Memphis baseball started its second season under head coach Matt Riser with a series win. Due to weather concerns, the Tigers played Southeast Missouri twice on Friday and once on Monday with Memphis taking the first game and the rubber match.
Game 1:
The Tigers started Seth Garner in game 1 of the 2025 campaign. Garner scattered 7 hits through 4.2 innings of scoreless ball. He left the game allowing no runs in 78 pitches.
In the second inning, Memphis got its first run of the game courtesy of Arkansas State transfer Cade Tucker, who hit a solo home run to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
In the third, Cy Turner, a JUCO transfer infielder, doubled the Memphis lead with a homer of his own.
In the fifth inning, the Tigers capitalized on one of SEMO’s three errors, adding to their lead and making it a 3-0 ballgame.
Memphis pitching kept SEMO off the board for 8 innings, and Shane Cox began his fourth year as a Tiger with a bang, hitting his own solo home run to make it 4-0 heading into the ninth.
Seth Cox gave up a leadoff triple to SEMO which the Redhawks brought around to score. The Tigers lost their opening day shutout but won 4-1.
Game 2:
In the second game of Memphis’ opening day doubleheader, coach Matt Riser and the Tigers started Oregon State transfer David Case. Case struggled, throwing 67 pitches in his four innings of work and giving up 5 earned runs. Case struggled with his command, throwing two wild pitches and hitting three batters.
Down 7-0 in the eighth inning, Memphis finally got on the board with a two-run homer by JUCO transfer two-way player James Smith IV.
In the ninth, Shane Cox doubled in another run, but there was not to be a rally as the Tigers fell 7-3 in game two.
Game 3:
In the series finale, Memphis sent Caden Robinson to the mound. Robinson went 4.2 innings, allowing just 2 hits and no runs. The Tigers offense came from a SEMO error and a Jonah Sutton single in the fifth inning.
Luke Ellis came in to pitch for the Tigers, and he picked up where Robinson left off. He pitched through the eighth inning, keeping the Redhawks off the scoreboard.
Tigers closer Brayden Sanders shut down the Redhawks in the ninth to help Memphis improve to 2-1 on the season.
Takeaways:
The Memphis offense struggled as a unit, but James Smith IV and Shane Cox shined as the cleanup and five-hole hitter for the Tigers. Memphis will need the rest of the lineup to get into a groove.
The Tigers' pitching staff was largely effective outside of David Case’s command issues in game two. If Memphis can continue to string together strong pitching performances, the team has a chance to make stride in American Athletic Conference play.
