Feb. 19, 2009

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -
Pitching Matchups
Friday, February 20, 2009 • 4 p.m.
Kansas - T.J. Walz (So., RHP, 4-1, 5.00 ERA)
Memphis - Brennon Martin (Jr., LHP, 4-4, 5.40 ERA)

Saturday, February 21, 2009 • 11 a.m.
Air Force - Casey Allen (Sr., RHP, DNP) or Matt Barattino (So., RHP, 1-3, 10.80 ERA)
Memphis - Ryan Fraser (Jr., RHP)

4 p.m.
Memphis - Marc Ashley (Jr., RHP, 1-3, 9.51 ERA)
Bradley - Brad Altbach (Jr., RHP, 4-5, 7.89 ERA)

Sunday, February 22, 2009 • 1 p.m.
Memphis - Brach Davis (Jr., LHP, 2-4, 6.40 ERA)
Pittsburgh - TBA

Opening Day 2009
The University of Memphis baseball team will get the 80th season of Tiger baseball underway on Friday, February 20, when it battles the Kansas Jayhawks at 4 p.m. on day one of the 2009 Service Academies Spring Classic, to be held at Millington's USA Stadium.

The Tigers will face Kansas on Friday before playing Bradley (11 a.m.) and Air Force (4 p.m.) in a split doubleheader on Saturday. Memphis will wrap up the season's first weekend on Sunday with a 1 p.m. meeting versus the Pittsburgh Panthers.

2009 Service Academies Spring Classic Schedule

Friday, February 20
10 a.m.     Navy vs. Air Force
11 a.m.     Bradley vs. Pittsburgh (Field #2)
1 p.m.      Kansas vs. Air Force
4 p.m.      Kansas vs. Memphis

Saturday, February 21
10 a.m.     Pittsburgh vs. Navy
11 a.m.     Air Force vs. Memphis (Field #2)
1 p.m.      Bradley vs. Kansas
4 p.m.      Memphis vs. Bradley

Sunday, February 22
10 a.m.     Air Force vs. Navy
10 a.m.     Kansas vs. Bradley (Field #2)
1 p.m.      Memphis vs. Pittsburgh

Scouting the Tigers
Memphis enters the season with a more experienced club. Head Coach Daron Schoenrock returns 21 letterwinners, including 12 position players, eight of nine position starters and eight pitchers from last year's club the posted a 17-38 record, but lost 12 one-run tilts. Junior Trey Wiedman (.302, 60 h, 39 rbi, 8 hr) will lead the offensive charge. The "big-hitting" first baseman led the Tigers in several offensive categories a year ago and will be counted on heavily to do the same this year. Senior captain Brett Bowen, sophomore Chad Zurcher and DH Cole Shelton all return after playing in 52 games in their first year of D-I action. Zurcher led the team with 36 runs scored and was second to Wiedman with a .267 batting average.

A junior-laden club on the mound, the Tigers are as deep as they've been since Schoenrock arrived on campus at the pitcher position. Junior lefthander Brennon Martin will get the starting nod on Opening Day. Martin went 4-4 with a 5.40 ERA last season. Juniors Brach Davis and Ryan Fraser will factor into the success of this year's club. Davis was 2-4 with a 6.40 ERA in 2008. Junior Garrett Hachtel returns after logging a staff-high 18 relief outings. Junior righthander Marc Ashley will also see a start in the opening weekend of action.

Coach Cal Scores a Hit at 2009 Meet the Tigers Baseball Banquet
University of Memphis baseball supporters were treated to a dynamic address from Memphis basketball head coach John Calipari at the 2009 "Meet the Tigers" preseason baseball banquet on February 15. Sponsored by the Memphis baseball Bullpen Club, the preseason event was attended by over 300 supporters of the program. The winningest coach in Memphis basketball history, Calipari delivered an inspiring and energetic talk on overcoming adversity and staying positive to be successful. He urged fans to get involved in the program to help it become one of the elite in both Conference USA and the nation.

