Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Saturday, February 26
Conway, S.C.
9 a.m.
Middle Tennessee
2-5
1
vs
0
Ball State University
2-4
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Middle Tennessee
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
5
1
Ball State
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
0
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Keenan, Zach (1-0)
L: Trennor O'Donnell (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Morgan, Wyatt 1
HR: Coker, Brett 1
RBI: Coker, Brett 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Coker, Brett 1
SB: Sanders, Nathan 1
HBP: Negishi, Tatsunori 1
PO: Symlar, Bryce 1
Base Running:
PO: Zach Cole 1 ; Nick Powell 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball1B
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
Photo by: @MTAthletics
Keenan’s Gem, Offensive Surge Highlight Doubleheader Sweep
2/26/2022 6:47:00 PM | Baseball
CONWAY, S.C. – Middle Tennessee baseball earned the doubleheader sweep Saturday, winning in two different styles to wrap up the Carolinas Coastline Classic.
Zach Keenan dominated on the mound in a 1-0 complete game shutout to start the day vs. Ball State (2-4). The Blue Raiders (3-5) then piled on 17 runs vs. Illinois (2-3) to blast past the Fighting Illini 17-10.
GAME 1: Middle Tennessee 1, Ball State 0
Keenan pitched the first complete-game shutout of his career. Keenan went the distance while striking out seven and holding the Cardinals to four hits.
Game one was the first Blue Raider complete game shutout since Trent Seibert did it in seven innings May 15, 2021 vs. FIU. The last nine inning complete game shutout came when Peyton Wigginton accomplished it back on Feb. 24, 2019 vs. Bradley.
Brett Coker hit his second home run of the weekend in the fourth inning as Keenan took care of the rest.
The fifth-year senior from Suwanee, Ga. retired 10 straight from the fourth inning to the first out of the seventh.
Keenan's defense had his back throughout the game. A second-inning, highlight reel diving catch by Nathan Sanders in left took away an extra base hit.
Mason Speirs caught a pop-up failed bunt attempt and then gunned down the runner at first for a nontraditional double play in the third.
Wyatt Morgan finished 2-for-4 with a double.
Game one was the first Blue Raider complete game shutout since Trent Seibert did it in seven innings May 15, 2021 vs. FIU. The last nine inning complete game shutout came when Peyton Wigginton accomplished it back on Feb. 24, 2019 vs. Bradley.
GAME 2: Middle Tennessee 17, Illinois 10
The second game between the Blue Raiders and Fighting Illini went back and forth in the first four innings.
Neither team held more than a two-run lead until Sanders blasted a two-run home run into right-center in the bottom of the third to make it 6-2 Blue Raiders.
Illinois rallied to take the lead at 7-6 but MT followed with a massive seventh inning at the plate.
The MT offense scored 11 runs on six hits and an error as 14 batters hit in the inning. It was the most runs scored in an inning by the Blue Raiders since they scored 10 runs in the third inning at the same stadium vs. Coastal Carolina March 7, 2020.
Illinois scored three in the ninth but the Blue Raider lead was too large to overcome.
Fausto Lopez recorded three hits in four trips to the plate. While Morgan, Jackson Galloway and Tatsunori Negishi each recorded two hits. Galloway drove in three and scored three runs.
Like Sanders, Mason Speirs went deep for the first time in 2022 after crushing a three-run home run to right to cap off the scoring in the seventh.
Eriq Swan struck out seven in six innings of work. Jaden Hamm picked up his second win of the season after an inning and two-thirds in relief.
Seventeen runs ties for the most runs scored by MT in the Toman era with the other coming on a 17-7 Blue Raider win vs. UAB back on April 24, 2021.
Up Next
Middle Tennessee opens its home slate Tuesday when it hosts Lipscomb. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at Reese Smith Jr. Field.
Zach Keenan dominated on the mound in a 1-0 complete game shutout to start the day vs. Ball State (2-4). The Blue Raiders (3-5) then piled on 17 runs vs. Illinois (2-3) to blast past the Fighting Illini 17-10.
GAME 1: Middle Tennessee 1, Ball State 0
Keenan pitched the first complete-game shutout of his career. Keenan went the distance while striking out seven and holding the Cardinals to four hits.
Game one was the first Blue Raider complete game shutout since Trent Seibert did it in seven innings May 15, 2021 vs. FIU. The last nine inning complete game shutout came when Peyton Wigginton accomplished it back on Feb. 24, 2019 vs. Bradley.
Brett Coker hit his second home run of the weekend in the fourth inning as Keenan took care of the rest.
The fifth-year senior from Suwanee, Ga. retired 10 straight from the fourth inning to the first out of the seventh.
Keenan's defense had his back throughout the game. A second-inning, highlight reel diving catch by Nathan Sanders in left took away an extra base hit.
Mason Speirs caught a pop-up failed bunt attempt and then gunned down the runner at first for a nontraditional double play in the third.
Wyatt Morgan finished 2-for-4 with a double.
Game one was the first Blue Raider complete game shutout since Trent Seibert did it in seven innings May 15, 2021 vs. FIU. The last nine inning complete game shutout came when Peyton Wigginton accomplished it back on Feb. 24, 2019 vs. Bradley.
GAME 2: Middle Tennessee 17, Illinois 10
The second game between the Blue Raiders and Fighting Illini went back and forth in the first four innings.
Neither team held more than a two-run lead until Sanders blasted a two-run home run into right-center in the bottom of the third to make it 6-2 Blue Raiders.
Illinois rallied to take the lead at 7-6 but MT followed with a massive seventh inning at the plate.
The MT offense scored 11 runs on six hits and an error as 14 batters hit in the inning. It was the most runs scored in an inning by the Blue Raiders since they scored 10 runs in the third inning at the same stadium vs. Coastal Carolina March 7, 2020.
Illinois scored three in the ninth but the Blue Raider lead was too large to overcome.
Fausto Lopez recorded three hits in four trips to the plate. While Morgan, Jackson Galloway and Tatsunori Negishi each recorded two hits. Galloway drove in three and scored three runs.
Like Sanders, Mason Speirs went deep for the first time in 2022 after crushing a three-run home run to right to cap off the scoring in the seventh.
Eriq Swan struck out seven in six innings of work. Jaden Hamm picked up his second win of the season after an inning and two-thirds in relief.
Seventeen runs ties for the most runs scored by MT in the Toman era with the other coming on a 17-7 Blue Raider win vs. UAB back on April 24, 2021.
Up Next
Middle Tennessee opens its home slate Tuesday when it hosts Lipscomb. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at Reese Smith Jr. Field.
Facility tour – Stephen and Denise Smith Student-Athlete Performance Center
Wednesday, July 30
Spring Sports Show hosted by The Boulevard – April 21, 2025: Softball and Baseball
Monday, April 21
🎥 from the 52nd annual Groundhog Day Luncheon! Also, we play baseball this month 🤩
Sunday, February 02
MTSU Baseball 2025 52nd Annual Groundhog Day Luncheon
Friday, January 31
