The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders have picked up their first transfer portal commitment in former Vanderbilt RHP Ethan Robinson on Wednesday night, he announced. The Tennessee native will have four years of eligibility remaining after sitting out the last two seasons due to injury.

“It felt like the place to be. They [MTSU] jumped on me quickly in the portal and made me feel wanted in their program,” Robinson told GoMiddle. “I realized it was the place for me after hearing all the input from the coaching staff and seeing the facilities. All the coaches were straightforward and clear about what they wanted and needed from an arm coming into the program.”

Coming out of high school, Robinson was a blue-chip recruit, ranking nationally as the No. 465 player and the No. 2 RHP in Tennessee. He would miss the first two seasons due to Tommy John, enter the transfer portal on June 2nd, and quickly find a home as he committed to MTSU on June 11th.

He visited the campus recently and instantly loved what it and the program offered. Robinson tells me that the feeling of Middle Tennessee truly expressing its desire for him is a big reason why he chose the Blue Raiders. The coaching staff also sticks out to the former VandyBoy. MTSU head coach Jerry Meyers is among the best pitching minds nationally. However, assistant coach Adam Wisniewski also has a long history of developing pitchers.

“The coaching staff is great. I met Coach Wiz on my visit, and he took me around campus. He’s a new-school pitching guy who is good at analytics,” the newly committed Blue Raider said. “Coach Meyers has an outstanding reputation, and he knows true baseball. He’s won SEC and College World Series rings with South Carolina, which shows he knows how to win.”

While he hasn’t pitched in a collegiate game yet, the in-state player still offers quite a bit for the MTSU program. He’s competitive in the zone and not afraid to challenge batters. He has solid strikeout stuff and good velocity, as he can pump in 90+ mph and doesn’t issue many free bases.

It isn’t set in stone whether he’ll be a weekend starter or come out of the bullpen, but either way, Robinson could be an immediate impact arm for Meyers in 2026.

“I see myself hopefully as a mentor to some of these guys and someone they can rely on when I get on the mound to give them the best chance to win the game,” he says.