We’re already through the first three weekends of the college baseball season, and the MTSU Blue Raiders sit at 6-5 after dropping two games over the weekend. With a good sample size, here are my five biggest takeaways from the first month of Blue Raider baseball.
· This team will go as far as the bullpen takes them
MTSU features a potent offense and one of the best mid-major starting pitching staffs, but the bullpen is still suspect. It’s better than last year, but that doesn't mean it’s been great. If the Blue Raiders want to achieve their goal this season, they must figure it out quickly.
Of the 53 earned runs given up this season by Middle Tennessee pitchers, 43 come from the bullpen. They blew the series finale against Bowling Green on opening weekend and nearly blew last Friday’s game against UT-Martin, giving up six runs in the final four frames.
With guys like Jonny Stevens, Landen Burch, Ollie Akens, and others in the bullpen, there’s plenty of talent to turn it around, but will they? The 2025 Blue Raiders are an incredibly talented team, but they will go only as far as the bullpen takes them, which could be a 30+ win season or another 20-36 campaign.
· The staff hit on the majority of transfers
The staff brought in 13 transfers during the offseason, and so far, most of them have been significant contributors. Cooper Clapp and Keaton Ray have dealt with injuries, but between Tyler Minnick, Hayden Miller, and Matt Wolfe, the three have combined for a .297 batting average, four home runs, and 20 RBIs in 11 games. All three are starters, and one could argue that Minnick may be an upgrade from Briggs Rutter last season, which is impressive knowing that Rutter had an All-CUSA-type season.
On the pitching side, starting hurler Drew Horn has been phenomenal, posting a 2.35 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings. Relievers Jack Fortner, Stevens, Burch, and Ethan Imbimbo haven’t been anything to write home about, but it’s still an upgrade from a season ago, and all four have the potential to bounce back and be big-time contributors.
After losing six starters from last year, the staff needed to hit on its transfer portal class. It's done just that and maybe even exceeded their expectations.
· The starting rotation may be the best in CUSA
Middle Tennessee has always had a good pitcher on the roster under head coach Jerry Meyers but never a consistently dominant rotation until this year. Trace Phillips, Chandler Alderman, and Horn are three of the premier arms in Conference USA and have compiled a 2.00 ERA with 58 strikeouts and 17 walks in 45 innings pitched this season.
Having a legit rotation instead of trying to manage a pitching staff with only relievers has made the coaching staff sleep better at night and makes MTSU much more dangerous. Considering Dallas Baptist has potentially multiple draft picks in the rotation, it’ll be tough to take their throne. But if MTSU’s arms can stay consistent, they’ll undoubtedly have an argument.
Even if they cannot pass DBU, MT is still the clear-cut No. 2 starting rotation in the conference.
· The offense is all-around better than last year
The 2024 offense was one of the best in Middle Tennessee baseball history and set a program record for homers with 72, but the bats this year are a step up. They’re on pace to mash 90 long balls and score 435 runs while batting .313.
Brett Vondohlen and Nathan Brewer have developed into excellent bats. At the same time, the transfer portal additions of Minnick, Miller, and Wolfe have filled voids that MT baseball had following the departures of key seniors. The Blue Raiders have already found great success early in the year with Phillips and Ray not playing due to injuries, and they’re two of your more significant power bats.
Once those two get back onto the field, it’s clear that this offense is better all-around in terms of power, batting average, runs scored, and on-base percentage.
· This is the most talented team Jerry Meyers has had at MT
This is only year 3 for Meyers, but his 2025 squad is easily the most talented roster he’s had at Middle Tennessee. He finally has a legit starting rotation and a complete offense from top to bottom, and even though they’ve struggled early, it’s probably the best bullpen he’s had.
My preseason prediction was 31-24, and I still like that number. However, if they can figure things out in the pen, this squad could win 35+ games. Even though CUSA is one of the top baseball conferences, MTSU still has a team that can make noise in the conference tournament and maybe win it.
Dallas Baptist is still the cream of the crop in CUSA, but this is baseball. It’s the easiest sport to be upset in, and anything can happen. MTSU’s ceiling is a regional appearance, and its floor is another losing season, with most of that riding on the bullpen.
