The Tigerpen

Author: James Brisentine

  • Memphis Shuts Down Rice to Complete Sweep

    Memphis Shuts Down Rice to Complete Sweep

    Photo Credit: Brock Busick/Memphis Athletics

    The Memphis Tigers defeated the Rice Owls 2-1 in the finale game of the series to complete the series sweep Sunday.

    It was the first series sweep of the season for the Tigers and the first road conference series sweep in over than a decade. After this weekend they find themselves back at a .500 record of 17-17.

    “Great weekend, just really proud of the guys,” head coach Matt Riser said after the game.

    Caden Robinson started the game for the Tigers and continued the solid pitching the Tigers had all series.

    The Tigers got all the scoring they needed in the top of the second inning when Jacob Compton doubled home Daunte Stuart.

    Compton was brought home by a Shane Cox single to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead.

    All Rice could muster offensively was a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third inning to make it a 2-1 game.

    Robinson was solid throughout his time on the mound, going 4 innings while giving up one run, four hits, one walk, and three strikeouts.

    Logan Rushing replaced Robinson in the fifth inning but gave up back-to-back walks in the sixth inning, causing him to be relieved and finishing 1.1 innings pitched with no runs, no hits, two walks, and one strikeout.

    Jackson Lyons was brought in with one out in the sixth with two men on, and he only had to face one batter in his appearance when he got a double play to end the sixth inning.

    It was one of many clutch plays on defense that the Tigers had in the series, which has been a problem for the Tigers this season.

    “That’s been our achilles heel all year in all honesty…this weekend it showed.” Coach Riser said.

    Jake Curtis the took to the mound from his shortstop position to keep the lead for closer Brayden Sanders.

    Curtis would do just that with a solid seventh inning before getting into some trouble in eighth with runners at second and third.

    Curtis would work his way out of it with a Rice baserunner being thrown out at home and then got a groundout for the final out to keep the lead going into the ninth.

    Brayden Sanders, who has been lights out for the Tigers all season, was brought in complete the game for the Tigers.

    Sanders would let the first two batters in the ninth get on base but was able to work around it to get the three outs and get his seventh save of the season.

    The Tigers will now take their momentum to Bear Stadium in Conway, Arkansas on Tuesday to take on Central Arkansas at 6 pm.

  • Tigers Win Series Opener in 15

    Tigers Win Series Opener in 15

    Photo Credit: Brock Busick/Memphis Athletics

    The Memphis Tigers defeat the Rice Owls in Houston in the series opener 4-3 in a 15-inning marathon.

    David Warren took the mound for the Tigers as a starter, and the start looked rather ominous as the right-handed senior let in the first run of the game on a single in the bottom of the first inning.

    Fortunately, the Tigers were able to answer right back in the next half-inning on a double steal play that saw Pierre Seals steal second which allowed Daunte Stuart a free lane to steal home.

    A back and forth affair began when the Owls scored again on an RBI single in the next half-inning to give them a 2-1 lead.

    Then, that was quickly answered back in the top of the third when Will Marcy scored on an RBI groundout by Austin Baskin to tie the game at two.

    After that, Warren seemed to settle in and really dominate the Owls lineup. Through the next five innings, Warren would only allow one hit to give the Tigers’ bats multiple chances at taking the lead.

    Meanwhile, the Tigers were having their struggles against Rice’s starting pitcher Parker Smith who also settled on the mound after a shaky start

    What started out looking like another offensive shootout for the Tigers, turned into a pitcher’s duel and just waiting to see who would break through first.

    That answer would come in the top of the eighth when Austin Baskin came through yet again with a sacrifice fly to score Will Marcy to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead.

    Warren now had a chance to have a complete game shutout. He began the bottom of the ninth on the mound, but after a leadoff double, he was pulled from the game for closer Brayden Sanders.

    The runner would subsequently come across the plate to tie the game, leaving Warren with a stat line of 8+ innings, giving up seven hits, three runs, one walk, and three strikeouts.

    “I was really proud of Dave…to be able to pitch into the ninth was huge,” head coach Matt Riser said.

    Sanders would get out of the ninth with the game still tied, taking the game to extras. He then would get out of a bases loaded jam in the 10th to keep the game alive.

    JT Durham was tabbed as the pitcher for the extra innings, and he would deliver in a big way. Durham shut down the Owls’ offense for the majority of the extra innings to once again give the Tigers a chance.

