University of Memphis Athletics
Friday, May 2
Memphis, Tenn.
6 PM
University of Memphis
vs
Wichita State
Tigers to Close Out Regular Season at Home Versus Wichita State
May 01, 2025 | Softball
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis softball (17-33, 4-20 AAC) will host Wichita State (26-23-1, 13-10-1 AAC) for its final regular season series.
Game times are set for 6 p.m., 3 p.m., and noon on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Friday and Sunday will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Sunday game will also serve as Memphis softball's Senior Day, with recognition happening after the game's conclusion.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Memphis returns home after a seven-game road stand across the state of Florida. The road trip was highlighted by an 8-3 win over Bethune-Cookman.
Zoe Adebayo continues to cement her name in the record book in her final season as a Tiger. Currently, her single-season marks in home runs (10), RBI (35), walks (29), slugging percentage (.683), on-base percentage (.447) and OPS (1.130) are in the top 10 in program history. Her 10 home runs are also the most by a Tiger since 2011 as she became the fifth Tiger with at least 10 home runs in a season.
The Tiger offense is supplemented by Kennedy Semien and Ariel Davis. Semien currently holds a .313 batting average with 10 doubles, 22 RBI and 34 runs scored on the season, with the second-highest OPS (.841) on the team among qualified hitters. Davis stepped into a starting role in the early stages of the season and currently sits at fourth on Memphis with a .294 batting average. During the previous road trip, she recorded her fourth multi-RBI performance with two RBI against South Florida.
Memphis' pitching staff currently holds a 5.43 team ERA. The pairing of Lyrical Bennett and Rylee Dugar has totaled 196.2 innings in the circle. Bennett currently leads the staff with a 4.71 ERA over 101 innings, tossing seven complete games. Dugar has the team lead in strikeouts with 54 over 94.2 innings.
SCOUTING THE SHOCKERS
Wichita State enters the series after falling to Kansas in nine innings on Wednesday. The Shockers have not lost a conference series since the first series of the season against then No. 24 Florida Atlantic, earning six series wins and tying one series against South Florida.
The Shockers boast the highest slugging percentage (.516) in the American Athletic Conference with 79 doubles, five triples and 70 home runs as a team. Lauren Lucas, the reigning AAC Player of the Week, leads Wichita State in batting average (.385), OPS (1.236), hits (57), RBI (42) and has 11 doubles and 13 home runs on the year. Lucas is also one of six Shockers to have started all 50 games this season. Other Wichita State players batting above .300 are Brookelyn Livanec, Taylor Sedlacek and Ellee Eck. Eck, a Stanford transfer, is currently tied for the lead in the AAC in stolen bases with 21. Sedlacek's 15 home runs and 15 doubles both lead the team and put her within the top 50 nationally in each category.
The Wichita State pitching staff is led by Ryley Nihart. The freshman from Alvin, Texas holds a 2.85 ERA over 113 innings in the circle. Nihart has struck out 68 batters and stands with a 9-6 record in the circle. Ava Sliger, a fellow freshman, and Chloe Barber, a 2023 AAC All-Rookie team selection, supplement the young pitching staff. Barber is tied with Nihart for the team lead in strikeouts with 68 over 73.2 innings, while Sliger has only issued 16 walks in her 77.2 innings of work.
THE SERIES WITH…
Dating back to 2010, the Tigers are 3-19 against Wichita State. The Shockers have won the last 17 matchups.
Last season, Memphis was swept by the Shockers in the final regular season series in Wichita, Kan.
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.
Game times are set for 6 p.m., 3 p.m., and noon on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Friday and Sunday will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Sunday game will also serve as Memphis softball's Senior Day, with recognition happening after the game's conclusion.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Memphis returns home after a seven-game road stand across the state of Florida. The road trip was highlighted by an 8-3 win over Bethune-Cookman.
Zoe Adebayo continues to cement her name in the record book in her final season as a Tiger. Currently, her single-season marks in home runs (10), RBI (35), walks (29), slugging percentage (.683), on-base percentage (.447) and OPS (1.130) are in the top 10 in program history. Her 10 home runs are also the most by a Tiger since 2011 as she became the fifth Tiger with at least 10 home runs in a season.
The Tiger offense is supplemented by Kennedy Semien and Ariel Davis. Semien currently holds a .313 batting average with 10 doubles, 22 RBI and 34 runs scored on the season, with the second-highest OPS (.841) on the team among qualified hitters. Davis stepped into a starting role in the early stages of the season and currently sits at fourth on Memphis with a .294 batting average. During the previous road trip, she recorded her fourth multi-RBI performance with two RBI against South Florida.
Memphis' pitching staff currently holds a 5.43 team ERA. The pairing of Lyrical Bennett and Rylee Dugar has totaled 196.2 innings in the circle. Bennett currently leads the staff with a 4.71 ERA over 101 innings, tossing seven complete games. Dugar has the team lead in strikeouts with 54 over 94.2 innings.
SCOUTING THE SHOCKERS
Wichita State enters the series after falling to Kansas in nine innings on Wednesday. The Shockers have not lost a conference series since the first series of the season against then No. 24 Florida Atlantic, earning six series wins and tying one series against South Florida.
The Shockers boast the highest slugging percentage (.516) in the American Athletic Conference with 79 doubles, five triples and 70 home runs as a team. Lauren Lucas, the reigning AAC Player of the Week, leads Wichita State in batting average (.385), OPS (1.236), hits (57), RBI (42) and has 11 doubles and 13 home runs on the year. Lucas is also one of six Shockers to have started all 50 games this season. Other Wichita State players batting above .300 are Brookelyn Livanec, Taylor Sedlacek and Ellee Eck. Eck, a Stanford transfer, is currently tied for the lead in the AAC in stolen bases with 21. Sedlacek's 15 home runs and 15 doubles both lead the team and put her within the top 50 nationally in each category.
The Wichita State pitching staff is led by Ryley Nihart. The freshman from Alvin, Texas holds a 2.85 ERA over 113 innings in the circle. Nihart has struck out 68 batters and stands with a 9-6 record in the circle. Ava Sliger, a fellow freshman, and Chloe Barber, a 2023 AAC All-Rookie team selection, supplement the young pitching staff. Barber is tied with Nihart for the team lead in strikeouts with 68 over 73.2 innings, while Sliger has only issued 16 walks in her 77.2 innings of work.
THE SERIES WITH…
Dating back to 2010, the Tigers are 3-19 against Wichita State. The Shockers have won the last 17 matchups.
Last season, Memphis was swept by the Shockers in the final regular season series in Wichita, Kan.
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
2B/SS
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
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