Tigers Look to Stay Hot in Starkville

Tuesday, May 9

Starkville, Miss.

6 P.M.

University of Memphis

Mississippi State

Photo by: Brock Busick

May 08, 2023 | Baseball

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis baseball hits the road tomorrow for a mid-week matchup with Mississippi State at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville, Miss., at 6 p.m.

Memphis (26-22, 8-10) is coming off a three-game sweep of American Athletic Conference foe South Florida in Memphis over the weekend and have won a season-best five-straight games. The Tigers matched last season's win total (26) with the win over USF on Sunday.

The Tigers won a tightly contested game 4-2, on Friday night before rallying for four runs in the bottom of the ninth on Saturday to walk off winners, 7-6. The Tigers completed the sweep with a 13-hit offensive output in an 8-6 win on Sunday to mark the first conference sweep for Memphis since May 4-5, 2013, against Marshall when both schools were members of Conference USA.

"To get the sweep was huge for us," head coach Kerrick Jackson said. "Now every win in the conference counts, specifically when you're working towards getting a good seed in the conference tournament. I'm proud of our guys for what they did this weekend. We played hard all three games."

The Bulldogs (24-23, 6-18) enter the matchup losers of six-straight games after being swept by No. 23 Tennessee and No. 3 Arkansas back-to-back weekends. Offensively, MSU is led by Colton Ledbetter (.318 BA, 11 HR, 48 RBI) and Hunter Hines (.313 BA, 22 HR, 57 RBI).

Mississippi State leads the all-time series with Memphis, 36-13. The Bulldogs have won the past two matchups with the Tigers' last win coming in 2018. Redshirt-freshman Glenn Green III (4-0) will make the start for the Tigers. The Bulldogs will counter with right-hander Parker Stinnett (2-0), younger brother of Tiger reliever Carson Stinnett.

Utility player Austin Baskin was named AAC Player of the Week on Monday for his performances throughout last week. He batted 9-for-15 (.600) with two doubles, a home run, seven RBI, six runs scored and three walks (.667 OBP) for the week. He went 4-for-4 with a home run, a double, two RBI and three runs scored in Sunday's sweep-clinching win over the Bulls.

Lefty closer Dalton Kendrick's 12 saves are tied for the NCAA lead. Brayland Skinner's six triples rank seventh in the country and lead the conference. Skinner was a member of Mississippi State's 2021 National Championship team and will make his return to Starkville tomorrow. Dalton Fowler's 96 strikeouts rank No. 7 in the NCAA and lead the American. Additionally, sophomore outfielder Cameron Benson has reached base safely in 17-straight games – the longest streak by a Tiger this season.

Half-season ticket packages for Tiger home games are available at GoTigersGo.com, and single-game tickets are available here.

How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tiger Baseball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.