Mistakes in critical situations over the last few games have haunted the University of Memphis baseball team, which finds itself with a 15-9 record after starting the season 11-1.
The opening stretch of the season saw wins over top-25 opponents Ole Miss and Mississippi State but a lapse of focus on the defensive side has led to a decline in the Tigers' performance, according to head coach Daron Schoenrock.
"Honestly, with the way we started the season, we would like to have done a little better," Schoenrock said. "Defensively, we weren't making some of the plays that we usually should make."
The great thing about baseball is the scoreboard resets to all zeroes with each new day, and the Blue and Gray can begin righting the ship on Friday in Houston where they face American Athletic Conference opponent the University of Houston.
The Cougars (20-4, 0-0 AAC) boast wins over No. 11 Rice, No. 9 UCLA, No. 15 Texas and No. 12 TCU.
A strong pitching attack paces Houston. Junior right-hander Aaron Garza and sophomore righty Jake Lemoine anchor the Cougars' pitching staff. Lefty sophomore Jared West notched a spot on this week's American Honor Roll for his career-high 11 strikeouts in eight innings of work, yielding only one run against the College of Charleston.
Schoenrock said runs would be hard to come by against Houston, who ranks first in the nation in earned run average. He wants the Tigers' focus to be on the defensive side.
"(Defense) is going to have to be the focus," the 10th-year coach said. "When you're facing pitching like Houston's, it's so tough to score runs, so you have to try and limit them defensively."
The U of M throws some shutdown pitchers as well. Junior lefty Caleb Wallingford headlines the Memphis pitching staff with a 0.52 ERA over 34.2 innings of work and a 3-1 record.
Freshman right-hander Nolan Blackwood has also received a lot of innings in his debut season, throwing 24 innings with a 2.65 ERA and 2-3 record.
Senior Jon Reed has also thrown the ball well for the Tigers. Despite a 4.58 ERA, the righty holds a 3-0 record in 35.1 innings pitched.
Junior Bryce Beeler closes out games from the mound for Memphis. He holds a team-high five saves.
Schoenrock is pleased with the way his hitters are starting to round into shape but the Tigers' offensive attack will be up against Houston's stalwart pitching and defense. The Cougars allow less than two runs a game.
Junior catcher and first baseman Carter White has been on a tear for the Tigers offensively. He's hitting .314 with two home runs and 13 RBIs.
Memphis has leaned on the clutch hitting from Tucker Tubbs. The junior infielder has knocked in a team-high 20 runs with a .253 average.
Senior shortstop Ethan Gross will make his program-record 177th consecutive start for the Blue and Gray on Friday. Gross bats .310 and has scored 11 runs.
The inter-conference matchup couldn't have come at a better time for the Tigers, who dropped their first conference series to Temple one game to two. Memphis currently ranks fifth in the American, but it's still extremely early in the season.
Schoenrock said the weekend series is important, but the Tigers are focused on the bigger picture.
"The conference play is a long season," he said. "You go down there wanting to win, but you really want to do your best to not get swept because you're playing for post-season tournament seeding."
Memphis faces Houston on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
