The Daily Helmsman - Tigers sweep Evansville 3-0 to open season

David C. Minkin
Junior college transfer Eli Hynes is met at home plate by his teammates after he hit a grand slam on the first at-bat of his career at The University of Memphis. The Tigers swept Evansville in a 3-game series last weekend.

The University of Memphis baseball team started its season with a bang — literally. 

In the first inning of the first game with Evansville (Ind.) of a three-game series, junior college transfer Eli Hynes stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and, in his first-ever at-bat as a Tiger, hit the first pitch he saw from Evansville starter Sam Johns over the right-field fence for a grand slam.
Memphis jumped out to a 4-1 lead over the Purple Aces at FedEx Park on Friday night.  They went on to win 13-9, despite a late inning rally from the Purple Aces.

"Coach (Daron Schoenrock) asked me before I went up to the plate, ‘Do you love this?'" Hynes said.  "And I said, ‘‘Yes I do.'  Then he said, ‘Just be ready,' and the first pitch I see was a fastball, and I took it over the fence."

Memphis won each game this weekend by an average margin of six runs, beating Evansville 13-9 in the first contest, 8-4 on Saturday, and 17-6 on Sunday. On opening night, the Tigers jumped out to a 12-2 lead going into the sixth inning, but the bullpen allowed the Purple Aces to make a game of it by the seventh, giving up five runs in the inning, followed by one each over the last two to end the game at a four-run deficit.

"I thought our table setters, in Drew Martinez and Chad Zurcher, did a good job with getting us started," Schoenrock said.  "We kind of let the lead slip away in the middle innings, but we just gotta figure out how to play with the lead and stay ahead of the competition."

Although the Tigers had already locked up the series by Sunday's game, that didn't stop them from playing at the same pace.  The U of M connected for 18 hits, including 11 extra base hits, en route to a 17-6 win over Evansville on Sunday afternoon.  All eight of Memphis's position starters compiled hits, while six finished the day with multiple hits.  The Tigers, who scored 38 runs on 47 hits in the first three games of the season, were led by Drew Martinez's big day. The junior went 3-for-5 and accounted for seven runs (four runs scored and three RBI). Eli Hynes and Adam McClain each posted three hits, while junior college transfer T.J. Rich drove in a team-best four runs.

"You always want to say that this weekend went like you always thought it would be," Schoenrock said. "But over the course of the weekend, I thought we put together really good, solid back-to-back-to-back-to-back at-bats, and that's what you expect from a veteran group of players."

 

Take me out

The University of Memphis will open its 2011 baseball season today when it hosts Evansville in the first of a three-game series starting at 4 p.m.  Head coach Daron Schoenrock's returns six starters, including 2011 All-Conference USA preseason picks Chad Zurcher and Drew Martinez, from a team that finished third place in C-USA last season.

"The idea is to get off to a good start," Schoenrock said.  "Based off how we finished last season, I think we can continue that momentum to begin the season.  We have a lot of home games early, and I think that will help us get rolling."

Martinez, who hit .377 last season, was drafted by the New York Mets in the 23rd round of the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. He ranked 29th nationally with 98 hits in 2010.  Zurcher led the team with a .400 batting average.

"I think we're real excited about getting going today," Martinez said.  "Our offense this year is very explosive and my role is to get us started, and I'm looking forward to getting a hit every time at bat."

Martinez and Zurcher will have a strong supporting cast in senior catcher Phillip Chapman, senior Rick Russell, and juniors Adam McClain and Jacon Wilson. Chapman and Russell batted .315 and .320 respectively in 2010 and combined for nine home runs.  Wilson returns as one of the club's top run producers after banging out a team-high 19 doubles and 41 RBI. McClain hit .296 with 33 RBI and 10 doubles.

"There will be some comfort in how we want to play offensively," Schoenrock said. "These guys have been around and have had a number of bats so there won't be any unfamiliarity."

