University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
Tulane
Regular Season Finale This Weekend at FedExPark
May 17, 2017 | Baseball
Memphis and Tulane square off in final three-game series of the season
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – For the final time in the 2017 regular season, the Memphis Tigers will take to the diamond at FedExPark to host the Tulane Green Wave Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Prior to Saturday's 1 p.m. season finale, the Tigers will honor their six seniors – Andy Bowman, Chris Carrier, Ryan Garner, Brandon Grudzielanek, Zach Schritenthal and Trent Turner.
Memphis, currently seventh in the American Athletic Conference standings, will be playing to improve their seeding for next week's league tournament at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Fla.
SERIES INFORMATION:
Memphis (28-25, 7-14 AAC) vs. Tulane (25-28, 11-10 AAC)
Date: May 18-20, 2017
Location: Memphis, Tenn.
Venue: FedExPark
Twitter Updates: @MemphisBaseball
Thursday, May 18 | 6:30 p.m.
Audio: WUMR 91.7 FM
Video: Memphis Tiger Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
MEM: Jr. LHP Drew Crosby (5-3, 4.75 ERA)
TLN: Jr. RHP J.P. France (5-4, 3.68 ERA)
Friday, May 19 | 6:30 p.m.
Audio: WUMR 91.7 FM
Video: Memphis Tiger Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
MEM: Jr. RHP Colton Hathcock (3-3, 2.54 ERA)
TLN: Fr. RHP Chase Solesky (4-2, 4.05 ERA)
Saturday, May 20 | 1:00 p.m.
Audio: WUMR 91.7 FM
Video: Memphis Tiger Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
MEM: So. RHP Jonathan Bowlan (4-5, 3.81 ERA)
TLN: Jr. LHP Sam Bjorngjeld (3-4, 5.84 ERA)
Leading Off
• Memphis and Tulane will close out the regular season with a three-game series at FedExPark for the second time in the last three years. The Tigers and Green Wave played in the season finale in 2015 in Memphis.
• The Tigers haven't won a series over the Green Wave since the 2010 season but also haven't been swept in a three-game series in that span. Despite competing in the same conference for 21 of the last 22 seasons, Memphis and Tulane have only met twice in the postseason. Both games were in the 2001 C-USA Tournament played in New Orleans.
• Six Memphis seniors will be playing in their final games at FedExPark this weekend – Andy Bowman, Chris Carrier, Ryan Garner, Brandon Grudzielanek, Zach Schritenthal and Trent Turner.
• Memphis played a grueling four-week stretch in April in which the Tigers won just 4-of-16 games. Of those 16 games to end the month of April, 14 were against top-50 RPI teams. The Tigers have played a total of 23 games against RPI top-50 teams this year, the second-most in The American. Tulane has played the most top-50 games with 27.
• Memphis right-handed pitcher Colton Hathock was named to the Midseason Watch List for the 13th annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award. Hathcock picked up his 11th save of the season in the April 25 win at Arkansas State. The 11 saves are the third most by a Tigers pitcher in a single season in school history. The single-season program record for saves is 14, set by Nolan Blackwood in 2015.
• Freshman shortstop Alec Trela has started all 53 games this season and is on pace to be the first Tigers first-year player to start every game since Jacob Wilson in 2009. Wilson went on to play in 222 career games and stands in the top-5 in nearly every Memphis offensive category. Trela is batting .255 and is second on the team with 55 hits, 15 doubles and eight home runs.
• Senior Chris Carrier has been scorching hot at the plate recently and has upped his season batting average to a team-high .324. His 13 home runs, eight of which have come in league play, lead the team. He currently has a 15-game hitting streak and is hitting .434 in that stretch with four doubles, seven homers, 19 RBI and 13 runs scored.
• Sophomore catcher Jason Santana has caught 23 runners stealing this season, which is the most in a single season in the last 20 years of Memphis baseball. Santana has allowed 38 stolen bases, throwing out approximately 37% of runners attempting to steal.
• The series win at Cincinnati six weeks ago was the first for Memphis over the Bearcats since 2004 and the first for head coach Daron Schoenrock. The Bearcats won the series over Schoenrock's Tigers in 2005 before joining the Big East Conference. The teams reunited in the American Athletic Conference in 2014 and have played two series against each other in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
• The Tigers won their 20th game on April 5 against Alcorn State, marking significant improvement from last season. Memphis ended the 2016 regular season with 19 wins and picked up the 20th on May 26 in the American Athletic Conference tournament. However, since recording the 20th win of the season the Tigers have gone just 8-16 with 11 games against ranked opposition.
