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  • Tigers defeat Ole Miss in Mid-South Rematch

    Tigers defeat Ole Miss in Mid-South Rematch

    The University of Memphis defeated mid-south rival Ole Miss in their only midweek game Tuesday. This is the first time the Tigers have beaten Ole Miss since 2017. 

    The game was a back-and-forth early, with each team trading punches through the first four innings. The Tigers seemed to gain the upper hand after Will Marcy hit a SAC bunt to score two runs. Ole Miss wouldn’t respond to the play by Marcy until the seventh inning tying the score. The Tigers fired back with a five run spree in the bottom of the seventh to regain and extend their lead.

    Ole Miss Coach Mike Bianco looks onto the field. Ronald Todd/Tigerpen

    Austin Baskin made the first play by helping Jake Curtis score, making the score 5-4. Then Pierre Seals followed up with a hit and a passed ball to help the Tigers get another score. The major play came in the bottom of the seventh, when Jonah Sutton hit a double to get both Seals and Stuart home. Shane Cox solidified the lead with a single RBI give the Tigers a 9-4 lead. 

    Head Coach Matt Riser speaks to Shane Cox as he is about to be at bat. Ronald Todd/Tigerpen

    From that point on, the Tigers did not allow a single run from Ole Miss. Coach Riser was proud of the team for playing a complete game after losing the weekend series to FAU. He also acknowledged the role the crowd played in the energy of the dugout. 

    “I mean, there was a good atmosphere in the ballpark,” Riser said. “I thought they did a really good job of just not being too high, but using that electricity to make sure that they were in tune with what they were trying to get executed and get done.” 

    The Tigers head to Texas to face conference opponent Rice University in a weekend series. The first game will be on Friday at 6:30 p.m. 

  • Tigers split Saturday Doubleheader with UNO

    Tigers split Saturday Doubleheader with UNO

    The University of Memphis Tiger split their doubleheader against the University of New Orleans Privateers on Saturday.  The Tigers now move to an 11-11 record on the season and the Privateers to 9-10.

    Brock Busick/Memphis Baseball

    The Tigers dropped game one early in the afternoon 6-1 with their only run coming from a RBI by Austin Baskin in the third bringing Alex Fernandes home.  They would fail to score the rest of the game while the Privateers scored in the first, second, fourth, seventh and eighth innings. 

    “We ran into a good arm, and he did a really good job keeping us off balance” said head coach Matt Riser “We had to reset for game two and I thought the guys did a fantastic job of that.”

    After a disappointing game on reset is exactly what the Tigers did, winning game two 12-10 in a game where they tripled their hit totals from game one.  Both teams would come out scoreless in the first inning which would one of only two scoreless innings by the tigers this game.

    The Tigers were able to get on the board first after scoring three run in the second inning headed off by a RBI from Will Macy allowing Pierre Seals to score.  Seth Cox would follow with 2 RBI allowing Fernandes and Brennan DuBose to score, already tripling their runs from game one. 

    They also held the Privateers to no runs until the fourth inning but by then the Tigers had tacked on three more runs. Two runs in the third from a homer by Daunte Stuart and a home stolen by Seals and one run in third from a Baskin home run which was his third in the season.  The Privateers scored their first two run in fourth making the score 6-2 at the close of the inning.

    In the fifth the Tigers wouldn’t score, but only allowed one run from the Privateers keeping them at bay for the moment.  But in the sixth after only allowing one run from the Tigers the Privateers would rally and scored four runs tying the score at 7-7 going into the seventh.

    DuBose put the Tigers on the board with a single RBI that scored Seals and the Tigers defense would hold off the Privateers allowing no runs and taking a 8-7 lead headed into the eighth.  Tiger scored two runs in the eighth inning a RBI by Jacob Compton and seals giving the Tigers a three run lead. 

    The Privateers would answer with three runs of their own including another two-run home run by Mitchell Sanford, the same play that tied the game in the sixth now tied the game heading into the ninth.

    After two outs defensive replacement Shane Cox would get his first and only at bat in the game and he singled into left field this allow both Baskin and Tyler Heckert to score opening a 10-12 lead late.  The Tigers defense came out and held the Privateers to nothing in the ninth after a pick off at first by Dubose and Brayden Sanders stuck out the final out of the game earing his second save of series and fifth on the season.

    The Tigers will  head to Starkville, Mississippi on Tuesday to face off against the 14-6 Mississippi State for a midweek game at 6 p.m.

