Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Hometown Hero: Chandler Alderman of Poplar Grove, Illinois
5/1/2024 2:32:00 PM | Baseball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Home can sometimes be a difficult concept. How does one really define home? For some, it can be a physical place. For others, it can be an idea that makes them feel secure in who they are as a person. Sometimes, it can be a physical thing or even the people that you surround yourself with. For Middle Tennessee freshman pitcher Chandler Alderman, it's been a little bit of all the above in what has been a whirlwind of a last year for the left-hander.
They physical town that Alderman grew up in is Poplar Grove, Illinois, population just over 5,000 according to the most recent census. A rural town with just one stop light and one main intersection that you could easily miss if you weren't paying close attention, it's a place where everybody knows each other. Chandler's father, Kevin, also grew up there and played sports and is friends to this day with a lot of the men that grew up beside him in the community just south of the Wisconsin border.
"One of the advantages of living in a small town is knowing everyone and the community support," Kevin said. "Everything is laid back and it's a great place to call home."
A lot of the time in small-town America, sports is something that natives take a lot of pride in, and Poplar Grove is no excuse to that generalization.
"I played a lot of sports growing up," Chandler said. "Sports is one thing that's important in our town because there isn't a lot to do. I played baseball, football and basketball."
His dad coached him in little league all the way until end of eighth grade. He more than anyone has contributed to his success. Since he grew up in Poplar Grove and played sports, he knew what it was like and was able to mentor Chandler and make sure that he ended up getting to where he wanted to go.
"(Coaching Chandler) was very rewarding for me," Kevin said. "Even to this day his friends all still call me coach. We had a lot of success in his younger days and as they all got older watching them develop into high school athletes and being a part of that path was very rewarding. They put in a lot of hard work and my coaches did, too."
There's a lot of dads that were coaches in that area and they got to all experience them growing together and seeing the hard work pay off. During the Covid pandemic when sports got put on hold, it inspired Kevin to drive home the message to Chandler to always play the game like it's your last one. You never truly know when it's going to be over, so always give your all and compete to the highest level. Hard work was second nature for Chandler even at a young age because it was second nature for Kevin from when he grew up playing little league ball in Poplar Grove. Teaching those lessons was something that Kevin took to heart.
Controlling what you can control is perhaps the one that really was driven home to Chandler the most. Being able to adjust and move on when facing adversity or making the most of what you had helped him develop into someone that really can command a game on the mound. Something outside Kevin's control was the fact that playing just little league ball in Poplar Grove wasn't going to get Chandler a ton of exposure. He knew he'd have to step back and get Chandler into a good travel ball program so that he could gain that exposure and develop into a college athlete.
"(My dad) knew I wanted to go to a big school for baseball and did a lot to help me get my name out there," Chandler said.
"Stepping back from coaching to be a dad was the biggest step I had to take," Kevin said. "We still always had discussions after the game about what was going on and how you can change things. If a teammate makes an error, don't let it bother you. Go on to the next pitch. He does a good job of that and shows little emotion and keeps composure."
Between the close support of the community and the relationship with his family and other coaches, it all led to offers coming in from division one schools for Chandler. Where Chandler was nervous about the process, Kevin and his wife, Angie, were also stressed during the process. The community support as well as the tight-knit bond they had as a family helped them navigate the process, however, as it was uncharted territory for an athlete coming out of North Boone High School. Alderman is the first athlete, regardless of sport, to earn a scholarship to the Division I level.
"I was the first one to make it out of (North Boone) High School on a Division I scholarship," Alderman said. "It's almost unheard of for anyone around me to go for any sport to the Division I level. We had eight guys from my travel ball team make it to the Division I level, so I think it was probably a big reason it helped me get to MTSU."
As he began to realize that playing college baseball was closer to becoming a reality, it made Chandler nervous knowing that he was going to be leaving the place that became a safety net for him for the past 18 years.
"The first time I ever got a call from a school, I remember sending my dad out of the room because I was just so nervous," Chandler said. "It was a weird feeling because I was nervous, but I knew that my hard work and everything my coaches and family did for me was paying off."
Chandler had a great relationship with MTSU coach Jerry Meyers and knew Meyers' track record as a pitching coach spoke for itself.
