Middle Tennessee baseball is now 20 games in and sits at 12-8, but most non-conference contests are done, and it’s time for Conference USA play. There’s been some good and bad from the Blue Raiders, but now they must put it all together against a league that ranks No. 9 in RPI and No. 4 for Mid-Majors.

“[Heading into conference play] We will continue to assess what we have and some guys getting back from injury. We’re going to improve on some things we know we can be better at,” MTSU head coach Jerry Meyers said. “Pretty much focusing on playing cleaner, better, and more consistent baseball.”

Consistency Is Key

As mentioned, MT baseball has been a solid team to start the year, but there’s been too much inconsistency in all three phases of the game. On paper, the numbers look good. The Blue Raiders are batting .296, have hit 29 home runs, hold a 4.70 ERA, and struck out 185 batters, which all rank in the top five for CUSA teams.

However, the issue is posting those numbers for nine innings every game, which MTSU has not done. On Tuesday, the Blue Raiders went down 6-0 after two innings due to a true freshman being lit up on the mound and the offense starting 0-for-9 with five punchouts. They made a late comeback and scored seven runs through the final four frames, but it was too late at that point.

It’s not only on the offense, but the pitching staff gets inconsistent from the starting rotation to the bullpen. Trace Phillips, Chandler Alderman, and Drew Horn have combined for a 2.24 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 76 1/3 innings, but the ‘pen has given up 73 earned runs.

To have the season MTSU wishes to have, it’ll need to clean up its bullpen and find more continuity in the lineup.

“We’re a very talented offense, and even with the guys who don’t play, we have depth,” MT outfielder Kenny McKinley said after an 11-7 loss on Tuesday. “We just need to trust. Trust in each other and ourselves, and we will come together.”

Heavy Hitters

Conference USA is one of the best baseball conferences in the country, and it’s evident through the RPI rankings and records of teams. Seven of the 10 squads have an over .500 record, with No. 15 Dallas Baptist, Western Kentucky, and Liberty compiling a 49-13 record.

The conference is a multi-bid league again this season, so Middle Tennessee will have to work extra hard to grind out wins to bolster its record. They will start the conference slate by traveling to DBU this weekend for a three-game set, followed by matchups against top 100 RPI teams WKU, Liberty, and Jax State.

Middle will get the Gamecocks and two other CUSA series at Reese Smith Jr Field, but the remaining games will be on the road, making those contests even more difficult.

The Blue Raiders are not even close to its final product, and doing it now will be challenging with the level of talent they face, but it’s doable. If they still want to have the season they expect and be a threat in CUSA, they will have to figure it out quickly.

Conference Outlook

Putting a number on wins and placing pressure on his team is not what Meyers is about. He says he wants the players to focus on the next game and treat it like any other.

“We all know it feels like there’s more importance placed on it [conference games], but you try not to play differently or do too much. You’ve got to be locked in and focused,” Meyers said. “You can say all you want, but there’s more of an emphasis on playing your best during conference play, and we have to get into that made and prepare to do it.”

The Blue Raiders cannot press too hard, or the season will only go downhill. But that shouldn't be an issue with the veteran presence of guys like Eston Snider, Tyler Minnick, Trace Phillips, and others.

As much as the team tries not to emphasize a number of wins, those victories help build toward the end goal, which is a CUSA championship and NCAA regional appearance. With 27 conference games, if the Blue Raiders were just to split those, they would be close to 30 wins. That would be solid, and more non-conference wins would give them a high seed in the CUSA tournament.

It’ll be interesting for the Blue Raider baseball team for the next few months, but they’re focused on the Dallas Baptist Patriots this weekend.