  • How Has the Memphis Locker Room Reacted to a Losing Season up to this Point?

    How Has the Memphis Locker Room Reacted to a Losing Season up to this Point?

    MEMPHIS – The University of Memphis baseball team went through a lot changes during this past off season. The team saw a few seniors graduate but replaced them with some very good acquisitions in the transfer portal. The biggest move that the team made was naming Matt Riser as their head coach for their 2024 campaign.

    There was a lot of hope surrounding this squad early before this season started. They added some quality players while bringing back some upper classmen to maintain their culture. Riser had a lot of success Southeastern Louisiana, and the goal was for that success to roll over into Memphis.

    So far, this season has been very up and down for the Tigers. They have had some quality wins and have shown that they do not quit and can erase big leads. The team has also blown some double digit run leads in late innings and has had some bullpen liabilities. They are never truly out of a game, but no lead feels exactly safe either.

    The pitching woes have been a story all season long. The Tigers have had some decent starting pitching, but the bullpen has been giving up some big innings. “Real difficult to have success when your bullpen comes out and pitches like that (after Memphis’ loss to FAU). We got to stay in ballgames, obviously disappointing,” said Riser.

    Memphis currently sits at 13-17. Conference play just started, and the team is 2-6 through the four games. They do have big home matchups coming up against Ole Miss and Mississippi State. If they can start winning some conference games and knock off these teams, they could start to make some noise towards the end of the year.

    “Not a whole lot to say right now, it’s a matter of doing now,” said coach Matt Riser. “You get to a point in time where either you can do it or you can’t do it. That’s the point we’re at now.”

    The season a is a little over the halfway point now. Memphis seems to think that it is do or die time for their team. Coach Riser said that some changes are going to have to be made right now in order for this team to turn things around.

    “There has to be (major lineup changes). Some things have to shake up a little bit. We don’t have a whole lot to shake it with to be honest with you, what you see is what you got. There will be a few guys that get some more opportunities,” said Riser.

    The locker room as well has a feel that is now the time for them to turn things around. Closing pitcher Brayden Sanders said, “After every game we tell ourselves that we are 0-0. The next one is the one that matters. We just got to attack it day by day.”

    It will be very interesting to see how Memphis responds in the back half of this season. Their next game is at home against Ole Miss on April 2nd, at 6 p.m. “We’ve got 48 hours to reflect and see what we want to do. We are at the halfway point,” said Riser.

  • Home Run Festival at FedEx Park – FAU Evens the Series Against the Tigers

    Home Run Festival at FedEx Park – FAU Evens the Series Against the Tigers

    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.

  • 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.

  • Memphis Tigers Win Pitchers Duel to Open Series Against Florida Atlantic

    Memphis Tigers Win Pitchers Duel to Open Series Against Florida Atlantic

    The Memphis Tigers and Florida Atlantic Owls went toe-to-toe tonight to start a three game conference series. The Tigers bested the Owls 2-1 behind a pitching gem from David Warren.

    Warren pitched 7.1 innings, and during that threw 10 strikeouts and only 4 hits and 1 earned run. 7.1 innings pitched and 10 k’s are both career highs for the senior pitcher. Matt Riser had a high praise for Warren postgame, “Its gotta be the best outing of his career.”

    Warren also spoke highly of himself. When asked when he felt like tonight was going to be a good night for him, he kept his response short “When I came out honestly.”

    The Tigers only scored in the second inning after a Pierre Seals solo homerun to left center. Then after a Jake Curtis double, Brennan DuBose doubled himself to drive in another run. The two runs proving all they needed.

    The Owls would try to threaten the Tigers lead as Andrew Mckenna hit a lead off homerun to make it 2-1 in the fourth.

    The Owls got bases loaded in the eighth inning, but would end up lining out and leaving three baserunners on. The Tigers also had the bases loaded in the eighth but also were not able to do anything with it.

    Brayden Sanders came in to pitch in the eighth for the Tigers and picked up where Warren left. He was the one that got them out of the bases loaded jam in the eighth, and would have to do it again in the top of the ninth.

    With the bags full for the Owls Dalton Frank worked a full count against Sanders. Having to throw a strike, Sanders did just that, striking out Frank to end the game and secure the victory. Sanders spoke about the play after the game “I don’t want a lot going through my mind, it was just another pitch for me. 3-2, I was going to attack him with my best stuff.”

    Up Next

    The Tigers continue their homestand against the Owls tomorrow night with first pitch at 6 P.M. The game will also be streaming on ESPN+.

