Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
NOTEBOOK – Coaches Check-In Podcast kicks off with Episode 1 today!
6/26/2023 6:02:00 PM | General
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — I knew when I woke this morning that it was going to be a great day because Monday was the launch day of our big summer project here in MTSU Athletic Communications: the Coaches Check-In Podcast!
My past few weeks have been a whirlwind behind the scenes, trying to find time between recruiting, running summer camps and all the other offseason responsibilities our head coaches have to sit down with every single head coach on campus here in Murfreesboro and discuss their summer schedules, the year that was and, most importantly, what lies ahead for each of their programs in a new-look Conference USA in 2023.
We've not quite sat down with every coach just yet, but we have caught nearly all of them so far, enough to start our biweekly episode drops, with an episode scheduled for release every Monday and Thursday through August 3. It starts out today with a sit-down with Head Men's Basketball Coach Nick McDevitt, who was happy to share tidbits from his team's summer work outs so far that I hope gets y'all excited for the year ahead in Murfreesboro.
What has me most excited about this project is the fact we'll be speaking to every head coach in the department this summer, which will be a good time to get their lay of the land as Conference USA shifts to a very different looking league in many of their sports. It also helps me better understand the challenges many of these programs are facing, as well as what has made so many of them successful in the past year.
I hope y'all join me in the journey! You can listen to today's episode here: https://goblueraiders.com/podcasts/coaches-check-in-episode-1-nick-mcdevitt/19
Up next is a sit-down with Head Soccer Coach Aston Rhoden, who had fascinating insights into the quick-turnaround in NCAA soccer, as well as how his team used the spring to make up ground after a disappointing season in 2022.
Blue Raider Blitz date and locations set!
Locations have been finalized for the 2023 Blue Raider Blitz across the mid-state this July! Come hear from Head Football Coach Rick Stockstill about the upcoming season, with surprise appearances from other Blue Raider coaches and guests scheduled for each day!
Blue Raiders can RSVP to the dates they can make at this link to guarantee access to light refreshments at each stop, with the exception of Murfreesboro. Food and beverage will also be available for purchase at each location.
Tuesday, July 11
Nashville, TN — 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at Jackalope Brewing Company
Wednesday, July 12
Smyrna, TN — 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at Smyrna Event Center
Thursday, July 13
Franklin, TN — 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at Huckleberry Brewing Company
Manchester, TN — 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at Common John Brewery
Friday, July 14
Murfreesboro, TN — 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at Cedar Glade Brews
Tuesday, July 18
Shelbyville, TN — 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at River Bend Country Club
BRAA Membership Renewal Deadline THIS FRIDAY
If you still need to renew your BRAA Membership for next year and receive your full benefits (namely, your football season benefits!), the deadline to renew your membership is this Friday, June 30.
Call the BRAA at 615-898-2210 or visit their website (https://am.ticketmaster.com/mtsu/donate) to secure your membership level for next year and help us support our student-athletes!
Three Blue Raiders earn Conference USA Scholar Athlete Awards
Three Middle Tennessee student-athletes earned Conference USA Scholar Athlete Awards for their respective sports last week. Francisco Rocha took the men's tennis award, Owen Stamper earned the honor for men's golf, and Taylor Edlin is the women's golf Scholar Athlete Award recipient.
All three Blue Raiders earned Commissioner's Honor Roll and Commissioner's Academic Medal honors from the CUSA office this school year. MTSU's three Scholar Athlete Award winners are its most since 2018-19. Edlin, Stamper and Rocha each earned CUSA Scholar Athlete Awards for the first time in their careers.
MTSU Men's Basketball headed on foreign tour to Italy in August
The Blue Raiders are traveling overseas this summer, heading off to Italy on a privately-funded foreign tour, which NCAA programs are permitted to do once every four years under current bylaws.
The Aug. 14-22 trip that features stops in Rome, Florence and Milan, with games are scheduled to be played on August 18 and 20 against opponents to be announced at a later date. Nick McDevitt and I spent much of our time on the Coaches Check-In podcast talking about what this trip will mean for his program.
"This one couldn't have fallen at a better time," McDevitt said of the tour in the release announcing it. "With five new players and several returning players with anticipated expanding roles, this gives us additional opportunities to be on the floor together. From extra summer practices to games versus outside competition, the added court time will allow this group to develop on-court chemistry that much faster.
Battle 4 Atlantis Field Announced for the Lady Raiders
Last week, the 2023 Women's Battle 4 Atlantis announced its field for this year's tournament, including your Middle Tennessee Lady Raiders!
The Thanksgiving holiday tournament takes place in the ballroom of the Atlantis Resort in Paradise, Bahamas and will feature Arizona, DePaul, Michigan, Ole Miss, South Dakota, Howard and Memphis, in addition to MTSU. Reservations are open now! Click the link in the tweet below to get started.
