2024 was a disappointing season for MTSU baseball, compiling a 20-36 record. But the Blue Raiders have retooled on both sides of the ball and are getting ready for another year on the diamond as the college baseball season starts on Friday.

“I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people. There are many new players here, so that means many people to prove what’s happening [at MTSU]. I have something to prove, and a lot of these guys do, too,” says MTSU center fielder Eston Snider. “It’s going to be exciting; we have a lot of depth, energy, and fun coming from this team.”

Last season was frustrating, to say the least, for the Blue Raiders. They boasted a potent offense that was handcuffed by poor pitching and a few holes in the lineup. The staff worked hard in the offseason and believe they’ve fixed those issues. 23 new players have walked through the door this fall, and it’s not usual to have more additions than returners, but that’s the situation MTSU is in.

With so many newcomers, it’s not always easy to build team chemistry that quickly, but that’s precisely what MTSU has achieved.

“It’s not typical to be in this position; I don’t think I’ve ever had a team with more new guys than returning players,” MTSU head coach Jerry Meyers said. “It’s a two-way street, and it was up to the guys, but they meshed extremely well. They get along well; there’s camaraderie but competitiveness.”

The ballplayers that have come in aren’t scrubs; most were highly productive at their previous school, and a few were Power Four players. Keaton Ray (Walters State), Cooper Clapp (Florida Southwestern), Tyler Minnick (Georgia Tech), and Matt Wolfe (Vanderbilt) are transfers who are likely starters, along with a plethora of new pitchers.

Minnick may be the most underrated transfer for Middle Tennessee baseball this year. The former top 330 recruit in the class of 2023 spent two years with Georgia Tech before entering the transfer portal and coming to MTSU.

He's a great defensive catcher who has yet to record an error, but on the offensive side, he never seemed to put it together with a .250 career average and two home runs. However, Minnick had a great summer with the Newport Sea Gulls of the NECBL, one of the elite summer baseball leagues. The big catcher batted .273 with three home runs, nine RBI, and a .911 OPS in 17 games.

Since arriving in Murfreesboro, he's worked with MTSU hitting coach Kevin Nichols and quickly put it all together. Minnick had an outstanding fall, highlighted by several hits and RBI in a three-game set at the Blue Raider World Series.

Phillips is coming off a sensational freshman season where he batted .303 with 13 home runs, 47 RBI, and a 111 wRC+ (T-3rd on the team). He was streaky on the mound but ended on a high note, allowing one or fewer runs in four of his final six appearances on the bump.

He's taken massive strides as a pitcher this offseason, getting better control of his stuff while adding some velocity to take his fastball to 97 mph. Phillips was named a top 100 prospect in the 2025 MLB Draft, mainly because of his arm, which speaks to his level of development.

Phillips showed off his hard work in MTSU's Fall World Series, mashing a home run and tossing 5 1/3 innings of shutout ball with five strikeouts in the first of three games. The Tennessee native was one of the best players in the conference a year ago and is primed to have an even better season in 2025.

Clapp started his collegiate career with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish before redshirting and transferring to Florida Southwestern, where he had a bounce-back season. He started 57 games with the Bucs, batting .283 with eight home runs and 38 RBI while compiling a .958 fielding percentage.

He’s exactly what you want in a middle infielder with his contact, defense, and sneaky power. If you get anything more than that, it’s just a bonus, but Clapp fits this MTSU team perfectly and could be an X factor this season.

Wolfe is a transfer from Vanderbilt who did not see any time on the field due to an injury his freshman season, then a redshirt the following year. The Ohio native did play summer ball in 2023 and 2024, batting .224 with three long balls and 38 RBI through 82 games.

His bat is a question mark, but he has a good glove at shortstop, making him a valuable player. If Wolfe can figure it out at the plate, MTSU will be even more dangerous. But even then, his defense will be a vast improvement from the last few seasons.

Vondohlen has been with MTSU for two years but got his first action in 2024, starting in 29 games. The local product showed some flash down the stretch, especially in the game against Western Kentucky on April 26, where he went 4-for-5 with three home runs and 10 RBI. On the year, he batted .250 with five bombs and 24 RBI while committing four errors in the field.

He followed that with a solid summer ball campaign, mashing six home runs and driving in 40 runs. Vondohlen has a high ceiling but will need to be more consistent at the plate this year, as he was streaky a season ago.

