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.
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.
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.
Elisha Segars/Tigerpen Will Marcy looks to get on base for the Tigers during Friday’s game against UNO.
The Tigers used a four-run first inning to take a lead that they would never relinquish, winning 5-4 over the New Orleans Privateers.
“We needed one like that where we just grinded it out,” said coach Matt Riser. “It was a great team effort.”
The first four batters of the game, Jake Curtis, Will Marcy, Austin Baskin and Daunte Stuart all reached base for Memphis before New Orleans could record an out. Stuart drove in Curtis with an RBI single, scoring the first run of the game.
Seth Cox delivered the biggest hit of the night, slapping a bases-clearing double down the left-field line to extend the Tigers’ lead to 4-0.
Starting pitcher David Warren gave the Tigers a quality outing in his fifth appearance of the season. He exited the contest after allowing two runs on four hits in seven innings. Warren would be tagged for two more runs after New Orleans scored a pair of his inherited baserunners on a double in the eighth inning.
After the first inning, Memphis only recorded one more hit the entire game. A sixth-inning single by Daunte Stuart proved to be massive, as he would come around to score on an errant pickoff attempt.
Relief pitcher Brayden Sanders closed the game for the Tigers. In his two-inning performance, he did not allow a run and only gave up one hit. Sanders struck out two New Orleans’ batters in the ninth inning and was awarded with his fourth save of the season.
The win is the third in a row for Memphis and brings them back to .500 on the season, with a record of 10-10. The Tigers and the Privateers will play a doubleheader on Saturday, starting at 2 p.m. due to the threat of inclement weather on Sunday.
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 Tigers fell short in a back-and-forth affair against Jackson State, losing 6-4 in 10 innings. Memphis finishes the weekend 0-3 and has dropped five consecutive contests.
“At some point we have to pick ourselves up,” said head coach Matt Riser. “The good news is we have games coming up to prove ourselves different, but we have to get collectively back together as a team.”
The Tigers continued their offensive struggles, tallying just four hits in the game. The lone highlight came when Jacob Compton launched a two-run shot over the right field fence. The home run was Compton’s third of the weekend and eighth of the season, leading all hitters in the AAC.
Starting pitcher Caden Robinson put together a solid outing, allowing one earned run on four hits in five innings. Two unearned runs scored in his tenure, both coming from errors by shortstop Jake Curtis.
“I thought Caden pitched his way through some tough situations,” added Riser. “We did not make a lot of plays behind him, but he handled it well and kept us in the game.”
The Memphis bullpen had another strong showing, holding Jackson State to one run in six innings of regulation. Logan Rushing, Kylan Stepter and Brayden Sanders each contributed and kept the game alive for the Tigers.
After Memphis failed to score in the bottom of the ninth inning, Jackson State took the lead on an RBI double by second baseman Myles White and extended it with an RBI single from Robert Tate II.
The Tigers were unable to match Jackson State in the bottom half of the inning, going down in order.
After the defeat, Memphis holds a record of 7-10 on the season. The Tigers return to action on Tuesday, when they face the University of North Alabama Lions at FedEx Park at 6 p.m.
Memphis was defeated in their second game of the inaugural Grind City Classic by the Presbyterian Blue Hose. The 4-1 outcome marks the fourth consecutive loss for the Tigers.
“We are in a serious rut that we have to get out of,” said head coach Matt Riser. “It does not matter what happens, tomorrow is a day where you do not lose.”
Memphis’s offense was held to one run on five hits in the contest. The lone run of the game came via a no-doubt home run by Pierre Seals, his fifth of the season. The Tigers failed to string together hits, as they did not have multiple in any inning throughout the entire game.
Presbyterian starter Charlie McDaniel worked seven innings and gave up one run on three hits. Despite only recording three strikeouts, he coaxed weak contact to retire most of the Memphis hitters he faced.
Tigers starting pitcher Luke Ellis had a rocky outing, giving up four runs on seven hits in three innings. “We need him to take a step forward for us,” said Riser. Ellis received the loss for his effort.
Despite getting off to a rough start, Memphis was able to stay within reach, thanks to an outstanding relief performance from Seth Garner. Garner threw five scoreless innings, giving up no hits and striking out eight Presbyterian batters.
Kylan Stepter took the mound in the ninth and worked a scoreless inning, setting up the Tigers with a potential rally.
Duante Stuart reached base via an infield single, giving the Tigers momentum. However, Presbyterian reliever Kyle Mueller retired Jacob Compton and Pierre Seals, securing the save and the win for the Blue Hose.
With the loss, Memphis falls to 7-9 on the season. The Tigers will play their final game of the Grind City Classic against Jackson State on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Friday’s matchup between the Memphis Tigers and the Butler Bulldogs was a back-and-forth affair that resulted in Butler prevailing 7-6.
“We have to quit being redundant in what we are doing,” said Memphis head coach Matt Riser. “It’s not about the opponent, it’s about us and fixing us.”
The battle was the first of three for both teams in the inaugural Grind City Classic. The Tigers were coming off a close 5-3 loss in the midweek to the Ole Miss Rebels, a game where they hung tight with one of the premier programs in the nation.
Each team totaled 10 hits, but the Bulldogs’ proved to be timelier. Both of their home runs, hit by Ian Choi and Ryan Drumm, drove in multiple runs and helped establish Butler’s biggest lead of the game.
Memphis first baseman Jacob Compton got the scoring going for the Tigers. He hit home runs in each of his first two at-bats, tallying three RBIs to give Memphis an early lead. His seven home runs this season are the most by any player in the AAC.
Starting pitcher David Warren put together a solid outing. In five innings of work, he gave up three runs on six hits while striking out five Butler batters.
Most of the offensive production for the Bulldogs came off JT Durham. Durham took the mound after Warren exited, and he allowed four runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings.
Memphis entered the bottom of the eighth inning trailing 7-4 and had failed to score since the third inning. However, a solo home run from Aaron Smigelski gave the Tigers momentum in the waning moments of the game.
After Brandon Chorzelewski pitched a scoreless top of the ninth inning, Jake Curtis led off the bottom of inning with a double. Two batters later, Austin Baskin hit a double of his own, scoring Curtis and making it a one-run game, at 7-6.
Duante Stuart and Jacob Compton each had a chance to tie or win the game but were unable to do so.
The loss knocks Memphis under .500, at a record of 7-8. The Tigers will play their second game of the Grind City Classic on Saturday at 5 p.m. against the Presbyterian Blue Hose.
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+.
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.
The Tigerpen 