Memphis, Tenn. -- The sun sets over Avron Fogelman Field on a chilly November evening. The environment is lax with sounds of muffled conversations and the occasional crack of a bat.
Memphis baseball coach Matt Riser watches calmly from the dugout as his team plays game three of their intrasquad fall series, chatting with fans through the protective netting.
Two years earlier, in 2022, longtime University of Memphis baseball coach Daron Schoenrock announced his intention to retire at the conclusion of the season.
In his 18 seasons at the helm, Schoenrock guided the Tigers to eight 30-win seasons, an NCAA regional, and coached 34 players who went on to play professionally.
The year prior, in 2021, the NCAA passed a policy on name, image, and likeness (NIL) allowing student-athletes to profit from their likeness.
Three years prior to NIL, the NCAA opened the transfer portal, giving all athletes the ability to transfer once without having to sit out a season.
These two changes completely altered the college athletics landscape, primarily in men’s basketball and football, but the trickledown effect of these rulings can be felt in every sport.
Coach Schoenrock is not the only coach to step down amid these changes. Far from it, in fact.
Hall of Fame coaches Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Jay Wright, and Nick Saban have all retired in the past five years. And Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett announced his retirement mere weeks before this basketball season.
In every sport, the job of the head coach has changed drastically. Recruiting transfers is just as important, if not more, than recruiting freshman. Coaches now have to recruit their own players to keep them in their programs.
“Just as we were intentional about what we brought in, we were very intentional about what we were bringing back as well,” said coach Riser.
Today, the profession of coaching is more than just coaching. Coaches are asked to fundraise, manage recruitment and transfers, and keep their players happy.
Memphis hired coach Kerrick Johnson to replace Schoenrock, but Johnson left the University of Memphis after one season to coach at the University of Missouri.
Last year, Memphis hired Riser as the next head coach, and he is preparing for his second season at the helm now.
Coach Riser, at 40 years old, fits the mold of what it will take to be a successful coach in the NIL and transfer era that college athletics finds itself in today.
Riser’s first year with the Tigers saw ups and downs. The program beat regional rival and recent powerhouse Ole Miss for the first time since 2017, and they did it on campus for the first time since 2001.
However, the team finished with a 23-32 overall record and a 10-17 record in American Athletic Conference (AAC) play.
Last season, coach Riser made efforts to build and develop a culture and a community with Memphis baseball. He added a party deck in the outfield and offered events for students to interact with their fellow students on his team.
“I think our guys have done a great job getting out in community and trying to be involved with the student base,” said Riser. “Winning helps create that. Everybody wants to be around a winner.”
This season, Riser has added two familiar names to his coaching staff in David Warren and Jake Curtis. Warren, the director of pitching development, and Curtis, the director of video and data analytics, were on the team as players last season.
"The more consistency you get with your staff and your communication, the less you have to revert back to square one,” said Riser. “Just a year removed from playing, that connection to the locker room, we thought was important.”
For a program like Memphis, the transfer portal is a fascinating tool at their disposal. On one hand, Memphis has lost and will continue to lose players to SEC schools who can offer them more money and opportunities.
Case and point, Pierre Seals, an outfielder who hit .327 with 10 home runs for Memphis last year, committed to Missouri.
“In all honesty, in the landscape of recruiting right now with the NIL and transfer world and having older players that are majority playing, it’s still keeping the door open with some of those old guys that are going to those SECs,” said Riser.
However, Memphis is also in prime position to target players who started their careers in the SEC but want more playing time. Brayden Sanders, who closed games for the Tigers last season, was at Ole Miss before he became a Tiger.
The Tigers location geographically is a hotbed for baseball talent. Austin Riley and Brent Rooker are two all-stars in the MLB who are from the Memphis area. The issue for Memphis is getting local talent to attend the local school.
The transfer portal provides an opportunity to get more of this high-level local talent, but it also brings more roster fluctuation on a year-to-year basis.
“In this class, with the 27 new guys, we had six high school players, 14 junior college players, and seven four-year transfers,” said Riser.
Memphis lost a large chunk of its offensive production to either graduation, or the transfer portal, but coach Riser envisions several returners stepping up to fill those gaps.
“Guys like Shane Cox and Jonah Sutton were great for us. They’re going into their fourth year at the program, with all three coaches,” said Riser. “Their progression for us is where we wanted and their buy in too.”
Last year, Memphis saw an uptick in stolen bases and home runs from years past, and coach Riser hopes to continue to develop an aggressive and entertaining style of baseball.
The one sentiment that is abundantly common in the Memphis baseball facilities is that the Tigers will always play with toughness.
“We want to play with a certain toughness about us. We’re always giving our best effort. We’re always competing for the next pitch until the game is over,” said Riser. “We want to buy into that mentality, the toughest mentality.”
Memphis fans love toughness, as evidenced by the overwhelming love the city gave to the “grit and grind” Memphis Grizzlies, but Riser and his staff know that toughness means little without success accompanying it.
"Our focus is on developing our players on the field, off the field, and making sure we build this into a championship program," said Riser.
With a record of 320-224 in 15 seasons at the helm of Southeastern Louisiana, Riser knows what it takes to win at the collegiate level. In 2022, according to Memphis Athletics, Riser’s Lions came from behind to win 14 games in which they trailed and made the NCAA tournament.
“If we’re up big, keep playing the way that we play,” said Riser on his team’s approach. “If we’re down big, hey man, just keep chipping away until you can get to striking distance.”
The Tigers and the Athletic Department have plans in place to attract more students and fans to the baseball games. The University is building student dorms directly across the parking lot from Avron Fogelman Field, and Riser says that there are more plans in place.
“We want to give them reasons to come back, get them inside the door,” said Riser. “We have a left-field lounge area that we’re trying to get finished by the 2026 season. It’s important for us to continue to build the atmosphere and the energy we want in our fan base.”
While the season won’t officially begin until February and the team itself is off for winter break, coach Riser believes that this time of year is critical to the success of a season.
“The next six weeks, seven weeks are probably the most vital part of the season,” said Riser. “When we meet back as a team, it’s important that they’re ready to go.”
Jonah Sutton and Seth Cox led the way to their team, Team Manola, winning the intrasquad fall series, two returning seniors who understand what coach Riser and his staff expect.
“When we come back in January, hopefully, we’re ahead of the curve and at the beginning of the season we’re playing mid-season baseball,” said Riser. “At the end of the season, we want to be playing championship baseball, and so that’s where we want to be going into springtime.”