AMac's Back
After missing the final 41 games of the 2008 season due to a season-ending injury, redshirt freshman Adam McClain returns to the Tiger lineup. McClain was hitting .311 with eight RBI, a homer and a double when his season came to an end after taking a fastball to the jaw versus SEMO on March 14. McClain bounced back for a stellar summer season for the Luray Wranglers in Valley League. The redshirt freshman hit .258 with 49 hits, 27 runs scored and six doubles in 52 games. He also led the team with 32 RBI and 22 walks, while tying for the team lead with nine homer runs. Those numbers garnered him recognition as the league's No. 4 prospect by Baseball America.

2009 Recruiting Class Earns National Recognition
For the second time since taking the controls of the University of Memphis baseball program, head coach Daron Schoenrock boasts one of the top recruiting classes in the country as selected by Collegiate Baseball in the publication's yearly evaluation of NCAA Division I baseball recruiting classes. The recruiting class for the 2009 showcases a total of 10 talented newcomers, including seven true freshmen and three junior college transfers. Among the true freshmen are five of Memphis' top talents in outfielder Drew Martinez and Bartlett graduates utility player Heith Hatfield (Bartlett, Tenn./Bartlett), catcher Trey Turner (Bartlett, Tenn./Bartlett) and infielder Jacob Wilson (Arlington, Tenn./Bartlett). Former DeSoto Central hurler Ben Paullus (Olive Branch, Miss./DeSoto Central) was a late addition and bolstered an already solid class. Hatfield, Martinez, Paullus and Wilson represent four of the five 2008 Commercial Appeal Best of Preps finalists. Other incoming freshmen in the 2009 class include pitchers Brandon Showmar (Little Rock, Ark./Little Rock Central), who garnered 2008 Pro-Day Baseball High School All-American honors, and CBHS product Michael Wills. Schoenrock's class also features top level juco transfers, highlighted by pitcher Ryan Fraser (Cleveland, Tenn./Gulf Coast CC), who was a 49th round draft pick of the Cleveland Indians in the 2006 Major League Draft. Also joining the Tigers is catcher Shawn Ablett (Van Alstyne, Texas/Richland JC). Ablett hit .380 with 23 homers, 116 RBI, 33 doubles and five triples in junior college. Former Northwest Mississippi Community College Josh Ross rounds out the Tigers' juco signees. Ross went 10-4 with 102 strikeouts in two seasons at NWCC and earned Second Team MACJC All-State honors in 2008.

It's Time for a Change
The 2009 Memphis lineup will see several positional changes from the 2008 season. Senior Brett Bowen will make the move from third base to shortstop, while Chad Zurcher, who was the Tigers' everyday shortstop in 2008 will move over the second base. While seeing time in the U of M infield, redshirt freshman Adam McClain will make move out to leftfield. Junior Tyler Huelsing will take over in rightfield after playing in left for his first two seasons in a Memphis uniform.

What a Difference a Year Makes
After opening the year with an inexperienced lineup that showcased just 79 NCAA Division I starts on Opening Day in 2008, Schoenrock will put a much more experienced bunch on the field when the Tigers begin play on Friday. This year's starting crew has a combined 217 more starts than last year's starting nine. Here's a look at the 2008 starting lineup versus the proposed starters for the 2009 season opener.

2008                     2009
Name               Starts   Name                Starts
Fr., Chad Zurcher     0     Jr., Shawn Ablett      0
So., Tyler Huelsing  22     Jr., Trey Wiedman     55
Jr., Brett Bowen      0     So., Chad Zurcher     52
So., Trey Wiedman     5     Fr., Jacob Wilson      0
Fr., Robby Graham     0     Sr., Brett Bowen      52
Fr., Adam McClain     0     R-Fr., Adam McClain   13
Jr., Cole Shelton     0     Fr., Drew Martinez     0
Jr., Eric Farrell    11     Jr., Tyler Huelsing   72
Sr., Chris Kirkland  41     Sr., Cole Shelton     52
Total               l79     Total                296

New Man in the Middle
Tiger fans will have to get used to a new face in centerfield. After watching K.K. Chalmers roam the gaps for the last four seasons, freshman Drew Martinez will look to fill those "big shoes" in the Tiger outfield. Chalmers is Memphis' all-time leader in games played (224), runs (186), triples (15), walks (138) and stolen bases (112).

