Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Baseball Season Preview: Options Abundant on the Mound
2/4/2021 10:00:00 AM | Baseball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Maybe the first and most important goal Jim Toman had when he took over Middle Tennessee's baseball program in 2018 was improving the pitching staff.
The Blue Raiders were one of the worst pitching teams in the country for a couple of seasons before Toman's arrival. However, thanks to an influx of talent from one of MT's biggest recruiting classes ever, they started to turn things around in 2019 and looked much better before COVID-19 ended the 2020 season midway through.
As the 2021 baseball season approaches, Toman is excited for the options he has on the rubber. Almost everyone is back from 2020's squad that finished with a 4.87 ERA, and there are both veterans and newcomers fighting for innings. It's a good problem to have.
"We have a really talented squad," Toman said. "We're just looking forward to hopefully playing a full season when the COVID-19 vaccines go out and we can get COVID to slow down."
Throwing strikes is maybe the biggest key to MT's improvement on the bump the last two seasons. No one was better for the Blue Raiders at that in 2020 than left-handed starter Peyton Wigginton, a junior who had a 24-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in four starts to go with a 3.58 ERA.
Wigginton leads the returning staff, along with Aaron Brown and Justin Medlin, who started four games apiece last season, and three-game starter Zach Keenan.
In the bullpen, Toman has an abundance of arms to turn to, both right-handed and southpaw. Five of his top six innings-getters are back from the 2020 bullpen, and they're joined by seven newcomers, including six freshmen and a transfer from Charleston Southern, Trent Seibert.
"It will be the guys who compete the most and throw the most strikes who will toss the most innings," Toman said. "We brought in a few and got almost everyone back. We have guys who have pitched a lot of innings who we know will compete, have good composure and throw strikes."
The pitching staff will also have some veterans behind the plate to throw to.
There are three newcomers — two freshman and a graduate transfer — at catcher, but most of the innings will likely go to juniors Mason Speirs and Jake Hagenow. Speirs started nine games a season ago to Hagenow's eight, batting .290 and ending with a .974 fielding percentage.
"We have some guys who've played a lot of innings behind the plate," Toman said. "Right now, I think Mason Speirs is probably the leader to be back there starting off."
Here are the pitchers and catchers on MT's roster:
Pitchers
Peyton Wigginton, Jr., LHP, Franklin, Tennessee (Page High School)
• Led team in innings (27.2) and strikeouts (24) in 2020
• Finished 1-1 with a 3.58 ERA in 4 starts in 2020
• Voted team captain in 2020
• Career numbers: 8-10, 5.86 ERA, 133 SO, 46 BB, 161.1 IP, 26 starts, 35 appearances
Zach Keenan, Jr., RHP, Suwanee, Georgia
• Led team in wins (2) and was second in strikeouts (19) and innings (17.2) in 2020
• Finished 2-1 with a 3.06 ERA in 6 appearances, 3 starts, in 2020
• Career numbers: 6-6, 4.45 ERA, 124 SO, 38 BB, 121.1 IP, 19 starts, 36 appearances
Aaron Brown, Jr., RHP, Mt. Juliet, Tennessee (Mt. Juliet High School)
• Finished 1-3 with a 3.63 ERA in 4 starts in 2020
• Voted team captain in 2020 after transferring from State College of Florida
• Started career at Vanderbilt in 2019
• Finished 9-3 with a 3.56 ERA in 15 starts for State College of Florida in 2019
Walker Armstrong, Sr., RHP, Santa Maria, California
• Finished 0-1 with a 3.65 ERA in 6 appearances, 1 start, in 2020
• Transferred to MT from Cal State Northridge in 2020; started career at Allan Hancock College
• Had a 3.52 ERA in 18 starts (120.1 IP) in 2 seasons at Cal State Northridge
Adam Link, Jr., RHP, Springfield, Missouri
• Finished 0-0 with 1 save and a 7.20 ERA in 5 appearances in 2020
• Transferred to MT from Jefferson College in 2020
• Went 7-1 with 84 strikeouts in 74.1 IP in 2 seasons at Jefferson College
Austin Cheeley, Jr., RHP, St. Louis, Missouri
• Finished 0-1 with a 7.45 ERA in 5 appearances in 2020
• Transferred to MT from Jefferson College in 2020
• Went 12-1 with 6 saves and a 2.30 ERA in 2 seasons at Jefferson College
David Zoz, Sr., LHP, Dunlap, Illinois
• Led team in appearances (7) in 2020
• Finished 1-0 with a 7.04 ERA in 2020
• Transferred to MT from Illinois Central College in 2019
• Career numbers: 3-3, 3.88 ERA, 61 SO, 35 BB, 62.2 IP, 7 starts, 27 appearances
Jack Julian, Fr., RHP, Hixson, Tennessee (Hixon High School)
