University of Memphis Athletics
Tigers Host Houston in Final Home Weekend of Season
May 18, 2011 | Baseball
May 18, 2011
Game Notes 
MEMPHIS, Tenn.-The University of Memphis baseball team (27-24, 10-11 C-USA) closes the regular season schedule with a three-game series against Houston (24-28, 11-10 C-USA) at FedExPark. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and the series finale starts at 1:00 p.m. Saturday.
Dan Langfield makes the start on Thursday and Ryan Holland toes the rubber in game two. Clayton Gant will take the hill for the series finale on Saturday. The U of M will honor its senior class with Senior Day prior to Saturday’s game.
| Live Coverage Links | |||
| Game One (Thursday - 6:30 p.m.) | Live Chat | GameTracker | Watch |
| Game Two (Friday - 6:30 p.m.) | Live Chat | GameTracker | Watch |
| Game Three (Saturday - 1:00 p.m.) | Live Chat | GameTracker | Watch |
Live Coverage
All games will be carried live on WUMR 91.7 FM with play-by-play by Jeff Brightwell. Live chat and stats are available at GoTigersGo.com and you can follow the Tigers on Twitter (@UofMBaseball) for in-game updates. A live stream of the game can be seen on GoTigersGo.com.
On Deck
The Tigers travel to Pearl, Miss., for the 2011 C-USA Baseball Championship. Game times and opponents will be announced after games this weekend.
Tigers Team Up With Flood Victims
The Tiger baseball team is teaming up with the Hope Presbyterian Church shelter to assist the victims of the recent flood in the mid-south. Donations of needed items will be accepted at the gates of FedExPark throughout the series. For a complete list of items needed, visit hopepres.com/shelter.
The Series With Houston
Houston owns a 34-9 advantage in the all-time series with the Tigers. Since the 2003 Tiger baseball squad took two games from the Cougars in the Bluff City, Houston has won each series, including three sweeps. In the series that dates back to 1997, Memphis has just one series victory and has been swept in seven of the 14 series. Houston has won 17 of the last 21 games in the series dating back to the 2004 series.
The Inside Edge
Coming off a series victory against Southern Miss last weekend, Houston comes to FedExPark with a record of 24-28, 11-10 in league play. At the plate this season, Ryan Still paces the Cougar offense with a .321 average. Caleb Ramsey leads the squad with 43 RBI and Chase Jensen has a team-high three home runs. Four everyday players bat at a .300 clip and the Cougars have a team batting average of .284. Defensively, Houston has committed 80 errors on the season and carries a .961 fielding percentage into the final weekend of the season. On the mound, Houston has a 4.69 ERA. Starters Jordan Lewis and Mo Wiley each have 10-plus starts while Jared Ray is scheduled to make his fifth start this weekend. Jordan Mannisto and Dakota Dill each have four saves for the Cougars.
Tigers Clinch C-USA Tourney Spot
With one week to go in league play, the Tigers already know they will be playing at the C-USA Championship in Pearl, Miss., beginning Wed., May 25. Seeding and game times will be announced following the final games of the season. With the field of eight teams set, the Tigers can finish anywhere from third to seventh in the standings.
Zurcher Among Best Hitters Nationally
With his .458 batting average, shortstop Chad Zurcher maintains the national lead in batting average. After leading for four-straight weeks, Zurcher went 4-for-28 over six games which dropped his average from .531 to .454. Since he dropped to .454, Zurcher is 18-for-38 over his last 10 games. On the season, Zurcher has two or more hits in 27 of the 49 games he has played in and has posted three or more hits in a game 11 times this season. Of his 82 hits, 20 are extra-base hits (18 2B, 2 3B). As a freshman, Zurcher hit .267 and had 51 hits in 53 games played. Last season, Zurcher hit .400 and collected 93 hits.
On-Base Machine
As one of the top hitters in the nation, you would expect that Chad Zurcher would be on base a lot. With 32 walks, Zurcher not only hits to find his way on base, but he leads the nation in on-base percentage at .565. Zurcher has reached base two or more times in 42 of the 49 games he has played in. Zurcher has been hit by a pitch 16 times this season. If Zurcher doesn’t get on base, he will put the ball in play as he sports a .581 slugging percentage. Zurcher has struck out just 11 times this season in 179 at-bats.
Weekend Warriors
Although the U of M has dropped eight of its last 12 C-USA games, the Tigers are 23-15 in weekend series. The Tigers have four weekend sweeps this season, the most in a season since the 1994 squad had seven three-game sweeps and posted a 52-11 record. The 2011 club is only the fifth team in program history to record four sweeps in a season. The 1994 squad holds the record at seven sweeps and the 1981 team had five sweeps and finished that season 48-11-1. In 1977, the Tigers had four sweeps and finished the season at 34-14. The 2007 squad posted four sweeps and finished with a 36-27 record.
Midweek Woes
With a 23-15 mark in weekend series, midweek games have puzzled the Tigers this season. Memphis finished midweek games at 4-9 this season. Memphis was outscored its opponents 66-62 in the 13 midweek games and the Tigers average 4.77 runs per game during midweek battles. On the weekends, the U of M averages 7.21 runs per game and has outscored opponents 274-208 in those 38 games.