Coach Rock Nears 100th Win as Memphis Skipper
Memphis head coach Daron Schoenrock needs just two wins to become the Tigers' fifth coach to reach the 100-win milestone. Schoenrock, who is 98-135 in four years at the U of M, led the Tigers to 32 wins in 2006 and 36 victories in '07. He has the fifth-most wins of the 16 Memphis baseball coaches and is seven wins shy of surpassing Dave Anderson for fourth on the Tigers' all-time coaching wins list.

New Era
A new era was ushered into Tiger baseball on Wednesday, February 18 when The University of Memphis officially kicked off construction of FedExPark with a groundbreaking ceremony at Memphis' Park Avenue Campus. University President Dr. Shirley Raines and Athletic Director R.C. Johnson and Tiger baseball head coach Daron Schoenrock were on hand for the momentous occasion, as well as Alan B. Graf, Jr., FedEx Corp. executive vice-president and chief financial officer. Construction setup began on Monday, February 16, with the project slated for completion by the spring of 2010. The Tigers will play homes game at USA Stadium in Millington and at AutoZone Park this spring.

De Ja Vu? I think NOT!
The Memphis baseball team will open the 2009 season against the same institution its 2007-08 basketball team finished theirs against--the Kansas Jayhawks.

Last Man Standing
Fifth-year senior outfielder Chris Newsom only player that has been on every roster since Coach Schoenrock became the head coach at Memphis. Newsom is also the final player remaining from the 2005 Tiger team that finished 13-42. Since his arrival, Newsom has seen the Tigers' worst-ever season, followed by a pair of 30-plus win campaigns, including the program's first NCAA appearance in 13 years in 2007.

Tigers in Season Openers
Memphis has been successful in season openers since the 1948 season. The Tigers hold a 35-26 record in season openers in those 61 years, and have won six of the last eight. Memphis was shutout 1-0 in a pitcher's dual in the 2008 season opener. The Tiger suffered a tough 12-9 loss at the hands of Ole Miss in 2007, snapping a streak of six straight season-opening victories.

Tigers in Season Openers under Coach Schoenrock
Memphis has split four season-openers under skipper Daron Schoenrock. Schoenrock took the post in 2005 and led Memphis to season-opening wins--over Air Force and Alabama--in each of his first two campaigns. Here is a look at how the Tigers have fared in Rock's first three season-opening contests.

Year  Opponent      Result, Score
2005  Air Force          W, 10-4
2006  Alabama            W, 2-0
2007  Ole Miss           L, 9-12
2008  Ohio State         L, 0-1

Tigers in the Service Academies Spring Classic
The Tigers have done relatively well in the 17 SASC tournaments they have appeared in. They hold an overall mark of 34-21 in Millington and have claimed the Classic title three times, including going a perfect 3-0 to take home the hardware in 2007. Memphis also won the Classic in 1996 and 1994. The Tigers have finished no worse than third in five of the past six seasons and have claimed the runner-up trophy twice. Here is a record of the Tigers in the Service Academies Classic:

Year   Record  Finish   Champion
2008    1-2     5th     Ohio State
2007    3-0     1st     Memphis
2006    2-1     2nd     Navy
2005    2-1     3rd     Missouri
2004    2-1     2nd     Kentucky
2003    1-1     3rd     Arkansas
2002    1-3     4th     Navy
2001    3-1     2nd     Air Force
2000    0-3     6th     Ohio State
1999    3-1     3rd     Air Force
1998    3-1     3rd     West Virginia
1997    0-0     N/A     N/A
1996    3-1     1st     Memphis
1995    2-2     2nd     Kentucky
1994    3-1     1st     Memphis
1993    2-1     2nd     Navy
1992    3-1     2nd     Notre Dame
Total  34-21

Tigers in the Service Academies Spring Classic Under Coach Schoenrock
Since Schoenrock took the reigns of the Memphis baseball program, the Tigers have won twice as many games as they have lost in the Service Academies Classic. Memphis is 8-4 in Schoenrock's four years as the Tigers skipper. The U of M has won at least two games in three of the four years and won the Classic with a perfect 3-0 mark in 2007.