"As a dad, (the recruiting process) made me nervous," Kevin said. "I wanted to make sure we could help him do the right thing as best as we could because (playing Division I baseball) was his goal. Not being through that before, we weren't always sure what the right moves were. We met every week as a family and went over the pros and cons and make sure there was good communication with coaches."
Fortunately for Blue Raider fans, MTSU remained at the top of the list during the process. Though Chandler was the one that ultimately made the decision, it was a proud moment for Kevin, Angie and Chandler's sister, Marlee, when their son and brother informed them that Murfreesboro was the place he wanted to be, even if it was nine hours away.
The reaction in the community was very positive. It was a big honor for him to be one of the first to be a Division I athlete from North Boone. There have been several occasions where some of the Alderman's lifelong friends have gone to watch Chandler pitch on television and go to restaurants in town to watch. Being able to have the support of the community that expresses how proud they are of Chandler has made it a much easier transition to not having him at home every day.
In fact, in the short time he's been at MTSU, you could say that home is now wherever a pitching mound is. No matter if it was a little league field in Poplar Grove, on a field in Kansas City during a high school tournament, or on the bump at Reese Smith Jr. Field in Murfreesboro, Chandler knows that it's no different than those early days with his dad when he first picked up a baseball.
It all came to a head on March 23 against Liberty when he tossed the fourth no-hitter in program history. Just like he'd done all his life, he never got ahead of himself.
"(Seeing his success) is just such a proud moment as a parent," Kevin said. "I always felt that he could do this, it's just been a matter of him doing the work to do it. What's even better is that we talk after every single game about what he does and doesn't do. It's almost like we talk like best friends, not father-son anymore. No matter what you say as a parent, I'm able to live through him. When he tells me what he's doing, I'm living through him and his experience and I'm so proud of the enjoyment and success that he's having."
Family and baseball are rooted in Poplar Grove for Chandler Alderman, so it will allow him to always be home no matter where he is. Being far away after going to nearly all his games growing up has been hard but has ultimately made Chandler and Kevin's relationship even stronger. The two talk at least once, if not more than that, a day. It's not always about baseball. It could be a joke about the last thing they saw on TV, or maybe how many packs of ramen Chandler has consumed as a new college student.
"(Poplar Grove) and my family have given me everything that's gone into (the success) this year," Chandler said.
Even though Chandler Alderman isn't physically sitting in Poplar Grove daily, anymore, that pitching mound and all the security it's given him and how much more it's connected him to his family prove that home's wherever he decides to go as he continues his baseball career and his journey in life.
They physical town that Alderman grew up in is Poplar Grove, Illinois, population just over 5,000 according to the most recent census. A rural town with just one stop light and one main intersection that you could easily miss if you weren't paying close attention, it's a place where everybody knows each other. Chandler's father, Kevin, also grew up there and played sports and is friends to this day with a lot of the men that grew up beside him in the community just south of the Wisconsin border.
"One of the advantages of living in a small town is knowing everyone and the community support," Kevin said. "Everything is laid back and it's a great place to call home."
A lot of the time in small-town America, sports is something that natives take a lot of pride in, and Poplar Grove is no excuse to that generalization.
"I played a lot of sports growing up," Chandler said. "Sports is one thing that's important in our town because there isn't a lot to do. I played baseball, football and basketball."
His dad coached him in little league all the way until end of eighth grade. He more than anyone has contributed to his success. Since he grew up in Poplar Grove and played sports, he knew what it was like and was able to mentor Chandler and make sure that he ended up getting to where he wanted to go.
"(Coaching Chandler) was very rewarding for me," Kevin said. "Even to this day his friends all still call me coach. We had a lot of success in his younger days and as they all got older watching them develop into high school athletes and being a part of that path was very rewarding. They put in a lot of hard work and my coaches did, too."
There's a lot of dads that were coaches in that area and they got to all experience them growing together and seeing the hard work pay off. During the Covid pandemic when sports got put on hold, it inspired Kevin to drive home the message to Chandler to always play the game like it's your last one. You never truly know when it's going to be over, so always give your all and compete to the highest level. Hard work was second nature for Chandler even at a young age because it was second nature for Kevin from when he grew up playing little league ball in Poplar Grove. Teaching those lessons was something that Kevin took to heart.