    That chance would finally come in the 15th when Will Marcy singled home Alex Fernandes to give the Tigers’ a 4-3 lead.

    Durham would get the first out of the bottom of the 15th before being pulled, giving a stat line of 4.1 innings pitched, no runs, three hits, two walks, and three strikeouts.

    “The only way we win that is if JT did what he did, throwing up zeroes.” Riser added.

    Jake Curtis was switched from the infield to pitcher to close out the game. Curtis would get the final two outs to finally close this game out for the Tigers.

    The Tigers now have a chance to clinch the series on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Reckling Park in Houston, Texas on ESPN+

  • AAC Play Has Now Begun

    AAC Play Has Now Begun

    Image Credit: Brock Busick / Memphis Athletics

    With the first weekend of conference play now complete, now begins where we start to see where all the teams in the AAC stack up with each other.

    Wichita State

    After the Shockers lost a home game to Kansas State 6-8 on Tuesday, they went down to Birmingham to play their first conference series against UAB. After losing the first game of the series 5-3, Wichita dominated the next two games by a combined score of 18-3. This puts their record at 15-8 (2-1 conference) with a home game against Oklahoma and a home series against Rice slated for next week.

    Florida Atlantic

    The Owls lost a road game against UCF 3-2 on Tuesday, and then came back home for their first conference opponent, Charlotte. After winning the first two games of the both by one run, FAU was absolutely dominated in the series finale 13-1. This puts the Owls at a 14-8 record (2-1 conference) with a home game against Florida Gulf Coast on Tuesday before heading up to Memphis to take on the Tigers next weekend

    Tulane

    The Green Wave got their week started nicely with a 2-0 win over Saint Louis on Monday before they traveled to Houston to take on Rice. Tulane won the first game of the weekend 14-7 in 11 innings, then dominated the second game 10-1 before losing the final game of the series 2-4. The Green Wave now sit at 15-9 (2-1 conference) on the season. They will travel to Hattiesburg on Tuesday to play Southern Miss before heading home for their weekend series against UTSA.

    South Florida

    The Bulls lost a road game to Florida Gulf Coast 3-2 on Tuesday, but they won a home the next day against Florida A&M 9-6 before beginning their conference play against Memphis. The Bulls lost the first game of the series 16-7. They won the second game of the series 9-5, and then went on to win the rubber match against the Tigers 5-3. South Florida now stands with a 14-10 record (2-1 conference). They have a road game against Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday before heading up to Charlotte for their weekend series against the 49ers.

    UTSA

    The Roadrunners lost a thriller to Texas State on the road 13-14 on Tuesday before heading back home for their series against ranked East Carolina. UTSA won the first game of the series 4-2 before East Carolina won a high-scoring affair 14-10 to make the finale a rubber match. Another tight game ends with UTSA winning 6-5 for the series win. The Roadrunners now have a 12-12 record (2-1 conference). They travel to Waco, Texas on Tuesday to take on Baylor before moving to New Orleans for their series against Tulane.

    East Carolina

    After dominating their road game on Tuesday against Elon 10-1, the Pirates moved down to San Antonio for their series against UTSA. They lost the first game of the series 4-2 before winning the second game 14-10 for a chance to win the series. They ultimately lose the rubber match 5-6 to give them a 1-2 conference record. The Pirates still sit at a respectable 16-6 and are home for the week for a game against UNC-Greensboro and then a weekend series against UAB.

    UAB

    The Blazers lost their home game on Tuesday against Troy before their weekend series against Wichita State. They lost the series 1-2, which is now their conference record. The Blazers now sit at 11-12 on the season and will play at home against Alabama A&M before heading to Greenville to take on East Carolina.

    Charlotte

    A rough week for the 49ers as they lost a road game against Davidson on Tuesday and a home game to Gardner-Webb before traveling to Boca Raton to take on Florida Atlantic. They ended up losing the series to the Owls for a 1-2 conference record. The 49ers now sit with an 11-14 record on the season and will head home for their weekend series against South Florida.

    Rice

    A rough week for the Owls where they lost both ends of a home and home against Houston before starting conference play against Tulane. Rice was able to win the final game of the series to avoid the sweep and give them a 1-2 conference record. The Owls now have a 9-15 record and will be on the road next week, first against Sam Houston State, then going to play Wichita State.

