Matt Riser

Biography

Riser came to the Tigers after 10 seasons as head coach at Southeastern Louisiana, where he helped guide the Lions to four NCAA Tournament berths and three Southland Conference titles. With a year under his belt, Riser led the Tigers to improving in multiple aspects of the game. On the mound and in the field of play Memphis with a 75th-ranked ERA as a pitching staff and finished 20th nationally in double plays turned in the field. At the plate, Memphis kept a brand of consistency, with at least 90 doubles and 50 home runs for the second season in a row. The season saw Memphis secure series wins over Southeast Missouri, Valparaiso and Lindenwood before jumping into American Conference play, taking a road series against Florida Atlantic and sweeping UAB at home, the first sweep over the Blazers since 2012. The first highlight of the 2025 season was the performance of senior Seth Cox in American play. Cox led the Tigers with a .308 average and .887 OPS, both numbers that led Memphis in conference competitions among qualified players. His effort culminated in Cox being named to the All-AAC Second Team. Another storyline after the conclusion of the season came when James Smith IV was selected in the 14th round of the 2025 MLB Draft by the New York Mets. Smith IV is the 26th player to be drafted under Riser, although Smith IV elected to return for his senior season. Year two of the Riser era saw even more eyes on the program as it was the highest total and average attendance since