Currently on a six-game winning streak, it’s safe to say the Memphis baseball team has come out of the gates firing so far this season.
The Tigers (10-4) have won 10 out of their last 12 games, since dropping the first two games of the season against Oral Roberts.
Memphis will be happy to know they have a very strong chance of extending its recent run when they take on Alcorn State in a four game home series this weekend.
Alcorn State is off to a 5-15 start and finished 11-42 last season. The Tigers won all three games in the meeting between the two teams in 2014.
Memphis coach Daron Schoenrock said playing four games in the span of two days will feel like a tournament setting.
“It’s almost what you would have to go through in a tournament,” Schoenrock said after the win over Eastern Arkansas on Tuesday. “Our bullpen will get challenged which is good we need to see some guys. And I want to see our hitters get multiple at-bats in consecutive days to see if we can keep on building on what we’ve done in these last five or six games.”
One of the keys for the Tigers success in this season has been their ability to finish off teams when they have the lead going into the final inning. They are 8-0 when they have the lead going into the ninth inning.
Sophomore pitcher Nolan Blackwood is a big reason why Memphis is 8-0 after the eighth inning he has six saves this season.
On the other hand, all four of the Tigers’ losses have come when trailing heading into the ninth. The Tigers are 0-4.
Nevertheless, one player who has stood out so far is redshirt junior transfer Jake Overbey. He transferred from Ole Miss, and is hitting .304 on the young season.
Schoenrock praised Overbey but said he still has some things to learn about hitting.
“You know he’s been putting too much offensive pressure on himself,” Schoenrock said. “And I told him today just play defense. The problem is it’s not his stroke it’s great, it’s what he swings at, which is his pitch selection. It is a common problem with 99 percent of freshman. It’s just that they’re seeing stuff and different counts.
It’s learning to command your strike zone as a hitter. When he learns to command his strike zone, he’s gonna be a real good offensive player.”
Overbey’s play has been a reflection of the team so far as the team is batting .273, and he is one of four players in the lineup who is currently hitting over .300.
The other three players are redshirt senior outfielder Kane Barrow (.345), sophomore outfielder Darien Tubbs (.327) and senior first baseman Tucker Tubbs (.308).
The Tigers defense and pitching have combined to allow only 35 runs in 14 games this season. Opposing batters are only hitting .221 against Memphis.
All three starting pitchers all have an ERA under four currently. Senior pitcher Caleb Wallingford leads the team in ERA with 2.05 and has a 2-1 record.
The four game series between Memphis and Alcorn State will begin Friday at FedExPark at 6:30 p.m. The two teams will then play a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 and 4 p.m. Finally, the series will conclude Sunday at 1 p.m.