New Home
With stadium renovations underway for the Tigers' future home--FedExPark--Memphis baseball will call Millington's USA Stadium home for the 2009 season. While the Tigers will play home games at Gagliano Stadium and AutoZone Park, USA Stadium will serve as the primary home and will play host to 18 of the Tigers' 27 home games, including six regular season weekend series' (three non-conference and three C-USA).

Three's A Crowd
The 2009 Tigers will stare a unique challenge in the face this year, basically playing all 56 games on the road. Memphis will play its home schedule at three different venues across the Memphis area. The Tigers will play 18 games at Millington's USA Stadium, five contests at AutoZone Park and three tilts at Gagliano Stadium.

Rowan Returns
Memphis' final contest of the weekend will feature a different twist. It will be a homecoming for former Tiger pitcher Brandon Rowan, who will go up against his former coach for the first time as an assistant coach at Pittsburgh. Rowan was a two-year letterwinner for Dave Anderson and Daron Schoenrock from 2003-04. The southpaw from Senatobia, Miss., led Memphis with a staff-low 3.63 ERA in 2003. The 2005 team captain in Schoenrock's first year at Memphis, Rowan took the head coaching post at Crichton from 2005-08 before making the move to Pittsburgh in September 2008.

Scouting the Jayhawks
Coming off a 30-27 season in 2008, Kansas retains 17 letterwinners from a year ago, including six position starters and eight pitchers. In his seventh year at Kansas, skipper Ritch Price has racked up a 203-169-1 mark. The Jayhawks are led by the senior battery of catcher Buck Afenir and righthand closer Paul Smyth. Afenir drove in 42 runs and hit nine home runs in 2008, while Smyth (5-5) posted a 3.73 ERA in 34 games and recorded 51 strikeouts and 10 saves on the season. Another of the Jayhawks' top returners is second baseman Robby Price, son of head coach Ritch Price. Price hit .296, with 60 hits and 40 runs scored as a sophomore.

All-Time Series vs. Kansas
Friday's season-opener with the Jayhawks will mark the series' first game between Memphis and Kansas in baseball.

Scouting the Braves
Bradley is coached by first-year skipper Elvis Dominguez. Picked to finish fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll, Bradley returns 17 lettermen, including seven position starters and six pitchers, from the 2008 squad that posted a 26-28 overall and finished sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2008. The Braves return its entire starting infield and two starting pitchers--senior righthander Collin Brennan and junior righty Rob Scahill--who were selected in last June's Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Senior rightfielder Colby Luttrell earned preseason All-MVC honors after leading the 2008 Braves with a .363 batting average and 48 RBI.

All-Time Series vs. Bradley
Memphis is 8-12 all-time versus Bradley. The two programs have not met since 1975--Memphis' final year as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. The series began in 1967 with Memphis handing Bradley a 4-2 defeat. The Tigers have claimed victory in five of the last seven meetings, including taking an 8-2 victory in the last meeting.

Scouting the Falcons
The 2009 Falcons returns eight starters and 20 letterwinners from its squad that finished the year with an 18-33 record. Now in his sixth season as head coach at Air Force, Mike Hutcheon welcomes 12 newcomers, including six pitchers to this year's team. Sophomore outfielder Nathan Carter returns as the club's top hitter after hitting .312, with 19 stolen bases, 16 doubles and 10 triples in 2008. He will be assisted by junior first baseman Matt Alexander, who posted a .306 average and drive in a team-high 45 RBI and banged seven homers a year ago. Alexander was named a Preseason All-Mountain West performer. Junior righthander Alex Truesdale is the top returning pitcher with a 3-6 record and 6.73 ERA in 97.2 innings last year. Air Force was picked to finish seventh on the MWC preseason poll.

