March 7, 2013

Games 12-14
March 8-10, 2013 - Memphis, Tenn.
Memphis Tigers  5-3 (0-0 C-USA) Memphis Notes  Media Guide C-USA Notes		Game 12 - Friday - 4:00 PM				Buffalo Bulls 6-4 (0-0 MAC) Buffalo Notes  Media Guide MAC Notes
		LHP Sam Moll (2-1 1.50 ERA)		LHP Mike McGee (0-2 7.04 ERA)
		Listen on WUMR 91.7 FM
		Game 13 - Saturday - 2:00 PM
		LHP Erik Schoenrock (1-0 2.60 ERA)		RHP Anthony Magovney (2-0 4.00 ERA)
		Listen on WUMR 91.7 FM
		Game 14 - Sunday - 1:00 PM
		TBA		RHP Mike Burke (2-0 3.66 ERA)
		Listen on WUMR 91.7 FM

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - With two weeks to go before conference play, Memphis (7-4) is set for its first true night game of the season as Buffalo (6-4) visits FedExPark for a three-game series.

After starting the first three Friday games at 4:00 p.m., LHP Sam Moll (2-1, 1.50 ERA) will take the mound to throw first pitch on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, LHP Erik Schoenrock (1-0, 2.60 ERA) takes the hill on Saturday at 2 p.m. Head Coach Daron Schoenrock has not announced a probable starter for Sunday's game at 1 p.m.

Follow The Action
RADIO - Fans can listen locally on WUMR - FM 91.7 ... Jeff Brightwell, in his 10th season as the "Voice of the Tigers," brings the play-by-play ... Pregame show on WUMR begins 15 minutes prior to first pitch.

INTERNET - GoTigersGo.com will offer live play-by-play and statistics ... Live video is available on the Memphis Tiger Network ... Live stats are available through GameTracker, linked on the preview for the game.

TWITTER - @UofMBaseball is the official Twitter account for Memphis Baseball. Follow the Tigers throughout the season for in-game updates, behind the scenes photos and much more.

Greetings
The Tigers play Buffalo for the first time in program history on Friday at FedExPark. Dating back to 1978, Memphis has a record of 43-35 in three-game series against first time opponents. Home games in that scenario, the U of M sports a 32-25 mark. Under Coach Daron Schoenrock, the Tigers are 27-18 against first time opponents in a three-game series, 17-13 on the home turf.

March Baseball
The Tigers have a record of 69-88 in the month of March since 2005. Memphis turned in their best March record in 2007, including an impressive 10-1 record at home. The Tigers have played well at home in the month of March, compiling a record 12 games over .500. However, Memphis is only 14-45 in road contests since 2005. Dating back to 1978, Memphis is 323-184-1 (.637) in March.

Ducks on The Pond
Memphis has had 19 official at-bats with the bases full this season. The Tigers have mustered three hits in the situation, but the 19 official at-bats with the bases full are the most through 11 games since 2008, the latest year with full stats available. Ford Wilson (1-for-2), Nate Rupiper (1-for-2) and Corey Chafin (1-for-1) have the three Tiger hits with ducks on the pond this season.

Where Does It Rank?
With the win at No. 8 Ole Miss, the Tigers claimed their third win all-time against the No. 8 ranked team. It was the first matchup against a No. 8 team since 2001 (Tulane) and the previous meetings came in 1985 and 1972. Previous to 2000, rankings reflected in year-by-year schedules show final rankings.

Rank And File
Quietly, Memphis has won five of its last six games against top-10 foes. Tuesday's win at Ole Miss was the fourth-straight win against a top-10 opponent. The Tigers defeated No. 4 Rice in the C-USA Tournament and won games two and three of the series at No. 7 UCF in 2012. Previous to the UCF series, the U of M defeated then-ranked No. 7 Rice at FedExPark in the series finale, 6-2.

