Middle Tennessee baseball is in the middle of a long 54-game schedule and started Conference USA play nearly two weeks ago. Players will get the nicks and bumps during a long season. But the Blue Raiders have had bad luck recently, with five starters suffering injuries and having to shuffle the lineup around.

This is the worst time to have your best players get hurt, as MTSU sits at 15-13 overall and 2-4 in CUSA while preparing for a key three-game set against 19-11 Liberty this weekend.

“[Matt] Wolfe has been playing hurt nonstop. He’s had a hand injury a couple different times and then sprained his ankle tonight,” MTSU head coach Jerry Meyers says after a 14-9 win on Tuesday. “Nathan Brewer is out, and we’re still trying to assess his hand injury. You could throw a bunch of other names in that conversation.”

1B/RHP Trace Phillips – Hand/Back

Phillips has dealt with his fair share of injuries this season, starting with a hand issue that only bothered him severely when he batted, so the two-way spent about a month out of the lineup. He returned on Saturday against FIU and went 2-for-3 with a walk before missing the last two games.

He’s also had back stiffness lately, but the staff should at least have him on the mound this weekend against the Liberty Flames.

SS Matt Wolfe – Ankle

As Meyers said, the transfer shortstop had multiple hand injuries but continued to play. However, last night against Lipscomb, he was on second base, and when he went to retreat to the bag on a groundout from a teammate, he sprained his ankle and would be removed from the game two innings later.

Meyers says the team will continue to evaluate the middle infielder and hope to get him back this weekend, but if not, they will have to move the infield around.

2B Clay Badylak – Hamstring

Badylak has been a pleasant surprise for the Blue Raiders this season after taking over at second base for a then-injured Cooper Clapp. The senior from Ohio is batting .347 with 18 RBIs, eight extra-base hits, and two stolen bases.

He got banged up over the weekend against FIU and hurt his hamstring, but it does not seem significant. Badylak has been out of the lineup for consecutive games, but it’s mainly to get him rest so the injury doesn’t worsen. We will monitor his status as the week goes on.

OF Nathan Brewer – Hand

Brewer is another valuable bat who’s been out of the lineup the last two games after hurting his hand on Saturday. He’s batting .287 on the year with six home runs, 16 RBIs, and a .873 OPS.

There’s no timetable for Brewer’s return, but the MTSU staff and trainers will evaluate him and see if he can get back on the diamond soon.

RHP Drew Horn – Back

Horn has missed his last two scheduled starts due to a stiff back, and his presence on the mound has been missed. The redshirt sophomore has had a fantastic season, posting a 1.84 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings, including a no-hitter on March 9th against Oakland.

In his two missed starts, Blue Raider starting hurlers have combined for 10 innings pitched, allowing six earned runs with three walks and six strikeouts.

Meyers says that Horn is feeling good right now and looks to be on track to pitch this weekend.

In a perfect world, you have all your guys return from injury, but that’s not the reality. Right now, the Blue Raiders have Brett Rogers in right field for Brewer, Clapp at second for Badylak, Brett Vondohlen at first for Phillips, and Cale Vinson at short if Wolfe can’t go.

All the players filling in have the potential to be contributors for Middle Tennessee. However, the losses of those five starters will be tough to overcome, but Meyers preaches a next-man-up mentality and trusts his players to do the job.

They’ll have more chances to prove themselves against a good Liberty team this weekend. Your probable starting pitchers are Trace Phillips, Chandler Alderman, and Drew Horn.