Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Saturday, May 27
Houston, TX
4:00 PM CT
Middle Tennessee
27-29
8
vs
9
Charlotte
33-26
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Middle Tennessee
0
0
2
0
0
5
0
1
0
8
11
2
Charlotte
2
3
1
0
2
0
0
1
X
9
12
0
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Evan Michelson (2-4)
L: Lee, Justin (3-2)
S: Donye Evans (4)
Batting:
2B: Wright, DJ 1 ; Rutter, Briggs 1
HR: Snider, Eston 2
RBI: Coker, Brett 1 ; Boyd, Jeremiah 1 ; Wright, DJ 1 ; Galloway, Jackson 1 ; Snider, Eston 4
Base Running:
RUNS: Coker, Brett 1 ; Boyd, Jeremiah 1 ; Rutter, Briggs 1 ; Jennings, Gabe 1 ; Snider, Eston 2 ; Vinson, Luke 2
SB: Wright, DJ 1 ; Vinson, Luke 1
HBP: Wright, DJ 1
Batting:
2B: Cam Fisher 1 ; Brandon Stahlman 1
HR: Jack Dragum 1 ; Cam Fisher 1
RBI: Jack Dragum 2 ; Cam Fisher 3 ; Spencer Nolan 1
SH: Spencer Nolan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Blake Jackson 2 ; Jack Dragum 1 ; Cam Fisher 1 ; Brandon Stahlman 1 ; Eli Weisner 1 ; Dante DeFranco 2 ; Spencer Nolan 1
SB: Brandon Stahlman 1 ; Dante DeFranco 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
4
AB
5
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
3B/OF
/ BaseballC
/ BaseballSS
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballOF/INF
/ Baseball
C/OF
/ Baseball
OF/LHP
/ Baseball
Photo by: Kevin M. Cox
Blue Raiders’ Season Ends With Loss to Charlotte Saturday
5/28/2023 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
HOUSTON – Not without a fight.
Middle Tennessee Baseball's Conference USA Championships run ended Saturday at Rice University's Reckling Park, with a 9-8 loss to the Charlotte 49ers.
The No. 7 seed Blue Raiders fell twice Saturday to Charlotte to exit the double elimination tournament after opening the week 2-0 with wins over UTSA and LA Tech.
But the Blue Raiders did not go down without a massive push to keep their season alive. MTSU sent 10 batters to the plate in the sixth inning. An RBI groundout from Jackson Galloway kick started the frame, Eston Snider delivered a three-run home run and Brett Coker singled to score Luke Vinson.
And in the eighth, Snider delivered again with a leadoff solo home run.
However, Charlotte was able to scrap a go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth on a bloop base hit that dropped in shallow left field.
The loss caps the 2023 season and head coach Jerry Meyers' first year at the helm in Murfreesboro, after serving as associate head coach and pitching coach a season ago.
The team—also under the tutelage of three first-year assistants in Kevin Nichols, Jason Stein and Mark DiLuia—had a combination of just five seniors and graduate students. But 1B DJ Wright, 2B JT Mabry, SS Brett Coker, C/DH Jeremiah Boyd and OF Gino Avros helped lead the team to numerous highlights.
The latest chapter of Blue Raider Baseball didn't close without taking five of six games from rival WKU this season, C-USA series sweeps over WKU and FIU and a quintet of series wins in conference play.
The Skipper Speaks
"Today's game was another example of the character this team had all year. They just continued to fight and play the game of baseball the right way. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. The players did everything we asked them to do. We had good senior leadership, and some young guys that grew up. It's hard to say that we're done and that we're not going to be able to play together again. I appreciated the effort these kids gave, because they gave it every single day," said Meyers.
"Guys wanted to get better and move the program in a positive direction. They took a lot of pride in what they did. They worked hard but also had fun. They were able to keep the game in perspective and compete at a high level all year. This team represented the program extremely well on and off the field and helped set the standard for the future."
By the Numbers
3: The Blue Raiders had three walk-off wins in 2023. They defeated FIU 13-12 on April 2 to clinch a series sweep on a walk-off walk. MTSU also secured a series rubber matchup win on April 23 against Rice, when Luke Vinson hit a home run to lead off the 11th inning. Mabry then hit a home run in the 10th inning of the second game of a doubleheader May 13 to defeat UAB.
14: MTSU raised its team batting average 14 points between 2022 and 2023, from .275 a season ago to .289 this year. This was despite not returning three of its top four hitters from last year.
2: Two players--Coker and RHP Jaden Hamm--made the C-USA All-Conference First Team.
