The University of Memphis baseball team (13-28, 1-11 American Athletic Conference) will travel to Murray State (17-22, 5-13 Ohio Valley Conference) for a Tuesday night matchup.
The last time Memphis faced Murray State was in an offensive battle last May where Memphis came one run short in a 10-11 loss. Memphis leads the all-time series 65-35. Memphis has won five of the last six games since 2010.
Memphis struggled to produce runs over the weekend, as No.8 East Carolina University swept the three-game series. Despite the sweep, the Tigers have won five of their last ten games.
The season is less than a month from its conclusion, and Head Coach Daron Schoenrock and his team are looking to win out the season in order to escape a lopsided record.
The first pitch is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday at Reagan Field in Murray, Kentucky.
The live stream will be available on the Ohio Valley Conference Digital Network.
A look at the opponent
The Racers won three in a row at the start of April to bring their record to 17-14 but have not won a game since April 10. Murray State is on an eight-game losing streak after they were swept by Southeast Missouri State in a three-game series.
The Racers have not won a game in their conference since March 25. They tend to play well at home and are 13-7 at Reagan Field.
What to watch
Murray State can be dangerous when they lead off an inning with a home run. They have 10 home runs to lead off innings and are 10-7 in those games. The Racers have 41 home runs this season.
The Tigers are coming off five home games and have struggled on the road. They have only three wins away, each against a non-conference opponent. Memphis won their last away game at Arkansas State, 6-3.
The Racers rank sixth nationally and second in their conference in walks drawn this season with 238. The Racers average more than six walks per contest and have drawn a season-best 16 walks twice.
The Tigers have 12 wins against non-conference opponents and have just one conference win.
Players to watch
Murray State infielder Davis Sims
Simms has become a key for the Racer lineup this season. He leads the team with a .359 batting average. He also leads the team with 56 hits, 22 doubles and a .590 slugging percentage. He is tied for the lead in runs scored at 32. The Tigers should look to limit him if they want to win this road contest.
Memphis outfielder Tyler Webb
The senior leads Memphis with 20 runs and 47 hits. Webb has the best batting average at .303 and the best on-base percentage at .371. He has 12 multi-hit games and four games with multiple RBIs this season. The Tigers will want Webb to play well so they can take advantage of Murray State’s struggles.
Colton Neel runs towards first base. The Cordova, Tennessee, native played in 57 games for the Tigers during his sophomore campaign
Tyler Webb takes a swing. The Texas native is one of five seniors on the 2018 roster