Ray was one of the best off-season pickups for MTSU, coming from Walters State CC, where he was fantastic in his two seasons with the Senators. In only 212 at-bats, the Evensville, Tennessee native slashed .354/.496/.717 with 19 home runs and 81 RBI while committing just two errors in the field.

He flashes great power and contact at the plate but isn’t afraid to make a pitcher work. The redshirt junior drew a walk in 24% of his at-bats with Walters, making him a complete threat for all pitchers. He’s your starting left fielder in 2025 for a reason and could potentially be one of the best in CUSA.

Snider is the veteran on this Blue Raider team, playing in his fourth season at MTSU. The converted center fielder has been good in his collegiate career but stepped up in 2024 as the team's leadoff batter.

He batted .313 with four long balls, 28 RBI, and was one of CUSA's better defenders in the outfield. Coming into his final season, Snider looks to make strides again and be one of the best in the business to hopefully boost his name onto draft boards. The 5'9, 180lb ballplayer features good contact, sneaky power, nice speed, good baserunning, and a good glove in the outfield.

Snider is the guy I've been waiting for to put it together and have a breakout campaign. This could be the year, and the voters agree too, as he was a preseason All-CUSA outfielder.

Rogers redshirted his freshman season with the Blue Raiders but turned around and had an outstanding summer with the Tarboro River Bandits of the Old North State League. The Chattanooga, Tennessee native batted .326 with a .405 on-base percentage and 22 RBI in just 34 games.

He built on that momentum in the fall and worked on his game in preparation for the 2025 season. Rogers looked solid, showing good contact, underrated speed on the bases, and a nice glove in right field.

The Eagleville, Tennessee native got his first taste of college baseball last year but had a tough time at the plate, hitting .188 with a single home run. However, Brewer has plenty of power; he just struggled to get his bat on the ball in 2024.

He played for the Southern Maryland Senators in the summer and was outstanding, hitting .331 with four home runs. Brewer has improved in the fall and could see massive strides from a season ago but will need to make more contact at the plate.

The Blue Raiders were not good on the mound in 2024, ranking dead last in nearly every CUSA pitching stat. So Meyers and Co. knew they had to make a change. They brought in seven new arms, mainly JUCO products, to join Chandler Alderman, Phillips, and Collin Kerrigan, who were all productive last year.

“The culture this year is different; you have guys coming in wanting to prove something. I think we’ve gelled well, and more people are hungry,” said Phillips.

Transfers Drew Horn (Walters State) and Landen Burch (Florida Southwestern) are two intriguing hurlers fighting for the Sunday slot, with the other coming out of the 'pen. Horn is a flamethrower who touches the high 90s with a good slurve and changeup, whereas Burch doesn't have the same velocity but has a good feel of his stuff and is a proven starter. A season ago, he compiled a 3.56 ERA and 85 strikeouts through 73 1/3 frames for the Bucs.

Joining Kerrigan and Ollie Akens in the bullpen will mainly be Jonny Stevens (Walters State), Ethan Imbimbo (Mount Olive), and Matthew Driver (Florence-Darlington). The probable weekend starters are Phillips, Alderman, and Horn.

The Blue Raiders get a favorable draw to start the year, with 19 of the first 21 games being played at Reese Smith Jr. Field. They get an easy out-of-conference slate besides No. 16 Vanderbilt and the Alabama Crimson Tide, coming off a 33-win campaign. Aside from those two contests, MTSU should have a cakewalk until they get to Conference USA play.

CUSA is again predicted to be a top 10 conference, led by No. 20 Dallas Baptist and four top 100 RPI teams from last year in WKU, Sam Houston, LA Tech, and Kennesaw State. Middle gets Louisiana Tech and Sam Houston at home but will play the other three series' on the road along with Liberty and New Mexico State.

After retooling its roster, MTSU certainly has the potential to be one of the conference's top teams, but it is hard to predict. The floor is another 20-36 season, but the ceiling is a CUSA championship. With this being Meyers' second full year, a 30+ win season would be a massive step in the right direction, but this team knows what they have and is excited to showcase it.

"The expectation is to compete and play hard every day. I'm not putting a number on wins. Still, you see the preseason polls, nobody knows what we have," Meyers said. "Our expectations are high, but they are not attached to a number; we want to put ourselves in a position to succeed and get after it every time we get out there."