Assistant Coach Promotion Season is in full swing
One of my favorite parts of the summer here in Murfreesboro is the fact that, quite often, many of our longest tenured assistant coaches earn promotions to associate head coach positions during this time, as contracts are renewed and staffs are reshuffled. These assistants are the hidden gems that often times athletes will bring up in interviews as the ones to give them a key adjustment that unlocked their potential or just serve as a sounding board for the challenges they face on and off the court.
So far this summer, two of our colleagues, Andrea Caligiana with men's tennis and Jenna Orner with volleyball, have earned promotions to associate head coach for their respective programs. I'll let their head coaches speak to why they were so deserving.
"Coach Cali being made a full-time coach and Associate Head Coach is extremely fitting," said head men's tennis coach Jimmy Borendame. "He has worked in this capacity since right after he arrived. We make all the decisions together as a team. He has been instrumental in the progress of the players and program during our rise into the nation's Top 25. I am thrilled to see his growth as a top young coach, and I cannot put into words how much I appreciate his effort. I look forward to further developing the program with him and continuing to develop our team culture further."
"Jenna has been with me since the first day here at MTSU," said head volleyball coach Chuck Crawford. "She has a great deal of wisdom both on and off the court. Jenna is a loyal friend, trusted co-worker, and dedicated mentor to our young ladies. The title of associate head coach has been earned by Jenna's countless self-sacrifices and tireless work ethic. She is among the finest young coaches in the nation."
Episode 1️⃣ of the Coaches Check-In is out! Staff Writer @sjdoughton spoke with @MT_MBB Head Coach @MTCoachNick about roster construction, a new-look @ConferenceUSA, the upcoming trip to Italy, and more!
— MT Athletics (@MTAthletics) June 26, 2023
🎙 Full podcast: https://t.co/9U8xU5o69z
📰 Details: https://t.co/24MBDMS06H pic.twitter.com/wd0xxkAQCD
My past few weeks have been a whirlwind behind the scenes, trying to find time between recruiting, running summer camps and all the other offseason responsibilities our head coaches have to sit down with every single head coach on campus here in Murfreesboro and discuss their summer schedules, the year that was and, most importantly, what lies ahead for each of their programs in a new-look Conference USA in 2023.
We've not quite sat down with every coach just yet, but we have caught nearly all of them so far, enough to start our biweekly episode drops, with an episode scheduled for release every Monday and Thursday through August 3. It starts out today with a sit-down with Head Men's Basketball Coach Nick McDevitt, who was happy to share tidbits from his team's summer work outs so far that I hope gets y'all excited for the year ahead in Murfreesboro.
What has me most excited about this project is the fact we'll be speaking to every head coach in the department this summer, which will be a good time to get their lay of the land as Conference USA shifts to a very different looking league in many of their sports. It also helps me better understand the challenges many of these programs are facing, as well as what has made so many of them successful in the past year.
I hope y'all join me in the journey! You can listen to today's episode here: https://goblueraiders.com/podcasts/coaches-check-in-episode-1-nick-mcdevitt/19
Up next is a sit-down with Head Soccer Coach Aston Rhoden, who had fascinating insights into the quick-turnaround in NCAA soccer, as well as how his team used the spring to make up ground after a disappointing season in 2022.
Blue Raider Blitz date and locations set!
Locations have been finalized for the 2023 Blue Raider Blitz across the mid-state this July! Come hear from Head Football Coach Rick Stockstill about the upcoming season, with surprise appearances from other Blue Raider coaches and guests scheduled for each day!
Blue Raiders can RSVP to the dates they can make at this link to guarantee access to light refreshments at each stop, with the exception of Murfreesboro. Food and beverage will also be available for purchase at each location.
Tuesday, July 11
Nashville, TN — 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at Jackalope Brewing Company
Wednesday, July 12
Smyrna, TN — 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at Smyrna Event Center
Thursday, July 13
Franklin, TN — 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at Huckleberry Brewing Company
Manchester, TN — 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at Common John Brewery
Friday, July 14
Murfreesboro, TN — 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at Cedar Glade Brews
Tuesday, July 18
Shelbyville, TN — 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at River Bend Country Club
BRAA Membership Renewal Deadline THIS FRIDAY
If you still need to renew your BRAA Membership for next year and receive your full benefits (namely, your football season benefits!), the deadline to renew your membership is this Friday, June 30.
Call the BRAA at 615-898-2210 or visit their website (https://am.ticketmaster.com/mtsu/donate) to secure your membership level for next year and help us support our student-athletes!
