Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Friday, February 17
Conway, S.C.
9:00 AM CT
Middle Tennessee
vs
VCU
Photo by: Emily Cole/MT Athletic Communications
Blue Raider Baseball set to open season at Coastal Carolina
2/16/2023 1:00:00 PM | Baseball
CONWAY, S.C. – Opening day is upon us. Middle Tennessee Baseball will open its 2023 season with a trio of weekend games in Conway, S.C. on the campus of Coastal Carolina University, at the Baseball at the Beach Presented by VisitMyrtleBeach.com.
MTSU will get its campaign underway Friday at Springs Brooks Stadium, with a 9 a.m. CT first pitch against VCU (orginally scheduled for 10 a.m. CT). The Blue Raiders are in action next on Saturday against hosts Coastal Carolina at 2 p.m. CT before closing the weekend out on Sunday against Fairfield, with an 8:30 a.m. CT game time.
Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+. WGNS will carry Friday and Sunday's matchups on 101.9 FM / 1450 AM and 100.5 FM in Smyrna. All three radio broadcasts can be heard on GoBlueRaiders.com and the Varsity Network app.
Notably, Middle Tennessee's game against VCU is the first Division I game of the season, being the earliest scheduled first pitch in the country on opening day.
All-Time against this weekend's opponents
When the Blue Raiders take the field against VCU on Friday and Fairfield on Sunday, the teams will be meeting for the very first times in their respective histories.
MTSU trails Coastal Carolina 2-1 in the all-time series. The Blue Raiders traveled to Conway in what would be the final weekend series of the COVID-shortened 2020 season. The Blue Raiders took Game 2 of the three-game series, falling in the opening and closing contests.
Quick Hitters
» First-year Head Coach Jerry Meyers will roll out two experienced arms for Friday and Saturday's game. Jaden Hamm had a team-best ERA (3.34) in 2022 and will get the nod for the opening game vs. VCU. Meanwhile, Eriq Swan made 11 starts last year, most among returners in 2023, and will start Saturday's game against hosts Coastal Carolina. Sunday's starting pitcher is still TBA.
» The Blue Raiders have taken each of their past two season openers, with wins vs. St. John's in 2022 and Oakland (MI) in 2021. MTSU is 7-3 in its past 10 season openers. Dating back to 2006, the Raiders are also 7-1 when its season opener is away from Murfreesboro, with the sole setback coming at North Carolina in 2020.
» Five of the top nine start-earners from the 2022 lineup are back in 2023. This includes OF Jackson Galloway, who led the Raiders with a .341 AVG and .940 OPS. INF JT Mabry, OF Luke Vinson, INF Brett Coker and INF Tatsunori Negishi round out the group. Additionally, C Briggs Rutter (26 Starts in '22) and INF Eston Snider (23 Starts in '22) look to contribute immediately in 2023.
» MTSU will have the services of two major transfer additions in 2023. Graduate students OF Gino Avros (Austin Peay) and C Jeremiah Boyd (Presbyterian) feature on the opening day roster.
» Hamm and Mabry will serve as MTSU's 2023 team captains.
Scouting the Rams
» Like MTSU, VCU is also led by a first-year head coach. Bradley LeCroy takes the reins at the Atlantic 10 Conference program, after previous skipper Shawn Stiffler stepped down to take the same role at Notre Dame.
» Five starters return to a team which won the A-10 Tournament a season ago, while going 19-5 in the league regular season. The Rams advanced to the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional final, before dropping a pair of consecutive games to host North Carolina.
» INF Will Carlone is the leading returning hitter from 2022, with a .326/.412/.522 slash line a season ago.
» LHP Campbell Ellis is VCU's top returning pitcher, taking a 3.27 ERA from 2022 into this spring. He is the Rams' probable starting pitcher for Friday's game against the Blue Raiders.
Scouting the Chanticleers
» Coastal Carolina is led by 28-year head coach Gary Gilmore, who is 1,040-551 all-time with the Chanticleers.
» The Sun Belt team went 39-20 a year ago and finished as the NCAA Greenville Regional runner-up, going 1-1 against hosts East Carolina in the final after coming out of the loser's bracket.
» OF Graham Brown is CCU's top returning hitter, having batted .302 a season ago with a .922 OPS. OF Nick Lucky follows closely, with a .297 AVG and .877 OPS in 2022.
» RHP Matthew Potok looks to lead a CCU weekend rotation after posting a 3.71 ERA last season, primarily out of the bullpen. Clemson transfer Alex Edmondson will add experience to the Chanticleer staff after posting a 4.66 ERA in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2022. But it's Jacob Morrison whom the Raiders are likely to face, a 6-8 freshman who pitched in the Appalachian League last summer and boasted a 4.08 ERA with the Princeton WhistlePigs.
Scouting the Stags
» Fairfield is coming off a 2022 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season title. However, an 0-2 appearance in the MAAC Tournament ended the Stags' season.
» The Stags – led by 12-year head coach Bill Currier – last made the NCAA Tournament in 2021 after going 33-1 in the regular season.
» INF Griffin Watson is Fairfield's top returner after hitting .331 with five homers in 2022. C Matt Venuto is also back, having batted .327 with a team-high nine home runs a season ago.
» RHP graduate student Jake Noviello looks to lead the Stags' staff after starting 13 games last year and tossing 59.0 frames. Colin McVeigh will likely get the nod for Sunday's game against MTSU, having compiled a 5.06 ERA last year across 48.0 innings.
Next Up
The Blue Raiders' home opener is slated for Feb. 21 against SEMO. Season tickets are available for purchase here, with various pricing options and availability. Reserved chairback seats are $50, single bleacher seats are $50 and Bleacher Family Pass, which includes four people, is only $65.
