It’s American Conference Tournament or bust for Memphis Tigers baseball. And the season hasn’t even started.
Memphis Tigers outfielder and pitcher James Smith IV speaks on media day. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)
Memphis baseball coach Matt Riser will never forget having dinner by himself after his Tigers missed the American Conference Tournament for a second straight season last year.
The Tigers had a chance to play their way into the eight-team tourney by winning their final three-game series of the 2025 season, against Wichita State. But Memphis lost all three games and was one of two American teams to miss out on the tournament held in Clearwater, Florida.
As Riser thought about next season, reaching Clearwater was the obvious goal when envisioning what a successful Year 3 would look like.
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Frank Bonner II
Frank Bonner is the Memphis Tigers football beat writer. He is originally from Indiana but arrived in Memphis after spending two years in Tulsa, covering Oklahoma State football and basketball. He covered high school sports in Columbus, Indiana for two years before getting his Master’s degree in Sports Journalism at IUPUI. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Indiana University.
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