The University of Memphis baseball team announced on April 30 that it will host East Carolina for a three-game series this weekend, beginning a seven-game homestand. The games are scheduled for Friday at 6:05 p.m., Saturday at 4:05 p.m., and Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
This matchup is significant as East Carolina leads the American Conference, while Memphis sits in sixth place with an 8-10 conference record. Both teams are competing for positioning as the regular season nears its end. The all-time series favors East Carolina, which holds a 52-19 advantage over Memphis.
Last year, Memphis lost all three games against East Carolina when they played in Greenville, South Carolina. In their most recent game on Tuesday, the Tigers were defeated by Murray State with a score of 9-5. Despite the loss, Memphis had home runs from multiple players and saw Hernandez drive in three runs.
Throughout this season, Memphis has been effective on the basepaths with 100 stolen bases—leading the American Conference and ranking twenty-eighth nationally. One senior player has contributed significantly to this total with thirty-four steals out of thirty-nine attempts and is now just six steals away from setting a new single-season program record.
Defensively, Memphis has maintained a .976 fielding percentage—currently sixty-second in the nation—and committed only thirty-seven errors so far this season. Fourteen different Tigers have hit home runs this year for a team total of fifty; one senior center fielder leads with twelve homers.
East Carolina enters tied for first place in the conference after sweeping South Florida last weekend by outscoring them thirty-five to seven across three games. The Pirates’ offense is led by Jack Herring (.503 OBP), Grady Lenahan (.305 AVG), and Braden Burress (.350 AVG). On Friday night, right-handed pitcher (4-5) will start for Memphis against left-hander Ryan Towers (4-3) from East Carolina.
