Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
NOTEBOOK: Operator, won't you put me on through...
3/19/2024 5:07:00 PM | General, Men's Golf, Women's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee women's basketball made its final preparations ahead of hitting the road to Baton Rouge, La., where No. 11 seed MTSU will face No. 6 seed Louisville at 12:30 p.m. CT on Friday on ESPN2 and the Blue Raider Radio Network.
It's an opponent MTSU is very familiar with, having faced the Cardinals eight times in program history and seven times since Rick Insell took over as head coach of the Lady Raiders. Louisville leads the all-time series 6-2, but it was MTSU, as many fans know, who picked up the more recent win, cruising past the Cardinals 67-49 in the Glass House last season.
"You're looking at two totally different teams," Insell said of the matchup. "He's got a totally different team than what he had last year. In our situation, we're minus three players, so we're kind of a different team also."
A bigger point of emphasis, Insell noted, hasn't been their opponent or the host of the weekend, LSU or the other lower seed in their pod, former CUSA rival Rice. It's been the program's NCAA record of late, 1-10 under Insell, with 10 straight losses, including one in the NCAA Tournament to the Cardinals (a 74-49 loss in 2013).
"Our big thing right now is we haven't won," Insell said. "We need to go into the Tournament, and we need to win some games. That would probably be more of our mindset that Louisville, to be honest with you."
As Insell's longest tenured player entering her third NCAA Tournament noted, there's been plenty of good work to get MTSU back into the Big Dance. And it will have to continue.
"The work that got us to this point can't stop now just because we're here," Courtney Whitson said.
Football spring practice finally arrives!
It'll be another early morning for MTSU Football on Wednesday, with spring practice scheduled before dawn in Floyd Stadium. But I suspect the Blue Raiders will be excited to finally be on the grass (or, at the very least, the turf) putting ideas into action after the months of weight room and conditioning work ahead of the official start of spring ball.
I'll be up bright and early prior to flying out with women's basketball to grab reactions from the first day of practice! We're just weeks away from the return of the Spring Game on April 13, and I suspect we'll learn plenty about the work Derek Mason's team has put in the weeks to come!
Join us for the Raiders Rising NIL Kickoff practice on Saturday!
Raiders Rising – the official NIL Collective for MTSU Athletics – will host the "Raiders Rising NIL Kickoff Practice" at Floyd Stadium on Saturday, March 23. Ticket purchasers will get to experience the first full-padded Spring practice and scrimmage for Blue Raider Football under Head Coach Derek Mason. Tickets are $50 for a pair and $35 for a single ticket, with all proceeds from this exclusive event going directly to MTSU student-athletes through Raiders Rising.
This fundraiser, which kicks off the Blue Raider's official partnership with Raiders Rising, begins at 12:30 p.m. with an introduction from Coach Mason followed by a scrimmage at 1:00 p.m., which is closed to the public. With the purchase of tickets, fans will have the opportunity to meet Coach Mason and his staff, watch practice and the scrimmage from the sidelines, interact with the Football student-athletes, and be entered into a raffle to be an Honorary Coach for the Blue & White Spring Game on April 13th. Fans can purchase additional tickets to improve their odds of winning the raffle for $35 each.
Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity to support Blue Raider student-athletes and get an inside look into the MTSU program under Coach Mason's leadership. "I'm so excited about partnering with Raiders Rising to generate more NIL deals for our student-athletes," said Mason. "This Raiders Rising NIL Kickoff Practice on the 23rd is a great way to help Raiders Rising build the funding needed to help us stay competitive in this critical space."
Raiders Rising provides student-athletes from all 17 varsity teams at MTSU with opportunities to build their brands and earn income for their name, image, and likeness. This organization was founded by MTSU alums and former student-athletes and is led by Jonathon McGuire, CEO of McGuire Management Group. "We're really looking forward to this NIL kickoff event on the 23rd," said McGuire. "It will give Blue Raider fans a sneak peek into all the exciting things going on with our Football program and help generate more funds for our collective to distribute to MTSU student-athletes."
To purchase tickets or for more information on how to become a member of this new collective, visit RaidersRising.com. Be sure to follow Raiders Rising on X (formerly Twitter) at @RaidersRising.
Baseball hosts Liberty to open home CUSA play, Softball hosts midweek with Austin Peay
Blue Raider fans not traveling down to Baton Rouge this weekend will still have the chance to cheer on MTSU at home this weekend, when baseball hosts Liberty for their first CUSA home series of the season.
