Just like that, Middle Tennessee’s season has ended, and we’re in the slow part of the year, the offseason. The Blue Raiders underperformed in 2025, going 23-32 (8-19 in conference play). Injuries played a big part, with more than 10 players being sidelined for most of the season or playing through something.

After picking up its first CUSA series win on the second-to-last weekend, MTSU was swept by Kennesaw State the following weekend to end its season. While it’s disappointing, there’s still a lot of talent on the roster, and the staff has another offseason to bring in transfers.

I’ve created a roster breakdown of who’s leaving, coming in, out of eligibility, etc. I’ll also be editing this across the offseason to make sure it’s up to date daily.

No Blue Raiders have entered the portal, but it’s inevitable, so this will be updated. However, they are not expected to lose many players to the transfer portal.

Walters State RHP Matthew Porchas

The coaching staff loves his aggressive pitching style; the RHP isn’t afraid to go at batters, and that’s why he has a 16.39 K/9 over his 18 2/3 innings pitched. Porchas is also a team guy and wants to do whatever it takes to win.

While Porchas is an exceptionally talented player who will give Middle Tennessee another quality arm out of the bullpen or in its starting rotation, he brings something else. He’s won at every school and is well educated about a winning culture and what it takes. During his lone season at Texas and the two at Walters State, Porchas won 139 games to just 42 losses, so he knows what it takes to be a successful program.

2025 season – 0.63 ERA, four hits allowed, 23 strikeouts, 10 walks, 14 1/3 innings pitched, 0.98 WHIP.

Dyersburg State RHP Cole Cates

Cates is an attractive prospect but needs to work on specific areas of his game. The starting pitcher at Dyersburg State can eat innings (85 2/3 in 2025) and has nice stuff between a low 90s fastball, a slider, and his curveball.

He does need to work on his control, but he has solid strikeout stuff and could be a long reliever out of the bullpen or even a midweek starter.

2025 season – 5.46 ERA, 106 hits allowed, 77 strikeouts, 41 walks, 85 2/3 innings pitched, 1.72 WHIP.

Florida Southwestern RHP Abel Albarran

Albarran is also an intriguing player with upside, but he needs to work on his control. Albarran has good strikeout stuff, but 41 walks in 75 1/3 innings isn’t exactly what you want.

He was named First Team All-Citrus Conference in 2025 after posting a 3.79 ERA in the regular season. Clearly, Jerry Meyers sees something in him, and I don’t question Meyers’ thinking due to his success as a pitching coach at South Carolina, where he won a national championship.

If Trace Phillips is to get drafted and sign the contract, Albarran and Cates will be in the running for a weekend role. But if not, the FSW hurler should be a solid addition to the ‘pen.

2025 season – 4.66 ERA, 81 hits allowed, 68 strikeouts, 41 walks, 75 1/3 innings pitched, 1.62 WHIP.

McHenry County CC OF Owen Nowak

I’m a big fan of Nowak. He gives me Eston Snider vibes, and if he can be even half as good as Snider, Middle Tennessee has a good one. While he doesn’t have the craziest power you’ve seen, he does everything well.

Nowak hits for average, gets on base, drives in runs, has excellent speed, and has a solid glove out in center field.

Things can certainly change, but I’d expect Nowak to be in the race for the center field job.

2025 season – .409/.479/.637 slash line, seven home runs, 79 RBIs, 65 runs scored, 19 stolen bases, 1.116 OPS.

Shelton State LHP John Michael Pickens

Pickens was a great pickup by the MTSU staff. He plays in a tough JUCO league and still puts up good numbers. His velocity won’t blow you away as he sits mid-80s on his fastball and mid-high 70s on the slider and changeup. But he produces at an extremely high level.

In his two seasons at Shelton State, Pickens posted a 2.05 ERA with 97 strikeouts to 24 walks and a 0.95 WHIP in 70 1/3 innings.

Pickens is poised to come in and immediately make a significant impact for the Blue Raiders.

2025 season – 2.80 ERA, 20 hits allowed, 44 strikeouts, 11 walks, 35 1/3 innings pitched, 0.88 WHIP.

RHP/IF Ryder Harville

Harville was a nice signing for the Blue Raiders as he excelled both on the mound and at the plate. He’s got good mechanics as a pitcher, and is sitting mid-high 80s on his fastball and mid-70s on the curveball and changeup. Harville won TSSAA District 12 AAA Pitcher of the Year after posting a 0.62 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 45 innings.

At the plate, Harville has a pure swing with good contact skills, nice power, and can get on base consistently. He also features some wheels to leg out doubles and triples. All around, it was a good pickup for Middle.

2025 season – .360/.528/.490 slash line, 1.017 OPS, 0.60 ERA, 88 strikeouts, 58 innings pitched, 0.89 WHIP.

OF Eston Snider

The All-CUSA outfielder graduated from Fred J. Page High School in Franklin, Tenn., where he was a standout on the football and baseball fields. Following his time there, he signed with the Blue Raiders, where he made an immediate impact during his freshman campaign. Snider played in 41 games with 23 starts, where he batted .305 with one home run, six extra-base hits, and eight RBIs before his season was cut short due to injury.

