April 7, 2008

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis will play one of its two remaining home midweek contest on Tuesday, when the Tigers host Mississippi State at 6:30 p.m. at AutoZone Park.

Last Time Out
No. 12 Rice 7, Memphis 7
Memphis took a 6-4 lead into the ninth inning, but No. 12 Rice rallied with three runs in the last frame to sweep the Tigers in a 7-6 decision on Sunday afternoon at Nat Buring Stadium. The one run setback was Memphis' ninth of the year, as well as the team's ninth consecutive loss.

The Tigers seemed to have the contest in hand for the majority of the game until the Rice rally came in the ninth. Leftfielder Aaron Luna, who had already homered in the seventh, led-off the ninth with his second blast in as many at-bats, making it a one-run game. After inducing a fly out to rightfield, Tiger closer Matt Yokley fell victim to misfortune when Jess Buenger was awarded a free pass to first. Diego Seastrunk then drove a game tying double to right centerfield and later came around to score the game winner on a wild pitch.

About the Tigers
Despite one of its best all-around performances on Sunday, Memphis' losing skid was extended to nine games with the club's ninth one-run setback. Sitting at 11-19, the Tigers' last win came on March 23, when they defeated UAB, 7-6.

The Tigers offense hits just .242, but has gotten increasing production from freshman Chad Zurcher. Zurcher leads the team in hitting at .311 and has hit safely in 19 consecutive games. He banged out three doubles in Sunday's series finale versus No. 12 Rice--one double shy of the program record. His 21 runs scored and eight doubles are first on the squad, while he is the toughest U of M regular to strikeout, checking in with a team-low 9 K's. Brett Bowen and Trey Wiedman are tied for the team lead in RBI, with 20 each. Wiedman is the only other Tiger hitter with an average over .300.

Memphis got three strong starting outings from Scott McGregor, Will Hudgens and Ryan Holland this weekend. The Tiger pitchers have a 4.66 ERA, with 247 strikeouts. Opponents hit just .279 against them. Hudgens leads the staff with 37 strikeouts, while McGregor has 34. Reliever Matt Yokley has 26 K's in 16 innings of work.

Scouting the Bulldogs
MSU is led by legendary skipper Ron Polk. Polk announced his retirement effective at the end of the season just over a week ago.

On the heels of their fifth consecutive weekend series loss, the Bulldogs come into the midweek contest with a 14-17 record. The MSU offense is a powerful one, hitting .301. Jason Nappi has started in 30 games and leads all regulars with a .351 average with eight dingers. Connor Powers hits .350 and leads the way with nine homers and 33 RBI. Cody Freeman hits .397 in 19 starts, but leads the team with seven doubles. Ryan Collins (.378), Jet Butler (.322) and Grant Hogue (.320) all hit over .300. Hogue has 18 stolen bases in 19 attempts.

On the hill, the Bulldog pitchers have been touched up for a 6.10 ERA. John Lalor paces the staff with a 3.63 ERA. He is 1-2 with a save in 10 relief appearances. Aaron Weatherford has three saves in five appearances. The MSU closer has fanned 17 in 8.1 innings and hold opposing hitters to a .040 average. Ricky Bowen has a staff-high 34 K's. He has the squad's only shutout of the year.

All-time series vs. Mississippi State
Mississippi State holds a 44-20 lead in the all-time series. Dating back to the 1996 season, the Bulldogs have beaten the Tigers in 16 of the last 17 meetings, including winning all eight since 2003. Memphis' last win over MSU came in 2003, when they earned a hard-fought 8-7 win.

On Deck
The Tigers will travel to Orlando for a three-game C-USA series versus UCF. Game times are set for 6:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and Noon. All times are Eastern.