• Finished 0-0 with a 5.87 ERA in 4 appearances, 1 start, in 2020
• Threw a perfect game at Hixson High School in 2019, striking out 15
Josh Young, So., RHP, Knoxville, Tennessee (William Blount High School)
• Finished 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 2 appearances in 2020
• Led team in 2019 in ERA (3.10) in 18 appearances, 5 starts, as a true freshman
• Career numbers: 1-7, 3.00 ERA, 36 SO, 13 BB, 42 IP, 5 starts, 20 appearances
Drew Vaden, R-Jr., LHP, Crossville, Tennessee (Cumberland County High School)
• Finished 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 1 appearance in 2020
• Transferred to MT in 2020 from Walters State Community College
• Started college career at Hiwassee College
Peyton Evans, R-So., RHP, Lexington, South Carolina
• Finished 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA in 1 appearance in 2020
• Transferred to MT in 2020 from Florence Darlington Technical College
Braden Jones, Fr., RHP, Knoxville, Tennessee (South Doyle High School)
• Finished 0-0 with a 99.00 ERA in 1 appearance in 2020
Trent Seibert, R-Jr., LHP, Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
• Transfer from Charleston Southern University
• Finished with a 2.84 ERA, 12.2 IP, 2 saves, 15 SO in 2020
• Started college career at Pitt Community College (2017-18)
Jaden Hamm, Fr., RHP, Culleoka, Tennessee (Columbia Central High School)
• Went 5-2 with a 1.79 ERA in 44 IP at Columbia Central High School
Avery Gunn, Fr., RHP, Dickson, Tennessee (Dickson County High School)
• All-district first team in 2019 at Dickson County High School
Brayden Siren, Fr., RHP, Murfreesboro (Riverdale High School)
• Lettered in baseball and basketball at Riverdale High School
Two-way players
Justin Medlin, Jr., LHP/INF, Ripley, Mississippi
• Finished 1-3 with a 7.30 ERA in 4 starts on the mound in 2020
• Hit .091 in 11 at-bats and started 7 games in the field in 2020
• Transferred to MT from Itawomba Community College in 2020
Brycen Thomas, Jr., RHP/INF, Spring Hill, Tennessee (Spring Hill High School)
• Finished 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 5 appearances in 2020; didn't allow a run in 5 IP
• Led team in slugging (.490), home runs (3) and RBI (9) in 2020
• Finished with a .294 BA and .978 fielding percentage in 2020
• Career numbers: .284 BA, 10 HR, 40 RBI, .436 SLG%, .369 OB%; 7.88 ERA, 7 appearances
Hunter Sullivan, R-Jr., RHP/INF, Elizabethtown, Kentucky
• Finished 0-0 with a 10.80 ERA and 1 save in 3 appearances in 2020
• Finished with a .375 BA, .750 SLG%, .464 OB%, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 3 2B, 5 SB in 2020
• Transferred to MT from John A. Logan Community College in 2020
DJ Wright, Jr., RHP/INF, Murfreesboro (Blackman High School)
• Started all 17 games in 2020, mainly at third base
• Finished 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 2 appearances in 2020
• Finished with a .298 BA, .439 SLG%, .406 OB%, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 2 SB in 2020
• Transferred to MT from Jackson State Community College in 2020
Daniel Freeman, Jr., LHP/INF, Smyrna, Tennessee (Stewarts Creek High School)
• Finished 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA in 1 appearance in 2020
• Finished with a .600 BA in 5 at-bats in 2020
• Transferred to MT from Columbia State Community College in 2020
Eriq Swan, Fr., RHP/INF., Murfreesboro (Oakland High School)
• Four-year letter winner in baseball at Oakland High School
Jacob Wright, Fr., RHP/OF, Murfreesboro (Blackman High School)
• Graduated from Blackman with honors and distinction
• Lettered in baseball as a senior.
• Brother DJ is a teammate at MT.
Catchers
Mason Speirs, Jr., Westminster, Colorado
• Played in 12 games with 9 starts in 2020
• Finished with a .290 BA, .484 SLG%, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, 3 2B in 2020
• Transferred to MT in 2020 from Iowa Western Community College
Jake Hagenow, Jr., Knoxville, Tennessee (Farragut High School)
• Played in 11 games with 8 starts in 2020
• Finished with a .185 BA, .985 FLD%, 3 RBI, 2 2B in 2020
• Voted team captain in 2020
• Career numbers: .219 BA, .988 FLD%, 10 RBI, 34 starts, 39 appearances
Cody Pasic, R-Sr., Cotuit, Massachusetts
• Transfer from the University of Maine
Briggs Rutter, Fr., Columbia, Tennessee (Zion Christian Academy)
• Lettered in baseball and basketball all four years
• Was named to the baseball All-District team three times and helped the Eagles to their first regional appearance in 2017
Carter Edge, Fr., Chattanooga, Tennessee (McCallie)
• Batted .315 over four varsity seasons and was a member of the Division II Class AA state runner-up team in 2017.