The Inside Edge-Buffalo
Buffalo is off to a 6-4 start to the 2013 season. The Bulls, like Memphis, had the midweek off. Buffalo hits at a .271 clip and has nine home runs with 55 RBI as a team. Jason Kanzler is the team leader in average (.349), triples (2), home runs (4), RBI (13) and stolen bases (5). Jon Mestas has one home run and is second on the club with 11 RBI. The Bulls have 31 extra-base hits, including 19 doubles, five of which are by Tyler Mautner. On the mound, Buffalo sports a 4.17 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 86 and one third innings. Sunday's scheduled starter Michael Burke has 20 strikeouts in 19.2 innings of work and a 2-0 record. Closer River McWilliams, also a third baseman, has three saves this season.

Getting Runners On Base
Last season, when Memphis had 14 or more runners reach base in a game, the Tigers had a record of 26-15. On the other side, when the U of M had 13 or fewer base runners in a game, Memphis had a 5-13 mark. So far in 2013, Memphis is 6-3 when 14 or more reach base and 1-1 when having 13 or fewer base runners in a game.

The Run Around
Memphis pitching has posted a 2.07 ERA so far allowing a total of 33 runs, 23 earned, in the first 11 outings. Going back to 1978, there have been six occasions in which the pitching staff held the opposition to 30 or fewer runs over the first 11 games. Prior to this season, the last time the Tigers achieved the feat was in 2004, allowing 19 runs. The table below shows the years that Memphis has limited opponents to 25 or fewer runs in first eight games and the win/loss record in those games.

Bullpen The Difference
Memphis' bullpen has a 4-2 record with four saves so far and a 2.49 ERA. Through 11 games, the Memphis bullpen hadn't posted an ERA under 5.50 since the 2008 season (5.21) prior to the start this season. Overall, the 2013 pitching staff has a 2.07 ERA, the best ERA among stats available dating back to 2008. In Tuesday's win at Ole Miss, five relievers combined for 4.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 5 BB, 3 SO.

Quartet of Lefties
Memphis has started a left-handed pitcher in all 11 games this season. Looking at every Division I baseball squad, the Tigers are the only team to have a lefty start every game this season. California started southpaws in their first 10 games. Kentucky started lefties in their first six games, but a right-handed pitcher started in each teams next contest. Only 12 other teams started three lefties to start the season, but in their fourth game, a right-hander took the hill.

Four Score and...
Since 1970, Memphis has an 853-181-1 (.825) record when opponents score four or fewer runs. Under head coach Daron Schoenrock the Tigers are 122-39 (.757) when the pitching staff holds the opposition under four runs, 7-1 in 2013. Year-by-year breakdown is below:

Ironman
Shortstop Ethan Gross made his 100th career start in the season opener and his 100th consecutive start on February 24th against Missouri. If Gross starts each scheduled game this season he would tie the record for consecutive games started, which is held by Mike Dlugach (149). Gross has started every game since March 26, 2011 against East Carolina, the second game of the doubleheader.

Game Over
Jonathan Van Eaton recorded his 12th career save on Saturday against ULM, his fourth of 2013. With three more saves, he would pass Matt Yokley for the school record. Van Eaton posted eight saves in 2012, one shy of the single-season record set by Yokley in 2007.

Record Pace
Not only does the Tiger pitching staff sport an outstanding 2.07 ERA, the U of M pitchers are on a record pace for strikeouts and hits allowed in a season. The table below shows where the Tiger pitchers stack up against the record numbers.

Stick It To Cancer
This season, Tiger baseball has teamed up with The Cure Baseball, to create awareness about cancer through the game of baseball. The Tigers are taking part in the Stick It To Cancer Campaign by placing The Cure Baseball's Logo sticker on the back of their batting helmets. The Tigers wear this sticker as a visual sign of support for every man, woman and child battling any and all types of cancer.

The Cure Baseball is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a goal of raising cancer awareness through the game of baseball. You can read more about the organization and its mission by visiting TheCureBaseball.org.