Tigers Host Delta Devils for Midweek Contest

Tuesday, April 14

Memphis, Tenn.

6:05 p.m.

University of Memphis

Mississippi Valley State

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Apr 13, 2026 | Baseball

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis (11-23, 4-8 American) baseball team is set to face Mississippi Valley State (11-21, 7-8 SWAC) on Tuesday at 6:05 p.m. at FedExPark Avron Fogelman Field.

Memphis holds a commanding 11-1 advantage in the all-time series against the Delta Devils, with Tuesday's contest set to be the 13th meeting between the programs. The two teams last faced off on May 6 of last season, when the Tigers secured an 11-1 run-rule victory in seven innings. Memphis' only defeat in the series came on March 30, 2011, a 3-2 loss.

Memphis (11-23, 4-8 American) comes into Tuesday after another 2-1 conference series loss. In the opener, Florida Atlantic jumped out to a quick start with six runs in the first inning and continued to build its lead the rest of the way. In game two, the Owls again got on the board early and controlled the game throughout, while Memphis could not capitalize on several scoring chances. In the finale, Memphis broke things open with a seven-run third inning and cruised from there, using a well-rounded offensive performance and solid bullpen effort to secure the win.

Memphis has consistently applied pressure on the basepaths this season, totaling 81 stolen bases to lead the American Conference and rank 28th nationally. Senior Freddy Rodriguez has led the charge, finding success in 27 of his 30 steal attempts, a mark that tops the league and sits fifth in the nation.

Thirteen different Tigers have gone deep this season, combining for 36 home runs as a team. Senior center fielder Michael Gupton added to his total this week and leads the squad with nine homers, ranking seventh in the conference, while his .602 slugging percentage is good for eighth in the American.

First baseman Tyler Harrington had an excellent weekend and received an honorable mention for American Conference Player of the Week. Harrington, a graduate student from Lakeland, Tenn., went 5-for-9 (.556) with a double, a home run, six RBI and three walks in the series. For the series, Harrington led the Tigers in batting average (.556), hits (5), home runs (1), RBIs (6), slugging percentage (1.000), walks (3) and OPS (1.667). He also recorded his 30th hit of the season over the weekend, while raising his season totals to three home runs and 18 RBI.

Mississippi Valley State (11-21, 7-8 SWAC) is coming off a 2-1 conference series loss to Bethune-Cookman over the weekend. In the opener, they defeated the Wildcats, 8-6. During Saturday's doubleheader, Bethune-Cookman seized control early and never eased up, rolling past the Diamond Devils 13-2 and 15-0, with both games ending in seven innings.

On the mound, the Tigers will call on LHP Logan Rushing (0-2, 4.61 ERA) to make his third-straight Tuesday start. Rushing has pitched the first two innings of all three of those games, allowing just one earned run on seven hits while striking out five. The Delta Devils starter is TBD.

At the plate, Mississippi Valley State has been led by Chris Soeder (24 H / 4 HR / 14 RBI), Kendall Brookins (30 H / 7 2B / 18 RBI) and Tanner Aoki (28 H / .286 AVG / 23 BB). As a team, the Delta Devils do not rank in the top 100 in any positive statistic tracked by the NCAA.

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