  • Tigers Searching for Answers to Early Season Pitching Woes

    Tigers Searching for Answers to Early Season Pitching Woes

    James Brisentine/Tigerpen

    With the Tigers sitting at 11-11, there have been flashes of how good this team can be, especially with swinging the bat. In 22 games, the Tigers’ offense has had five or more runs 16 times. On the flip side, the Tigers’ pitching staff has given up five or more runs 15 times.

    There are flashes where the pitching comes out and looks great like in their 16-2 win over North Alabama, or in back-to-back games where they gave up only three runs against UT-Martin and Wright State.

    Unfortunately, those outing are few and far between. If not for the Tigers offense, it would be a much different story about this year up to this point.

    Looking at the statistics compiled so far this season, the struggles of the pitching staff are laid bare.

    Of every pitcher that has appeared in more than one game this season, only three pitchers have an ERA under four. Those three are not even starters. They are bullpen guys: Brayden Sanders, Kylan Stepter, and Jake Curtis.

    The bullpen has shown moments of stability like in their loss against Ole Miss where the bullpen went almost eight full innings while giving up only one run.

    “The encouraging part from tonight was that out of a bullpen, we pitched very well,” coach Matt Riser said after the March 6 loss.

    The starting pitching has seemed like an issue all season. The stats back it up in every way with all but one regular starter, David Warren, having an ERA over six.

    With all of those stats, the way to really show the struggles in the pitching staff is seeing where they rank nationally in pitching statistics.

    Team ERA is one of the best ways to show how good or bad a team’s pitching has been. For the Tigers, a 6.47 team ERA puts them at 183rd nationally out of 295 Division-I teams.

    In walks per nine innings, the Tigers are averaging 5.37, good for 189 overall. In strikeout to walk ratio, the Tigers are only 1.68 strikeouts to every walk, which is 169 overall. Hits allowed per nine innings show the Tigers giving up 10.37 for 200th in the country.

    WHIP or walks plus hits per innings pitched is the statistic that most people in baseball use as their barometer to see how good pitching is. It is a statistic that shows how good a pitcher or pitching staff is at keeping opposing teams from getting on base. The Tigers rank 208 in the nation in team WHIP of 1.75.

    Obviously, the Tigers are disappointed in being 11-11 at this point, but it could be a lot worse and are still in a place where they can turn the pitching around.

  • Memphis Drops Series Finale to Wright State

    Memphis Drops Series Finale to Wright State

    Caden Robinson walks off the field after a rough outing. Photo by James Brisentine

    The Memphis Tigers lose the series finale to the Wright State Raiders 17-7. The Tigers were still able to win the series with their wins on Friday and Saturday, and their record now sits 7-6.

    “Obviously giving up 17 runs, it’s tough to win,” coach Matt Riser said after the game.

    The box score tells the tale, with Wright State scoring at least one run in every inning except the first and ninth.

    The first inning saw starter Caden Robinson breezing through the order with ease, only for the wheels to come off in second inning with six runs coming across to put the Tigers in a big hole early.

    Robinson loaded the bases early and was not able to recover, giving up three runs on two singles, a walk, and a bases clearing double.

    Memphis got a run back in the second inning to make it 6-1, but a two-run home run by the Raiders in the third inning marked the end of the day for Robinson. He exited with a line of 2 2/3 innings pitched, eight runs allowed on seven hits, three walks, and four strikeouts.

    JT Durham was inserted for a couple of innings of relief duty. He went 2 1/3 innings while giving up three runs (two earned) on three hits, one walk, and two strikeouts.

    An Austin Baskin RBI double in the fourth inning was all the offense the Tigers could muster in the middle third of the game, leaving Memphis in a 11-2 deficit.

    After Durham was pulled from the game, Riser turned to five different pitchers to close out the final four innings.

    Malik Harris, Brandon Chorzelewski, Waylon Sebren, Jonah Posey, and Ethan Vandament all took the mound in the final four innings for the Tigers

    “We need some of the guys in the pitching staff [to find their roles],” Riser said. “It might be just to get one or two outs for us.”

    The five pitchers combined for six runs on seven hits (all hits and runs were charged to Harris and Sebren), six walks, and two strikeouts.

