April 17, 2008

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Head Coach Daron Schoenrock and his young Tiger team will take a break from C-USA action this weekend, but that doesn't mean the competition will be any easier. Memphis will battle Division I Independent Dallas Baptist in a three-game non-league series this weekend at Nat Buring Stadium. The Tigers and Patriots will begin the series on Friday night at 6:30 p.m., before playing a doubleheader on Saturday. The twinbill is set to begin at 1 p.m. with the two squads playing a nine-inning tilt in the opener, followed by a seven-inning series finale.

What's on Tap for the Weekend?
Prior to game one of Saturday's doubleheader versus Dallas Baptist, Schoenrock and the Memphis baseball program will honor the 1981 Memphis State baseball team in a pre-game ceremony. Following that, Schoenrock and the Tigers will honor former Tiger great and former U of M skipper Dave Anderson.

Guided by Coach Bobby Kilpatrick, the '81 club went 48-11-1 and made the program's third appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The 48-win campaign stood as the most wins by a Tiger baseball team for 13 years, until the 1994 squad won 52 games. The team's College World Series run came a game short, as they fell to South Carolina en route to a No. 11 ranking in the season-ending poll.

Led by the play of first-round draft pick and former Memphis baseball coach Dave Anderson, and New York Mets draftee, Richard Webster, the Tigers set single-season marks for games played (60), win streak (19), runs scored (491), hits (624), triples (25), home runs (68), RBI (417), stolen bases (110) and walks (270).

Anderson, who was noted as an All-American, All-District and a First team All-Metro selection in 1981, set what was then the single-season record in hits (87), RBI (61), home runs (14) and total bases (153). His 39 stolen bases are tied with current Tiger K.K. Chalmers for the single-season record. Anderson, who came to Memphis in 1978 as a quarterback, was a two-year letterwinner on the baseball diamond, before being drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers as the 22nd overall pick 1st round of the 1981 amateur draft. After a pair of all-star seasons in minors, Anderson was called up to the Majors. He spent 10 years in the big leagues, playing for the Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants. He won a World Championship while with the Dodgers in 1988. In his career, Anderson was a .242 hitter, with 143 RBI, 73 doubles, 49 stolen bases and 19 home runs. After finishing his playing career, Anderson pursued a managing career in the Minor Leagues. He managed the Jamestown Jammers, Lakeland Tigers, Jacksonville Suns and Toledo Mudhens. He earned New York-Penn League Manager of the Year honors in 1994 and was named the Southern League All-Star manager and Double A American League All-Star Game manager in 1998.

Anderson returned to his alma mater in 2001, to take the reigns of a program that had suffered four losing seasons in five years, including a 15-37 campaign in 2000. He quickly went to work and the Tigers produced by going 34-24 in his first year. The 26-game turnaround was the best in NCAA Division I. Anderson went on to win 104 games from 2001-2004.

About the Tigers
The Memphis bats have finally come alive and are now producing the offense, expected at the outset of the season. The Tigers have collected 10 or more hits in six of the last seven games, including pounding out a season-high 18 hits in a 17-14 slugfest at Murray State on Tuesday. Memphis is 4-3 in those games, with an average of over eight runs per contest. In the seven-game stretch, Memphis is hitting a hot .303, with five regulars over .300. Tyler Huelsing leads the way with a .519 clip in the stretch. The Munford, Tenn., native is 6-for-7 in the last two games, including going 3-for-3 at Murray. He has raised his average 74 points (to .276) in the last seven contests. Cole Shelton homered for the first time versus UT-Martin on Wednesday to extend his current hit streak to 10 games.

Overall, however, Memphis still lacks a .300 hitter with Brett Bowen leading the team at .294 with 28 RBI. The junior has hit three homers in last four games, including going deep twice in the win at UCF last Saturday. He is now tied with Trey Wiedman for the team lead of five home runs.

Scott McGregor leads the Tigers starters with 4.59 ERA. He has fanned 36--second to Will Hudgens' 37 strikeouts. Relievers Neil Schenk, Marcus Barnes and Matt Yokley have held down the late innings, logging a 2.13, 3.43 and 4.05 ERA's, respectively. Yokley holds opposing hitters to a .213 average and has 32 strikeouts in 20 innings.

Scouting Dallas Baptist
Under first-year head coach Dan Heefner, Dallas Baptist comes into the weekend with a stout 23-10 record after splitting a midweek series with Baylor. The Patriots have quietly put up some of the strongest numbers in college baseball this year, beginning with its .326 batting average. DBU was ranked among the nation's top offensive teams in several categories in the NCAA's latest statistical report. They ranked 22nd in average, 41st in scoring, 45th in slugging percentage, 61st in hits, 66th in doubles and 70th in runs scored. The Patriots' entire starting lineup hits over .300. Clay Kelly leads the crew with a .370 average, while Austin Knight's .312 clip is the lowest of all DBU starters. Kelly rates 21st nationally in on base percentage, while leading the team with 13 stolen bases. Ryan Enos is second on the team in average (.364) and stolen bases (11-for-12). Trevor Head has accounted for 65 runs, scoring a team-high 31 and driving in 34. He also leads the way with 10 of DBU's 38 round-trippers. Wallace Watch List member, Evan Bigley has had a solid campaign and hits .322 with a team-best 47 hits.

Not only can the Patriots get it done at the plate, they also get it done on the mound. The staff boasts a 4.41 ERA, while opponents hit .277 against them. Dallas Baptist's starter corps leads the staff with a combined 10-6 record. Chris McMullen and Jordan Meaker are both 4-1 on the year. McMullen's 3.49 ERA is tops on the staff, while Meaker leads all Pats hurlers with 35 strikeouts. Meaker will make the start in game one on Saturday. Saturday's game two starter, Ryan Goins is 2-1 with a 4.51 ERA in five starts. He has held opposing hitters a staff-low .232 average with 21 K's.

All-Time Series vs. Dallas Baptist
The series will mark the first time Memphis and DBU have ever played.

Last Time
Memphis 7, UT-Martin 3
JACKSON, Tenn. -- Sophomore Brennon Martin was masterful on Wednesday night, striking out seven in a 91-pitch complete-game gem to lead Memphis to a 7-3 victory over UT-Martin in the Razz Classic held at Pringle Park. The win was the Tigers' 15th straight against the Skyhawks, dating back to the 2000 season-opener.

Martin scattered nine hits and allowed single runs in the first, third and fifth innings, before holding the Skyhawks to just three hits over the final three innings of play. The Tiger southpaw did not walk a batter in the contest.

Memphis's ever-improving offense gave Martin all the run support he needed in the early-goings of the game and from there never looked back. With Brett Bowen on first and two outs in the first, Cole Shelton blasted his first Division I home run over the right-centerfield wall to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead.

Tyler Huelsing led Memphis with a 3-for-4 night, while Robby Graham, Shelton and Daniel Kaufmann had two hits each.