Stay up to date with the Blue Raiders on Twitter (@MT_Baseball), Facebook (Blue Raider Baseball) and Instagram (@MT_Baseball).
MTSU will get its campaign underway Friday at Springs Brooks Stadium, with a 9 a.m. CT first pitch against VCU (orginally scheduled for 10 a.m. CT). The Blue Raiders are in action next on Saturday against hosts Coastal Carolina at 2 p.m. CT before closing the weekend out on Sunday against Fairfield, with an 8:30 a.m. CT game time.
Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+. WGNS will carry Friday and Sunday's matchups on 101.9 FM / 1450 AM and 100.5 FM in Smyrna. All three radio broadcasts can be heard on GoBlueRaiders.com and the Varsity Network app.
Notably, Middle Tennessee's game against VCU is the first Division I game of the season, being the earliest scheduled first pitch in the country on opening day.
All-Time against this weekend's opponents
When the Blue Raiders take the field against VCU on Friday and Fairfield on Sunday, the teams will be meeting for the very first times in their respective histories.
MTSU trails Coastal Carolina 2-1 in the all-time series. The Blue Raiders traveled to Conway in what would be the final weekend series of the COVID-shortened 2020 season. The Blue Raiders took Game 2 of the three-game series, falling in the opening and closing contests.
Quick Hitters
» First-year Head Coach Jerry Meyers will roll out two experienced arms for Friday and Saturday's game. Jaden Hamm had a team-best ERA (3.34) in 2022 and will get the nod for the opening game vs. VCU. Meanwhile, Eriq Swan made 11 starts last year, most among returners in 2023, and will start Saturday's game against hosts Coastal Carolina. Sunday's starting pitcher is still TBA.
» The Blue Raiders have taken each of their past two season openers, with wins vs. St. John's in 2022 and Oakland (MI) in 2021. MTSU is 7-3 in its past 10 season openers. Dating back to 2006, the Raiders are also 7-1 when its season opener is away from Murfreesboro, with the sole setback coming at North Carolina in 2020.
» Five of the top nine start-earners from the 2022 lineup are back in 2023. This includes OF Jackson Galloway, who led the Raiders with a .341 AVG and .940 OPS. INF JT Mabry, OF Luke Vinson, INF Brett Coker and INF Tatsunori Negishi round out the group. Additionally, C Briggs Rutter (26 Starts in '22) and INF Eston Snider (23 Starts in '22) look to contribute immediately in 2023.
» MTSU will have the services of two major transfer additions in 2023. Graduate students OF Gino Avros (Austin Peay) and C Jeremiah Boyd (Presbyterian) feature on the opening day roster.
» Hamm and Mabry will serve as MTSU's 2023 team captains.
Scouting the Rams
» Like MTSU, VCU is also led by a first-year head coach. Bradley LeCroy takes the reins at the Atlantic 10 Conference program, after previous skipper Shawn Stiffler stepped down to take the same role at Notre Dame.
» Five starters return to a team which won the A-10 Tournament a season ago, while going 19-5 in the league regular season. The Rams advanced to the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional final, before dropping a pair of consecutive games to host North Carolina.
» INF Will Carlone is the leading returning hitter from 2022, with a .326/.412/.522 slash line a season ago.
» LHP Campbell Ellis is VCU's top returning pitcher, taking a 3.27 ERA from 2022 into this spring. He is the Rams' probable starting pitcher for Friday's game against the Blue Raiders.
Scouting the Chanticleers
» Coastal Carolina is led by 28-year head coach Gary Gilmore, who is 1,040-551 all-time with the Chanticleers.
» The Sun Belt team went 39-20 a year ago and finished as the NCAA Greenville Regional runner-up, going 1-1 against hosts East Carolina in the final after coming out of the loser's bracket.
» OF Graham Brown is CCU's top returning hitter, having batted .302 a season ago with a .922 OPS. OF Nick Lucky follows closely, with a .297 AVG and .877 OPS in 2022.
» RHP Matthew Potok looks to lead a CCU weekend rotation after posting a 3.71 ERA last season, primarily out of the bullpen. Clemson transfer Alex Edmondson will add experience to the Chanticleer staff after posting a 4.66 ERA in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2022. But it's Jacob Morrison whom the Raiders are likely to face, a 6-8 freshman who pitched in the Appalachian League last summer and boasted a 4.08 ERA with the Princeton WhistlePigs.
Scouting the Stags
» Fairfield is coming off a 2022 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season title. However, an 0-2 appearance in the MAAC Tournament ended the Stags' season.
» The Stags – led by 12-year head coach Bill Currier – last made the NCAA Tournament in 2021 after going 33-1 in the regular season.
» INF Griffin Watson is Fairfield's top returner after hitting .331 with five homers in 2022. C Matt Venuto is also back, having batted .327 with a team-high nine home runs a season ago.
» RHP graduate student Jake Noviello looks to lead the Stags' staff after starting 13 games last year and tossing 59.0 frames. Colin McVeigh will likely get the nod for Sunday's game against MTSU, having compiled a 5.06 ERA last year across 48.0 innings.
Next Up
The Blue Raiders' home opener is slated for Feb. 21 against SEMO. Season tickets are available for purchase here, with various pricing options and availability. Reserved chairback seats are $50, single bleacher seats are $50 and Bleacher Family Pass, which includes four people, is only $65.
Stay up to date with the Blue Raiders on Twitter (@MT_Baseball), Facebook (Blue Raider Baseball) and Instagram (@MT_Baseball).
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