Middle Tennessee baseball has run into some frustrating injury woes recently. One of these is starting pitcher Drew Horn, who’s not only been the best arm on the team but also one of the best in the country, being ranked as the 55th-best starter by D1Baseball.com. The redshirt sophomore boasted a 1.84 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings pitched this season, so not having him was a significant loss for the Blue Raiders.

After missing starts against No. 17 Dallas Baptist and FIU, many questioned when the star hurler would return. MTSU head coach Jerry Meyers spoke on it following a Tuesday win against the Lipscomb Bisons.

“Drew missed a start; he’s had a stiff back, and so has Trace [Phillips]. You can throw some more names in that conversation. We hope we’re on track to get Horn back this weekend; he’s been feeling good lately, so we’ll see,” Meyers said.

Horn felt good enough to give it a go on Saturday, and it was impressive as usual. He would face one of the best lineups in Conference USA, the Liberty Flames, who average nearly seven runs per game and boast five everyday starters who are batting .289 or higher.

The Tennessee native tossed a good outing for someone who hasn’t thrown in an actual game in nearly 20 days. He pitched five scoreless innings, allowing three hits and four walks while striking out five batters on exactly 100 pitches.

While he got into trouble in four of his five innings by allowing a runner to be in scoring position, he didn’t let it affect him. Horn neutralized the Liberty bats and didn’t allow a hit while runners were in scoring position, stranding eight Flames.

The game ended in a 5-4 Liberty win after Seth Christmas blasted a walk-off solo home run against Ollie Akens in the 10th inning to clinch a series victory. But Horn put Middle in a good spot to win. While he looked good on the box score, he was also highly efficient.

Horn threw 61% of his pitches for strikes and lowered his ERA to 1.57, which ranks No. 2 in CUSA and No. 10 nationally.

Having him back will be key for the Blue Raiders moving forward, as Trace Phillips is still down with a stiff back, and Chandler Alderman has had a tough last two starts against DBU and FIU.

If MTSU can get all three in a groove like earlier in the season, they’ll be a dangerous team. But for now, Middle Tennessee will lean on Horn to carry the load while they aim to make a run in conference play