University of Memphis Athletics
Tuesday, May 25
Clearwater, Fla.
TBA
University of Memphis
vs
East Carolina
Photo by: Matthew A. Smith
Memphis opens up AAC Championship vs. No. 9 East Carolina
May 24, 2021 | Baseball
CLEARWATER, Fla. – After finishing the regular season with a win on Saturday, the Memphis Tigers will make the quick turnaround and open up AAC Championship action Tuesday vs. top-seeded East Carolina. The Pirates, who finished with the best record in the conference, are ranked as high as No. 9 nationally. The winner of Tuesday's game will play again Thursday, while the loser will play Wednesday needing a win to stay alive in the double-elimination tournament.
Game Information
Memphis (17-37, 7-25) vs. East Carolina (38-13, 20-8)
Tuesday, May 25 – Approx. 11:30 a.m. (ESPN+)
RH Carson Stinnett (3-5, 5.45) vs. RH Tyler Smith (2-2, 4.09)
Location: Clearwater, Fla.
Venue: BayCare Ballpark
Twitter Updates: @MemphisBaseball
Stats | Watch
The Tigers will look to pick up their first postseason win since a 10-inning, walk-off, 15-14 win vs. Cincinnati, May 24, 2017, in the conference tournament. In Memphis' last trip to the conference tournament, the Tigers went 0-2 with losses to Cincinnati and UCF. Memphis last made the tournament semifinals in 2016, where the Tigers won the first game vs. UConn but came up shy in a 9-5 loss in an attempt to go to the finals.
Memphis and East Carolina met four times earlier this season in Greenville, N.C., as the Pirates came away with a four-game sweep. East Carolina outscored the Tigers 32-13 in the series, though two of the four games were decided by only one or two runs. Alec Trela and Zach Wilson led the Memphis offense in the series, as Trela hit three home runs and drove in four, while Wilson went 8-17 with a home run and a double. Carson Stinnett, who is slated to start against the Pirates, allowed one run on one hit over two innings in one relief outing. Against the Pirates, senior Chris Durham had one of his best starts of the season, as he allowed just three runs on five hits over seven innings. The rest of the Memphis rotation combined for a 9.49 ERA (13 ER in 12.1 IP).
The Pirates, who enter the postseason off of two straight losses to USF, are looking to win the AAC Championship for the second time in their last three tries. East Carolina defeated UConn to win the Championship in 2018 and then went just 1-2 in 2019, while no tournament was held in 2020.
While the Tigers had Hunter Goodman named to the All-Conference First Team on Monday, East Carolina had Connor Norby named Player of the Year, Gavin Williams named Pitcher of the Year, and Cliff Godwin named Coach of the Year. Norby led the conference in AVG (.420), OBP (.477), RS (56), and hits (89). He was part of a Pirates offense that led the American in BA, SLG, OBP, RS, and HR. Williams led the conference in ERA (1.48), nearly a full run better than any other qualified starter. The ECU ace also led the conference in OBA (.177), wins (9), and strikeouts (98). Tyler Smith, who is scheduled to start against Memphis, spun a gem for the Pirates in the series finale between the two teams in April. Smith allowed just one run on seven hits over 5.2 innings in a no-decision, an eventual 7-1 East Carolina victory.
All games of the AAC Championship will be available on ESPN+. Memphis vs. East Carolina will start 47 minutes after the opening game of the tournament between Cincinnati and UCF, which is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. on ESPN+.
Game Information
Memphis (17-37, 7-25) vs. East Carolina (38-13, 20-8)
Tuesday, May 25 – Approx. 11:30 a.m. (ESPN+)
RH Carson Stinnett (3-5, 5.45) vs. RH Tyler Smith (2-2, 4.09)
Location: Clearwater, Fla.
Venue: BayCare Ballpark
Twitter Updates: @MemphisBaseball
Stats | Watch
The Tigers will look to pick up their first postseason win since a 10-inning, walk-off, 15-14 win vs. Cincinnati, May 24, 2017, in the conference tournament. In Memphis' last trip to the conference tournament, the Tigers went 0-2 with losses to Cincinnati and UCF. Memphis last made the tournament semifinals in 2016, where the Tigers won the first game vs. UConn but came up shy in a 9-5 loss in an attempt to go to the finals.
Memphis and East Carolina met four times earlier this season in Greenville, N.C., as the Pirates came away with a four-game sweep. East Carolina outscored the Tigers 32-13 in the series, though two of the four games were decided by only one or two runs. Alec Trela and Zach Wilson led the Memphis offense in the series, as Trela hit three home runs and drove in four, while Wilson went 8-17 with a home run and a double. Carson Stinnett, who is slated to start against the Pirates, allowed one run on one hit over two innings in one relief outing. Against the Pirates, senior Chris Durham had one of his best starts of the season, as he allowed just three runs on five hits over seven innings. The rest of the Memphis rotation combined for a 9.49 ERA (13 ER in 12.1 IP).
The Pirates, who enter the postseason off of two straight losses to USF, are looking to win the AAC Championship for the second time in their last three tries. East Carolina defeated UConn to win the Championship in 2018 and then went just 1-2 in 2019, while no tournament was held in 2020.
While the Tigers had Hunter Goodman named to the All-Conference First Team on Monday, East Carolina had Connor Norby named Player of the Year, Gavin Williams named Pitcher of the Year, and Cliff Godwin named Coach of the Year. Norby led the conference in AVG (.420), OBP (.477), RS (56), and hits (89). He was part of a Pirates offense that led the American in BA, SLG, OBP, RS, and HR. Williams led the conference in ERA (1.48), nearly a full run better than any other qualified starter. The ECU ace also led the conference in OBA (.177), wins (9), and strikeouts (98). Tyler Smith, who is scheduled to start against Memphis, spun a gem for the Pirates in the series finale between the two teams in April. Smith allowed just one run on seven hits over 5.2 innings in a no-decision, an eventual 7-1 East Carolina victory.
All games of the AAC Championship will be available on ESPN+. Memphis vs. East Carolina will start 47 minutes after the opening game of the tournament between Cincinnati and UCF, which is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. on ESPN+.
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