Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
NOTEBOOK: Blue Raider Blitz kicks off tomorrow in Nashville!
7/10/2023 7:19:00 PM | Baseball, Football, General, Softball, Women's Soccer, BRAA
Join us at Jackalope Brewing Company in the Music City for a panel discussion on college sports in 2023, led by Voice of the Blue Raiders Chip Walters. Joining Head Football Coach Rick Stockstill and Director of Athletics Chris Massaro on the panel are Dawn Davenport (104.5 The Zone 3HL Show, ESPN sideline reporter for football), Kayla Anderson (104.5 The Zone, freelance sports reporter for WKRN TV 2) and Jill Jelnick (Sports Anchor/Reporter at Fox 17).
The full schedule for the Blitz can be found below! Blue Raider fans are encouraged to RSVP to their stop at this link: https://goblueraiders.com/sb_output.aspx?form=123
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
Pssst - Late night reminder that in less than 48 hours, The Blue Raider Blitz kicks off and will be rolling into a city near you! 🚙💨
— MT Mktg & Promos (@MT_Promotions) July 10, 2023
RSVP: https://t.co/xD45sbEvl9
Locations: https://t.co/Edx6pPB6az pic.twitter.com/XDxOoAyXuu
Eriq Swan and Jaden Hamm selected in the MLB Draft
Two Blue Raiders had lifelong dreams come true earlier this afternoon, as right-handed pitchers Eriq Swan and Jaden Hamm were selected in the MLB Draft on Monday.
Swan, drafted in the compensatory section of the 4th round, was taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers at No. 137 overall. Hamm was taken just six picks later in the 5th round by the Detroit Tigers at No. 143 overall.
DRAFTED ✅@_eriqswan is a Dodger!#BLUEnited | #BlueCrew pic.twitter.com/oNWCic2XY8
— Middle Tennessee Baseball (@MT_Baseball) July 10, 2023
Received the call 📞 @jaden_hamm is the newest Tiger!#BLUEnited | #BlueCrew pic.twitter.com/v4O68bVc2J
— Middle Tennessee Baseball (@MT_Baseball) July 10, 2023
Both players are the highest draft picks for the Blue Raiders since Bryce Brentz was taken No. 39 overall in the 1st Round of the 2010 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox.
Soccer to take on Vanderbilt in Nashville SC's GEODIS Park this fall
Middle Tennessee Soccer, Vanderbilt Soccer and Nashville Soccer Club announced this season's match between the Blue Raiders and Commodores on Sept. 10 will be held at GEODIS Park, the largest soccer-specific stadium in the United States and Canada, and home of Nashville SC.
Kickoff is slated for 6:00 p.m. CT. Information regarding tickets and fan attendance will be announced at a later date.
A Music City showdown! 📣
— Middle Tennessee Soccer (@MT_Soccer) June 29, 2023
We'll be facing Vanderbilt on Sept. 10 at @GEODISPark, the largest soccer-specific stadium in the country and home of @NashvilleSC!
Read more! ⤵️
🔗 https://t.co/GKc3RtFzn8#BLUEnited pic.twitter.com/UJOlLSeqzD
"We are excited for the opportunity to play at GEODIS Park," Head Coach Aston Rhoden said. "Vanderbilt is always a strong team, so I expect a tough game as well. This will certainly be a wonderful experience for our players and fans."
Vanderbilt will be the designated home team for the match. In 2021, the Blue Raiders defeated the Commodores 2-1, which was the last time the sides met in Nashville.
Coaches Check-In Podcast Continues on
ICYMI: The Coaches Check-In Podcast released its fifth of 12 episodes today, as I got the chance to sit down with Rick Stockstill earlier this summer to chat about recruiting, summer workouts and early season prep.
Check out episode 5️⃣ of the Blue Raider Blitz with MTSU Staff Writer @sjdoughton featuring @MT_FB's @CoachStock!
— Middle Tennessee Athletics (@MTAthletics) July 10, 2023
🎙 Listen to the full podcast: https://t.co/ueaWU0sq3B
📰 Details: https://t.co/1T2CE07acr pic.twitter.com/2lglyVJNHu
You can check all previous episodes of the podcast in the Multimedia tab under "Podcasts" on GoBlueRaiders.com. There, you'll find the following three episodes we also released in between my bi-weekly summer notebooks!
