University of Memphis Athletics
Friday, February 21
Kennesaw, Ga.
2 PM
University of Memphis
at
Kennesaw State
Tigers Travel to Georgia for I-75 Challenge
Feb 20, 2025 | Softball
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis Tigers softball (8-3) is set for five games over three days taking place on the campuses of Kennesaw State, Georgia Tech and Georgia State in the I-75 Challenge this weekend.
The Tigers will play Kennesaw State (3-8) on Friday, No. 24/RV Kentucky (6-4) and Dayton (4-1) on Saturday and a doubleheader matchup against Georgia State (3-9) on Sunday. The Friday night game against Kennesaw State will be broadcast on ESPN+.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Memphis enters the weekend after outscoring Mississippi Valley State 27-0 in a Tuesday doubleheader. Rylee Dugar threw the program's 14th no-hitter, Drue Thomas hit Memphis' 15th-ever grand slam, and the Tigers set a new program record for most runs scored in an inning (16).
Kennedy Semien and Neely Taylor lead the charge at the plate, with the duo having 16 and 15 hits, respectively. Semien also leads the team in batting average (.500), runs (10) and is second on the team with 10 RBIs. Taylor is second in average (.484) and runs (9), and has also reached base safely in all 11 games. She and Zoe Adebayo are also the only Tigers to have started in every game at this point in the season. Adebayo leads Memphis in the power categories of home runs (3), RBIs (13), slugging percentage (.929), while also leading the Tigers in triples with two.
Taniyah Brown has been a consistent piece in the lineup and in the circle. She is currently tied for the team lead in doubles (4) and has struck out 18 batters while holding a 2.36 ERA. All parts of the Tiger lineup have contributed to Memphis' staggering run total of 92. McKaylee Polk, Arianna Cox-Cole and Shelby Durbin have combined to record seven-extra base hits.
Memphis' pitching staff has consistently improved in the early stages of the season, carrying a 2.37 team ERA while recording 58 strikeouts. Rylee Dugar enters the weekend with momentum after recording the 14th no-hitter in Memphis' 8-0 victory over the Devilettes, striking out five and only allowing one baserunner on a walk. She currently holds a 1.98 ERA with 26 strikeouts on the young season. Brown and Dugar have been a strong pitching tandem, but the Tigers have also found talent in their freshman arms. Jericho Tate pitched her way to a shutout in her first career collegiate start, only allowing two hits. Lyrical Bennett has made multiple relief appearances and worked through high-leverage situations.
SCOUTING THE I-75 CHALLENGE
Kennesaw State is the first opponent Memphis will face. The Owls enter the weekend with a 3-8 record, having most recently suffered a loss to Georgia State this past Tuesday. Kennesaw State features a lineup with strong consistency. Six players have started in all 11 games this season, and eight have started at least nine games for the Owls. Ana Gore and Hannah Harvey both hold batting averages of at least .300. Gore also leads Kennesaw State in hits (12), doubles (4) and RBIs (10). Four different Owls have hit home runs, and as a team, they have recorded 22 extra-base hits. Kenley Hilleary and Emma Friedel have led the Owls' pitching staff, with Friedel leading in wins (2) and strikeouts (14), while Hilleary leads in ERA (2.33).
No. 24/RV Kentucky enters the I-75 Challenge after back-to-back losses to No. 9 Oklahoma State and No. 4 UCLA in the ESPN Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational. The Wildcats did, however, defeat the preseason favorite in the American Athletic Conference, Wichita State, in that same invitational. Peyton Plotts leads the Wildcat offense with a .419 batting average, 13 hits, two home runs and 13 RBIs, but is one of six Kentucky batters to have an average of at least .300. In the circle, Kentucky holds a 2.13 team ERA and has used a quintet of pitchers. Each of their five pitchers has recorded a win and has pitched at least 9.0 innings.
The Dayton Flyers enter the weekend with only five games played, not having played since Feb. 9. Dayton began the season with a 4-1 record from the Wofford Terrier Invite, suffering their only lost to the host Wofford Terriers. The Flyers have used the same nine hitters in every starting lineup thus far. Six hitters are batting above .300, with Deirdre Flaherty leading the way with a .421 average. Izzy Kemp has been the primary arm for Dayton, recording 20 strikeouts over 16.1 innings and holding an ERA of 1.29.
Georgia State serves as a hot for the I-75 Challenge while on a two-game winning streak, having recently defeated fellow host, Kennesaw State, and Mercer. At the plate, they are led by Maia Mumpfield, who leads the Panthers in batting average (.459), hits (17), doubles (4), OPS (1.027) and is tied for the team lead in RBIs with six. Three pitchers have seen the most action in the circle, Sydney Boulware, Emily Hodnett and Makayla Stephens. Each have at least 10 strikeouts and 17.0 innings pitched. Boulware leads the staff with a 3.56 ERA, while Stephens leads Georgia State in strikeouts with 21.
THE SERIES WITH…
The series between Memphis and Kennesaw State is currently tied at one win apiece. The two programs have not played since 2014 when the Owls secured a 4-3 win in extra innings in the Troy Subway Invitational.
Memphis is 1-2 against Kentucky in program history, having lost the last two games in the series in 2017 during the FAU Owls Invitational.
This will be the first time that the Flyers and Tigers have faced off in the two programs' histories.
