Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Photo by: Forest City Owls
Boys of Summer
7/10/2023 11:38:00 AM | Baseball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Middle Tennessee Baseball show is on the road. Specifically, numerous Blue Raiders are playing in summer collegiate leagues across the country and have left their footprints from the Atlantic Coast to Alaska.
Take a trip around the summer ball circuit, and see how each Blue Raider is doing as many leagues approach their All-Star breaks and head into the second half of their schedules.
Forest City Owls - Coastal Plain League
» Justin Lee
» Patrick Johnson
» Clay Badylak
Located roughly halfway between Charlotte and Asheville, N.C., three MTSU players have led the club to the CPL West Division First Half Championship.
RHPs Justin Lee and Patrick Johnson have each been vital pieces to the Owls' success in 2023.
Through 29.1 innings pitched (third on the squad), Johnson boasts a team-high 31 strikeouts across seven games and two starts. Justin Lee has also proved a pair of starts for the playoff-bound Owls.
Rounding out the list of Blue Raiders playing for the Owls is INF Clay Badylak. The incoming transfer from Frontier Community College has 15 hits and 10 so far this season. Three times this season the Cincinnati native has gone 3-5 in a game, most recently June 13 at the Macon Bacon.
"Forest City has been a nice little town to play in with really good fan support," said Johnson. Games are very crowded with a great fan base who show out each night. Playing with Lee and getting to know Badylak has been a good experience and really brought us all closer."
"Being able to play in front of such a passionate town has been very fun," said Lee. Playing with Johnson and Badylak has been fun and has helped us all bond and grow closer. I'm grateful for the opportunity to play here."
Tarboro River Bandits - Premier Collegiate League
» Adam Jamison
» Bryant Beranek
» Eston Snider
Across the state from Forest City in Tarboro, N.C., three Blue Raiders are representing the Tarboro River Bandits in the Premier Collegiate League.
Currently, Snider is hitting .286 with two home runs, four doubles and 11 walks. The Franklin, Tenn. native is also 10-18 in his last six games, with a home run and six RBI.
"Playing in Tarboro is a cool experience as it's a small town who loves their baseball," Snider said. "The town is small but everyone is a fan. Fans are rowdy and supportive of the team, and it makes the games fun. It is nice to have some guys with me I'm familiar with as it makes the transition over to summer ball a lot easier."
Southern Maryland Senators - Cal Ripken League
» Brett Vondohlen
» Caleb Peterson
» Kenny McKinley
A trio of Blue Raiders call the Southern Maryland Senators their summer home in 2023.
A two-way player for the club from Waldorf, Md., Brett Vondohlen is currently the team's third-leading hitter, with a .273 AVG, nine RBI and a trio of home runs. On the mound, the native of Murfreesboro has three starts under his belt, with eight strikeouts and a 4.39 ERA. Vondohlen's impressive output earned him a spot in the Cal Ripken League All-Star Game.
"It has been a great time in Maryland, I have enjoyed getting to play with good ball players from all different areas and even getting to play with two fellow Blue Raiders," said Vondohlen.
Fellow RHP Caleb Peterson is currently second on the team with 20.2 innings pitched, and has 19 strikeouts across five starts and seven total appearances. The power-hitting OF Kenny McKinley also recently joined the roster on June 28, and is off to a fast start, hitting .278 with a home run. He was 2-2 with an RBI and a triple on July 1. The Ensworth High School grad has a hit in seven of the team's past eight games.
It is an honor to get selected to the All-Star team. I'm excited to be able to participate in it as I'm sure it will be a great experience to top off my first year of collegiate summer league."
Michigan Monarchs - Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League
» Cale Vinson
Across 36 at bats at SS with the Monarchs in league play, Vinson has impressed with a .444 AVG, with a home run and six RBI.
The team was also invited across the country to participate in the annual Midnight Sun Game in Fairbanks, Alaska. The game took place on the Summer Solstice, with the sun staying up the entire game into 1:00 a.m.
Henderson Flash - Ohio Valley League
» Nathan Brewer
Through 21 games with the Henderson Flash in Henderson, Ky., Brewer has hit .284 with one home run. Boasting a .284/.370/.395 slash line, Brewer has also driven in 11 runs and scored 15 of his own.
The OF hit in 11 of his first 12 games with Henderson, and has four multi-hit games, including one June 25 where he was 4-5 with a home run and three RBI.