Women's Tennis Coach Tayo Bailey-Duvall gave great insight into the international recruiting scene and her team's charity work, in addition to much more, in Episode 4.
Time for episode 4️⃣ of the Coaches Check-In with MTSU Staff Writer @sjdoughton! Sam spoke with @MT_WomensTennis Head Coach Tayo Bailey-Duvall about recruiting, her team's community service, the new outdoor facility, and more.
— Middle Tennessee Athletics (@MTAthletics) July 6, 2023
🎙 https://t.co/CLOHPr8zk6
📰 https://t.co/gxDaxw50oZ pic.twitter.com/Kt47vmyon7
Baseball Coach Jerry Meyers dished on the draft advice for both Hamm and Swan, while also talking about following summer ball stats from afar in Episode 3.
Episode 3️⃣ of the Coaches Check-In Podcast with Staff Writer @sjdoughton is out! Sam spoke with Head @MT_Baseball Coach Jerry Meyers about #BlueRaiders in summer leagues, two pitchers gearing up for the MLB Draft, and more.
— Middle Tennessee Athletics (@MTAthletics) July 3, 2023
🎙 https://t.co/wfrSmSGARK
📰 https://t.co/stNqjGi9HW pic.twitter.com/GR0YEyzumK
And Soccer Coach Aston Rhoden talked about roster construction, scheduling and teambuilding ahead of the season in Episode 2.
Check out episode 2️⃣ of the Coaches Check-In Podcast with MTSU Staff Writer @sjdoughton! Today it features @MT_Soccer's Aston Rhoden, and the two talk summer schedules, quick turnarounds and rebuilding confidence in 2023.
— Middle Tennessee Athletics (@MTAthletics) June 29, 2023
🎙 https://t.co/FLco3HmIqr
📰 https://t.co/OCueoMBIqv pic.twitter.com/NoX76Fbf0Y
July 1 brings in New Look CUSA
With the flip of the Calendar to July this year, Conference USA welcomed in four new members to the league for the upcoming athletic year: Jacksonville State, Liberty, New Mexico State and Sam Houston.
A new era begins.#NoLimitsOnUs pic.twitter.com/RWaxfbo5h5
— Conference USA (@ConferenceUSA) July 1, 2023
A new era of @ConferenceUSA is here! Welcome to the league, @JSUGamecocks, @LibertyFlames, @NMStateAggies, & @BearkatSports. 🤝#BLUEnited | #NoLimitsOnUs pic.twitter.com/f1dnnfVUzM
— Middle Tennessee Athletics (@MTAthletics) July 1, 2023
A big focus of our Coaches Check-In podcast has been getting y'all up to speed on how those conference membership changes affect each sport, and our coaches have been very candid on what each school brings to their respective sports. Check out each episode to get their thoughts on the Gamecocks, Flames, Aggies and Bearkats (yes, with a K!).
Claire Woods Selected at National SAAC Rep for Conference USA
With the new academic year and the new CUSA leadership, the conference's Student Athlete Advisory Committee, perhaps better known around college athletics as SAAC, changed its leadership as well, with MTSU Softball's Claire Woods taking over the conference's national rep for the upcoming year!
You can check out the full list of SAAC reps from Conference USA, including MTSU Men's Basketball's Jestin Porter, here: https://conferenceusa.com/sports/2016/7/1/ot-c-usa-saac-html.aspx
Woods, meanwhile, has been busy honing her craft in the circle in the Florida Gulf Coast League, with this strikeout for the Myakka City RiverMocs helping them knock off the previously undefeated Mantee Impact.
‼️UNDEFEATED NO MORE‼️
— Gray Robertson (@gray_robertson) July 6, 2023
In a dramatic game, @clairewwoods (@MT_Softball) slammed the door with a strikeout to give @River_MocSB a 4-1 win over the Impact. The Impact drop to 14-1 on the summer.
🎙️: 👋🏻
🎥: @AGLSoftball pic.twitter.com/27hulRe2sB