There will also be a few new bats in the lineup. T.J. Rich, a junior college transfer from Georgia, will be taking over for the departed Trey Wiedman, and Eli Hynes, a transfer from Sacramento Community College, will take an outfield spot left by Tyler Huelsing.  Despite losing their top two weekend pitchers from last year, the Tigers return a core group of seven pitchers who have amassed 324 strikeouts. The current crew has made 160 appearances and 44 starts collectively.

Sophomore Dan Langfield will get the start on the mound for the Tigers today against Evansville. Langfield was solid in his freshman season and had a 4-4 record with a 4.62 ERA and 47 strikeouts in just 39 innings. The right-hander averaged a team-best 10.85 strikeouts per nine innings.

"Dan's a competitor," Zurcher said.  "Coach knows he's going to give us his best when he takes the mound, and he also knows that he has the most explosive stuff on the team. So that's why he's out there."

Tigers can’t withstand Owls’ rally, fall 71-58

For the first time since Jan. 20, The University of Memphis Tigers returned to Elma Neal Roane Fieldhouse on Sunday looking to continue their four-game winning streak in Conference USA play.
The Rice Owls would have none of it.
The Tigers (18-7, 7-4 C-USA) started strong and jumped out to a 10-2 lead after a 3-pointer from senior Alex Winchell.  But Rice caught fire at the right time in the second half and outscored the Tigers 21-11 over the final eight minutes of the contest to win, 71-58.
"We really weren't committed to being a defensive team today," U of M coach Melissa McFerrin said.  "We knew coming in that their post players were their highlight players and we didn't do a good job on the defensive end today."
Memphis got a strong first half out of junior post player Jasmine Lee, who notched a double-double by halftime (15 points, 10 rebounds) and altered a number of Rice shots due to her presence in the lane. Rice got a boost from Morgan Mayse, who scored 10 of her 15 points in the first half.
The Tigers took a 31-28 advantage into the break.
Rice's scoring woes continued into the second half, and they didn't score until the 17:20 mark. Unfortunately, Memphis couldn't capitalize, and their then-six point lead would be its largest of the second half. Rice slowly began to whittle the lead down, trading possessions with the Tigers for much of the second half until a Jessica Kuster jumper with 9:14 left in the half gave the Owls their first lead of the second half.
The Tigers trailed by three, 50-47, with eight minutes to go when Rice's offense came alive. A three by Jessica Goswitz sparked the Owl offense, which got triples from five different Owls (15-10, 7-4 C-USA) on consecutive offensive trips to help chip away at the Tigers' lead.
"We just lost control of the (C-USA) race today with a home loss to Rice," said McFerrin.  "They're now in the driver's seat when it comes to tie-breakers with us. Over the next five games we need to understand that we have to play with a sense of urgency about how we play."
Lee finished the game with 19 points and 13 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season.  Before Sunday's game, Carter needed 15 points to reach 1,000 for her career. She finished with 11. Carter and Lee were the only Tigers in double figures.
Sunday marked the first time since Jan. 27 that fewer than three Tigers scored in double-digits.
The Tigers will regroup and head south for two road games this week beginning with Southern Miss on Thursday and then a televised game with Tulane on Sunday.

 

Tigers handle East Carolina, 83-70, win third straight

Tigers handle East Carolina, 83-70, win third straight

By Adam Douglas

Sports Reporter

David C. Minkin

Junior guard Brittany Carter scored a season-high 32 points in The U of M’s 83-70 win against East Carolina on Sunday at FedExForum.  Behind junior guard Brittany Carter's season-high 32 points, The University of Memphis women's basketball team defeated the East Carolina Pirates, 83-70, at FedExForum on Sunday.
The Tigers trailed East Carolina, 8-2, in the opening minutes of the game but responded with a 21-6 run led by senior Alex Winchell and three 3-pointers that put the Tigers (17-6, 6-3 Conference USA) ahead for good against the Pirates (10-12, 4-5 C-USA).

"We got control of the boards after they jumped out on us early, and we got out in transition and took over," University of Memphis head coach Melissa McFerrin said.  "And then we just rode the back of Brittany Carter."
The Tigers shot well from the floor in the first half, shooting 58.1 percent (18-for-31) from the field and hitting five of six from three. A 52-36 halftime score gave the Tigers their second-largest halftime lead this season. Sunday's game was the second straight that the Tigers held a 16-point halftime advantage.

