What we learned about Memphis baseball's season after beating Ole Miss

No midweek game in March is going to determine a season, but one might be the spark Memphis baseball needs. Amid a glacial start to the month, which most recently saw Memphis take a run-rule loss to Tulane in the first American Conference series of the season, the Tigers defeated No. 18 Ole Miss 6-2 on March 24 at FedEx Park.

The victory was the program's highest-ranked win since beating No. 9 East Carolina in 2021, and the first ranked win for third-year Memphis coach Matt Riser. "I've been on the side where we struggled and struggled and struggled," said Riser, referencing the beginning of his tenure at Southeastern Louisiana.

"There's losses in a year, and there are wins when you're down and not playing well like this. I think you can use this game to elevate that confidence level. " In Riser's assessment, the win was nothing extraordinary, but simply a matter of execution.

Memphis (7-16) took an untraditional approach to managing a midweek bullpen game, keeping pitchers to a three-out or six-out script. The Tigers staff was strong throughout, holding the power-hitting Ole Miss lineup to just four hits while stranding nine runners. Logan Rushing began the game with two scoreless innings, while Jacob Dienes earned the win after a scoreless inning in relief.