Softball will host a midweek contest with Austin Peay on Wednesday, while Soccer continues their "offseason" exhibitions on Saturday at Dean A. Hayes Track & Soccer Stadium. Check out the full weekend schedule below!
Men's Golf posts strong weekend in Statesboro
Middle Tennessee men's golf took third place at the Schenkel Invitational for the second year in a row. The Blue Raiders combined for a team score of 843 (-21) as four players finished the event under par.
Michael Barnard and Owen Stamper tied for 11th individually at 210 (-6). Stamper shot a 70 (-2) in Sunday's third round, leading the team with six birdies. Barnard carded a 72 (E), making par on 14 holes.
Markus Varjun tied for 21st at 212 (-4). His score of 70 (-2) in the third round matched his lowest of the tournament.
"It was a great weekend for our program," head coach Mark McEntire said. "Always great to be in the final group the last day. It was great to play the last two days with the defending national champions. We have a very good team. Great tournament for everyone, and we're excited to get back to action in a few weeks at Vandy."
Middle Tennessee is 76-34-2 in tournament competition this season following the Schenkel Invitational.
Callin' Baton Rouge!#BLUEnited | #TrueBlue pic.twitter.com/oC3Ev1FSKt
— Middle Tennessee Women's Basketball (@MT_WBB) March 18, 2024
Your Lady Raiders are set to face Louisville in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.#BLUEnited | #TrueBlue pic.twitter.com/NWgYRXPqYd
— Middle Tennessee Women's Basketball (@MT_WBB) March 18, 2024
It's an opponent MTSU is very familiar with, having faced the Cardinals eight times in program history and seven times since Rick Insell took over as head coach of the Lady Raiders. Louisville leads the all-time series 6-2, but it was MTSU, as many fans know, who picked up the more recent win, cruising past the Cardinals 67-49 in the Glass House last season.
"You're looking at two totally different teams," Insell said of the matchup. "He's got a totally different team than what he had last year. In our situation, we're minus three players, so we're kind of a different team also."
A bigger point of emphasis, Insell noted, hasn't been their opponent or the host of the weekend, LSU or the other lower seed in their pod, former CUSA rival Rice. It's been the program's NCAA record of late, 1-10 under Insell, with 10 straight losses, including one in the NCAA Tournament to the Cardinals (a 74-49 loss in 2013).
"Our big thing right now is we haven't won," Insell said. "We need to go into the Tournament, and we need to win some games. That would probably be more of our mindset that Louisville, to be honest with you."
On a mission.
— Middle Tennessee Women's Basketball (@MT_WBB) March 19, 2024
🔗 https://t.co/GUG57KWwMS#BLUEnited | #TrueBlue pic.twitter.com/A7yO2ZwK04
As Insell's longest tenured player entering her third NCAA Tournament noted, there's been plenty of good work to get MTSU back into the Big Dance. And it will have to continue.
"The work that got us to this point can't stop now just because we're here," Courtney Whitson said.
Role models 🤩@MT_WBB | #NoLimitsOnUs pic.twitter.com/xlAm9cpov1
— Conference USA (@ConferenceUSA) March 19, 2024
Football spring practice finally arrives!
It'll be another early morning for MTSU Football on Wednesday, with spring practice scheduled before dawn in Floyd Stadium. But I suspect the Blue Raiders will be excited to finally be on the grass (or, at the very least, the turf) putting ideas into action after the months of weight room and conditioning work ahead of the official start of spring ball.
ONE. MORE. DAY.#BoroBuiltMiddleMade pic.twitter.com/JCFChD5GSq
— Middle Tennessee Football (@MT_FB) March 19, 2024
I'll be up bright and early prior to flying out with women's basketball to grab reactions from the first day of practice! We're just weeks away from the return of the Spring Game on April 13, and I suspect we'll learn plenty about the work Derek Mason's team has put in the weeks to come!
Join us for the Raiders Rising NIL Kickoff practice on Saturday!
Raiders Rising – the official NIL Collective for MTSU Athletics – will host the "Raiders Rising NIL Kickoff Practice" at Floyd Stadium on Saturday, March 23. Ticket purchasers will get to experience the first full-padded Spring practice and scrimmage for Blue Raider Football under Head Coach Derek Mason. Tickets are $50 for a pair and $35 for a single ticket, with all proceeds from this exclusive event going directly to MTSU student-athletes through Raiders Rising.
