{"id":225667,"date":"2026-04-10T01:02:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T01:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/225667\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T01:02:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T01:02:10","slug":"memphis-welcomes-florida-atlantic-for-crucial-conference-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/225667\/","title":{"rendered":"Memphis Welcomes Florida Atlantic for Crucial Conference Series"},"content":{"rendered":"

MEMPHIS, Tenn. \u2013 The University of Memphis (10-21, 3-6 American) baseball team will play host to Florida Atlantic (15-17, 2-7 American) for a pivotal conference series this weekend. The top eight teams will travel to Clearwater, Florida, for the 2026 American Baseball Championship, with Memphis sitting ninth in the conference standings and the Owls currently 10th. First pitch on Friday is set for 6:05 p.m., followed by a 2:05 p.m. start on Saturday and an early 11:05 a.m. first pitch for the series finale.
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\nThe all-time series between Memphis and Florida Atlantic is even at 3-3, with this weekend marking just the third series meeting between the two programs. FAU took the inaugural series in 2024, despite Memphis opening with a 2-1 victory before the Owls responded with 13-5 and 14-3 wins in the final two games. Last season, the Tigers traveled to Boca Raton and secured a series win, rebounding from a 2-1 loss in the opener with back-to-back victories, 8-7 and 5-4, to take two of three.
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\nMemphis (10-21, 3-6 American) enters the series coming off a 12-2 lost at Arkansas State on Tuesday night. Arkansas State broke the game open with a strong fifth inning and kept the pressure on offensively the rest of the way, while Memphis struggled to generate consistent production after an early spark.
\nThe Red Wolves outhit the Tigers 15-5 and took advantage of timely scoring chances to pull away.
\nAfter the second inning, Memphis had few opportunities at the plate, totaling just five hits and stranding six runners on base.
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\nMemphis has been aggressive on the basepaths all season, racking up 73 stolen bases to lead the American Conference and rank 26th nationally. Senior Freddy Rodriguez<\/a> has paced the effort, going 25-for-28 in stolen-base attempts, a total that leads the league and ranks fifth in the country.
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\nThirteen Tigers have recorded home runs this season, combining for 33 as a team. Senior center fielder Michael Gupton<\/a> has led the way with eight long balls, ranking seventh in the conference, while his .600 slugging percentage places him 10th in the American.
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\nShane Cox<\/a> has been a key contributor at the plate for Memphis, leading the team with a .325 batting average while also leading in hits (39) and doubles (10). He has delivered steady production all season, tallying at least one hit in 24 of the Tigers’ 31 games.
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\nFlorida Atlantic (15-17, 2-7 American) enters the weekend after getting swept by UAB in Boca Raton last weekend. In game one, Florida Atlantic fell into an early deficit and was unable to recover in a 7-2 loss. In game two, the Owls totaled 15 hits but couldn’t keep pace offensively with UAB, falling 11-8. In Saturday’s series finale, FAU grabbed an early lead but faltered late, resulting in a 10-4 defeat.
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\nOn the mound, the Tigers will maintain their typical weekend rotation with RHP Will Howell<\/a> (3-4, 5.63 ERA) looking for his fourth-straight 5.0+ inning outing on Friday. He will be followed by LHP David Case<\/a> (2-6, 6.52), also seeking his fourth straight 5.0+ inning outing on Saturday, with his last two starts going at least 6.0 innings each. Memphis’ Sunday starter is TBD. Florida Atlantic will counter with RHP James Litman (4-3, 4.04 ERA), LHP Kide Adetuyi (1-2, 3.86 ERA) and RHP Garrett Grant (1-2, 4.63 ERA) to close out the weekend.
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\nAt the plate, Florida Atlantic has been led by Michael Perazza (.352 AVG \/ 37 H \/ 18 RBI), John Martinez (35 H \/ 6 2B \/ 19 RBI) and Marshall Lipsey (33 H \/ 3 HR \/ 14 SB). As a team, the Owls rank 70th in the nation in fielding percentage (.974) and 75th in stolen bases with 54.<\/p>\n

HOW TO FOLLOW THE TIGERS:\u00a0For complete information on\u00a0Memphis Tiger Baseball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com<\/a> and follow the team’s social media channels on Twitter<\/a>, Instagram<\/a> and Facebook<\/a>.

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