Sam Houston State ended Middle Tennessee’s season at the CUSA tournament on May 24th to punctuate a disappointing season from the 20-36 Blue Raiders. Following that loss, MTSU coaches knew there was work to be done if they wanted to turn it around in 2025. So, they got to work immediately and eventually landed 13 transfers, with the focal point being pitching.

“We needed guys that could pitch. We wanted to get better stuff and more athletic on the mound just like everyone does,” says associate head coach Kevin Nichols. “We wanted some older guys who have already had success and were good pitchers; so far, we’ve seen that.”

Although pitching was the biggest need for the Blue Raiders, they were able to pick up six talented bats who have an opportunity to slide in and play this season.

The Blue Raiders went the JUCO route for six new pitchers and Division II for the seventh. They all had stuff that intrigued the coaches, so they now reside in Murfreesboro.

Matthew Driver – RHP from Florence-Darlington Tech

Driver was a reliable arm for his Stingers, who made it to the 2024 JUCO World Series and finished fourth. The right-handed hurler held a 4.22 ERA through 32 innings of work with 28 strikeouts, eight walks and a 1.38 WHIP. He could be one of the early options out of the bullpen for head coach Jerry Meyers.

Drew Horn – RHP from Walters State CC

Horn is a powerful righty who comes from one of the best JUCO schools in the country and is highly efficient with the Senators. He tossed 25 innings with a 3.24 ERA, 14.1 K/9 and a 1.28 WHIP in 16 appearances. Horn features a 97 MPH fastball that’s given Blue Raider bats trouble all Fall.

Jonny Stevens – RHP from Walters State CC

Although he did have somewhat of an up-and-down season with the Senators, Stevens showed flashes in 2024 with 12 scoreless outings and good stuff on the bump. He’s had a solid fall with the Blue Raiders and could be a good reliever for Middle Tennessee.

Jack Fortner – RHP from Motlow State CC

Fortner is an interesting pickup, as he had a big walk problem and a 1.76 WHIP last season, but he has excellent strikeout stuff (13.03 K/9) and has shown the ability to cut his walks down. He has the luxury of two quality pitching coaches, Meyers and Adam Wisniewski, so even though Fortner looks like a project, he could still be a good arm with some work.

Ethan Imbimbo – RHP from U of Mount Olive

Even though he's a graduate student, Imbimbo also seems somewhat like a project guy. His strikeout stuff is nasty (54 in 60.1 innings), and he was a good starter at times for Mount Olive, but 30 walks is high. But just like Fortner, he has two outstanding coaches to help him with that, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get his control fixed and become a good weekend pitcher.

Landen Burch – RHP from Florida Southwestern CC

Burch was extremely good at FSCC a year ago following his departure from Old Dominion. He boasted a 3.56 ERA with 85 punchouts and a 1.60 WHIP in 73.1 innings. A few weeks ago, at the Blue Raider World Series, Burch tossed four innings of one-run ball with no walks and four strikeouts.

With Chandler Alderman back, Burch will be in the mix for the starting role on Friday and Saturday.

Garrett Sims - LHP from Columbia State CC

The lone southpaw in this transfer class comes from Columbia State, where he was a solid reliever with the Chargers, posting a 4.50 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 24 innings. Sims has gotten good work this Fall and should be one of the main guys out of the pen for MTSU.

There were glaring holes at the left field and catcher spots due to the graduations of Jackson Galloway and Briggs Rutter. Along with the middle infield, they need to work with a couple of inexperienced players who need to develop.

That led Nichols and recruiting coordinator Ryan Huber to find several immediate-impact players who have looked good in Fall practice.

Keaton Ray – LF from Walters State CC

Ray was a monster in his two seasons at Walters State, batting .354 with 19 home runs, 81 RBI, 38 extra-base hits and a .496 OBP in 212 at-bats. After a slow start to offseason practices, he caught fire with multiple home runs in the three-game intrasquad series two weeks ago.

Watch for Ray as a breakout player on MTSU and potentially a top right fielder in CUSA.

Cooper Clapp – 2B from Florida Southwestern CC

Before a quick stint at FSCC, Clapp was at Notre Dame but, after redshirting a year, took his talents to the Sunshine State. In his only season with the Bucs, he slashed .283/.377/.455 with eight long balls and 38 RBI in 57 games.

So far, Clapp looks to be the starting second baseman for the Blue Raiders but will continue to battle it out before the season begins in February.

Tyler Minnick – C from Georgia Tech

Coming out of high school, Minnick was one of the top players in the country but chose Georgia Tech over several schools. He wasn’t a massive offensive threat in his two seasons but hit .250 with two home runs and 17 RBI in 43 career games, but what stood out was his defense. Minnick did not commit an error and was phenomenal behind the dish. With the Blue Raiders, he’s become a much better bat under Nichols and has shown out during scrimmages.

Expect him to be the starting catcher where he could experience a breakout campaign.

Hayden Miller – SS from College of Charleston

Miller was the No. 434 player in the nation coming out of high school but did not see the field with the Cougars, so he entered the transfer portal and ended up at MTSU. He’s a good defender at shortstop but needs to work offensively. However, with Nichols’ track record with players, it’s evident that he can help Miller.

Matt Wolfe – SS from Vanderbilt

The former Vandy Boy transferred this summer after not seeing the field with the Commodores. Wolfe has a good glove at short but, like Miller, needs work at the plate, which is part of why he came to Middle Tennessee.

There are multiple candidates for the starting shortstop role, but Wolfe could very well grab that spot in the coming months.

Jaxon Junnila – C from Daytona State CC

After a disappointing freshman season at Daytona State, Junnila turned it up in 2024, where he batted .329 with eight RBI in 30 games.

Junnila has flashed a cannon behind the plate this Fall and offers a lot as an all-around catcher who could rotate this year.

C Briggs Rutter – Graduation

CF Luke Vinson – Graduation

3B Gabe Jennings – Graduation

LF Jackson Galloway – Graduation

RHP Patrick Johnson – Transferred to Tennessee Tech

RHP Dylan Alonso – Transferred to Columbia State CC

RHP Kota Sato – Graduation

RHP Justin Lee – Transferred to U of St. Louis

The roster was overhauled this offseason with good players coming in and out, but the coaching staff did an excellent job of filling the void and, in some spots, upgrading from a year ago. With over 20 new players on the MTSU baseball roster, be on the lookout for a freshman breakdown for the nine that signed earlier in the year.