Tigers open league play this weekend

Tigers open league play this weekend

Special to The Times MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis will open American Athletic Conference play with a three-game weekend series against UCF that gets underway Friday at 6:30 p.m. at FedExPark. The series marks the beginning of a new month, after Memphis went just 5-13 in March, and the beginning of a new season with a clean slate.

GAME INFORMATION: Memphis (9-15) vs. UCF (15-12) Date: April 1-3, 2016 Location: Memphis, Tenn. Venue: FedExPark Twitter Updates: @MemphisBaseball Friday, April 1 | 6:30 p.m. CT Audio: WUMR 91.7 FM Video: Memphis Tiger Network Live Stats: StatBroadcast MEM: So. RHP Colton Hathcock (2-3, 4.65 ERA) UCF: So. RHP Cre Finfrock (2-1, 2.41 ERA) Saturday, April 2 | 2 p.m. CT Audio: WUMR 91.7 FM Video: Memphis Tiger Network Live Stats: StatBroadcast MEM: So. RHP Connor Alexander (2-2, 3.70 ERA) UCF: Jr. RHP Robby Howell (5-0, 1.29 ERA) Sunday, April 3 | 12 p.m. CT Audio: WUMR 91.7 FM Video: Memphis Tiger Network Live Stats: StatBroadcast MEM: Sr. RHP Matt Ferguson (3-3, 2.87 ERA) UCF: TBA Leading Off

• A new season begins for Memphis, opening American Athletic Conference play against UCF this weekend. Last year the Tigers finished fifth in the league with a 12-12 record while UCF was seventh after going 1014.

• Memphis was picked to finish seventh in the American Athletic Conference by the league's head coaches, while UCF was tabbed to finish sixth.

• Last season the Knights won the series over the Tigers in Orlando, Fla. Connor Alexander took the loss in the finale, tossing 6 1/3 innings and allowing four runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts.

• Memphis is happy to be finished with the month of March, after going just 513 and playing 10 of the 18 games away from home.

• Preseason All-American Nolan Blackwood recorded his 21st career save and tied the program record for career saves with Jonathan Van Eaton who pitched from 2010-13.

• Darien Tubbs, the preseason American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, has rebounded nicely from a tough a few two weeks ago. Tubbs has his batting average back up to .283 after it dipped as low as .233. The junior has four multiple-hit performances in the last seven games.

• Jacob Elliott has started the last nine games at first base for Memphis and has at least one hit in seven of the nine starts. The sophomore is batting .333 with 13 RBI and eight runs scored in 11 starts.

• Jake Little is shining at the plate in his senior season for the Tigers. The four-year Memphis player is batting a team-high .330 with 14 RBI and 19 runs scored after suffering an injury-plagued season in 2014.

• Memphis stands in the top 30 in the NCAA with 38 stolen bases through 24 games this season. The Tigers have been successful on the base paths as an entire team and no Memphis player is in the top 50 in the country in stolen bases.

• Despite not having a triple in the last five games, Memphis is still top-10 nationally with 12 triples.

• All home games are streamed live online by the Memphis Tiger Network at GoTigersGo.com/Watch. WUMR U 92-FM carries the radio broadcasts throughout the season with Jeff Brightwell and Greg Gaston on the call.

• The Memphis baseball program is in its fourth season as a partner with Baden Sports and swings the Axe Bat exclusively.

The Series with UCF Memphis and UCF have historically played close and the Tigers hold a narrow lead in the all-time series, 17-14, with the first meeting back in 2006. The Knights won the series in Orlando, Fla. last season.

Courtesy of UM Media Relations