Jan. 31, 2007

The return of 11 seniors and 10 starters has Schoenrock's Tigers hunting for the program's first NCAA bid since 1994.

A 19-game turnaround in the win column resulted in a 32-28 finish and Memphis' first appearance in the Conference USA Tournament since the 2001 season. With the return of 11 seniors, seven position starters and a year of experience under the pitching staff's belt, its no wonder Schoenrock is excited about the possibilities the 2007 campaign holds.

However, the goal for Schoenrock's club is more than just finishing above .500. The Tigers are after an NCAA Regional appearance, which would be its first in 13 years.

The challenge for this year's team will be continuing its success from last year to continue the process of building a strong program at the University of Memphis. The Tigers return 20 letterwinners from last year's team that exceeded all preseason expectations. Along with its core returnees, eight redshirt freshmen become eligible for competition and the program welcomes in a pair of four-year transfers, a junior college transfer and seven talented true freshmen.

"This is obviously the most experienced team we have had since I've been here," said Schoenrock. "This team wants to take the next step, and has the ingredients to due so."

Memphis features a potent offensive attack led by senior first baseman Adam Amar. The Tigers, who ranked 30th nationally with a .315 team batting average last season and 28th in scoring, return 12 of its key offensive contributors. Amar headlines a talented crew that includes four seniors-Amar, Bill Moss, Michael Murray and Kyle Norrid-in the starting infield, seniors Will Petersen and Ben Grisham in left and rightfield, and two-year starter K.K. Chalmers in centerfield.

Amar, who is on pace to become Memphis' all-time RBI leader, led C-USA with a .395 batting average and slammed 10 homers in 2006. Moss ripped 24 doubles, while Murray and Petersen were named to the C-USA All-Tournament Team. Norrid, who hit .324 with 45 RBI and 14 doubles, provides both offensive and defensive stability at third base. Chalmers, a 2006 All C-USA pick in 2006, returns after tying the program's single-season stolen base record with 39 as a sophomore. He needs just 11 swipes to become Memphis all-time stolen base leader. Also returning is the Tigers' leading power bat in senior DH Joey Lieberman. Lieberman, who led the team with 13 home runs a year ago, banged out the most round trippers by a Memphis slugger since Dan Uggla knocked 18 in 2001.

Coaching Staff
An important factor in building a program is maintaining continuity within a coaching staff. Schoenrock has done just that with recruiting coordinator and pitching coach, Mike Federico, and first base coach and recruiter Jerry Zulli back for their third season together. In two years, Federico's pitching staff has improved, while Zulli's offense has seen a dramatic increase in total production.

"It helps our players develop when they can get comfortable with a certain coaching style and philosophy," Schoenrock said.

Four new members join Schoenrock's coaching staff for the 2007 season. Allen Osborne is a new volunteer assistant and camps coordinator. Osborne has spent several years in the college game, most recently as the hitting coach at East Carolina University, where his offense set or broke six offensive records, including hitting 103 home runs and 153 doubles in 2004. He spent time on the Georgia coaching staff with Schoenrock in 2000 and 2001.

Other first time Tiger staff members include, Al Woods, who joins the program as the Director of Baseball Operations, and former Tigers Cory Barton and Jordan Tolliver, who will serve as student assistants this year.

"Our program will benefit from having a staff that is very familiar with how I operate," Schoenrock said. ""I am excited to have someone with the experience that Allen has in this role, as well as having two former players on the staff. This is by far the most experienced coaching staff that we have had in my time at Memphis. Once again, I feel very blessed to have these people aiding in our efforts."

Pitching
Pitching will be the key to the success of this year's squad. The return of seven hurlers, including All C-USA pitcher Scott McGregor, senior starters Philip Utley and Lance Scoggins, and senior reliever Dusty Davis, and a more mature pitching staff should give the Tigers a chance for success. Ben Grisham's emergence as a pitcher last in the season has the coaching staff encouraged about the role he could play in 2007. McGregor earned both All-Conference and All-Freshman recognition after going 7-3 and tossing three complete-game victories in his freshman campaign. McGregor and Utley led the staff with 50 strikeouts, while Davis went 4-1 as Memphis' top option out of the bullpen. The staff boasts a stable of arms that has shown the ability to avoid giving up the big inning in fall workouts. Southpaw Neil Schenk and transfer Mark Doll is a pair of juniors that will compete for a variety of rolls in the Tiger staff. Sophomore Matt Yokley's experience last year in the Tigers bullpen should pay dividends in 2007. As a true freshman, the Collierville High School product fanned 43 hitters in 41.2 and recorded a pair of saves in 21 appearances. The 2007 season will see Yokley make the move from the bullpen to the midweek starter position.