Full Count Rhythm - Ohio Valley League
» Jackson Underwood
Playing up the road from Murfreesboro in Hendersonville, Tenn., Underwood has pitched in six games, all out of the bullpen. Across 12.2 innings, the RHP has struck out 18 batters and records an ERA of just 0.71.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Stay up to date with the Blue Raiders on Twitter (@MT_Baseball), Facebook (Blue Raider Baseball) and Instagram (@MT_Baseball).
Take a trip around the summer ball circuit, and see how each Blue Raider is doing as many leagues approach their All-Star breaks and head into the second half of their schedules.
Forest City Owls - Coastal Plain League
» Justin Lee
» Patrick Johnson
» Clay Badylak
Located roughly halfway between Charlotte and Asheville, N.C., three MTSU players have led the club to the CPL West Division First Half Championship.
RHPs Justin Lee and Patrick Johnson have each been vital pieces to the Owls' success in 2023.
Through 29.1 innings pitched (third on the squad), Johnson boasts a team-high 31 strikeouts across seven games and two starts. Justin Lee has also proved a pair of starts for the playoff-bound Owls.
Rounding out the list of Blue Raiders playing for the Owls is INF Clay Badylak. The incoming transfer from Frontier Community College has 15 hits and 10 so far this season. Three times this season the Cincinnati native has gone 3-5 in a game, most recently June 13 at the Macon Bacon.
"Forest City has been a nice little town to play in with really good fan support," said Johnson. Games are very crowded with a great fan base who show out each night. Playing with Lee and getting to know Badylak has been a good experience and really brought us all closer."
"Being able to play in front of such a passionate town has been very fun," said Lee. Playing with Johnson and Badylak has been fun and has helped us all bond and grow closer. I'm grateful for the opportunity to play here."
Tarboro River Bandits - Premier Collegiate League
» Adam Jamison
» Bryant Beranek
» Eston Snider
Across the state from Forest City in Tarboro, N.C., three Blue Raiders are representing the Tarboro River Bandits in the Premier Collegiate League.
Currently, Snider is hitting .286 with two home runs, four doubles and 11 walks. The Franklin, Tenn. native is also 10-18 in his last six games, with a home run and six RBI.
"Playing in Tarboro is a cool experience as it's a small town who loves their baseball," Snider said. "The town is small but everyone is a fan. Fans are rowdy and supportive of the team, and it makes the games fun. It is nice to have some guys with me I'm familiar with as it makes the transition over to summer ball a lot easier."
Southern Maryland Senators - Cal Ripken League
» Brett Vondohlen
» Caleb Peterson
» Kenny McKinley
A trio of Blue Raiders call the Southern Maryland Senators their summer home in 2023.
A two-way player for the club from Waldorf, Md., Brett Vondohlen is currently the team's third-leading hitter, with a .273 AVG, nine RBI and a trio of home runs. On the mound, the native of Murfreesboro has three starts under his belt, with eight strikeouts and a 4.39 ERA. Vondohlen's impressive output earned him a spot in the Cal Ripken League All-Star Game.
"It has been a great time in Maryland, I have enjoyed getting to play with good ball players from all different areas and even getting to play with two fellow Blue Raiders," said Vondohlen.
Fellow RHP Caleb Peterson is currently second on the team with 20.2 innings pitched, and has 19 strikeouts across five starts and seven total appearances. The power-hitting OF Kenny McKinley also recently joined the roster on June 28, and is off to a fast start, hitting .278 with a home run. He was 2-2 with an RBI and a triple on July 1. The Ensworth High School grad has a hit in seven of the team's past eight games.
It is an honor to get selected to the All-Star team. I'm excited to be able to participate in it as I'm sure it will be a great experience to top off my first year of collegiate summer league."
Michigan Monarchs - Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League
» Cale Vinson
Across 36 at bats at SS with the Monarchs in league play, Vinson has impressed with a .444 AVG, with a home run and six RBI.
The team was also invited across the country to participate in the annual Midnight Sun Game in Fairbanks, Alaska. The game took place on the Summer Solstice, with the sun staying up the entire game into 1:00 a.m.
Henderson Flash - Ohio Valley League
» Nathan Brewer
Through 21 games with the Henderson Flash in Henderson, Ky., Brewer has hit .284 with one home run. Boasting a .284/.370/.395 slash line, Brewer has also driven in 11 runs and scored 15 of his own.
The OF hit in 11 of his first 12 games with Henderson, and has four multi-hit games, including one June 25 where he was 4-5 with a home run and three RBI.
Full Count Rhythm - Ohio Valley League
» Jackson Underwood
Playing up the road from Murfreesboro in Hendersonville, Tenn., Underwood has pitched in six games, all out of the bullpen. Across 12.2 innings, the RHP has struck out 18 batters and records an ERA of just 0.71.
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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