Brayden has proven that time and time again.”
What Sanders also has shown time and time again this season, is that he can stay focused on the bench during long games and take over when he is needed. “I have a routine that I do every single game, whether I come in or not. This keeps me in the game and lose, in case they need me in the eighth or the ninth inning”, he said after the FAU game.
Brayden Sanders right before a pitch. Jacob Morgan/Tigerpen
When his name gets called, Sanders has to deliver. For that, he often tries to remind himself that he is good enough and feed off the trust that his coach and his team have in him. Shortly before the pitch, he then shuts his head off: “I really don’t try to think too much, when I am out there. I don’t want a lot going through my mind out there,” said Sanders.
Then, he approaches each pitch individually. “I hit them with my best stuff. When they hit it, I trust my defense. When they swing and miss or I walk them, then I get the next batter,” said Sanders. A strategy that seems to be working.
Brayden Sanders loves team sports. He needs to feel the trust by his team to deliver consistently. Likewise, he also tries to pick up his teammates. Like in the game against Florida Atlantic: In the ninth inning, Jake Curtis missed a critical catch to load the bases for FAU once more. But Sanders stayed calm: “I told him: “Don’t worry, I got you”. And then I got out there and had his back.”
As the season progresses, the Tigers will definitely continue to turn to Brayden Sanders, when things get close. His ability to finish games might prove to be essential, if the team can become more consistent and stay in the game till the end. His team and most of all coach Riser rely on their best closer: “What he has overcome all year long and he continues to perform: I am just really proud of that young man.”
The Memphis Tigers have lost the second game of their series against Florida Atlantic. After the low scoring first match, game two proved to be a home run-festival as FAU hit a total of seven with Memphis adding one more. The Tigers had a chance to come back late into the game, but fell short for the final result of 5-13.
After the series opener saw a pitching masterclass from David Warren and Brayden Sanders, the Tigers could not replicate the same success. Starting pitcher Luke Ellis had an off day as FAU started the game with two home runs bringing the score to 5-0 after the top of the second inning. The Tigers had their chance to answer in the bottom of the second and took it. They scored five runs evening up the score. Another one-run home run for FAU in the third meant the end of the game for Luke Ellis. Coach Riser commented on his showing after the game:
“We saw it pretty early. He did not have his best stuff today,” said Riser. But, I thought, we did pick him up pretty well afterwards”.
Relieving him was Seth Garner, who pitched well on the day. Over the next five innings, he only allowed to more runs for FAU.
Always a step quicker – a FAU player slides to reach base. Photo: Jacob Morgan
The supposed turning point of the game of the game came in the bottom of the seventh inning, as the Tigers loaded up the bases down three with only one out. But just like in game one of the series, Memphis was once again unable to cash in on the situation as they left all three runners stranded. After the game, coach Riser was frustrated with the situation.
“We got to be better off the bench pinch hitting,” said Riser. “We got to be more productive in these situations.”
A series recap of the Tigers’ series against Florida Atlantic.
The missed opportunity in the seventh also meant that the Tigers were only able to score in one of the nine innings. After their big second, the Memphis offense went completely quiet, although there were a lot of chance to add to the scoring.
All eyes on the ball – Daunte Stuart and the Memphis Tigers. Photo: Jacob Morgan
After the seventh, FAU further extended their lead as they added another five runs bringing the final score all the way up to 13-5. This leaves the series tied at 1-1. Sunday will see a rubber match to decide the first conference home series of the Memphis Tigers. After game two, coach Riser already looked forward to the decider.
“Tomorrow is a must-win. We get Caden Robinson, we feel good about the matchup. It will be a good one.”
Due to the travelling schedule of FAU, Sunday’s game will be moved up one hour. So, the first pitch will no longer be happening at 1 pm. The series decider between the Memphis Tigers and Florida Atlantic University will start at 12 pm at FedEx Park.
Tough start into the week for the Memphis Tigers. Their late game surge was not enough to down the Lipscomb Bisons.
The Bisons showed up early as the first hit of the game directly went out of the ballpark for a one-run home run. This would be the only highlight in the first innings as both teams remained quiet for the second. After the Tigers changed pitcher to Seth Garner, Lipscomb was able to drive in two more runs in the third inning.
The Tigers, on the other hand, had a horrible offensive showing on the day. Until the bottom of the seventh inning, no runs were scored while the Bisons could rotate through four different pitchers without any effect. Coach Riser was disappointed with the offensive showing of his team.
“We pitched well enough to win a ball game today,” said Riser. “We got to be better offensively.”