Controlling what you can control is perhaps the one that really was driven home to Chandler the most. Being able to adjust and move on when facing adversity or making the most of what you had helped him develop into someone that really can command a game on the mound. Something outside Kevin's control was the fact that playing just little league ball in Poplar Grove wasn't going to get Chandler a ton of exposure. He knew he'd have to step back and get Chandler into a good travel ball program so that he could gain that exposure and develop into a college athlete.
"(My dad) knew I wanted to go to a big school for baseball and did a lot to help me get my name out there," Chandler said.
"Stepping back from coaching to be a dad was the biggest step I had to take," Kevin said. "We still always had discussions after the game about what was going on and how you can change things. If a teammate makes an error, don't let it bother you. Go on to the next pitch. He does a good job of that and shows little emotion and keeps composure."
Between the close support of the community and the relationship with his family and other coaches, it all led to offers coming in from division one schools for Chandler. Where Chandler was nervous about the process, Kevin and his wife, Angie, were also stressed during the process. The community support as well as the tight-knit bond they had as a family helped them navigate the process, however, as it was uncharted territory for an athlete coming out of North Boone High School. Alderman is the first athlete, regardless of sport, to earn a scholarship to the Division I level.
"I was the first one to make it out of (North Boone) High School on a Division I scholarship," Alderman said. "It's almost unheard of for anyone around me to go for any sport to the Division I level. We had eight guys from my travel ball team make it to the Division I level, so I think it was probably a big reason it helped me get to MTSU."
As he began to realize that playing college baseball was closer to becoming a reality, it made Chandler nervous knowing that he was going to be leaving the place that became a safety net for him for the past 18 years.
"The first time I ever got a call from a school, I remember sending my dad out of the room because I was just so nervous," Chandler said. "It was a weird feeling because I was nervous, but I knew that my hard work and everything my coaches and family did for me was paying off."
Chandler had a great relationship with MTSU coach Jerry Meyers and knew Meyers' track record as a pitching coach spoke for itself.
"As a dad, (the recruiting process) made me nervous," Kevin said. "I wanted to make sure we could help him do the right thing as best as we could because (playing Division I baseball) was his goal. Not being through that before, we weren't always sure what the right moves were. We met every week as a family and went over the pros and cons and make sure there was good communication with coaches."
Fortunately for Blue Raider fans, MTSU remained at the top of the list during the process. Though Chandler was the one that ultimately made the decision, it was a proud moment for Kevin, Angie and Chandler's sister, Marlee, when their son and brother informed them that Murfreesboro was the place he wanted to be, even if it was nine hours away.
The reaction in the community was very positive. It was a big honor for him to be one of the first to be a Division I athlete from North Boone. There have been several occasions where some of the Alderman's lifelong friends have gone to watch Chandler pitch on television and go to restaurants in town to watch. Being able to have the support of the community that expresses how proud they are of Chandler has made it a much easier transition to not having him at home every day.
In fact, in the short time he's been at MTSU, you could say that home is now wherever a pitching mound is. No matter if it was a little league field in Poplar Grove, on a field in Kansas City during a high school tournament, or on the bump at Reese Smith Jr. Field in Murfreesboro, Chandler knows that it's no different than those early days with his dad when he first picked up a baseball.
It all came to a head on March 23 against Liberty when he tossed the fourth no-hitter in program history. Just like he'd done all his life, he never got ahead of himself.
"(Seeing his success) is just such a proud moment as a parent," Kevin said. "I always felt that he could do this, it's just been a matter of him doing the work to do it. What's even better is that we talk after every single game about what he does and doesn't do. It's almost like we talk like best friends, not father-son anymore. No matter what you say as a parent, I'm able to live through him. When he tells me what he's doing, I'm living through him and his experience and I'm so proud of the enjoyment and success that he's having."
Family and baseball are rooted in Poplar Grove for Chandler Alderman, so it will allow him to always be home no matter where he is. Being far away after going to nearly all his games growing up has been hard but has ultimately made Chandler and Kevin's relationship even stronger. The two talk at least once, if not more than that, a day. It's not always about baseball. It could be a joke about the last thing they saw on TV, or maybe how many packs of ramen Chandler has consumed as a new college student.
"(Poplar Grove) and my family have given me everything that's gone into (the success) this year," Chandler said.
Even though Chandler Alderman isn't physically sitting in Poplar Grove daily, anymore, that pitching mound and all the security it's given him and how much more it's connected him to his family prove that home's wherever he decides to go as he continues his baseball career and his journey in life.
Players Mentioned
LHP
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