Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
NOTEBOOK: Wheels up to Nassau
12/13/2021 6:00:00 PM | Football, General, BRAA
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — All the hard work for traveling has paid off for the Blue Raider football program, as the team left Nashville earlier this morning and landed in Nassau just a few hours later.
The Blue Raiders arrived on campus before the sun had even risen above Murfreesboro that morning to begin their journey. The luggage carousel once they arrived at BNA was a sight to behold.
And while the flight lifted off and touched down right on time, much to Associate AD Larry Maples' happiness, it wasn't fast enough for ALL of our staff that made the trip ahead.
First practice for the team is scheduled for tomorrow. Keep an eye on @MT_FB for all of our onsite coverage of this week's bowl festivities.
Watch the Bahamas Bowl with your Fellow Blue Raiders this Friday!
Of course, traveling to the Bahamas is not possible for everyone (your staff writer who writes this notebook is among them!). But for those of you around the mid-state, Middle Tennessee Athletics has put together a plethora of watch parties around Murfreesboro and Middle Tennessee for you to cheer on the Blue Raiders with your fellow MT fans.
Several of our partner restaurants have even put together myriad game day specials for you to enjoy when the name kicks off at 11 a.m. central time on December 17.
A full list of the watch parties can be found at this link from last week. Go Blue!
Basketball returns the Murphy Center for crucial non-conference home finales
Both the Blue Raiders and Lady Raiders return home to the Murphy Center this weekend, looking to capture that last little bit of momentum on their own court before the grind of C-USA starts in earnest after the Christmas Holiday.
The Blue Raiders bounced back from their road loss to Murray State the week prior with a 84-75 win over UT Martin on road, the team's first win in a true road game this season. Eli Lawrence shot an efficient 7-of-9 from the floor to lead the way with 21 points, as MT dispatched the Skyhawks for the second time this season, after MT won 73-61 in Murfreesboro earlier in December.
Now, Nick McDevitt's squad faces perhaps their toughest week of the non-conference schedule, traveling to Oxford, Miss. on Wednesday to face former Blue Raider Head Coach Kermit Davis' Ole Miss squad, who will look to get revenge against C-USA after Western Kentucky upset the Rebels over the weekend. MT will then return home on Sunday to face Coastal Carolina, who are 1-1 against common opponents with the Blue Raiders, but have a signature win on their resume early this season, after dominating South Carolina 80-56 in Conway, S.C. on December 1.
Meanwhile, Rick Insell's Lady Raiders will look to get back on the right foot on Friday against Southern Illinois, after dropping a heartbreaker over the weekend to former conference rival Troy, losing 77-76 on the road. Four Lady Raiders scored in double figures against the Trojans, led by Dor Saar's 22 points behind the strength of six three-pointers.
Friday night's game against the Salukis will feature the Christmas in the Murphy Center promotion, with the annual Teddy Bear toss, Best Tacky Christmas Sweater contest, and the first 250 fans receiving Campfire Coffee Mugs.
Women's Tennis the latest team to release spring schedule
Spring sports are just around the corner after the holiday season, and MT women's tennis is the latest program to finalize when and where they'll be playing as Murfreesboro begins to warm up in the second semester of the academic year.
Head Coach Tayo Bailey-Duvall anticipates her team playing a 24-match slate, starting with a five-match road trip heading into the team's first home dual meet coming on January 28 against East Tennessee State, part of a four dual matches in their next five at home before MT's C-USA opener against UTSA and North Texas on the weekend of February 12 and 13 in the Lonestar State.
MT will then have three more home dual matches the rest of the season, before serving as the host to the C-USA Championships starting on April 21 through April 24. The last time MT hosted a C-USA women's tennis tournament was in 2016, the Blue Raiders fell to FIU 4-0 in the quarterfinals.
Full schedule, courtesy the graphic work of Alex Morgan, can be found below.
Baseball names their 2022 captains
Head Coach Jim Toman announced the four captains and two alternate captains for his Blue Raiders program last week, as voted on by their teammates ahead of the 2022 season.
Infielders Fausto Lopez and JT Mabry alongside pitchers Zach Kennan and Trent Seibert will serve as the team's primary captains, with outfielder Brian Dillingham and catcher Mason Spiers to serve as alternates.
I think the attitude of why these guys were selected is best summed up by Toman's tweet below. Middle Tennessee's 56-game regular season slate begins Feb. 18 in Wilmington, N.C. The Blue Raiders return seven position player starters and 12 pitchers from last season and bring in 22 newcomers.
ICYMI: Getting to Know Deputy AD Lee De León
I had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with MT's new Deputy AD for External Operations, Lee De León last week, to get to know the up and coming industry leader on his background, his vision for the Blue Raiders, and his excitement about our future.
I do hope you check out our conversation here, because there's a good chance you'll meet him if you're in the Murphy Center in the months ahead.
Arrived in paradise. 🏝#BlueRaiders | #EATT pic.twitter.com/Mf37Zk7zvU
— Middle Tennessee FB (@MT_FB) December 13, 2021
The Blue Raiders arrived on campus before the sun had even risen above Murfreesboro that morning to begin their journey. The luggage carousel once they arrived at BNA was a sight to behold.
And the journey begins. All luggage pre-tagged with Bahamas Transportation Vehicle numbers and loading onto belly of the plane. #Equipped pic.twitter.com/I3XMRfmofv
— MT Equipment (@MTSU_Equipment) December 13, 2021
And while the flight lifted off and touched down right on time, much to Associate AD Larry Maples' happiness, it wasn't fast enough for ALL of our staff that made the trip ahead.