Golden Spikes Award Watch List
USA Baseball announced the midseason watch list for the 2011 Golden Spikes Award this week and shortstop Chad Zurcher was one of three C-USA players listed. Zurcher is one of 23 players added since the preseason list was released on Feb. 17. Zurcher is the first Tiger baseball player to appear on the Golden Spikes Award watch list. The Golden Spikes Award, sponsored by Major League Baseball, is given annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country who exhibits exceptional on-field ability and exemplary sportsmanship.
Timely Hitting
With new bats in college baseball, generating offense has come down to getting a leadoff man on base and clutch hitting with two outs in an inning. The Tigers have had some success this season with two outs as the offense has produced 126, two-out RBI this season. The U of M had 147, two-out RBI at this point last season and was batting .310 (183-590) with two outs. The Tigers have a .301 (174-579) average with two outs this year. In C-USA games this season, the Tigers are hitting .265 with two outs and have 38 two-out RBI. Memphis has 29 home runs this season and 14 have come with two outs in an inning. T.J. Rich leads the U of M with 22, two-out RBI and five other Tigers have 10 or more two-out RBI.
Top-10 Chase
Chad Zurcher continues to climb the charts for hits in a career as he moved to third with 244 career hits. Zurcher needs six hits to tie for second. Drew Martinez is right on Zurcher heels as he has climbed to seventh all-time with 228 career hits. The dynamic duo has ascended in the record book for runs scored as well, with Martinez tied for sixth (146) and Zurcher seventh (145). Zurcher (49) and Martinez (48) are already in the top 10 for steals with Zurcher in ninth and Martinez in 10th. Jacob Wilson is climbing the record books for career doubles as he is currently tied for sixth with 46.
Good Start But What About Finish?
Just in the last 20 games, the Tigers have pounced on opponents early, producing 42 runs in the first three innings. On the season, Memphis has scored 141 runs in the first three innings and when the Tigers score first, the U of M is 19-13. On the mound, Memphis has limited its opponents to just 67 runs in the first three innings. After taking an early lead, the Tigers have struggled in the last 20 games, posting an 8-12 record. The Tigers have been outscored in the final four innings of the last 20 games 66-48.
New Bats Hurting The Tigers??
Although college baseball switched to the new BBCOR bats, the Memphis offense has had no trouble adjusting to the new bat. The Tiger offense is second in C-USA with a .307 batting average. Memphis has 73 (540) fewer hits than it did at this point last season (613). The Tigers are minus 19 with 29 home runs compared the 2010 squad that had 47 at this point last season. The Tigers have scored double-digit runs in 12 games and has pounded out double-digit hits in 32 games. The Tigers have cut down on the strikeouts with 62 fewer strikeouts than a season ago and the U of M has walked 44 more times than the 2010 club.
Caught Napping
Senior southpaw Ryan Holland leads Conference USA with eight pick-offs this season. Holland has picked off two base runners in two of his outings (Kennesaw State and Saint Peter’s) and added another against Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Illinois, Alcorn State and Southern Miss. As a pitching staff, Memphis leads C-USA with 20 pickoffs.
Get The Lead-Off Man On Base
Numbers support the notion that getting a leadoff batter on base increases the likelihood of scoring runs in an inning. That has certainly been the case for the Tigers in 2011. Memphis has put its leadoff batter on base 42 percent (187-448) of the time and when the leadoff man reaches base, Memphis has scored 93 runs. Tiger leadoff man Drew Martinez has reached base in 37 of his 88 (.420) plate appearances as a leadoff hitter. Chad Zurcher sports a 25-for-40 (.625) mark as a lead-off man in any inning.
Milestone Victory
Now in his seventh year at the helm of the Memphis baseball program, head coach Daron Schoenrock claimed his milestone 150th win as the Tigers’ skipper on Feb. 20th against Evansville. Schoenrock passed the late Al Brown at No. 3 on Memphis’s all-time coaching wins ledger with his 157th career victory on March 15 against UT Martin. Schoenrock needs only one win to reach a 200th career victory.
Fantastic Four
The U of M pitching staff sports a 4.95 ERA this season and when the Tigers score four or more runs, Memphis is 26-9 and when scoring less than four Memphis is 1-15. Roughly 60 percent of the Tigers 317 runs (188 of 336) have come in the first four innings.
“Let’s Get Some Runs”
As the former Chicago Cubs announcer Harry Caray would say during the seventh inning stretch at Wrigley Field, the Tigers are in need of some runs following the seventh inning stretch. Of the 336 runs scored this season, the U of M has scored 52 after the seventh inning. When leading after seven innings, Memphis is 24-3 and when the game is tied or the Tigers trail, Memphis is 3-18 this season.
Double Your Pleasure
As a team, Memphis has 110 doubles this season. Phillip Chapman sets the pace for the Tigers with 19 doubles and Chad Zurcher is second with 18 doubles. The Tigers are 19-10 when they hit two or more doubles in a game.