    During that time, the Tigers offense tried to fight back with three-run sixth inning, courtesy of a two-run double by Daunte Stuart, followed by an RBI single from Jacob Compton to make it 12-5.

    It seemed that Wright State had an answer for every attempt at a comeback by the Tigers.

    Three runs by Memphis were met with a two-run home run in the next half-inning by Wright State to make it 14-5.

    Two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning by the Tigers made it 14-7. However, Wright State added three more runs of their own in the eight inning to push their lead to double digits.

    The Tigers are back in action on Wednesday when they travel to Oxford, Mississippi to take on the Ole Miss Rebels at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+.

  • Tigers Use Late Game Heroics in Walk-off Win

    Tigers Use Late Game Heroics in Walk-off Win

    Jacob Compton celebrates his second home run. Photo by James Brisentine

    The Memphis Tigers beat the Wright State Raiders 13-12 on a walk-off single by Austin Baskin in the ninth to clinch the series win. This win also puts the Tigers’ record at 7-5 on the season.

    “What a game. I think the impressive part for our club is we’re learning, and there’s no quit.” Head coach Matt Riser said after the game.

    The game started out as great as the sunny, 70-degree weather for the Tigers with a three-run bottom of the first thanks to an RBI single by Will Marcy, followed by a two-run home run by Jacob Compton.

    Luke Ellis was on the mound for the Tigers and was looking strong to start with two solid innings to begin. Then, came the third when Wright State began to get to Ellis, scoring two runs in the inning and threatening to score more. Fortunately, Ellis was able to get out of the inning with the lead intact.

    The same could not be said about the fourth inning with three runs coming across the plate for the Raiders, giving them a 5-3 lead.

    That would be all for Ellis, and the lefty from Somerville finished with four innings pitched, 5 runs (three earned), eight hits, one walk, and four strikeouts.

    Jackson Lyons would come in to pitch the fifth inning. After loading the bases and then walking in a run with the bases loaded, Lyons was yanked.

    Seth Cox came in to get out of the fifth inning and really stabilized a reeling Tigers team. He put in a stellar 2 1/3 innings, allowing only one hit, one walk, and four strikeouts.

    “For Seth Cox to come in there and bounce back after his last outing, just really pleased to see that,” Riser added.

    Cox’s stability gave the Tigers the chance to bounce back now down 8-3, and they did with a five-run bottom of the fifth, capped off with a three-run homer by Jacob Compton, his second of the day. This tied the game back up back at eight, going into the sixth inning

    The bottom of the sixth saw the Tigers tack on three runs to give them an 11-8 lead thanks to a throwing error by Wright State.

    The eighth inning would see the Tigers’ three run lead evaporate with Logan Rushing coming and being unable to get anyone out and loading up the bases, all who would eventually score to tie the back up at 11.

    The top of the ninth saw leadoff hitter Jake Curtis be called upon to pitch, and while letting in an unearned run, was able to get out of the inning and gave the Tigers a chance to tie and/or win it in the ninth.

    Brennan DuBose was first to get on base with a single, then stole second, was able to advance to third on a throwing error by the catcher, and then scored on a wild pitch to tie the game.

    Jake Curtis, who again just pitched the previous half-inning, hit a two-out double to be the potential game-winning run.

    An intentional walk to Will Marcy gave Austin Baskin the chance to be the hero for the Tigers. He would not disappoint with a walk-off single to clinch the game and the series against Wright State.

    The Tigers will go for the series sweep on Sunday at 1 p.m. at FedEx Park.

  • Tigers Drop Game One Against UT-Martin

    Tigers Drop Game One Against UT-Martin

    Photo by Ronald Todd

    The Memphis Tigers lost game one of their two-game series Tuesday against the UT-Martin Skyhawks 10-7, dropping them to a 4-5 record on the season.

    “We just have to find consistency,” said coach Matt Riser. “Either that or get these games off ESPN+, because these last two have been just terrible.”

    On a windy afternoon at FedEx Park, the game started out promising for Memphis. The Tigers took an early 3-0 lead, thanks to an Austin Baskin RBI single in the first inning and a two-run home run by Pierre Seals in the second inning.

    Cade Davis took the mound as the starter for the Tigers and was able to keep the Skyhawks at bay through the first four innings, only allowing a solo home run in the third inning.

