Tiger softball has six games left, or two three-game series, against conference opponents. This weekend, they will face Tulsa at home, and they will play at Houston next weekend before heading to Tampa, Florida, for the American Athletic Conference Tournament.
Memphis softball is currently third in the AAC standings. In the preseason rankings, Memphis was projected to finish sixth. They will look to secure their place during the remainder of the regular season. The Tigers are looking for a trip to postseason play, which is something the team hasn’t done since 2011. They are two wins away from tying the best season in program history, and Memphis is one win away from tying Natalie Poole’s best record as a head coach.
The Tiger seniors have never swept a conference opponent and would like to do so before hanging up their Tiger uniforms.
“That’s a huge goal, I know for me, and I would hope for my teammates as well, is to sweep somebody,” senior shortstop Kyler Trosclair Klatt said. “Because I know for me, while I’ve been here, we’ve never done that.”
Memphis is returning home from a 6-0 shutout against Central Arkansas. The Tigers out-hit the Sugar Bears 13-5. Freshman Delaney Smith had a three-for-four effort from the plate. She earned a triple and four RBIs. Molly Smith pitched a complete game and advanced to a 22-6 record from the mound. Seniors Trosclair Klatt and Addison Maxwell each had a stolen base.
Memphis will face Tulsa this weekend for their last home series and will honor seven seniors Sunday for senior day. Tulsa is sixth out of the eight softball teams in the AAC, but they were picked to finished first in the preseason rankings. They are 7-8 in conference play but saw a series win against Wichita State and a sweep versus East Carolina.
Memphis will have no mid-week game next week and will travel to Houston for their final matchup of the regular season. Houston was predicted to finish second in the conference. They are currently fourth with their overall record but are tied with Memphis for an 8-7 record in conference play. They won series against Tulsa and Wichita State, but Memphis has not been able to sweep a conference opponent.
The Tigers made it to the semifinals in the AAC Tournament last season as a five seed. They lost to Tulsa, who had the top seed last season. Currently, South Florida and Wichita State have the top spots in the conference, but with two weekends left of conference play, Memphis could advance their standing. Wichita State and USF will face off the final weekend of conference play May 4-6. The No. 1 seed will get a bye to the semifinals. The conference tournament will take place in Tampa, Florida from May 10 to 12.
Delaney Smith records a hit against Mississippi State. Smith leads the American Athletic Conference with 28 stolen bases.
Molly Smith delivers the ball to the plate. The senior leads the Tigers in ERA at 1.98 and has recorded 18 strikeouts this season.
Brooke Lee gets set to bat as her team watches from the dugout. The second baseman has 33 RBIs and six home runs this season.
