There’s no sugarcoating the last two weeks, as it has been a brutal time for the Tigers baseball team. After a 12-5 win against UTSA on April 13th to bring the team to .500, the wheels have completely fallen off.
Memphis lost eight games in a row bringing the season total to 18-26. The more concerning fact is that of those eight losses, seven have been in conference play. Sweeps by Charlotte and ECU have dropped Memphis from being tied for fourth in the AAC to last place and out of the conference tournament entirely. While they did pick up a win versus Arkansas Pine-Bluff to end the losing streak, the momentum in the clubhouse has gone the complete opposite direction.
People can argue the semantics of those losses. The sweep by Charlotte was by four runs total, and Memphis could have easily swept that series. You can point to blowing a late lead against UTSA in the series finale. Most fans were not expecting to win games against a ranked Mississippi State team or a national title contending ECU.
These factors are all true, and if they had contributed to a 3-5 or 2-6 slump then it’d be acceptable. Losing eight in a row is unacceptable given the team‘s talent level. It’s fine to drop one or two games against a surging Charlotte team, but to blow the second game in the series by giving up three home runs in the 9th inning is disappointing after taking a 9-4 lead into the 6th.
While nobody expected Memphis to take any of their matchups against the Pirates, the fact Memphis was not even competitive on Friday and Saturday shows where the team is at right now.
Memphis now must win two of their three series against Tulane, UAB, and Wichita State to have a shot at the conference tournament. The Tigers might need to win all three series given the potential tiebreakers are not likely to go in Memphis’ favor. The Tigers certainly have the talent to achieve this given the state of the AAC this year, but the fact that it requires a late surge to even make the AAC tournament is concerning.
The lineup fizzling up can be pointed to as the biggest culprit. Memphis has scored five or more runs just twice in their last eight games. The Tigers came into AAC play in the top-twenty in doubles. As of Sunday, they are ranked at 62nd in the nation. They have struggled with driving the ball with any sort of consistency. The homeruns that were flying out of the park in early March have become pop ups. The strikeouts have been consistent, but they aren’t picking up enough walks to balance it out. The amount of strike threes looking have been concerning and the patient approach from Memphis has turned into its downfall.
The time for Memphis to turn their season around was two weeks ago, but the second best time is now. This season has not gone to plan, but it can be salvaged. If the Tigers get hot in the last three weeks so they can sneak into the conference tournament, they can cause some damage if they play anybody except ECU. The question now is will this team respond.