Memphis Tiger Will Marcy gets hit by a pitch. Photo: Florian Krempel
Lipscomb continued the onslaught and increased the lead to 6-0. Then, the Tigers seemed to wake up. Will Marcy and Seth Cox made the score 6-2 with two runs.
The eigth inning could have been the turning point of the game as Memphis loaded the bases with no outs but could only cash in two runs from that. A sequence that frustrated coach Riser.
“We are not bringing guys in that are in scoring positions, real simple,” said Riser. “We got to be better.”
The Lipscomb Bisons on their way to scoring. Photo: Florian Krempel
Coach Riser also complained about the lack of mental toughness in the team. He says that the team will need that, because their opponents in the second half will force them to play at a higher level.
“The second half of the season is a meat grinder. You got to go out and play good baseball now to win games,” said coach Riser after the game.
A chance to play good baseball is waiting just around the corner, as the Memphis Tigers next opponent is a conference rival in FAU. Coach Riser promised to not go easy on the team with a tougher schedule fast approaching.
“This is not gonna be sunshine and rainbow and butterflies for the rest of the way out,” said Riser. “I am gonna ride them and I am gonna ride them hard, cause I expect more out of them.”
Their next game this week will be at 6pm on Thursday, where the Tigers look to get back in the win column after two losses in a row.
Successful week for the AAC as the conference opponents of the Memphis Tigers finished the week with a combined 26-10 record. Especially East Carolina and FAU cemented their ambitions this season after not losing a single game over the last week. But also some of the bottom teams showed impressive performances during the week. Here’s how every team of the AAC did.
East Carolina
Once again, no team was able to stop the Pirates during the last week. East Carolina played four games and won all of them. A close 8-7 victory against UNCW was followed by a 3-0 series win against Columbia. The series was never close as the Pirates started on Friday with a 17-3 blowout win. The clean sweep was completed with an 8-0 and 8-6 win on the following days.
With the four wins during the week, East Carolina continues their reigns at the top of the AAC with a 13-4 record. A record that earns them the no.13 rank in the national standings.
Wichita State
The Shockers of Wichita State University are continuing their great start to the season. A 4-1 record in the last five games and a 12-6 record for the season earns them the number two spot in the conference. Wichita State split the midweek series against Nebraska after losing the first game on Tuesday 6-8. One day later, they were back to their winning ways with a 9-3 win.
The opponent for there weekend series were the Bulldogs from Gonzaga, who proved to be no match for the Shockers: 10-5, 10-6 and 4-3 were the results for Wichita State during the weekend. This series cemented their number two spot in the standings only behind the high-flying Pirates from East Carolina.
Florida Atlantic
FAU added to the successful week for the AAC with a 4-0 record. On Tuesday, they started with a win against their neighbors from Miami. After that they went on to sweep Maine over the weekend. The Owls outscored their helpless opponent 31-6 over the three game series.
With the week in the books, FAU stays in the hunt of Wichita State and East Carolina with an 11-6 record, good enough for the third seed in the AAC.
South Florida
The Bulls from South Florida could not match the success of their state neighbor after splitting the week with a 2-2 record. However, they started promising with a 16-6 win against Maine. Then, on the weekend, the Spartans from UNCG proved to be tough of an opponent with them winning 2-1 against the Bulls.
South Florida will be poised to bounce back in the next week and keep their pursuit of the top three teams in the AAC. Right now, they are sitting only one game behind FAU.
Tulane
Similar success had the University of Tulane this week with another 2-2 record. They started their week with a close 7-8 loss to Southeastern Louisiana. Their weekend series featured the Pepperdine Waves all the way from California. The first two games were successful for Tulane, however, they lost the second game of their double-header on Saturday with 6-4. This earns Tulane a 12-8 record and the fifth seed in the conference.
UAB
The UAB Blazers only played three times this week, but they still made it count. With a 3-0 series win against Lindenwood, they successfully polished their record. Lindenwood proved to be no match for UAB as the combined score was 17-8 for the Blazers. The weekend-sweep improves their record to a positive 10-8, good enough for the sixth seed in the AAC.
Charlotte
Another team splitting the week as the Charlotte 49ers finish with a 2-2 record. They started promising after an 11-8 win against Winthrop and a 21-10 series opener against UNCW. However, UNCW hit back and finished the both remaining games with a combined score of 20-7 to win the series.
Charlotte sits in the seventh seed of the conference while barely keeping a positive record with 10-9.
