Baseball season is right around the corner, and D1baseball has released their season preview for the American Conference. The site predicts the Tigers to finish seventh in Matt Riser’s third season, and six players were named on the “Top American Prospects” list for 2026 and 2027.
Memphis wrapped up the 2025 season with a 22-33 record, including a 8-19 record in conference play, and it missed the conference tournament. Only the top eight teams make the American Conference tournament, but the Tigers finished last in the conference, two spots behind the eighth-seeded ECU Pirates.
This season, D1baseball has Memphis finishing ahead of Wichita State, Rice and UAB, and if the projection holds, the Tigers will return to the conference tournament for the first time since 2023.
Two-way player James Smith IV, outfield Michael Gupton, and right-handed pitchers Will Howell and Seth Garner were all named as 2026 top American prospects, while infielder Michael Polittie and outfielder Webb Watson appeared on the 2027 list.
Smith hit .284 in 25 games last season and made three appearances on the mound. Howell was one of the better pitchers for the Tigers last season, posting a 3.00 ERA in 13 appearances, while Garner struck out 45 batters in 11 starts a year ago.
Smith was selected by the New York Mets in the 14th round of the 2025 MLB Draft last summer, but he elected to return to Memphis for his senior season.
Polittie hit .232 as a freshman in 2025, and will play a much larger role after making just 17 starts last season. Watson didn’t see any action as a true freshman last year, but he hit .313 with two home runs for the Jackson Rockabillys in the Prospect League this past summer.
After last season, Riser hit the transfer portal and his biggest addition was outfielder Michael Gupton, who hit .333 with 15 home runs last year in 54 games last year for Samford. Gupton was ranked the No. 19 prospect in the conference, and he should be a staple in the Tigers’ outfield this season.
Memphis kicks off the season next Friday with a three-game home series against Toledo.