Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
Old Dominion University
Blue Raiders Begin C-USA Tournament Wednesday
5/24/2022 4:59:00 PM | Baseball
In the double elimination tournament, the Blue Raiders are guaranteed two games.
OPENING GAME
May 25 vs. Old Dominion - 9 a.m. (ESPN+)
MT won seven of 10 Conference USA series in 2022, including an 11-4 road record. Twenty nine wins is the most wins by a Blue Raider team since 2015 when Middle Tennessee finished 32-27 and reached the championship round of the C-USA tournament.
Head Coach Jim Toman has seen win improvements in each of his four seasons leading the Blue Raiders.
2019 - 18-37 (11-19 C-USA)
2020 - 7-10 *COVID-19
2021 - 24-29-1 (12-19-1 C-USA)
2022 - 29-24 (17-13 C-USA)
CONFERENCE HONORS Four Middle Tennessee baseball student-athletes were recognized on Conference USA's postseason teams, league officials announced Tuesday afternoon.
Voted on by the league's coaches, Jaden Hamm, Trent Seibert and JT Mabry were named to the All-Conference Second Team while James Sells was named to the All-Freshman Team. This was the most postseason recognitions since five Blue Raiders were honored by Conference USA at the end of the 2015 season.
In addition to the athletic awards, Mason Speirs was named to the conference's all-academic team Monday afternoon.
Peyton Wigginton earned Conference USA Pitcher of the Week May 16 after his complete-game shutout performance at Rice May 13. Wigginton struck out 10 and held the Owls to just two hits in MT's 7-0 win. Wigginton pitched his second complete game of the season, his second-career complete-game shutout and the third pitched by a Blue Raider in 2022.
The recognition marks Wigginton's first conference pitcher of the week nod of his career and the first weekly league honor by a Blue Raider since Aaron Brown was named Conference USA Pitcher of the Week almost a year ago on May 17, 2021.
BLUE RAIDER NOTES
After recording a season-high 17 hits May 14, Middle Tennessee piled on 21 runs on 18 hits as the Blue Raiders cruised to a 21-7 win over Rice May 15.
It was the first time the Blue Raiders had scored more than 20 runs in a game since dropping 24 at Belmont in 2018. MT scored 11 runs in the third inning, tying the season-best single inning total set on Feb. 26 against Illinois.
MT's bats have scored 10-or-more runs in a game eight times this season. All of those games have resulted in Blue Raider wins.
Following the saying "Champions win on Sundays," Middle Tennessee has won seven straight games on Sundays and is 9-4 overall on the day of the week this season. Seven of the Sunday victories have clinched series wins.
Middle Tennessee has emerged as the conference leader in stolen bases with 80, holding a seven SB lead over second-place Old Dominion. The Blue Raiders stole seven bases at FIU May 6 and six at Georgia State May 4.
With two grand slams this season and holding the team lead in several categories, Jackson Galloway has made an impression during his first season as a Blue Raider. He's reached base in 18 of his last 20 games, including a 10-for-19 (.526) stretch prior to the May 17 game at Vanderbilt. The JUCO transfer from Johnston County Community College wrapped up the series at Rice 3-for-4 with four RBI and a walk. To read more about Galloway's journey, click here.
Playing their first eight games, and 16 of their first 17 games away from Reese Smith Jr. Field, the Blue Raiders faced a daunting non-conference slate featuring three 2021 NCAA Tournament teams and seven games against Power Five schools (SEC and Big Ten). Six of the 16 non-conference opponents have made at least one NCAA Regional appearance in the past three seasons. MT finished the season 16-12 on the road, and 4-2 in neutral site games.
OPENING AGAINST OLD DOMINION The conference's best and the nation's third best home run hitting team in Old Dominion matches up with the Blue Raiders in the first round. At 115 home runs, along with a league-leading .550 slugging percentage, the Monarchs won seven games in a row to close the season, earning the third seed in the C-USA championship bracket.
ODU took two of three against Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro March 18-20. The Monarchs took the first two games but Jackson Galloway's grand slam as part of an MT 11-run final two innings helped the Blue Raiders avoid the sweep March 20 in a 13-5 win.
Old Dominion is a perfect 13-0 when scoring 10-plus runs this season, which has included a 24-0 win over Iona during the opening weekend of the season, a 23-run performance vs. Bryant March 6 and scoring 23 again vs. the Blue Raiders at Reese Smith Jr. Field March 18.
All nine Monarchs with more than 100 plate appearances are hitting above .267, including Matt Coutney, who leads the teeam in average (.364), home runs (25) and slugging percentage (.806).
Wednesday's probable starter Blake Morgan is 7-0 with a 1.41 ERA, .93 WHIP and 65 strikeouts in 15 appearances this season. Out of the bullpeen, Connor Mully has a 3.48 ERA in 10 appearances while hitters are batting .148 against Noah Dean in 17 appearances and .182 against Brad Dobzanski.
BLUE RAIDER C-USA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
2014 – Hattiesburg, Miss.
05.21 - Old Dominion W, 3-2
05.22 - Rice L, 8-2
05.23 - Old Dominion L, 2-1
2015 – Hattiesburg, Miss.
05.20 - UTSA L, 9-7
05.21- Rice W, 6-5
05.22 - UTSA W, 5-4
05.23 - FIU L, 15-3 (7)
2021 – Ruston, La.
05.26 - No. 16 Charlotte W, 7-2
05.27 - Old Dominion L, 6-10
05.28 - FAU L, 8-14