3: A conference-high three Blue Raiders made the C-USA All-Freshman Team, with RHP Patrick Johnson, RHP Ollie Akens and UTL Jared Vetetoe all being named to the roster.
Blue Raider Notes
The Blue Raiders started 2-0 at a conference tournament for the first time 2006, and for the first time ever as members of Conference USA. A No. 7 seed, MTSU was the lowest tournament seed to reach the C-USA semifinals since Rice in 2019.
Mabry, Coker and 3B Gabe Jennings started all 56 games in 2023 at their respective positions.
MTSU defeated a ranked team on the road for the first time since 2015, taking down No. 16 Dallas Baptist on the road May 6.
Dating back to at least 1974, MTSU's series sweep over WKU April 6-8 represented the first three-game sweep over WKU in Bowling Green.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Stay up to date with the Blue Raiders on Twitter (@MT_Baseball), Facebook (Blue Raider Baseball) and Instagram (@MT_Baseball).
Middle Tennessee Baseball's Conference USA Championships run ended Saturday at Rice University's Reckling Park, with a 9-8 loss to the Charlotte 49ers.
The No. 7 seed Blue Raiders fell twice Saturday to Charlotte to exit the double elimination tournament after opening the week 2-0 with wins over UTSA and LA Tech.
But the Blue Raiders did not go down without a massive push to keep their season alive. MTSU sent 10 batters to the plate in the sixth inning. An RBI groundout from Jackson Galloway kick started the frame, Eston Snider delivered a three-run home run and Brett Coker singled to score Luke Vinson.
And in the eighth, Snider delivered again with a leadoff solo home run.
However, Charlotte was able to scrap a go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth on a bloop base hit that dropped in shallow left field.
The loss caps the 2023 season and head coach Jerry Meyers' first year at the helm in Murfreesboro, after serving as associate head coach and pitching coach a season ago.
The team—also under the tutelage of three first-year assistants in Kevin Nichols, Jason Stein and Mark DiLuia—had a combination of just five seniors and graduate students. But 1B DJ Wright, 2B JT Mabry, SS Brett Coker, C/DH Jeremiah Boyd and OF Gino Avros helped lead the team to numerous highlights.
The latest chapter of Blue Raider Baseball didn't close without taking five of six games from rival WKU this season, C-USA series sweeps over WKU and FIU and a quintet of series wins in conference play.
The Skipper Speaks
"Today's game was another example of the character this team had all year. They just continued to fight and play the game of baseball the right way. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. The players did everything we asked them to do. We had good senior leadership, and some young guys that grew up. It's hard to say that we're done and that we're not going to be able to play together again. I appreciated the effort these kids gave, because they gave it every single day," said Meyers.
"Guys wanted to get better and move the program in a positive direction. They took a lot of pride in what they did. They worked hard but also had fun. They were able to keep the game in perspective and compete at a high level all year. This team represented the program extremely well on and off the field and helped set the standard for the future."
By the Numbers
3: The Blue Raiders had three walk-off wins in 2023. They defeated FIU 13-12 on April 2 to clinch a series sweep on a walk-off walk. MTSU also secured a series rubber matchup win on April 23 against Rice, when Luke Vinson hit a home run to lead off the 11th inning. Mabry then hit a home run in the 10th inning of the second game of a doubleheader May 13 to defeat UAB.
14: MTSU raised its team batting average 14 points between 2022 and 2023, from .275 a season ago to .289 this year. This was despite not returning three of its top four hitters from last year.
2: Two players--Coker and RHP Jaden Hamm--made the C-USA All-Conference First Team.
3: A conference-high three Blue Raiders made the C-USA All-Freshman Team, with RHP Patrick Johnson, RHP Ollie Akens and UTL Jared Vetetoe all being named to the roster.
Blue Raider Notes
The Blue Raiders started 2-0 at a conference tournament for the first time 2006, and for the first time ever as members of Conference USA. A No. 7 seed, MTSU was the lowest tournament seed to reach the C-USA semifinals since Rice in 2019.
Mabry, Coker and 3B Gabe Jennings started all 56 games in 2023 at their respective positions.
MTSU defeated a ranked team on the road for the first time since 2015, taking down No. 16 Dallas Baptist on the road May 6.
Dating back to at least 1974, MTSU's series sweep over WKU April 6-8 represented the first three-game sweep over WKU in Bowling Green.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Stay up to date with the Blue Raiders on Twitter (@MT_Baseball), Facebook (Blue Raider Baseball) and Instagram (@MT_Baseball).
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