University of Memphis Athletics
Thursday, May 10
Tampa, Fla.
3 PM
University of Memphis
vs
No. 4 UCF
Photo by: Joe Murphy
Memphis Takes on UCF in Quarterfinals of AAC Championship
May 09, 2018 | Softball
The Tigers earned the No. 5 seed in the single elimination tournament
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The time has come and the University of Memphis softball team travels to Tampa, Fla. for the American Athletic Conference Championship May 10-12. The Tigers earned the No. 5 seed, and will face the No. 4-seeded UCF in the first round on Thursday, May 10. The winner of Thursday's matchup will face the winner of No. 8 seed UConn and the No. 1 seed USF.
Game Info
No. 5 Memphis (36-20) vs. No. 4 UCF (34-21)
Location: Tampa, Fla. – USF Softball Stadium
Live Stats | American Digital Network Stream | Championship Central
A Look at the AAC Championship
Memphis comes into the AAC Championship as the No. 5 seed after finishing the 2018 conference slate with a 10-11 record. The 10 wins are the most in a conference series since joining The American and the most under the direction of Natalie Poole. In 2017, Memphis won its first AAC Championship game after blanking USF, 7-0, before falling to Tulsa in the semifinals.
USF earned the No. 1 seed after finishing 14-7 in conference play. After just two teams in The American finished with 30 or more wins last season, six teams finished with at least 30 wins this year. Memphis and USF both finished with a conference-leading 36 wins. The competitive nature of The American has it ranked the fourth nationally in the RPI.
Quick Hitters
About the Competition
Final Details
First pitch against UCF on Thursday afternoon is set for 3 p.m. CT at USF Softball Stadium in Tampa, Fla. Live stats for the games will be available at www.gotigersgo.com. For more information on the Memphis softball team, follow us on Facebook and Twitter at @MemphisSoftball.
Game Info
No. 5 Memphis (36-20) vs. No. 4 UCF (34-21)
Location: Tampa, Fla. – USF Softball Stadium
Live Stats | American Digital Network Stream | Championship Central
A Look at the AAC Championship
Memphis comes into the AAC Championship as the No. 5 seed after finishing the 2018 conference slate with a 10-11 record. The 10 wins are the most in a conference series since joining The American and the most under the direction of Natalie Poole. In 2017, Memphis won its first AAC Championship game after blanking USF, 7-0, before falling to Tulsa in the semifinals.
USF earned the No. 1 seed after finishing 14-7 in conference play. After just two teams in The American finished with 30 or more wins last season, six teams finished with at least 30 wins this year. Memphis and USF both finished with a conference-leading 36 wins. The competitive nature of The American has it ranked the fourth nationally in the RPI.
Quick Hitters
- Much like last season, the Tigers set records left and right in 2018, including matching the program record of 36 regular season wins.
- Three of the top five single season batting averages in Memphis history were reached this season. As they stand, Kyler Trosclair Klatt sits at .401, Baylee Smith is currently at .383, and Delaney Smith is close behind at .360. Those averages are currently second, fourth, and fifth in school history, respectively.
- Not to be outdone by the offense, Molly Smith became the winningest pitcher in Memphis history, winning a record 24 games this season, bringing her career total to 49.
- Smith also claimed the most shutouts by a Tiger pitcher, blanking 11 opponents this year, and 18 in her four years in the circle.
- Against UCF in mid-April, the Tigers averaged nine hits per game over the series, the most against any conference opponent this season.
- Memphis enters the conference tournament having won six out of its last 11 contests. Five of the wins came via shutouts.
About the Competition
- UCF finished out the regular season by sweeping ECU, lifting them to the No. 4 seed in the final weekend.
- The Knights finished third in the conference with 11 triples on the year, only trailing Memphis and Tulsa.
- Denali Schappacher leads the offense with a .345 batting average and 50 hits.
- Eight batters in UCF's lineup have hit a home run this season, including Aubrey Johnson's seven.
- The primary pitcher for the Knights is Alea White. She is the only pitcher to appear in more than 20 games, carrying a 2.35 ERA with 171 K's.
- As a pitching staff, the Knights allow opponents to hit .264.
Final Details
First pitch against UCF on Thursday afternoon is set for 3 p.m. CT at USF Softball Stadium in Tampa, Fla. Live stats for the games will be available at www.gotigersgo.com. For more information on the Memphis softball team, follow us on Facebook and Twitter at @MemphisSoftball.
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Softball
SS
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