  • Tigers Offense Wakes Up Too Late – Memphis Baseball Falls to Lipscomb

    Tigers Offense Wakes Up Too Late – Memphis Baseball Falls to Lipscomb

    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.

  • Memphis Loses Low-Scoring Rubber Match and The Series Against USF Bulls

    Memphis Loses Low-Scoring Rubber Match and The Series Against USF Bulls

    TAMPA, FLA – The Memphis Tigers have lost the final game of their conference series against USF 3-5. With that, they also drop their first series against a conference opponent. All signs were looking up for the Tigers following a massive game on offense Friday night, but the momentum could not be carried through the rest of the weekend.

    “We had a great Friday night,” said Memphis head coach Matt Riser. “Just Saturday and Sunday did not play good defense. We have to be better defensively.”

    This game started out on a positive note. Will Marcy drove in his fifth double of the year in the leadoff spot. Riley Davis brought him home later in the inning during his first plate appearance of the weekend.

    In the top of the second, Marcy came to the plate and delivered once again. He shot a ground ball between the first and second basemen to bring in Brennan DuBose. The Tigers would maintain this 2-0 lead after the first two innings.

    USF began to respond and the Memphis bats slowed down. The Bulls were able to salvage one run in the third, while the Tigers hung zeros across the board. South Florida kept rolling and were eventually able to knot the game up at 2 heading into the fifth inning.

    A fielder’s choice hit by Eric Snow of USF gave his Bulls a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth. After allowing runs three innings in a row, the Tigers saw their lead completely disappear.

    That is not where the scoring stopped for USF in the fifth. Marcus Brodil hit an RBI single to double the lead later on in the inning.

    In the sixth, Memphis started causing some chaos on the basepaths. Daunte Stuart went from first to third after a steal followed by a wild pitch. Jonah Sutton cashed in that run with his first hit of the season. South Florida’s lead was now just 4-3.

    USF would go on to load the bases in the 8th. The Memphis defense allowed only one of those runs to score, giving themselves a chance in the 9th only down two runs.

    Memphis did not capitalize, however. They ended the ball game going three up and three down, with three straight strikeouts.

    Memphis is traveling home to face Lipscomb at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26, at FedEx Park.

  • 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 Claims Monstrous Win to Kickoff Weekend Series on the Road

    Memphis Claims Monstrous Win to Kickoff Weekend Series on the Road

    TAMPA, FLA – The University of Memphis tigers began their three-game series against the University of South Florida Bulls tonight. They started the weekend on a very good note, obtaining 16-7 victory.

    The win was crucial, but another main story coming out of this game was Memphis second baseman Daunte Stuart. Stuart went 5-5 at the plate and managed to hit for the cycle. This skyrocketed his season average to .351 on the season. Matt Riser praising him post game saying “Story of the night, Daunte Stuart.”

    Stuart opened up the scoring for the Tigers. A solo homerun from him gave Memphis a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. USF would respond very quickly with a RBI single from Drew Brutcher that would give USF a 2 run lead in the home half of the inning.

    Memphis responded as Austin Baskin blasted his fourth long ball of the year to give the Tigers a 4-3 advantage on the road. The scoring in the third did not stop there; as a double by Pierre Seals drove in another run to extend the lead to two.

    The tigers would continue to pour it on.  An RBI from shortstop Jake Curtis drove in two more for Memphis. This would cause a USF pitching change, bringing Dominick Madonna in for the Bulls.

    This would not however put a stop to the on onslaught coming from the Tigers’ bats. Brennan DuBose smacked his fifth home run of the year, making it 9-3 in third, with nobody out. Memphis recorded eight runs on seven hits in the third alone.

    Things continued to roll for Riser’s squad. Jacob Compton hit a 2 run shot in the top of the fourth to give Memphis an even bigger cushion.

    Seth Cox hit a 2-run homer in the top of the fifth to keep the scoring streak alive. This made for five Memphis homers from five different players. A couple more RBI’s in the fifth from Jacob Compton and Pierre Seals made the score 15-3.

    USF was able to muster up four runs to cut the lead, but Memphis took one right back to get a 16-5 win. The Tigers ended up with 16 runs on a whooping 16 hits.

    After the game, head coach Riser said, “I’m really proud of our offense, they were about as locked in on a Friday night as they could possibly be. They had a great approach.”

    They face the USF Bulls again tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Red McEwen Field in Tampa, Florida.