April Showers Bring May Flowers
With the mighty Mississippi falling from a near-record flood stage, could the April showers bring some success for the Tigers in May? Memphis plays six of its 11 scheduled contests in May away from the Bluff City with two of the three weekend series on the road. After a 5-2 record in February, the U of M was 8-9 in March. April was a rocky month for the Tigers as they posted a 12-8 record, 7-5 in league play. The Tiger bats were warm in February as the Tigers hit .354 on the month, but the bats cooled off in March with the Tigers carrying a .280 average. In April, the Tigers hit .326 as a club. Memphis had just three errors in February, but March and April saw the Tigers defense collect 17 errors. Under head coach Daron Schoenrock, the U of M is 34-55 in the month of May with the best record coming in the 2006 season at 9-7. Last May, the U of M went 8-8, but claimed a third place finish in C-USA.
Walking In Memphis
Memphis has taken 232 walks this season and took the free base 33 times in the first six games. Jacob Wilson and Chad Zurcher have each tied a single-game record with four walks in a game this season. T.J. Rich leads the club with 38 walks. Drew Martinez has walked 34 times on the year and Zurcher has 32 walks. Eight of the nine batters in the Tigers everyday lineup have walked 10 or more times on the season.
Cardiac Kids
The Tigers have played several nail bitters this season and in games decided by two runs or less, Memphis is 9-14, 7-6 in league play. The Tigers have five come-from-behind wins and have nine one run losses.
Close Calls
The Tigers have been involved in 15 games this season decided by one run. The U of M is 6-9 in those games and under head coach Daron Schoenrock, Memphis is 49-54 (since 2005).
Looking For A Big Hit
This season, the Tigers are hitting .316 (196-620) with runners in scoring position, but its been a lack of a big hit with runners in scoring position that have cost the Tigers. In league play, Memphis is hitting .289 (70-242) with runners in scoring position and in Memphis’s series losses in C-USA play, the Tigers are hitting .245 (27-110). Chad Zurcher leads Memphis with a .548 average with runners in scoring position. T.J. Rich is second on the club with a .400 average.
Home Cookin’
The Tigers have defended the home turf pretty well this season and with three home games left at FedExPark, Memphis will need to keep up that success. The Tigers are 18-11 at FedExPark this season. The U of M is 35-21 at FedExPark and has won 24 of the last 30 games at the renovated ballpark. In head coach Daron Schoenrock’s tenure, the Tigers are 81-82 at home.
1-2 Punch
The Tiger duo of Drew Martinez and Chad Zurcher are back in form after leading the Tigers to its first Conference USA Tournament appearance since 2007. Both players were honored as 2011 Preseason All-C-USA performers. The Tigers All-C-USA tandem, which combined for 190 hits, 113 runs, 39 stolen bases and a .388 batting average in 2010, picked up where they left off, batting .388, with 152 hits and 94 runs scored this year. The duo has claimed 32 steals on the base paths and has 34 extra-base hits.
Where Is The Production Coming From?
When looking closely at game-by-game box scores, Memphis has gotten most of its offensive firepower from the first four batters in the lineup. This season, the first four hitters are batting .330. The first four batters have provided 47 percent (145-306) of the clubs RBI this season and 53 percent (179-336) of the runs scored. When the first four batters in the lineup collect four or more hits, the Tigers are 24-14 this season. Four is the magic number in runs scored as the Tigers are 18-3 when the first four batters account for four or more runs. The Tigers first four batters have hit .250 or better in 38 of the 51 games this season and Memphis is 24-14 in those games. The first four batters broke a 7-for-51 (.137) four-game slump with a 10-18 (.556) performance on April 24.
What About The Bottom Of The Order?
With the top of the order producing just over half of the runs this season, what is the bottom of the order doing you may ask. The 7-8-9 hitters are batting .292 on the season and have 84 RBI. The 7-8-9 hitters have scored 89 runs for the Tiger offense and when those hitters score three or more times, Memphis is 13-2. When the last three batters in the order hit at a .250 clip or higher, Memphis is 24-8 on the season.
All In The Family
This year’s edition of Tiger baseball showcases a unique twist for head coach Daron Schoenrock. This roster features a second Schoenrock, as Daron’s son Erik is a freshman left-handed pitcher on the 2011 squad. Erik earned a win against Saint Peter’s on March 13 to give his father his 156th win at the U of M. With that win, Daron tied the late Al Brown for third all-time on Memphis’ coaching wins ledger.
Apples to Oranges
Comparing stats from this season to last shows some improvement in some key areas for the Tigers this season. Most notably, the Tigers have a .978 fielding percentage this season compared to .957 this time a year ago. With 43 errors this season, Memphis has improved its error total from 84 a season ago and allowed just 24 unearned runs compared to 76 this time a year ago. On the mound, the U of M has shaved off a run and a half per game off its ERA with a 4.95 team ERA compared to 6.04 this time last season. The Tigers, who are second in C-USA with a .307 average, are behind last year’s club that had a .328 average. The largest statistical difference with the 2011 club compared to the 2010 squad is the run differential. The 2010 squad was plus six runs at this point last season, but this year, Memphis is a plus 62
