Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
COLUMN: From “Looks good on paper” to looking good on the diamond
3/26/2023 6:42:00 PM | Softball
Blue Raider softball hits their coaching staff’s offseason vision out of the park
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — I remember visiting Jeff Breeden's office shortly after school was back in session in September. We'd had some turnover in the Athletic Communications office, some interns moving on to full-time gigs elsewhere, some out-of-season sports still in need to be shuffled around, so I was heading up to help get the word out about the fall schedule.
A simple release, to be sure, but since I was doing it, I might as well ask some questions and make it more of a feature story. Besides, what I had heard about the offseason Middle Tennessee softball had in the summer of 2022 intrigued me.
Coming off a season no one in or out of the program found acceptable, a 19-34 2022 campaign that saw the Blue Raiders win just six Conference USA games and miss the conference tournament entirely, Breeden had dipped into the transfer portal for the first time as a head coach. He brought in hitters with great seasons the year before, pitchers that excelled in smaller roles and supplemented that with his usual freshman recruiting that left him excited about the future.
"On paper, it looks like we've bettered ourselves," Breeden told me at that time. "They've got to prove that."
Well, 31 games into the 2023 season, I think it's safe to say that the Blue Raiders have proven that they've bettered themselves.
And then some.
With a record at 23-8 after Sunday's series finale at LA Tech, the Blue Raiders have already surpassed their win total from the previous season by four games. With two series wins, at home last weekend against UAB and this weekend on the road at LA Tech, the Blue Raiders have already won more Conference USA series than they did a season ago.
The players they've brought in? They're producing the way Breeden hoped they would. The players that came back? They're reaping the benefits of the offseason program, as well as the production of their teammates around them.
"I'm pleased with the way that everybody we've got, all the freshmen, all the transfers, have come in and performed well for us," Breeden said a couple of weeks ago after the team's best start through 14 games in program history. "There's not a person on our team that I'm displeased with."
How, exactly, did Breeden and his players improve so much over the offseason? From my vantage point across campus, with smart recruiting and stellar teambuilding.
On the recruiting front, Breeden knew he needed immediate help all over the field after the previous season, with the loss of a plethora of seniors from the 2022 team and the need to find more offense and pitching depth. And he recruited to those needs smartly, finding players who had already been hitting and pitching at a high level, just for other schools across the country. And not really caring too much about what team they used to play for in the process.
He found leadoff hitter Shelby Echols from Houston Baptist, power hitter Julia Garcia from Maryland Eastern Shore, pitcher Kamryn Carcich from Murray State. He wasn't taking flyers on folks who hadn't seen the field at their old school, but bringing in ball players who already showed they could grind it out on the field.
He didn't need them to be everything they were at their old school. But if they produced near that level, it would work in their favor. Echols, for instance, hit .448 for Houston Baptist in 2022. She's hitting a still scorching, but ever so slightly less imposing .380 at the top of the lineup for MTSU. Kamryn Carcich, ironically, is just 0.01 ERA point away from her mark last year at Murray State, tossing a 1.99 ERA through 13 games and seven starts after posting a 1.98 ERA through 14 games with the Racers a season ago.
More important than the production, however, was the chemistry, finding good teammates. And as the rest of the Blue Raider lineup and pitching staff shows, this a group that brings out the best in each other.
All three returning pitchers for MTSU have substantially improved their ERAs from a season ago, with Gretchen Mead the most impressive, posting a sterling 1.85 ERA after a 4.21 ERA a season ago. Every single hitter who returned is posting a better average than they did a season ago, save for Anyce Harvey, who just missed that list, batting .323 in 2023 after a .326 average in 2022.
Better lineup protection helping get their stars more good pitches? I'm sure that's the case with Laura Mealer's Conference Player of the Year like numbers at shortstop (.469/.552/.755), and Amaya Harris' renaissance (.376/.436/.518) in the outfield. But being around the team at practice, and hearing from folks around the program, it seems like more than anything it's a group that supports one another.
"They get along well," Breeden noted several weeks ago. "On the road, they represent our university well. And I'm not talking about on the field, I'm talking about off the field when we travel.
"Their performance, they believe in one another, they're positive with one another and it shows in what we're doing."
With basketball season now over, I was sad the rain canceled my first chance to see Blue Raider softball play in 2023 on Wednesday against Central Arkansas.