Georgia State and Memphis have only ever played once, with the Tigers defeating the Panthers in 2011 by a score of 3-2.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For complete information on Memphis Tigers Softball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
The Tigers will play Kennesaw State (3-8) on Friday, No. 24/RV Kentucky (6-4) and Dayton (4-1) on Saturday and a doubleheader matchup against Georgia State (3-9) on Sunday. The Friday night game against Kennesaw State will be broadcast on ESPN+.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Memphis enters the weekend after outscoring Mississippi Valley State 27-0 in a Tuesday doubleheader. Rylee Dugar threw the program's 14th no-hitter, Drue Thomas hit Memphis' 15th-ever grand slam, and the Tigers set a new program record for most runs scored in an inning (16).
Kennedy Semien and Neely Taylor lead the charge at the plate, with the duo having 16 and 15 hits, respectively. Semien also leads the team in batting average (.500), runs (10) and is second on the team with 10 RBIs. Taylor is second in average (.484) and runs (9), and has also reached base safely in all 11 games. She and Zoe Adebayo are also the only Tigers to have started in every game at this point in the season. Adebayo leads Memphis in the power categories of home runs (3), RBIs (13), slugging percentage (.929), while also leading the Tigers in triples with two.
Taniyah Brown has been a consistent piece in the lineup and in the circle. She is currently tied for the team lead in doubles (4) and has struck out 18 batters while holding a 2.36 ERA. All parts of the Tiger lineup have contributed to Memphis' staggering run total of 92. McKaylee Polk, Arianna Cox-Cole and Shelby Durbin have combined to record seven-extra base hits.
Memphis' pitching staff has consistently improved in the early stages of the season, carrying a 2.37 team ERA while recording 58 strikeouts. Rylee Dugar enters the weekend with momentum after recording the 14th no-hitter in Memphis' 8-0 victory over the Devilettes, striking out five and only allowing one baserunner on a walk. She currently holds a 1.98 ERA with 26 strikeouts on the young season. Brown and Dugar have been a strong pitching tandem, but the Tigers have also found talent in their freshman arms. Jericho Tate pitched her way to a shutout in her first career collegiate start, only allowing two hits. Lyrical Bennett has made multiple relief appearances and worked through high-leverage situations.
SCOUTING THE I-75 CHALLENGE
Kennesaw State is the first opponent Memphis will face. The Owls enter the weekend with a 3-8 record, having most recently suffered a loss to Georgia State this past Tuesday. Kennesaw State features a lineup with strong consistency. Six players have started in all 11 games this season, and eight have started at least nine games for the Owls. Ana Gore and Hannah Harvey both hold batting averages of at least .300. Gore also leads Kennesaw State in hits (12), doubles (4) and RBIs (10). Four different Owls have hit home runs, and as a team, they have recorded 22 extra-base hits. Kenley Hilleary and Emma Friedel have led the Owls' pitching staff, with Friedel leading in wins (2) and strikeouts (14), while Hilleary leads in ERA (2.33).
No. 24/RV Kentucky enters the I-75 Challenge after back-to-back losses to No. 9 Oklahoma State and No. 4 UCLA in the ESPN Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational. The Wildcats did, however, defeat the preseason favorite in the American Athletic Conference, Wichita State, in that same invitational. Peyton Plotts leads the Wildcat offense with a .419 batting average, 13 hits, two home runs and 13 RBIs, but is one of six Kentucky batters to have an average of at least .300. In the circle, Kentucky holds a 2.13 team ERA and has used a quintet of pitchers. Each of their five pitchers has recorded a win and has pitched at least 9.0 innings.
The Dayton Flyers enter the weekend with only five games played, not having played since Feb. 9. Dayton began the season with a 4-1 record from the Wofford Terrier Invite, suffering their only lost to the host Wofford Terriers. The Flyers have used the same nine hitters in every starting lineup thus far. Six hitters are batting above .300, with Deirdre Flaherty leading the way with a .421 average. Izzy Kemp has been the primary arm for Dayton, recording 20 strikeouts over 16.1 innings and holding an ERA of 1.29.
Georgia State serves as a hot for the I-75 Challenge while on a two-game winning streak, having recently defeated fellow host, Kennesaw State, and Mercer. At the plate, they are led by Maia Mumpfield, who leads the Panthers in batting average (.459), hits (17), doubles (4), OPS (1.027) and is tied for the team lead in RBIs with six. Three pitchers have seen the most action in the circle, Sydney Boulware, Emily Hodnett and Makayla Stephens. Each have at least 10 strikeouts and 17.0 innings pitched. Boulware leads the staff with a 3.56 ERA, while Stephens leads Georgia State in strikeouts with 21.
THE SERIES WITH…
The series between Memphis and Kennesaw State is currently tied at one win apiece. The two programs have not played since 2014 when the Owls secured a 4-3 win in extra innings in the Troy Subway Invitational.
Memphis is 1-2 against Kentucky in program history, having lost the last two games in the series in 2017 during the FAU Owls Invitational.
This will be the first time that the Flyers and Tigers have faced off in the two programs' histories.
Georgia State and Memphis have only ever played once, with the Tigers defeating the Panthers in 2011 by a score of 3-2.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For complete information on Memphis Tigers Softball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
1B/C
/ Softball
P/3B
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C/OF
/ Softball
3B
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P/UTL
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