April 13, 2006

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis will face its stiffest test of the season this weekend when it hosts No. 2 Rice in a three-game Conference USA series and Nat Buring Stadium, beginning Fri., April 14. First pitch for the series-opener is set for 6:30 p.m. Game times for Saturday and Sunday are slated for 2 p.m .and Noon, respectively.

Scouting the Owls

The No. 2 Owls come to Memphis on an 11-game win streak and a 29-8 mark. The Conference USA Preseason favorite, Rice is 8-1 in Conference USA play with wins in each of its last eight league contests. The Owls swept a three-game series from UAB last weekend to take over sole possession of first place in the C-USA standings. Rice has held C-USA opponents to an average of just 2.77 runs per game.

Rice hits .295 as team on the season and just .261 in league action. Rice ranks among the league's top five teams in hits (362, 4th), RBI (228, 3rd), runs scored (256, 3rd) and home runs (34, 2nd), triples (13, 2nd). They are the league leaders in doubles with 82.

Just four Owl regulars are hitting over .300 with Greg Buchanan leading way and ranking sixth among C-USA players with a .359 average. The senior second baseman leads the team with 52 hits. Sophomore Brian Friday is ninth in the league with a .346 batting average. The Owl shortstop is hitting a blistering .429 in conference action and is tied for third in C-USA with 33 runs scored. Jordan Dodson and Tyler Hensley hit .313 and .302, respectively. Hensley is the C-USA leader with six triples. His six home runs is tied with Aaron Luna for the top spot on the squad. 2006 Baseball America Third Team All-American selection Josh Rodriguez is hitting just .296, but is fourth in C-USA with 324 RBI to go with 10 doubles. Dual position standout Joe Savery hits at a .298 clip, but has posted a team-high 13 doubles. Savery was tabbed Conference USA's Preseason Player of the Year, as well as earning 2006 Baseball America First Team All-American honors. In addition, the sophomore was noted as a Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA, Rosenblatt Report and Street & Smith's First Team All-American. The southpaw is also on the Clemens Watch List (for nation's top pitcher) and Wallace Watch list (a national player of the year award sponsored by the College Baseball Foundation).

Rice has the best pitching staff in Conference USA and one of the best in the nation. As a staff Rice leads the conference with a 2.67 ERA, 363 strikeouts and a .218 opponent batting average. Ace Eddie Degerman is undefeated in seven decisions and leads the team and the conference with a 1.01 ERA. Degerman is a Third Team All-American selection and joins Savery on the Clemens Watch list. The senior righthander has already won C-USA Pitcher of the Week honors twice this year. Degerman has struck out 10 or more batters in a game four times this season and seven times in his collegiate career. He has a team-high 86 strikeouts in just 62.2 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting just .161 against him--second in C-USA only to teammate Cole St. Clair's 1.26 opposing batting average. The sophomore is fourth in the league with a team-best five saves. He ranks third with a 1.47 ERA, but has an astounding 0.84 clip in league action. He has 66 strikeouts in 43 innings. Savery is 4-1 with a 1.68 ERA. Craig Crow and and Bobby Bell are both undefeated at 4-0, and 3-0, respectively.

About The Tigers

The nation's No. 2 team isn't the only team riding a winning streak coming into the series. The Tigers ride the momentum of an eight-game streak into the three-game set. The eight-straight wins is the most for a Tiger team in 12 years-since the 1994 team won 16-straight on its way to a NCAA Regional appearance.

Memphis has gotten solid play in all facets of the game to build the longest streak in over a decade. The Tiger offense has pounded out 10 or more hits in six of the eight games, while its defense has also been solid. Memphis leads Conference USA after turning an NCAA record seven double plays in a 12-1 win over Murray State on Tuesday night. The U of M is third in the league with a .310 team batting average. Adam Amar leads both the team and the conference with a .388 average. Junior Kyle Norrid has an 11-game hitting streak and trails Amar with a .358 clip, good for eight among C-USA hitters. Designated hitter Joey Lieberman has hit homers in each of the last two games to take control of the top spot in Conference USA's home run s list with eight. Half of his hits have landed over the wall for home runs. Bill Moss and Will Petersen are tied for the team and league lead with 15 doubles each. Moss is hitting .350 while Petersen checks in at .342. Sophomore K.K. Chalmers leads all league players with 26 stolen bases. He has been thrown out just once.

On the mound, Memphis has a staff ERA of 5.22, but opposing hitters are hitting at a .301 clip against them. Reliever Drew Jaudon has the squad's best ERA at 3.61. Junior Dusty Davis and freshman Matt Yokley are next with 4.28 and 4.30 ERA's each. Senior Marcus Davis has a team-high 31 strikeouts.

Memphis is 21-13 overall and 6-3 in Conference USA play. The Tigers won just 13 games overall and five in league play in 2005. The U of M claimed it first road sweep in C-USA action since 2002 with a sweep of Marshall last week.

The Series

Memphis and Rice have never met on the baseball diamond.