Baseball Season Preview
Meyers looks to turn the tide with MTSU’s baseball program in third season, first as full-time head coach
When Middle Tennessee baseball head coach Jerry Meyers arrived in Murfreesboro just three seasons ago, it was safe to assume the Illinois native did not foresee the journey he has witnessed to this point in his tenure.
Meyers began his tenure at MTSU during the 2022 campaign where he served as the associate head coach and pitching coach. However, that role quickly changed after just a single season for the longtime skipper. Last season, MTSU unexpectedly split with head coach Jim Toman after he was charged with driving under the influence.
Soon after, Meyers was named the interim head coach for the 2023 season, where he led the Blue Raiders to a 27-29 record with a 14-16 record in conference play.
In May of 2023, following the conclusion of his second season with the program, Meyers had the interim tag removed and was named head coach of the Blue Raiders.
“The program moving forward will be built on guys with strong characters that do things the right way, that want to win and compete for championships every year,” Meyers said. “We didn't do things the easy way this year, but we did things that are special, and we played our most competitive baseball at the end of the year, which is a testament to the group that we had this season."
Before his time with MTSU, Meyers spent two different periods with the South Carolina Gamecocks program from 1997-2004 and 2011-2017 as a pitching coach. Between his time in Columbia, Meyers served as the head coach at Old Dominion for six seasons from 2005-2010.
Meyers graduated from Iowa State in 1987, before beginning his coaching career as a graduate assistant at South Alabama the following year.
In addition to Meyers having the interim tag removed, the Blue Raiders made several coaching acquisitions over the offseason. Ryan Huber and Adam Wisniewski were announced to the Blue Raider coaching staff. Huber spent the last four seasons at Memphis as an assistant coach and Wisniewski spent last season as an assistant coach at Lincoln Memorial.
“There’s a lot to be excited about this upcoming season,” Middle Tennessee baseball director of operations Chandler Todd said. “We’re going to be a competitive team, I know. Looking forward of course to see how we perform and how much of the substance that we saw in the fall translates to the spring.”
Now for the 2024 campaign, with the season opener a week away, the Blue Raiders look for many returners to fill voids from the lost production, both offensively and on the mound. After losing talented hurlers Jaden Hamm and Eriq Swan to the MLB Draft in July, Middle Tennessee desperately needs several young arms to step up and pitch quality innings this season.
“The team is looking good so far,” Todd said. “We’ve got a lot of new guys that have come in and have made an impact as well as returnees looking to continue to make an impact as well.”
Junior right-handed pitcher James Sells is at the top of the list, in terms of returning production. The Winchester, Tenn., native made 2 appearances and struck out 53 batters while leading the pitching staff in wins and saves last season.
On the offensive side, the Blue Raiders lost a plethora of key contributors in the lineup from a season ago, including designated hitter Jeremiah Boyd and infielder JT Mabry who were both signed as undrafted free agents with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Miami Marlins, respectively.
Senior catcher Briggs Rutter leads the offensive firepower in the middle of the lineup this season. The two-year starter behind the dish started 50 games a season ago while slashing .306, tallying 59 hits and 26 RBIs.
The Blue Raiders open the 2024 season on Feb. 16th with a series against Bowling Green at Reese Smith Jr Field.