This fundraiser, which kicks off the Blue Raider's official partnership with Raiders Rising, begins at 12:30 p.m. with an introduction from Coach Mason followed by a scrimmage at 1:00 p.m., which is closed to the public. With the purchase of tickets, fans will have the opportunity to meet Coach Mason and his staff, watch practice and the scrimmage from the sidelines, interact with the Football student-athletes, and be entered into a raffle to be an Honorary Coach for the Blue & White Spring Game on April 13th. Fans can purchase additional tickets to improve their odds of winning the raffle for $35 each.
Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity to support Blue Raider student-athletes and get an inside look into the MTSU program under Coach Mason's leadership. "I'm so excited about partnering with Raiders Rising to generate more NIL deals for our student-athletes," said Mason. "This Raiders Rising NIL Kickoff Practice on the 23rd is a great way to help Raiders Rising build the funding needed to help us stay competitive in this critical space."
Raiders Rising provides student-athletes from all 17 varsity teams at MTSU with opportunities to build their brands and earn income for their name, image, and likeness. This organization was founded by MTSU alums and former student-athletes and is led by Jonathon McGuire, CEO of McGuire Management Group. "We're really looking forward to this NIL kickoff event on the 23rd," said McGuire. "It will give Blue Raider fans a sneak peek into all the exciting things going on with our Football program and help generate more funds for our collective to distribute to MTSU student-athletes."
To purchase tickets or for more information on how to become a member of this new collective, visit RaidersRising.com. Be sure to follow Raiders Rising on X (formerly Twitter) at @RaidersRising.
Blue Raider alumni❗️
— Derek Mason (@CoachDerekMason) March 19, 2024
Let's show up and show out on Saturday, March 23 for the @RaidersRising NIL kickoff practice.#BoroBuiltMiddleMade pic.twitter.com/FQOSvxhkUI
Baseball hosts Liberty to open home CUSA play, Softball hosts midweek with Austin Peay
Blue Raider fans not traveling down to Baton Rouge this weekend will still have the chance to cheer on MTSU at home this weekend, when baseball hosts Liberty for their first CUSA home series of the season.
Softball will host a midweek contest with Austin Peay on Wednesday, while Soccer continues their "offseason" exhibitions on Saturday at Dean A. Hayes Track & Soccer Stadium. Check out the full weekend schedule below!
What's Happening in the 'Boro – presented by Ole South
— Middle Tennessee Athletics (@MTAthletics) March 18, 2024
Three sports are home this week!
🥎⚾️🎟️ https://t.co/FpVYoaILSx
⚽️🎟️ FREE
🎓🎟️ MTSU students get in FREE with student ID#BLUEnited pic.twitter.com/IcSFSpFd3T
Men's Golf posts strong weekend in Statesboro
Middle Tennessee men's golf took third place at the Schenkel Invitational for the second year in a row. The Blue Raiders combined for a team score of 843 (-21) as four players finished the event under par.
Michael Barnard and Owen Stamper tied for 11th individually at 210 (-6). Stamper shot a 70 (-2) in Sunday's third round, leading the team with six birdies. Barnard carded a 72 (E), making par on 14 holes.
Owen Stamper bounces back with a 70 (-2) in the final round! pic.twitter.com/AEhwLRkknE
— Middle Tennessee Men's Golf (@MT_MGolf) March 17, 2024
Mike matches Owen at 210 (-6)! pic.twitter.com/wJphVLgFGM
— Middle Tennessee Men's Golf (@MT_MGolf) March 17, 2024
Markus Varjun tied for 21st at 212 (-4). His score of 70 (-2) in the third round matched his lowest of the tournament.
Markus Varjun has been par or better in seven of his last eight rounds! pic.twitter.com/XVgZ8r6dx2
— Middle Tennessee Men's Golf (@MT_MGolf) March 17, 2024
"It was a great weekend for our program," head coach Mark McEntire said. "Always great to be in the final group the last day. It was great to play the last two days with the defending national champions. We have a very good team. Great tournament for everyone, and we're excited to get back to action in a few weeks at Vandy."
Middle Tennessee is 76-34-2 in tournament competition this season following the Schenkel Invitational.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
F
/ Women's BasketballMT Women's Basketball | Together: Episode Eight | History's door
Wednesday, January 28
Messages for Coach Insell Following his 500th Career Win
Saturday, January 24
MTSU Women's Basketball Post Game Press Conference vs Liberty 1/23/26
Saturday, January 24
MTSU Women's Basketball Post Game Press Conference vs Delaware 1/22/26
Friday, January 23