With Florida Atlantic coming to Murfreesboro this weekend, I'm not going to miss that chance again. I hope you all can join me out at the diamond to support.
A simple release, to be sure, but since I was doing it, I might as well ask some questions and make it more of a feature story. Besides, what I had heard about the offseason Middle Tennessee softball had in the summer of 2022 intrigued me.
Coming off a season no one in or out of the program found acceptable, a 19-34 2022 campaign that saw the Blue Raiders win just six Conference USA games and miss the conference tournament entirely, Breeden had dipped into the transfer portal for the first time as a head coach. He brought in hitters with great seasons the year before, pitchers that excelled in smaller roles and supplemented that with his usual freshman recruiting that left him excited about the future.
"On paper, it looks like we've bettered ourselves," Breeden told me at that time. "They've got to prove that."
Well, 31 games into the 2023 season, I think it's safe to say that the Blue Raiders have proven that they've bettered themselves.
And then some.
With a record at 23-8 after Sunday's series finale at LA Tech, the Blue Raiders have already surpassed their win total from the previous season by four games. With two series wins, at home last weekend against UAB and this weekend on the road at LA Tech, the Blue Raiders have already won more Conference USA series than they did a season ago.
The players they've brought in? They're producing the way Breeden hoped they would. The players that came back? They're reaping the benefits of the offseason program, as well as the production of their teammates around them.
"I'm pleased with the way that everybody we've got, all the freshmen, all the transfers, have come in and performed well for us," Breeden said a couple of weeks ago after the team's best start through 14 games in program history. "There's not a person on our team that I'm displeased with."
How, exactly, did Breeden and his players improve so much over the offseason? From my vantage point across campus, with smart recruiting and stellar teambuilding.
On the recruiting front, Breeden knew he needed immediate help all over the field after the previous season, with the loss of a plethora of seniors from the 2022 team and the need to find more offense and pitching depth. And he recruited to those needs smartly, finding players who had already been hitting and pitching at a high level, just for other schools across the country. And not really caring too much about what team they used to play for in the process.
He found leadoff hitter Shelby Echols from Houston Baptist, power hitter Julia Garcia from Maryland Eastern Shore, pitcher Kamryn Carcich from Murray State. He wasn't taking flyers on folks who hadn't seen the field at their old school, but bringing in ball players who already showed they could grind it out on the field.
He didn't need them to be everything they were at their old school. But if they produced near that level, it would work in their favor. Echols, for instance, hit .448 for Houston Baptist in 2022. She's hitting a still scorching, but ever so slightly less imposing .380 at the top of the lineup for MTSU. Kamryn Carcich, ironically, is just 0.01 ERA point away from her mark last year at Murray State, tossing a 1.99 ERA through 13 games and seven starts after posting a 1.98 ERA through 14 games with the Racers a season ago.
More important than the production, however, was the chemistry, finding good teammates. And as the rest of the Blue Raider lineup and pitching staff shows, this a group that brings out the best in each other.
All three returning pitchers for MTSU have substantially improved their ERAs from a season ago, with Gretchen Mead the most impressive, posting a sterling 1.85 ERA after a 4.21 ERA a season ago. Every single hitter who returned is posting a better average than they did a season ago, save for Anyce Harvey, who just missed that list, batting .323 in 2023 after a .326 average in 2022.
Better lineup protection helping get their stars more good pitches? I'm sure that's the case with Laura Mealer's Conference Player of the Year like numbers at shortstop (.469/.552/.755), and Amaya Harris' renaissance (.376/.436/.518) in the outfield. But being around the team at practice, and hearing from folks around the program, it seems like more than anything it's a group that supports one another.
"They get along well," Breeden noted several weeks ago. "On the road, they represent our university well. And I'm not talking about on the field, I'm talking about off the field when we travel.
"Their performance, they believe in one another, they're positive with one another and it shows in what we're doing."
With basketball season now over, I was sad the rain canceled my first chance to see Blue Raider softball play in 2023 on Wednesday against Central Arkansas.
With Florida Atlantic coming to Murfreesboro this weekend, I'm not going to miss that chance again. I hope you all can join me out at the diamond to support.
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Softball
2B
/ Softball
C/3B
/ Softball
OF/INF
/ Softball
OF/UTL
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
SS/2B
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