Memphis Eliminated from American Conference Tournament Following 6-4 Loss to Wichita State

Friday, May 22

Clearwater, Fla.

8:07 p.m.

University of Memphis

24-34

Wichita State

30-28

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Wichita State	1	1	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	6	8	0
Memphis	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	4	6	2

Memphis Eliminated from American Conference Tournament Following 6-4 Loss to Wichita State

May 23, 2026 | Baseball

Box Score

CLEARWATER, Fla. – The University of Memphis (24-34) baseball team saw its season come to an end Friday night, falling to Wichita State (30-28), 6-4, at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla. in an elimination game at the American Conference Tournament.

The Tigers collected six hits and drew seven walks but were unable to overcome an early deficit after Wichita State scored in each of the first three innings. Memphis rallied with two runs in the seventh and added a solo home run in the ninth but could not complete the comeback.

Shane Cox, James Smith IV, Trae Cassidy, Michael Gupton, Marcus Smith and Freddy Rodriguez each recorded a hit, while Marcus Smith drove in a run and added Memphis' lone extra-base hit with a ninth-inning home run. Brady McAbee reached base twice via walks and scored a run.

Seth Impson (1-4) took the loss after allowing two runs in 1.1 innings. Davis Oswalt followed and struck out six over 3.2 innings of relief, while Carson Fair closed the game with 1.2 scoreless innings and two strikeouts.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Wichita State struck first in the opening inning when Jayson Jones launched a solo home run to left field for a 1-0 lead.
The Shockers extended the advantage in the second after Ethan Gonzalez hit a solo homer to make it 2-0. Memphis answered in the bottom half as James Smith IV tripled and later scored on Shane Cox's RBI single.
Wichita State created separation in the third with a two-run single from Kaleb Duncan to push the lead to 4-1.
The Shockers added another run in the fifth on Jacob Gutierrez's RBI single before Memphis cut into the deficit in the seventh. Trae Cassidy delivered an RBI single before a wild pitch brought home another run to trim the lead to 5-3.
Wichita State added an insurance run in the eighth on a bases-loaded walk. Marcus Smith responded with a solo blast in the ninth, but the Tigers could get no closer as Wichita State secured the 6-4 win.

NOTABLES

Michael Gupton stole a base for the Tigers, bringing the team's season total to 131 steals, which ranks in the top 20 nationally and first in the conference.
- The 131 steals are the second-most in a single season in school history.
- Gupton stole his 17^th base of the season.
Third baseman Freddy Rodriguez added another hit to his stellar conference tournament performance.
- In the Tigers four games of the tournament Freddy hit .529 (9-for-17) with four runs scored, two doubles, a homer, two RBI, a walk, and two stolen bases.
- Rodriguez now leads the Tigers in hits (68), batting average (.300).
Right fielder Marcus Smith gave the Tigers life in the ninth with a solo shot to center field.
- The homer was his fourth of the season and his 20^th hit.
Second baseman Shane Cox went 1-for-4 with an RBI single.
- Cox recorded his 62^nd hit on a single that drove in a run in the second inning.
Center fielder Michael Gupton also recorded his 62^nd hit of the year, tied with Cox for second-most on the team.
Catcher Trae Cassidy started the Memphis comeback with an RBI-single in the seventh inning, tallying his 40^th hit and 27^th RBI in the process.

SCORING SUMMARY

Top 1:
Jayson Jones homered.
Memphis 0, Wichita State 1

Top 2:
Ethan Gonzalez homered.
Memphis 0, Wichita State 2

Bottom 2:
Shane Cox singled, James Smith IV scored.
Memphis 1, Wichita State 2

Top 3:
Kaleb Duncan singled, Owen Washburn and Nolan Ganter scored.
Memphis 1, Wichita State 4

Top 5:
Jacob Gutierrez singled, Jayson Jones scored.
Memphis 1, Wichita State 5

Bottom 7:
Trae Cassidy singled, Brady McAbee scored.
Michael Gupton scored on a wild pitch.
Memphis 3, Wichita State 5

Top 8:
Jaden Gustafson walked, Jacob Gutierrez scored.
Memphis 3, Wichita State 6

Bottom 9:
Marcus Smith homered.
Memphis 4, Wichita State 6

UP NEXT

Memphis concludes its 2026 campaign after going 2-2 in the American Conference Tournament and will look to take the momentum from this year into the 2027 season.

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.