Want to receive full benefits for the 2023-24 season, including MT Football benefits? Donate by June 30th! Call the BRAA at 615-898-2210 or visit our website https://t.co/uFQNIW6JHM#BLUEnited 💙⚡️ @MT_FB pic.twitter.com/5TojObvibV
— Blue Raider Athletic Association (BRAA) (@MTSUBRAA) June 26, 2023
Three Blue Raiders earn Conference USA Scholar Athlete Awards
Three Middle Tennessee student-athletes earned Conference USA Scholar Athlete Awards for their respective sports last week. Francisco Rocha took the men's tennis award, Owen Stamper earned the honor for men's golf, and Taylor Edlin is the women's golf Scholar Athlete Award recipient.
.@ostamper9 of @MT_MGolf, @Francis88903160 of @MT_MensTennis, and @tayloredlin01 of @MT_WGolf have all earned @ConferenceUSA Scholar Athlete Awards for their respective sports! 👏
— MT Athletics (@MTAthletics) June 22, 2023
📰 Details: https://t.co/grwwjXjhqU#BLUEnited pic.twitter.com/qvKMG7g6bc
All three Blue Raiders earned Commissioner's Honor Roll and Commissioner's Academic Medal honors from the CUSA office this school year. MTSU's three Scholar Athlete Award winners are its most since 2018-19. Edlin, Stamper and Rocha each earned CUSA Scholar Athlete Awards for the first time in their careers.
MTSU Men's Basketball headed on foreign tour to Italy in August
The Blue Raiders are traveling overseas this summer, heading off to Italy on a privately-funded foreign tour, which NCAA programs are permitted to do once every four years under current bylaws.
The Aug. 14-22 trip that features stops in Rome, Florence and Milan, with games are scheduled to be played on August 18 and 20 against opponents to be announced at a later date. Nick McDevitt and I spent much of our time on the Coaches Check-In podcast talking about what this trip will mean for his program.
"This one couldn't have fallen at a better time," McDevitt said of the tour in the release announcing it. "With five new players and several returning players with anticipated expanding roles, this gives us additional opportunities to be on the floor together. From extra summer practices to games versus outside competition, the added court time will allow this group to develop on-court chemistry that much faster.
Battle 4 Atlantis Field Announced for the Lady Raiders
Last week, the 2023 Women's Battle 4 Atlantis announced its field for this year's tournament, including your Middle Tennessee Lady Raiders!
The Thanksgiving holiday tournament takes place in the ballroom of the Atlantis Resort in Paradise, Bahamas and will feature Arizona, DePaul, Michigan, Ole Miss, South Dakota, Howard and Memphis, in addition to MTSU. Reservations are open now! Click the link in the tweet below to get started.
Join the Lady Raiders in the Bahamas ‼️
— MT Women's Basketball (@MT_WBB) June 20, 2023
Hotel reservations and ticket packages are now available
🔗https://t.co/IkKT09Us2G#BLUEnited | #TrueBlue pic.twitter.com/m9PvLa9g7i
Come watch your Lady Raiders in the Bahamas in November #BLUEnited https://t.co/Cj87eO59c2
— Matt Insell (@minsell) June 20, 2023
Assistant Coach Promotion Season is in full swing
One of my favorite parts of the summer here in Murfreesboro is the fact that, quite often, many of our longest tenured assistant coaches earn promotions to associate head coach positions during this time, as contracts are renewed and staffs are reshuffled. These assistants are the hidden gems that often times athletes will bring up in interviews as the ones to give them a key adjustment that unlocked their potential or just serve as a sounding board for the challenges they face on and off the court.
So far this summer, two of our colleagues, Andrea Caligiana with men's tennis and Jenna Orner with volleyball, have earned promotions to associate head coach for their respective programs. I'll let their head coaches speak to why they were so deserving.
"Coach Cali being made a full-time coach and Associate Head Coach is extremely fitting," said head men's tennis coach Jimmy Borendame. "He has worked in this capacity since right after he arrived. We make all the decisions together as a team. He has been instrumental in the progress of the players and program during our rise into the nation's Top 25. I am thrilled to see his growth as a top young coach, and I cannot put into words how much I appreciate his effort. I look forward to further developing the program with him and continuing to develop our team culture further."
"Jenna has been with me since the first day here at MTSU," said head volleyball coach Chuck Crawford. "She has a great deal of wisdom both on and off the court. Jenna is a loyal friend, trusted co-worker, and dedicated mentor to our young ladies. The title of associate head coach has been earned by Jenna's countless self-sacrifices and tireless work ethic. She is among the finest young coaches in the nation."
MTSU Volleyball Recap 9/5/25-9/7/25
Tuesday, September 09
MTSU Tennis Pro-Am 9/6/25
Tuesday, September 09
MTSU Tennis Pro-Am Recap
Tuesday, September 09
MTSU Football Weekly Press Conference 9/8/25
Monday, September 08
