May 20, 2007
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -
2007 Conference USA Championship Game Notes
Download Free Acrobat Reader
2007 Conference USA Championship Bracket in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
After ranking as high as second in the Conference USA standings, the University of Memphis baseball team dropped five of its last six league tilts to finish the season in a fourth-place tie with Houston at 12-12. The Cougars hold the head-to-head tie breaker over the Tigers, dropping them to the fifth seed in the upcoming C-USA tournament. Memphis and Houston will get championship play underway on Wed., May 23 with first pitch set for 9 a.m. EDT.
The Tigers and Cougars met two weekends ago in Memphis, with visiting Houston taking two-of-three in a wild offensive series. The Tigers feature eight senior starters, led by 1B Adam Amar, the school's all-time leader in hits and RBI, and 2B Bill Moss (.333, 12 HR, 49 RBI). The Cougars feature sophomore OF Jimmy Cesario (.358, 13 2B), sophomore C Luis Flores (team-leading 9 HR) and freshman P Wes Musick (6-4, 3.18 ERA, 68 K's). Memphis and Houston will be meeting in the Conference USA Championship for the first time since 1998.
Memphis will face either No. 1 Rice or No. 8 UCF in the next round of competition. The Owls and Knights (26-30) will face off in the second game of the tournament on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. EDT. The Knights (7-17 in C-USA) punched their ticket to the tournament with a dramatic comeback victory on Friday night over Marshall. Rice is once again armed with one of the top pitching staffs in the country. Junior LHP Joe Savery, Freshman RHP Ryan Berry and Senior RHP Ryne Tacker lead a strong starting rotation, while closer Cole St. Clair is rounding back into form after missing the first two months of the season with an injury. Rice swept the three-game series between the teams in Orlando in April.
The Tigers are 6-13 all-time in C-USA Championship action, including a 0-1 mark versus Houston. The Cougars own a 6-27 all-time series advantage against the Tigers.
