Memphis returns home to face the Cincinnati Bearcats as part of an eight-game homestead, where the Tigers will host both the Bearcats and Tulane in two crucial season-defining series. As it stands right now, Memphis baseball is tied for the last place with Houston in the AAC standings. Both teams enter this weekend with a record of 1-7 in AAC play. Memphis lost all seven conference games on the road against two of the top teams in the league, in East Carolina and Tulane.

For Memphis, the return home to FedEx Park comes around like a long-lost friend. It’s a must-needed break for Coach Rock and his Tigers baseball team as they look to turn the page of the dismal road trip.

With a series win this weekend, Memphis would put themselves within striking distance to finish the regular season with a first-round bye in the AAC Tournament. With just a month left in the season, the Tigers are still within striking distance, which is crazy to think about given the road woes the Tigers have faced this season.

A series win this weekend over Cincinnati would likely give Memphis the added momentum needed to finish the season on a winning note.

The one thing Memphis can’t afford to do this weekend is to lose a series against Cincinnati. A series loss this weekend would be the nail in the coffin for the Tigers this season. It would be next to impossible to come back from with just a month left in the season. At this point in the season, teams like Memphis, Cincinnati, and others all face similar fates if they can’t find a way to win over the next month before conference tournaments begin in late May.

So how does Memphis go about winning this weekend? It’s simple. The secret is to have short-term memory loss, don’t focus on the negative, and control what you can control. College Baseball is one of the few sports that you can completely change the narrative of a season with just a one-weekend conference series win. That’s why this weekend for the Tigers is so crucial. A series win would move Memphis closer to the top of the AAC. A loss would keep the Tigers in the bottom half of the conference which, would lead to a first-round matchup with ECU at the AAC Tournament in Clearwater.

Memphis and Cincinnati will play four games this weekend, starting with a doubleheader on Friday, one on Saturday, and closing it out with one on Sunday. From there, the Tigers will return home next weekend for a four-game slate with Tulane.