Carter, a junior, was injured in the Tigers' first matchup with the Pirates on Jan. 9 in Greenville.  She netted 20 first half points and finished with 32 for the game.  Carter's 32 points were the most scored by a player in a C-USA game this season. She also finished with five rebounds and three steals in the opening half.
Despite Carter's hot hand, however, McFerrin said the Tigers let up in the second half.

"I hate to say it, but I think we kind of lost interest in the middle part of the second half," McFerrin said.  "We didn't play well during that stretch, sending them to the free throw line and giving up 70 points.  We don't want to be that team that gives up that many points."

Memphis was never really threatened in the second half; they kept at least an 11-point lead. Sophomore Nicole Dickson chipped in 11 second-half points off the bench.

"Everybody is healthy now, and I think that's the main reason we're playing well right now," junior forward Jasmine Lee said.  "This was basically a Brittany Carter run that led us to the victory."

Lee scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds against one of the best low post centers in Conference USA in Jean Best.  Dickson finished with 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench.

Although the score might not have indicated a gritty contest, both teams combined for 45 personal fouls. East Carolina's Crystal Wilson was assessed a technical foul late in the first half, and four ECU players had at least four fouls.
The U of M improved to 3-0 in games played at FedExForum. They travel to Tulsa for a makeup game Tuesday that was postponed from last Thursday due to snow.

Tigers trounce hobbled Golden Eagles, 78-58

Tigers trounce hobbled Golden Eagles, 78-58

By Adam Douglas

Sports Reporter

In the University of Memphis women's basketball team's annual Pink Zone game — in which the Tigers wear pink uniforms and fans are encouraged to wear pink in order to raise breast cancer awareness — the Tigers defeated the University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles 78-58 at FedExForum in front of an announced crowd of 1,787 on Sunday afternoon.  Sunday's game, which was broadcast on CBS College Sports and CSS, was the Tigers' second televised game in two weeks. On Sunday, Jan. 23, the Tigers fell at Houston, 81-68.

"Our game plan was to get the ball into the paint, and I thought we just settled for jumper after jumper after jumper," U of M coach Melissa McFerrin said. "I really thought we got on our scoring spurt once we put Jasmine Lee and Nicole Dickson in the game, and they just started hitting shots. And that's what they're supposed to do."

Dickson led all scorers with 20 points off the bench, including four three pointers, while Lee chipped in with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Tigers (16-6, 4-3 Conference USA) started the game on a tear, and had already doubled up the Golden Eagles (9-12, 4-4) in scoring, 20-10, with 10:42 left in the first half. Dickson was electric in the first half, coming off the bench for 13 points, including three of her four three-point baskets. Behind Dickson, the Tigers turned a tie into an 8-point lead.

The Tigers pushed their lead to 16, 42-26, by halftime. 
After the break, The U of M increased the lead to 22 points, 50-28, over the shorthanded Golden Eagles, who dressed only nine players because five players were out due to various season-ending injuries.

A 10-2 Southern Miss run from 10:16 until 7:04 pulled the Golden Eagles within 11, but 24 forced turnovers by the Tigers hindered the Golden Eagles' chances of a complete comeback.

"I feel as though we're just sharing the ball more and we definitely have more scorers this year," said senior forward Taylor Mumphrey. "We are getting more comfortable with one another and playing better team ball also."

Senior guard Alex Winchell finished with a career-high 14 assists compared to just four turnovers. It was the first time a Tiger posted more than 10 assists in a game since LaToya Bullard did so against the Golden Eagles last season Feb. 12, 2010.

"I always tell my team that it is much easier to play and score points when you have multiple people putting up points," McFerrin said.  "When Brittany (Carter) is scoring, Nicole (Dickson) scoring, Alex (Winchell), Jasmine (Lee) and even Ramses (Lonlack), then we can put up 70-80 points."