Patiently awaiting… Well one of us is. @TheBahamasBowl pic.twitter.com/tx3iuhct1l
— The 4th Dimension (@MaplesLarryD) December 13, 2021
First practice for the team is scheduled for tomorrow. Keep an eye on @MT_FB for all of our onsite coverage of this week's bowl festivities.
Watch the Bahamas Bowl with your Fellow Blue Raiders this Friday!
Of course, traveling to the Bahamas is not possible for everyone (your staff writer who writes this notebook is among them!). But for those of you around the mid-state, Middle Tennessee Athletics has put together a plethora of watch parties around Murfreesboro and Middle Tennessee for you to cheer on the Blue Raiders with your fellow MT fans.
Several of our partner restaurants have even put together myriad game day specials for you to enjoy when the name kicks off at 11 a.m. central time on December 17.
A full list of the watch parties can be found at this link from last week. Go Blue!
Basketball returns the Murphy Center for crucial non-conference home finales
Both the Blue Raiders and Lady Raiders return home to the Murphy Center this weekend, looking to capture that last little bit of momentum on their own court before the grind of C-USA starts in earnest after the Christmas Holiday.
The Blue Raiders bounced back from their road loss to Murray State the week prior with a 84-75 win over UT Martin on road, the team's first win in a true road game this season. Eli Lawrence shot an efficient 7-of-9 from the floor to lead the way with 21 points, as MT dispatched the Skyhawks for the second time this season, after MT won 73-61 in Murfreesboro earlier in December.
Now, Nick McDevitt's squad faces perhaps their toughest week of the non-conference schedule, traveling to Oxford, Miss. on Wednesday to face former Blue Raider Head Coach Kermit Davis' Ole Miss squad, who will look to get revenge against C-USA after Western Kentucky upset the Rebels over the weekend. MT will then return home on Sunday to face Coastal Carolina, who are 1-1 against common opponents with the Blue Raiders, but have a signature win on their resume early this season, after dominating South Carolina 80-56 in Conway, S.C. on December 1.
Meanwhile, Rick Insell's Lady Raiders will look to get back on the right foot on Friday against Southern Illinois, after dropping a heartbreaker over the weekend to former conference rival Troy, losing 77-76 on the road. Four Lady Raiders scored in double figures against the Trojans, led by Dor Saar's 22 points behind the strength of six three-pointers.
Friday night's game against the Salukis will feature the Christmas in the Murphy Center promotion, with the annual Teddy Bear toss, Best Tacky Christmas Sweater contest, and the first 250 fans receiving Campfire Coffee Mugs.
Women's Tennis the latest team to release spring schedule
Spring sports are just around the corner after the holiday season, and MT women's tennis is the latest program to finalize when and where they'll be playing as Murfreesboro begins to warm up in the second semester of the academic year.
Head Coach Tayo Bailey-Duvall anticipates her team playing a 24-match slate, starting with a five-match road trip heading into the team's first home dual meet coming on January 28 against East Tennessee State, part of a four dual matches in their next five at home before MT's C-USA opener against UTSA and North Texas on the weekend of February 12 and 13 in the Lonestar State.
MT will then have three more home dual matches the rest of the season, before serving as the host to the C-USA Championships starting on April 21 through April 24. The last time MT hosted a C-USA women's tennis tournament was in 2016, the Blue Raiders fell to FIU 4-0 in the quarterfinals.
Full schedule, courtesy the graphic work of Alex Morgan, can be found below.
Our 2022 schedule has been 𝙍𝙀𝙇𝙀𝘼𝙎𝙀𝘿 🤩
— MT Women's Tennis (@MT_WomensTennis) December 8, 2021
📰 - https://t.co/nE3p5qagqB#BlueRaiders pic.twitter.com/qqYbjzfGyu
Baseball names their 2022 captains
Head Coach Jim Toman announced the four captains and two alternate captains for his Blue Raiders program last week, as voted on by their teammates ahead of the 2022 season.
Infielders Fausto Lopez and JT Mabry alongside pitchers Zach Kennan and Trent Seibert will serve as the team's primary captains, with outfielder Brian Dillingham and catcher Mason Spiers to serve as alternates.
Introducing the 2022 Blue Raider baseball captains!
— MT Baseball (@MT_Baseball) December 7, 2021
📰 https://t.co/hiDvc4lSwJ pic.twitter.com/17vhUUrcRL
I think the attitude of why these guys were selected is best summed up by Toman's tweet below. Middle Tennessee's 56-game regular season slate begins Feb. 18 in Wilmington, N.C. The Blue Raiders return seven position player starters and 12 pitchers from last season and bring in 22 newcomers.
The new captains for @MT_Baseball are blue collar team-first guys..get good grades…have outstanding work ethics..can really play..play hard and represent @MT_Baseball and @MTAthletics in an outstanding way!! Let's go!!⚾️🙏🏻🤛🏾💪🏽💪👍⚾️⚾️🔥🔥
— Jim Toman (@JimToman1) December 8, 2021
ICYMI: Getting to Know Deputy AD Lee De León
I had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with MT's new Deputy AD for External Operations, Lee De León last week, to get to know the up and coming industry leader on his background, his vision for the Blue Raiders, and his excitement about our future.
I do hope you check out our conversation here, because there's a good chance you'll meet him if you're in the Murphy Center in the months ahead.
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