UTSA
The Roadrunners finished the week with an even 2-2 record. After losing their midweek game to Abilene Christian on Tuesday, they started their weekend series with a 12-2 win against Northwestern. Northwestern came back on the same day and won the second game of the double header 10-4. To close out the week, UTSA won game three 2-0 and clinched the series.
This earns the Roadrunners a record of 10-10 and the spot of the closest pursuer of the Memphis Tigers with their 11-11 record.
Rice
Last but not least, we have the Owls from Rice University. Although, they continue to sit firmly at the bottom spot of the AAC, they recorded a great week after going 3-1. Their only loss came on Monday, when they had to travel all the way to Hawaii only to lose 5-7.
But the weekend series proved to be redemption time as Rice swept the Houston Christians. 10-7, 7-3 and 10-6 read the final scores of the games. With that, the Owls improve to 9-11 and keep a close eye on UTSA and the Tigers, who are only a few games better.
The new season does not only bring a new head coach in Matt Riser and new players for the Memphis Tigers. The 2024 season features a completely overhauled American Athletic Conference. Three teams have left the conference and a whopping five new teams have joined. What does that mean for the new season for the Memphis Tigers?
Which teams left the AAC?
In total, three teams have left the AAC for the new season: Central Florida, Houston and Cincinnati. All of them found their new home in the Big 12 conference.
The Houston Cougars had the most success of those three teams, as they finished the last season second in the conference. They won 17 conference games, only one less than the conference champions, East Carolina. In the AAC tournament they went on to eliminate the Memphis Tigers and fell short to the later conference champion, Tulane.
The University of Central Florida finished the regular season as the four seed with a balanced 12-12 record. After that, the Knights went on to beat Cincinnati in the first round of the AAC tournament, but would ultimately lose to their in-state rivals from South Florida.
The Cincinnati Bearcats finished the season as the worst of the three leavers. A 10-14 conference record meant the same number of wins as the Memphis Tigers, earning them the fifth seed. Their tournament ended with a first round loss to UCF.
All of the three leaving teams finished the 2023 season as a higher seed than the Tigers. Houston even ended their AAC tournament hopes, as they beat them in a close 6-5 contest in the second round.
Where are the new teams in the AAC from? A map of the five teams and their location.
Which new teams have joined the AAC?
Austin Baskin, going into his fourth year with the Tigers, commented before the season about the the changes: “They are bringing in a lot of new teams into the conference this year, but, I think, we have got a really good chance to be competitive this year.”
A lot of new teams indeed, as five new teams feature in the new AAC season. All of them are coming from the same conference—Conference USA. Namely, the UAB Blazers from Alabama, the Owls from Florida Atlantic University, the Charlotte 49ers, the Rice University Owls and the UTSA Roadrunners from San Antonio in Texas.
Charlotte was last year’s Conference USA champion, and they will be a featured team in the new AAC season. The 49ers beat Dallas Baptist in the C-USA tournament final to secure their spot in the NCAA tournament.
However, they lost their regional against the University of Tennessee, eliminating them in the first round. Still, the Charlotte 49ers will be poised to repeat their success in the new conference.
Not as successful in the tournament, but better than the 49ers in the regular season last year, were the Roadrunners from San Antonio. UTSA finished the season with a 38-19 record, second only to the conference-winning Dallas Baptist. Their season, however, came to an abrupt end as Charlotte blew them out 11-2 in the first round of the C-USA tournament.
Florida Atlantic finished the season with a positive record of 34-24, good enough for the five seed in the conference. They then went on to beat Rice in the first round, but fell short in the second round to Western Kentucky.
Last, but not least, there are the two teams from Rice University and the University of Alabama, Birmingham. Both had an underwhelming season, finishing as the eighth seed in the case of Rice and tenth and dead last in the case of UAB. Rice went on to exit in the first round of the C-USA tournament, and UAB did not even make a tournament appearance. Both teams will be poised to improve their performance in this season.
Memphis Tigers’ Brennan DuBose said in his press conference before the season that he is looking forward to the new challenges: “The road games are great experiences – getting to see some of the coolest places in college baseball playing at the highest level. We want to play the top teams and we have the ability to compete with everybody”.
What can we expect from the new teams?
With the first games of the new season already in the books, some early trends for the new teams are showing. Florida Atlantic (6-5) and Charlotte (7-6) are keeping their record positive after the first few games.
UTSA’s record hangs in the balance with 6-6 and the two bottom teams from last season are off to bad start once again as they sit at the bottom of the conference: UAB with 5-6 and the Rice Owls with 4-8.