Catchers
Memphis looks to replace two-year starter and co-captain Cory Barton with a three-way battle for the position between juniors Alex Fennell and Chris Kirkland and redshirt freshman Steven Watson.

"All three have valuable traits that they bring to the table," said Schoenrock. "The three things you look for out of that position are the ability to defend, the ability to read and handle a pitching staff, and the ability to provide offense. I think we can definitely get all three of those ingredients out of all three of those young men."

However, Schoenrock expects one of the three to emerge as a leading candidate to start the majority of the games. As the season progresses, all three guys will get looks early. Alex Fennell has experience in the system and is comfortable handling the Tiger pitching staff. Chris Kirkland is a newcomer with a strong arm and outstanding capabilities of shutting down the opponent's running game. Watson has a chance to be an offense-oriented catcher and should see his playing time increase as his defensive skills improve.

Infield
With the entire infield returning from the 2006 team, the infield and outfield will be the strength of the 2007 University of Memphis baseball team.

On the infield, senior Kyle Norrid returns at third and should benefit greatly from seeing Conference USA for a year. The Tigers expect senior shortstop Michael Murray, 2005 National Junior College Player of the Year, to have a breakout year now that he has had a season to adjust to Division I baseball as well as going through a tough C-USA season. Bill Moss will retain the second base position. A fifth-year senior, Moss will provide leadership and an aggressive style of play to an experienced infield. Preseason All-American Adam Amar will be looked to, to be the major run-producer. The infield reserves are inexperienced, so staying healthy will be a key for this infield. Redshirt freshman Zach Clark, sophomore transfer Eric Farrell and true freshman will serve as the back-ups for an experienced bunch. Farrell has the ability to defend at all three positions, which will give him the first looks off the bench.

"What I want our infield to do is provide offensive punch for the team and dominate the routine plays," Schoenrock said. "If we get those two things out of this infield, this team could go a long way."

Outfield
With the entire starting outfield in tact for this season, Schoenrock's expectations for his outfield are similar to those placed on the infield. Another year of understanding Schoenrock's defensive system should see an already solid outfield improve.

Our basically the philosophy is to keep the double play in order at all times and the ability to defend the gaps," said Schoenrock. "That's where speed in the outfield comes into play-a lot more so on the road than at Nat Buring."

Speedster K.K. Chalmers enters his third season as the starting centerfielder for the Tigers. On the corners the Tigers have four guys chasing two jobs. Returning starter senior Will Petersen anchored leftfield the majority of the season and will get the starting nod this year. He will be battled by true freshman Tyler Huelsing, who is expected to put up solid numbers in his career at Memphis. Rightfield features another three-way battle between Ben Grisham and Josh Irvin, who platooned at the position in 2006, and junior Chris Newsom. Seniors Grisham and Irvin are experienced players in C-USA, while Newsom has been a role player in his two years at Memphis. Newsom will also backup Chalmers in centerfield. Schoenrock is excited about the offensive and defensive capabilities of this outfield. The Tiger outfield lost Trey Wiedman for the season to shoulder surgery in the off season, which will create opportunities for another younger player to emerge and get at-bats.

Reserves
The area with the most questions will come from the Tiger reserves. A year after having the luxury of plugging a talented upper classman into the lineup late in the game, Memphis will depend on inexperienced youth to fill the backup roles this year.

"The key to our success will be to continue to improve our pitching and avoiding injuries. We have a very experienced frontline, but our depth will play a big role also."

Last year's depth came from experienced upperclassmen, while the depth on the 2007 team will be provided by younger players. Senior Josh Irvin and junior Chris Newsom will both see ample amounts of time in the Tigers lineup. Memphis' most capable reserve hitter, Irvin hit .409 in 22 pinch-hit at-bats in 2006. Newsom, who made 35 starts in right and centerfield as a freshman, will join Irvin as a solid backup crew for the U of M outfield. The infield, however, is where unproven talent will be expected to step in and play a significant role.

Schedule
With an upgrade in the talent level that Schoenrock puts on the field, comes an increase in the strength of competition. Memphis will add Clemson to an already strong schedule that includes the likes of Ole Miss, Mississippi State and a pair of league series at perennial powers Rice and Tulane. The Tigers put their five game season-opening win streak on the line, when they make the trip to Oxford on February 20. A pair of local tournaments-the Service Academies Spring Classic and the AutoZone Classic-will follow in weeks two and three. Memphis will travel to NCAA College World Series participant Clemson for a three-game series, March 9-11. The Tigers will also play host to C-USA powers Houston and Southern Miss as part of their 27-game home schedule.

"We have a strong schedule this year," stated Schoenrock. "This is definitely the most challenging schedule we've put together in my time as coach at Memphis. With the addition of Clemson to the schedule, along with our regular Conference USA schedule, this is the type of schedule that the NCAA Selection Committee likes to see. It should build a solid RPI."

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