    UT-Martin gave the run back in the fourth inning via another home run by Pierre Seals. The solo shot gave the Memphis native his fourth home run of the season and his second multi-home run game of the season.

    Unfortunately, the Skyhawks plated seven runs in the fifth inning, and Cade Davis was pulled from the game, giving him a final stat line of nine hits, eight runs (seven earned), one walk, and five strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.

    “I thought Cade was fine. We just have to play better defense behind him.” Riser said. “Our defensive philosophy is to eliminate the big inning, and when you do what we did, not playing defense behind our pitcher and give up a seven-run inning, it makes it extremely difficult.”

    Reliever Seth Cole ended the fifth inning and began the sixth inning for the Tigers, but he was later pulled after giving up two more runs to UT-Martin extending their lead to 10-4 .

    Jackson Lyons took over ending the sixth inning, and pitching two more, giving up only one hit and one walk in his time on the mound.

    First baseman Jacob Compton cut into the Skyhawks lead in the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run over the video board in right field to make it a 10-5 game. It was the Olive Branch native’s third home run of the season.

    NC State transfer Will Marcy added another solo home run, his first with the Tigers, to make it 10-6 in the seventh inning.

    Relievers Brandon Chorzelewski and Kylan Stepter got the last four UT-Martin batters out with ease to give the Tigers a chance at some late-inning runs.

    Catcher Brennan DuBose gave the fans hope, continuing his hot streak with a solo home run in the ninth to make it 10-7. Unfortunately, that was all the team could muster in the ninth inning.

    The Tigers have a chance to split the series with UT-Martin on Wednesday at 4 p.m. at FedEx Park.

  • Another Season of Change for Memphis Baseball

    Another Season of Change for Memphis Baseball

    “We have a coach that’s ready to start winning now rather than rebuild a whole entire roster and start winning five years down the road. That means a lot to me.”

    Austin Baskins, Senior Utility

    A new season of Memphis Tigers baseball is upon us, and with the new season comes a lot of new faces. Last season they brought in Kerrick Jackson who was hired after longtime coach Daron Schoenrock announced his retirement after 18 years on the job. Jackson went on to lead the Tigers to a 29-28 record and their best conference finish since 2015.

    After the season ended, Jackson left for his home state of Missouri to be the head coach for the Missouri Tigers, where he was previously an assistant. With the departure, Memphis welcomes in Matt Riser, from Southeastern Louisiana University.

    “We’re trying to transform this program into a national program, you know, like football and basketball.” Coach Riser said at his press conference leading up to opening day.

    The new head man also had the task of hiring a completely staff as all of the assistants from the previous were gone as well. “The first step obviously was having to get the staff put together that had the same vision I had. We did that quickly and very efficiently,” Riser said.

    Riser brought one of his former assistants at SLU in hitting and field coach Ford Pemberton, former player under Riser at SLU now assistant coach Connor Manola, and former pitching coach at Mercer University Cory Barton

    Riser brings quite a resumé to Memphis. He won 30 or more games in eight of his 10 seasons as the head coach at Southeastern Louisiana.

    Riser had a challenge ahead of him of replenishing a Memphis roster that depleted with a mix of transfer portal entries and MLB Draft. Six of the top seven hitters for the Tigers last season are gone as well as their two best pitchers from last year, who were both selected into the MLB Draft.

    The sole top bat that stayed through the coaching change was Utility player Austin Baskin. The Covington, Tennessee native said Riser’s win now attitude is what made him buy in and want to stay in Memphis.

    “We have a coach that’s ready to start winning now rather than rebuild a whole entire roster and start winning five years down the road,” Baskin said. “That means a lot to me.”

    The senior is looking to build off a season where he scored a team-leading 49 runs while hitting .287 in 216 at-bats

    The pitcher that will begin the season for the Tigers is senior right-hander David Warren. Warren brings the most starting experience for the Tigers. The former Pensacola State transfer pitched 72.2 innings and ended with 5.57 ERA. He will be looked at as the anchor for the starting staff and be one of the veteran leaders for the team.

    “Experience has been a big factor,” Warren said. “I started in junior college and working my way through junior college…and being able to play against a lot of different levels of competition is a big thing.”

    The Tigers will begin their season with a weekend series on the road against Jacksonville State. The first game will be Friday at 3 p.m. on ESPN+.

    Photos by Jacob Morgan/Tigerpen