Memphis Returns Home to Host North Alabama

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis Tigers softball (12-13, 1-2 AAC) plays host to North Alabama (18-5, 0-0 ASUN) on Wednesday at 5 p.m. for the second half of a home-and-home series. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Greg Gaston on the call.

The previous matchup between the Tigers and Lions was on Feb. 26 and resulted in a 5-1 loss for Memphis.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS

Memphis enters the contest after its first weekend of American Athletic Conference play, where the Tigers went 1-2 against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

Kennedy Semien and Neely Taylor continue to lead Memphis in offensive production. Semien leads the Tigers in batting average (.394), hits (28), runs scored (23), doubles (8), walks (14) and is tied for second on the team with 16 RBIs. Taylor is the only Tiger to have started in all 25 games this season and currently holds a .380 batting average with 27 hits and seven doubles.

Zoe Adebayo has remained at the heart of the Tiger lineup and has delivered in critical situations. Adebayo leads Memphis in multiple key power categories OPS (1.136), home runs (5), RBIs (22) and slugging percentage (.706). She was named to the AAC weekly honor roll after recording a .500 batting average with a home run and six RBIs in the previous week of competition.

The Tiger pitching staff currently holds a team ERA of 4.27, while having just reached 100 strikeouts as a unit. Rylee Dugar leads Memphis in ERA (3.69), WHIP (1.72) and is tied for the team lead in strikeouts with 34. Freshman pitcher Lyrical Bennett has emerged as a strong piece of the Memphis rotation, most recently earning two complete game victories over the last week of competition. Over 13 innings of work that included a 174-pitch, eight inning complete game victory, Bennett held her own in the circle, striking out five batters and only allowing three extra-base hits.

SCOUTING THE LIONS

North Alabama comes into the midweek matchup after going 3-2 in the UNA Tournament, finishing the weekend with a 5-2 victory over Samford.

The Lions carry a stout offense, currently with 67 extra-base-hits as a team, including 20 home runs. Hailey Jones leads the Lions in batting average (.425), hits (34) and doubles (9). She is one of six North Alabama players to have started all 23 competitions and one of just four Lions with a batting average above .300. Laura Leigh Wheeler and Briley Dover have also been strong performers in the Lions lineup, combining for 38 RBIs, 57 hits and 24 extra-base hits.

During the Feb. 26 game, Bayleigh Rouse and recorded two RBIs in the North Alabama victory. The Lions only recorded six hits as a team but were able to take advantage of two Memphis errors.

North Alabama continues to have a stalwart of a pitching staff with a team ERA of 1.75, which ranks sixth nationally. The Simon sisters, Katie and Emily, have combined for 10 complete games, 11 wins and 132 strikeouts over a total of 93.2 innings pitched between them. Alivia Wilken stands as North Alabama's leader in innings pitched (54.1) and strikeouts (52).

In the first matchup, Katie Simon threw a complete game against Memphis, only allowing three hits and one run.

THE SERIES WITH…
The two programs have met five times, with North Alabama winning every contest in the series. Most recently, the Tigers and Lions met earlier this season in a game that went in favor of North Alabama by a score of 5-1.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For complete information on Memphis Tigers Softball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram , and Facebook.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Zoe Adebayo

Lyrical Bennett

Rylee Dugar

Kennedy Semien

Neely Taylor

University of Memphis Athletics