University of Memphis Athletics
Friday, February 16
Jacksonville, Ala.
3 P.M.
University of Memphis
at
Jacksonville State
Photo by: Matthew A. Smith
Tigers Hit the Road for 2024 Opening Weekend at Jacksonville State
Feb 15, 2024 | Baseball
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis baseball team is set to open its 2024 season on the road this weekend (Feb. 16-18) with a three-game series at Jacksonville State to begin the Matt Riser era.
Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium will play host to the first-ever series between the two teams with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. for Sunday's series finale. All three games will be streamed via ESPN+ and can be found linked to the schedule page at GoTigersGo.com.
The Tigers are entering year one under new head coach Matt Riser and aim to build on last year's 29-28 record – the best for Memphis since 2017.
"Here it is, we're ready to rock and roll," Riser said in a press conference on Monday. "It's time to play somebody else. We're excited to see what this first season has in store for us. We're really excited about our returners we have coming back and what we were able to add through the transfer portal."
Riser and his staff put together a roster of 19 newcomers (freshmen and transfers) and 18 returning players. The Tigers were picked to finish sixth in the AAC Preseason Coaches Poll in a new-look American Athletic Conference that is saying goodbye to Cincinnati, Houston and UCF and welcoming in Florida Atlantic, Charlotte, Rice, UAB and UTSA. D1Baseball tabbed the Tigers as their "team to keep an eye on" inside the American and picked Memphis to finish third in the league.
Riser named right-hander David Warren (Friday), lefty Luke Ellis (Saturday) and young right-hander Caden Robinson (Sunday) as its opening weekend rotation. Warren will be looked upon to anchor a pitching staff now without 2023 AAC Pitcher of the Year and ninth-round MLB Draft pick Dalton Fowler. Warren went 5-5 with a 5.57 ERA in 72.2 innings a season ago. Ellis is back for his redshirt-sophomore season after going 3-3 (25 app., five starts) with a 4.64 ERA and 39 strikeouts (42.2 IP) in 2023 and being named to the AAC All-Freshman Team. Robinson will look to settle into the weekend rotation for the Tigers after making a dozen appearances (5.40 ERA, 14 K, 18.1 IP) as a freshman a year ago.
Senior Austin Baskin is back and looks poised to anchor the Memphis offense after hitting .287 with a team-leading 15 doubles, 49 RBI, adding nine long balls. Jacob Compton returns to Memphis after transferring back in from South Carolina. The Olive Branch, Miss., native hit a team-best 11 home runs and led the AAC with 56 RBI when he last played for the Tigers in 2022. Two-way shortstop Jake Curtis is also back for a final season and will look to contribute in all areas for the Tigers after leading the squad in triples (3), steals (14), ERA (2.60) and saves (4) last season amongst returning players.
Infielder Daunte Stuart (Northwestern State) and outfielders Will Marcy (N.C. State), Aaron Smigelski (Rice) and Pierre Seals (Dyersburg State) are all newcomers to keep an eye on entering the season.
Newcomers Kylan Stepter (South Alabama) and Brayden Sanders (Northwest Mississippi CC) project to play key roles in the Tiger bullpen, along with returner Jackson Lyons. Sanders notched 10 saves a season ago for Northwest as the team's closer while Lyons made 17 relief appearances for Memphis, going 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA and a dozen strikeouts in 16.2 innings.
JSU will roll out three right-handed starting pitchers against the Tigers opening weekend: Austin Cornelius (Friday), Russell Derbyshire (Saturday) and Jackson Sleeper (Sunday).
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.
Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium will play host to the first-ever series between the two teams with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. for Sunday's series finale. All three games will be streamed via ESPN+ and can be found linked to the schedule page at GoTigersGo.com.
The Tigers are entering year one under new head coach Matt Riser and aim to build on last year's 29-28 record – the best for Memphis since 2017.
"Here it is, we're ready to rock and roll," Riser said in a press conference on Monday. "It's time to play somebody else. We're excited to see what this first season has in store for us. We're really excited about our returners we have coming back and what we were able to add through the transfer portal."
Riser and his staff put together a roster of 19 newcomers (freshmen and transfers) and 18 returning players. The Tigers were picked to finish sixth in the AAC Preseason Coaches Poll in a new-look American Athletic Conference that is saying goodbye to Cincinnati, Houston and UCF and welcoming in Florida Atlantic, Charlotte, Rice, UAB and UTSA. D1Baseball tabbed the Tigers as their "team to keep an eye on" inside the American and picked Memphis to finish third in the league.
Riser named right-hander David Warren (Friday), lefty Luke Ellis (Saturday) and young right-hander Caden Robinson (Sunday) as its opening weekend rotation. Warren will be looked upon to anchor a pitching staff now without 2023 AAC Pitcher of the Year and ninth-round MLB Draft pick Dalton Fowler. Warren went 5-5 with a 5.57 ERA in 72.2 innings a season ago. Ellis is back for his redshirt-sophomore season after going 3-3 (25 app., five starts) with a 4.64 ERA and 39 strikeouts (42.2 IP) in 2023 and being named to the AAC All-Freshman Team. Robinson will look to settle into the weekend rotation for the Tigers after making a dozen appearances (5.40 ERA, 14 K, 18.1 IP) as a freshman a year ago.
Senior Austin Baskin is back and looks poised to anchor the Memphis offense after hitting .287 with a team-leading 15 doubles, 49 RBI, adding nine long balls. Jacob Compton returns to Memphis after transferring back in from South Carolina. The Olive Branch, Miss., native hit a team-best 11 home runs and led the AAC with 56 RBI when he last played for the Tigers in 2022. Two-way shortstop Jake Curtis is also back for a final season and will look to contribute in all areas for the Tigers after leading the squad in triples (3), steals (14), ERA (2.60) and saves (4) last season amongst returning players.
Infielder Daunte Stuart (Northwestern State) and outfielders Will Marcy (N.C. State), Aaron Smigelski (Rice) and Pierre Seals (Dyersburg State) are all newcomers to keep an eye on entering the season.
Newcomers Kylan Stepter (South Alabama) and Brayden Sanders (Northwest Mississippi CC) project to play key roles in the Tiger bullpen, along with returner Jackson Lyons. Sanders notched 10 saves a season ago for Northwest as the team's closer while Lyons made 17 relief appearances for Memphis, going 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA and a dozen strikeouts in 16.2 innings.
JSU will roll out three right-handed starting pitchers against the Tigers opening weekend: Austin Cornelius (Friday), Russell Derbyshire (Saturday) and Jackson Sleeper (Sunday).
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.
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