All-Time Series vs. Air Force
Memphis leads the all-time series 9-5, but currently enjoys a five-game win streak over the Falcons. The Tigers are 6-1 against the Falcons in the last seven meetings. In those contests, Memphis has outscored Air Force 47-19. The Tigers bested the Falcons 10-4 in Schoenrock's debut as the Memphis coach in 2005, and routed them 14-1 in the 2003 season-opener. Air Force last defeated Memphis in 2001 when it bounced back to win, 3-1.

Last Time vs. Air Force
Memphis 4, Air Force 3
Memphis pitching dominated its opponent as starter Philip Utley, middle reliever Marcus Barnes and closer Matt Yokley combined for 10 strike outs to lead the Tigers to their first win of the season in a 4-3 decision over the Air Force Academy on February 24, 2008.

Making his collegiate debut, Barnes (1-0) was nearly flawless in two innings to pick up his first collegiate victory. With the scored tied at 3-3, the Murfreesboro, Tenn., native took the mound and proceeded to strikeout five over the next two innings. He then handed the ball over to Yokley and the Tigers' all-time saves leader came through again, fanning the final two batters in a perfect ninth to earn his program-record 12 career save.

Starter Philip Utley, who made his first appearance since March 2, 2007, was also solid. He scattered seven hits and struck out three in six innings. He faced just two batters over the minimum through four innings and, at one point, retired eight straight Falcons.

The Tigers benefitted from three Air Force miscues in the game, but none more helpful than the ninth inning error that put the U of M on top 4-3. Falcons reliever Michael Ruvolo (0-1) sat down Chad Zurcher to open the inning and Tyler Huelsing reached on an error, but was erased when he was caught attempting to steal second. With two outs, Ruvolo plunked Bowen, who promptly swiped second. Trey Wiedman then hit a routine groundball to shortstop and K.J. Randhawa fielded it cleanly, but his throw to first sailed high and into the Memphis dugout, allowing Bowen to score the eventual game-winning run.

Bowen was the lone Tiger with multiple hits, while Huelsing extended his hit streak to six games dating back to the end of 2007. Memphis's lineup that had struck out a combined 26 times in the previous two games, showed that it was acclimating to pitching, striking out just seven times. Randhawa led AF with a 2-for-3 effort.

Scouting the Panthers
Head coach Joe Jordano is in his 12th season at the helm of Pittsburgh baseball with a 300-271-2 record. He led his club to a 19-34 finish in 2008 and returns 15 letterwinners and six fielding starters from that team. The Panthers also return four key pitchers in Corey Baker, Ryan Dunford, David Kaye and Nate Reed. Injury sidelined Dunford last year, but the junior righthander logged a 1-1 mark with a 1.91 ERA in 2007. Kaye returns after posting a 2.52 ERA with a save. Reed is the top returning starter after going 5-5 and fanning a staff-best 70 batters.

The Pitt offense will be led by Joe Leonard and Danny Lopez. Leonard, a sophomore infielder, led the team with a .335 batting average, while hitting seven homers and driving in 37 in his rookie campaign. A junior shortstop, Lopez hit .319 with seven bombs and a team-high 38 RBI. He was also a threat on the base paths with 21 stolen bases.

All-Time Series vs. Pitt
Memphis has never played Pitt in baseball.

On Deck
Memphis will open its home schedule with a non-league matchup versus Murray State at Gagliano Stadium on Tuesday, February 24. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m. The Tigers will then hit the road for the first time and travel to Troy, Ala., for a three-game weekend series with the Troy Trojans, Feb. 27-Mar. 1. Games times are 6 p.m., 1 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.