Snider rehabbed and came back even stronger. Through his next two years with Middle Tennessee, he would slug nine homers with 61 RBIs in 98 games.

Heading into his senior season, Snider looked to have his best statistical year while helping his team succeed. He would make his presence felt in the first series of 2025 against the Bowling Green State Falcons. While MTSU lost two out of three games, Snider batted 9-for-15 with an RBI. He followed it up with a monster series the next weekend against Fairleigh Dickinson, where the senior clubbed three long balls and drove in eight runs.

2025 season – .341/.445/.509 slash line, six home runs, 34 RBIs, 45 runs scored, 22 stolen bases, 129 wRC+.

RHP Ethan Imbimbo

The ultimate team veteran, Imbimbo, has a unique journey that has involved traveling across the nation for baseball. He graduated from Exeter High School in New Hampshire before starting his collegiate career at Wofford. Imbimbo made four appearances in his true freshman campaign, compiling an 8.31 ERA, before the season was cut short due to COVID-19.

He medically redshirted in 2021 and did not see any time. Then, he transferred to the University of Mount Olive for the 2022 season and redshirted again. Imbimbo finally returned to the mound in 2023, where he was a good arm out of the Trojan bullpen. He tossed 24 innings with a 3.00 ERA and 22 strikeouts to eight walks.

He was moved into a starting role for the 2024 campaign and was rocky but showed promise. While he posted a 7.01 ERA and walked 30 batters, he also struck out 54 and surrendered 46 hits in 60 1/3 innings. Due to his two redshirts, Imbimbo had a sixth year of baseball remaining and would transfer to MTSU.

2025 season – 5.61 ERA, 45 hits allowed, 35 strikeouts, 14 walks, 33 2/3 innings, 1.75 WHIP, 6.64 FIP.

RHP Will Jenkins

The Knoxville, Tenn., native played high school ball at Grace Christian Academy before signing with the Belmont Bruins. Through his first two years at Belmont, Jenkins had a 6.71 ERA with 56 strikeouts in 56 1/3 innings. He suffered an injury and missed the entirety of the 2023 campaign to rehab, then entered the transfer portal.

He stayed close, committing to the MTSU Blue Raiders, where he would become a big piece of the bullpen. Jenkins debuted for Middle Tennessee on March 12, 2024, and tossed two innings of scoreless baseball against Southern Indiana. Following that outing, he would make several more appearances and end the 2024 season with a 1.98 ERA.

2025 season – 5.77 ERA, 57 hits allowed, 31 strikeouts, 31 walks, 48 1/3 innings, 1.82 WHIP, 7.34 FIP.

RHP Jalen Wirtz

Wirtz signed with the Blue Raiders out of high school and was immediately thrust into a bullpen role. In his true freshman year, he posted a 3.86 ERA with 16 strikeouts to five walks in 23 1/3 innings.

In his sophomore year, Wirtz would take on a similar workload but wasn’t as effective as he was in his 2022 campaign. In the 2023 season, he owned a 6.66 ERA through 25 2/3 innings. This would be his last action in a Blue Raider uniform as he medically redshirted his third year in Murfreesboro, then did not play in 2025.

2025 season – DNP.

Catchers

Tyler Minnick (Sr.), Jaxon Junilla (Sr.), Bradley Pippin (RS Fr.).

Infielders

Grant Snider (RS So.), Trace Phillips (Jr.), Clay Badylak (Sr.), Brett Vondohlen (RS Jr.), Cale Vinson (Sr.), Calvin Cook (RS Fr.), Rex Pendergrass (RS Fr.), Drew Richardson (RS Fr.), Cooper Clapp (RS Jr.), Hayden Miller (RS Jr.), Matt Wolfe (RS Jr.).

Outfielders

Keaton Ray (RS Sr.), Konner Bowden (RS Fr.), Brett Rogers (RS So.), Nathan Brewer (RS Jr.), Kenny McKinley (RS Jr.), Owen Nowak (Jr.).

RHP

Bryant Beranek (Sr.), Ollie Akens (Sr.), Matthew Driver (Sr.), Logan Bingham (So.), Jack Fortner (RS Jr.), Drew Horn (RS Jr.), Jonny Stevens (RS Sr.), Landen Burch (Sr.), Matthew Porchas (RS Jr.), Cole Cates (Jr.), Abel Albarran (Jr.).

LHP

Chandler Alderman (Jr.), Colin Kerrigan (Jr.), Walker Shaw (RS So.), Cole Torbett (RS Jr.), Garrett Sims (RS Sr.), John Michael Pickens (Jr.).

Two-Way

Drew Richardson (RS Fr.), Trace Phillips (Jr.), Cole Torbett (RS Jr.), Brennan Mealer (RS Fr.), Bradley Pippin (RS Fr.), Ryder Harville (Fr.).

Utility

Layne Akers (RS Fr.).