'There's something about Memphis': New coach Matt Riser has big dreams for Tiger baseball

James 'Doc' Riser paused to absorb the moment.

A few feet away, inside the lobby of the Laurie-Walton Family Basketball Center, three of his grandchildren were posing for photos with their father – and his son – Matt Riser, the new University of Memphis baseball coach.

“I just love it,” said 'Doc,' beaming. “I love it, I love it, I love it. There’s something about Memphis.”

Ever since Riser – who was announced as Kerrick Jackson’s successor on June 18 following 10 seasons as head coach at Southeastern Louisiana – sat down for his first interview with Memphis, that's been an inescapable notion. Riser himself won’t even dismiss the possibility his hire was meant to be. That what led him here was somehow preordained.

Because, for Riser, some of the most significant moments of his baseball life have involved Memphis.

“The good Lord works in mysterious ways,” Riser, 39, said. “God’s always got a plan.”

The turning points

Riser was an all-state outfielder for Picayune (Miss.) and a standout hitter at Pearl River Community College before signing with Tulane. A key contributor off the bench in 2005, he helped lead the Green Wave to the College World Series.

Before his senior season, former Tulane coach Rick Jones made Riser a team captain. After getting off to a disappointing 15-8 start, the Green Wave opened Conference USA play at Memphis with an even more disappointing 11-4 loss at FedEx Park.

“I remember Adam Amar beating our butt,” said Riser, referring to the former Tigers' first baseman who had seven RBIs that day.

After the game, Jones turned to his senior leader. Before he could say anything, Riser asked for permission to conduct a players-only meeting in right field. Jones obliged.

“It was a pretty intense conversation, quite a few choice words,” Riser said. “I walked away from that meeting saying, ‘Boy, I better back all that up.’”

Tulane won the next two games (and 28 of the next 41) and Riser had four hits, got on base six times and had five RBIs.

Two months later, Riser was back at FedEx Park. He had landed a gig coaching his younger brother, Alex, with the Jackson 96ers, a summer travel team. Their first tournament was in Memphis.

“Yep, believe it or not,” said Riser. “That’s where I fell in love with (coaching) and, now, here we are.”

Matt Riser had options

It was never baseball or bust for Riser.

In fact, he admits, some might view coaching baseball as the less attractive of the career options he had coming out of college. In 2007, he earned his degree in biomedical engineering. He had multiple job offers. He came very close to working for New Orleans BioInnovation Center.

MEMPHIS BASEBALL: Tigers name Matt Riser new head baseball coach

“I can’t remember the job title, but I know it paid a heckuva lot more than baseball did,” Riser said. “(But) I’ve always kind of tended to take the harder fork in the road. All the biomedical engineers looked at me like an average Joe and all the kids looked at me like I hung the moon.”

Riser, who served as a volunteer assistant at Tulane in 2007, was hired at Southeastern Louisiana as an assistant in 2008. In 2012, he became the school’s head coach, leading the Lions to four NCAA tournament appearances and three Southland Conference titles. He was let go last month after a 25-25 season.

Matt Riser’s vision

Memphis has not advanced to the NCAA tournament since 2007.

Doesn’t matter. Not to Riser. During his introductory press conference on June 22, he rattled off the top characteristics of teams he has coached. Aggressive. Athletic. Competitive. Selfless. Intelligent. Mature. He believes he and Memphis are "a perfect fit."

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One thing he has no interest in is patience. While Riser outlined his 10-year vision for his new program – raising a few eyebrows in the process – he was adamant that the expectation to win will not wait.

“I want to be able to win a championship now. I think we have the ability to do that now,” said Riser. “I’m not in the business of being very patient. By Year 5, I want this to be a national brand. (The College World Series), that’s the big goal. Call me crazy, that’s fine. We haven’t been to a Regional (tournament) since 2007? That’s OK.

“It’s a different day and age, man, and Memphis is gonna be greater for it.”

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Tiger baseball coach Matt Riser believes he's meant to be at Memphis