The Tigerpen

Category: Around the AAC

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • AAC goes 26-10 over the week – East Carolina and FAU prove to be unstoppable

    AAC goes 26-10 over the week – East Carolina and FAU prove to be unstoppable

    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.  

  • 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 

  • The AAC Bounces Back with High Scoring Offenses and Lopsided Victories

    Wichita State Shockers

    Wichita State had a very good week mounting a 4-0 record. They started off on the road against Oral Roberts in which they obtained a 3-1 victory on Wednesday. Over the weekend, they played host to Utah Tech. They swept the Aggies over the weekend while outscoring them by a total of 17-1.

    Rice Owls

    Rice had a disappointing week against some very tough opponents. They hosted the number two team in the country LSU. Against the Tigers, they suffered a 16-4 loss. Over the weekend, Stanford University came to town.  Stanford swept the Owls over a three-game series. They hope to bounce back next week against Prairie View A&M and Hawaii.

    Tulane Green Wave

    The Green Wave stayed home all week and had much success. They hosted a hometown rival on Tuesday in the University of New Orleans. They defeated the Privateers by a score of 6-3.  For the weekend series, Yale traveled down to New Orleans. Tulane swept the Bulldogs and even mounted an 11-1 victory on Saturday in just eight innings.

    UAB Blazers

    UAB faced some in state foes this week. On Tuesday, the Alabama Crimson Tide came to town. UAB dropped this game by a score of 7-9 in 10 innings.  North Alabama then traveled to Birmingham for the weekend. The Blazers found a bit more success in these games. They won the series 2-1 and scored 26 total runs over the course of three games.

    UTSA Roadrunners

    UTSA played four games this week. On Tuesday, they picked up an 8-7 victory at the University of Houston. Over the weekend, Grand Canyon University traveled to San Antonio. These were high scoring games that UTSA won the series by a margin of 2-1. They mounted 29 runs over the weekend.

  • The AAC Off to Slow Start With 18-20 Record.

    The AAC Off to Slow Start With 18-20 Record.

    It has been a rough start to the season for the AAC. With the first weekend of games done the AAC’s combined record is below .500.

    East Carolina University Pirates

    They opened their season at home against the Rider Broncos. The Pirates pulled off the three game sweep, outscoring the Broncos 30-2. Then on Tuesday they faced Campbell losing that game 6-7. They face North Carolina this upcoming weekend.

    University of North Carolina at Charlotte 49ers

    The 49ers also started their 2024 campaign at home, taking on Virginia Tech. The 49ers struggled losing their first two games to the Hokies, but taking the last on Sunday. After losing the weekend series they bounced back with a 24-1 win over Davidson. They stay home to face West Virginia.

    University of Texas at San Antonio Roadrunners

    The Roadrunners battled the Mavericks of UT Arlington with the series ending in a 2-2 tie. It was a close series as three of the four games only being decided by 1 run. They then traveled to Tarleton St. losing the one game 10-14. They now go east to play in the Sugarland Classic.

    Florida Atlantic University Owls

    The Owls took on the no. 6th ranked Vanderbilt Commodores to start the season. They were able to upset in one game winning 5-4 on Saturday. That would be the only game that weekend they would win as they would lose to Vanderbilt 11-1 in the final game of the series. They have their home opener against Towson next.

    University of South Florida Bulls

    The Bulls had three of their five games this past week canceled or postponed. The two games they were able to play they lost to UCONN and Indiana St. They take on Marist College this weekend at home.

    Wichita State University Shockers

    The Shockers went south to Little Rock to take on the Trojans for their opening series. They would win the series 2-1 and outscored the Trojans 36-10 over the three games. They go further south this weekend to play in the Jax College Baseball Classic.

    Rice University Owls

    The Owls hosted the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to start the season. However, it did not go to plan as they lost all three games. They did win their midweek game beating Sam Houston St. 7-3. They now go to Lafayette, LA to face the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns.

    Tulane University Green Wave

    The Green Wave were one of four teams to out right win their weekend series. They had Northwestern come into town and won their Saturday and Sunday games. They then hosted Nicholls St. on Tuesday, winning that game 3-2. This weekend they play at home once again to take on UC Irvine in a three game series.

    University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers

    The Blazers also enjoyed a winning weekend against Kennesaw St. taking the last two games of the series. They took on Auburn on Wednesday, losing to the Tigers 2-7. They face Southeastern Louisiana this weekend at home.