Blue Raider baseball to host Murray State for second midweek matchup

Tuesday, March 17

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

4 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

Murray State

3/16/2026 4:45:00 PM | Baseball

By: Willie Phaler, MTSU Athletic Communications

Tuesday, March 17 \| 4 p.m. \| Reese Smith Jr. Field \| Murfreesboro, Tenn.

	MURRAY STATE RACERS 12-8, 0-0 MVC	at	MIDDLE TENNESSEE BLUE RAIDERS 12-8, 2-1 CUSA

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – After winning two of three games against Kennesaw State to begin the Conference USA portion of the season, Middle Tennessee baseball will welcome Murray State (12-8, 0-0 MVC) to the friendly confines of Reese Smith Jr. Field for the back end of a midweek series.

Originally scheduled to take place at Murray State, the game was moved back to Murfreesboro due to ongoing field renovations for the Racers home field. In the last matchup, the Blue Raiders came out on top 5-3 after heroics from the pitching staff led to holding Murray State to a one-hit effort. Drew Horn, Mason Dobbs, Colin Kerrigan and Landen Burch contributed to the standout effort on the pitching rubber.

Middle Tennessee (12-8, 2-1 CUSA) vs. Murray State (12-8, 0-0 MVC)

Tuesday, March 17

» Time/ Site 4 p.m. at The Reese

Live Stats

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Last Five Games (Blue Raiders Lead 3-2)
Date        Results        Location
3.3.26      W, 5-3         Murfreesboro, Tenn/
2.24.21 L, 12-7 Murfreesboro, Tenn.
4.10.19 L, 12-6 Murray, Ky.
4.08.19   W, 8-5 Murfreesboro, Tenn.
4.22.00 W, 5-2 Murray, Ky.

Last Time Out: Middle Tennessee took advantage of a stellar night from the backend of the bullpen to win its first Conference USA series of the year with a 4-3 win over Kennesaw State on Sunday. Landen Burch earned his league-leading fourth win of the year, while left-hander Colin Kerrigan picked up his first career save.

Hitting in First Place: Blue Raider right fielder Brett Rogers is leading the way in batting average for Conference USA with a .395 slash line. Rogers catapulted himself into first place with a 4-for-4 performance to cap off a series win against Kennesaw State.

Milestone Watch: MTSU Skipper Jerry Meyers is on the verge of a career milestone, sitting on 249 wins in his career. Meyers could grab win 250 as soon as Tuesday's game against Murray State. A potential win would also be his 83rd at the helm of the Middle Tennessee's club.

Leadoff Thump: Centerfielder Owen Nowak had a big week out of the leadoff spot for the Blue Raiders. In four games played, the junior lefty hit .500/.556/1.000 with eight hits, seven RBI, two doubles and two home runs. Nowak slugged the walk-off, run-rule home run in the Saturday win over Kennesaw State.

Royalty in the 'Pen: In Friday's 6-1 loss to Kennesaw State, right-hander Gavin King turned in his top performance of the year in a relief role. The Nashville native tossed 5.0 innings, allowing only two hits and one run while striking out five batters.

Junior's Back on Track: Senior right-hander David Horn Jr. got himself back on track in his latest start on Sunday. As apart of the Blue Raiders' 4-3 win, Horn Jr., tossed a season-high of 5.1 innings, with five strikeouts and only one earned run allowed.

Triple Double: Blue Raiders first baseman Tyler Minnick had a historic day at the plate against EKU. The Smyrna, Georgia native tallied three doubles with four RBI in the win, becoming the first MTSU hitter to notch three doubles in a game since 2016.

Honk your Horn: Right-hander Drew Horn was named to the National Pitcher of the Year Watchlist on Wednesday. Horn holds a 4.35 ERA through 20.2 IP so far this season. The redshirt junior was the Blue Raiders' lone selection to the All-CUSA Preseason Team.

Pop Behind the Plate: MTSU's catcher tandem of Tyler Minnick and Dean O'Neill have provided some serious pop from behind the dish. Minnick has slugged four home runs, including a solo shot against Murray State and leads CUSA with 23 RBI. O'Neill leads the team with six roundtrippers, with two of them coming against Belmont while pacing the league with 23 hits.

Vondo Gondo!: Blue Raider third baseman Brett Vondohlen had a strong day in the batter's box on March 7 against UAB. Across two games, the redshirt junior went 4-for-9 from the plate with three home runs and seven RBI.

Ol' Reliable: Left-hander Chandler Alderman had a strong performance against the Blazers in game one on Saturday. Across 7.0+ innings, the 6-foot-5 southpaw held the UAB offense to two runs and two walks while striking out five hitters.

Power Surge: Senior transfer C/1B Dean O'Neill has been a huge part of the Blue Raider offense with a recent power surge. O'Neill is second in Conference USA in home runs (6) and tied for the lead in RBI (21). Both marks lead the team.

Layne Train Leaving the Station: Redshirt freshman Layne Akers has been heating up as of late in the DH spot for Middle Tennessee. In six games, the Murfreesboro native has hit two home runs and six RBI while batting at a .263 clip.

Lookout for Sticks!: Fifth-year shortstop Clay Badylak was named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watchlist. The award goes to the top shortstop in the nation each year.

Through 17 games, Badylak has taken charge of the Blue Raider infield at shortstop with 32 assists and a .981 fielding percentage.

Lightning Strikes 3x: The Blue Raiders led off the midweek game against Belmont with back-to-back-to-back home runs against the Bruins. Owen Nowak, Dean O'Neill and Brett Rogers gave Middle Tennessee a 3-0 lead before recording an out.

Watch the Blue Raiders: Select MTSU home games will be on ESPN+ in 2026. Road game broadcasts are subject to the home team's broadcast protocols. WGNS will carry the team's radio broadcasts.

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