In the coaches poll before the season three of the five new teams were picked to be in the top four of the conference this season. With East Carolina picked to getting their fifth straight regular season title, Charlotte, UTSA and Florida Atlantic were selected as the second, third and fourth seed. Not surprisingly, Rice was picked for the eighth seed, and UAB was once again projected to finish last.
Memphis head coach Matt Riser predicts a rise in the quality of the AAC this season.
“FAU has been in the regional for six of the last nine years, UTSA was in the top 25 for a few weeks last season and Charlotte was in a regional final last year,” he said. “It is a three or a four-bid league when it is all said and done.”
When do the Tigers play their new opponents?
The first series against a new conference opponent for the Memphis Tigers will not be played until the end of March. Beginning on March, 28th the Tigers will host Florida Atlantic University in their first conference matchup in a three-game-series. One week after that, coach Riser’s team will travel to Houston to face the Rice Owls for another three games starting April 5. The next two weekends will also feature new opponents for the Tigers as they host UTSA starting April 12 and travel to Charlotte for the start of the series on April 19.
The projected worst team of the five will also be the last new team Memphis faces: The Tigers will travel to Birmingham, Alabama on May, 10th to start their three-game-series against UAB.
The team, however, does not seem to be phased by the new opponents: Junior Aaron Smigelski said that they are not thinking ahead right now: “For us it is just taking each game at a time. We always try to get the job done in the next game.”
The new AAC season promises to be an interesting one for the Memphis Tigers, with three teams that all finished above them leaving. However, from the five teams joining, three are projected to finish above the Tigers in the new season. The end of March and the month of April will show how well coach Riser’s team will stack up against their new opponents.
The Memphis Tigers Baseball team have evened the series against Bowling Green after a close 14-13 win. New transfer Will Marcy hit the deciding single in the bottom of the Ninthas the Tigers showed resilience after losing an early ten point-lead.
During the first four innings, Memphis held Bowling Green scoreless while scoring in every single outing. The Tigers offense started on fire scoring multiple runs with Riley Davis hitting a three-run home run. This led to a 10-0 lead after four inning. The fifth inning seemed to be the turning point for BGSU, as batter Nathan Archer hit a Grand slam to bring the life back into the offense. This sparked a flame as Bowling Green scored seven runs in the top of the sixth inning to take the lead for the first time on the afternoon with 11-10.
After Archer’s Grand slam, the Tigers pulled their starting pitcher Luke Ellis. During the next innings, the Tigers went through Jonah Posey, Seth Garner and Kylan Strepter at pitcher, but none of them could keep the Bowling Green hitters from scoring. So, after the eighth inning, BGSU led the game 13-12.
Breydan Sanders celebrates after getting two big strikeouts in the ninth inning. Photo: Florian Krempel
Seth Cox with a big hit to the left outfield. Photo: Florian Krempel
Tigers head coach Matt Riser made the deciding pitcher change at the start of the ninth inning and went with Brayden Sanders. This proved to be the right decision as Sanders had two huge strikeouts to get out of the top of the ninth. After the game, Riser praised Sanders’ qualities.
“He is a closer. We had him ready to come in and we needed him today. He is one of our best arms and we need to get him more out there in these situations”.
After going scoreless for three of the four innings from the fifth to the eighth, the Tigers offense showed off when they were needed in the last inning. Coach Riser said, he had to get his guys back into the game after the eleven points run by BGSU.
“I told them: Just relax and go play for me,” said Riser. “We played really good in the beginning, now let’s play good at the end of the game.”
After a Pierre Seals walk and a single by Alex Fernandes, the Tigers managed to tie the game. With the bases loaded, it was NC State transfer Will Marcy at bat. His walk-off single drove in the deciding run for the 14-13 victory for the Tigers.
After the game, coach Riser explained that he hopes that this game also has a mental effect on the team after losing a similar game to Little Rock the week before.
“Definitely a game that can swing the momentum. Now, we won one like that. This gives us more confidence to go out late in these close games.”
Tomorrow will be the third game in the series with the Tigers hoping to win their first weekend matchup. At the press conference, Matt Riser highlighted the importance of tomorrow’s match.
“Sunday is the day you put your heart out on. You need to win Sunday. If you win Sunday, you either winning the series or sweeping the series nine times out of ten.”
Sunday’s game will see Caden Robinson making his second start of this season. Coach Riser said he trusts in Robinson to finish out the series Sunday.
“To have that guy on Sunday, a guy, who works with a great tempo and fills the zone up. We feel very good about it.”
The final game of the series against Bowling Green will start at 1 pm at FedEx Park.
The Tigerpen 