April 3, 2008

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Just two days after taking on the 23rd ranked team in the country in Ole Miss, the University of Memphis baseball team's road will get even more challenging as the Tigers prepare to host the 12th-ranked Rice Owls in a Conference USA weekend series. First pitch for Friday evening's series opener is set for 6:30 p.m. at Nat Buring Stadium.

Fri., April 4, 2008 • 6:30 p.m.
Rice - So., RHP, Ryan Berry (3-2, 2.79 ERA)
Memphis - Jr., RHP, Scott McGregor (1-2, 4.15 ERA)

Sat., April 5, 2008 • 2 p.m.
Rice - Sr., RHP, Chris Kelley (3-1, 2.32 ERA)
Memphis - Jr., RHP, Will Hudgens (1-2, 4.18 ERA)

Sat., April 6, 2008 • Noon
Rice - Jr., RHP, Matt Langwell (3-0, 4.81 ERA)
Memphis - Fr., LHP, Ryan Holland (1-2, 7.54 ERA)

Last Time Out
No. 23 Ole Miss 5, Memphis 4
Memphis jumped out to a 4-0 lead with four runs in the first inning and Brach Davis fanned a career-high seven in five innings, but Ole Miss came back to score five unanswered runs to send the Tigers to their sixth straight loss in a 5-4 decision at Oxford-University Stadium on Wednesday evening. The loss was Memphis' eighth one-run setback of the year and was the ninth consecutive loss to Ole Miss.

Davis cruised through the first four stanzas, no hitting the Rebels and tying his former career-high with six strikeouts. The southpaw gave up his first hit in the bottom of the fifth as Michael Guerrero grounded and infield single just under the glove of Bowen at third.

About the Tigers
Memphis comes into the weekend with an 11-16 mark after dropping six straight contests. The Tigers were swept by Marshall in last weekend's league series.

The U of M is last in the league, hitting .244 as a team. Only sophomore Trey Wiedman hits over .300, checking in at .320. Wiedman is the team leader in hits, RBI and homers. Freshman Chad Zurcher has come on strong and hits .289 with five doubles and a team-best 21 runs scored. Zurcher has hit safely in each of the last 16 games. Senior K.K. Chalmers is the only Tiger offensive player ranked in the league's top-10 in any category, ranking in a tie for second with three triples and tied for fifth place with 12 stolen bags.

Memphis pitching remains solid and is third in the league with 225 strikeouts. Tiger pitchers have a combined 4.54 ERA and hold opponents to a .278 batting average. Scott McGregor and Will Hudgens lead the staff with 4.15 and 4.18 ERA's, respectively. Both have struck out 30, with Hudgens leading the way with a .237 opponent's batting average. McGregor leads the staff and ranks seventh in C-USA with 39 innings pitched.

Scouting the Owls
Ranked 12th nationally with a 20-10 overall record, Rice is coming off a rare losing skid in which it has lost four of its last six games, including dropping its first-ever Conference USA series last weekend at home, 2-1, to Southern Miss. After the USM series, Rice bounced back to drop No. 13 Texas 7-3, but then lost to Dallas Baptist, 3-2 on Wednesday night at home. The Owls jumped out to an 18-6 start on the strength of a 10-game win streak that included a sweep of Marshall in the opening weekend of C-USA action. Rice is tied for first in the league standings at 4-2.

Picked to finish first in the C-USA Preseason Poll, Rice boasts a solid pitching staff as well as a potent offensive attack. The Owls are led by C-USA Preseason Player of the Year Aaron Luna and C-USA Preseason Pitcher of the Year Ryan Berry. Both garnered several preseason All-American honors.

Luna is one of six Rice starters hitting over .300 and he leads the team and ranks in a tie for third in the conference with 30 runs scored. Freshman Rick Hague leads the team with five home runs and a .381 average-good for sixth in C-USA. Diego Seastrunk is third in the league with 44 hits. Seastrunk is tied for second among C-USA hitters with 12 doubles, while Hague has 11. The sophomore hits .355. Jared Gayhart bats. 351, with 40 hits and a team-high 34 RBI. Rice hits .304 as a team, with the third-most runs scored in the league at 225. The Owls are second in the conference with 322 hits, while ranking first with 66 doubles.

The Owls staff 3.83 ERA is second in the league only to the 3.46 ERA put up by Tulane. Opposing hitters have a .266 average against the RU pitchers. Rice is also second with 272 strikeouts. Berry's 46 strikeouts in 42 innings is tops on the Rice pitching staff, but he isn't the only Owl hurler that has dominated opponents this year. Chris Kelley leads the team and rates fourth in the league with a strong 2.32 ERA, while Matt Langwell is 3-0 with a 4.81 ERA and 34 K's. Preseason All-American Cole St. Clair is 2-2 with a 3.29 ERA. On of the league's premier closers, St. Clair has logged just one save on the year with opponents hitting .286 against him.

All-time series vs. Rice
Rice holds a 9-1 advantage over Memphis in the all-time series. The Tigers lone win came in the 2007 C-USA tournament and proved to be one of the biggest wins in Tiger baseball history. The 2-1 win pushed Memphis into its first NCAA Regional appearance in 13 years.

On Deck
The Tigers will host legendary coach Ron Polk and the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Tuesday at AutoZone Park. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m.