Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
UAB
Middle Tennessee baseball heads south for three-game set with UAB
3/5/2026 2:21:00 PM | Baseball
March 6-8, 2026 | Jerry D. Young Memorial Field | Birmingham, Ala. |
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UAB Blazers 7-6, 0-0 AAC |
vs | Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders 9-4, 0-0 CUSA |
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Middle Tennessee baseball is heading south for its first road trip of the year, taking on the UAB Blazers in a three-game weekend series.
While the Blue Raiders enter at 9-4, the Blazers sit at 7-6. Winners of three of the last five, UAB most recently fell 11-1 to South Alabama on Tuesday.
Friday, March 6
» Time/ Site 2 p.m. at Jerry D. Young Memorial Field
Middle Tennessee (9-4) vs. UAB (7-6)
Saturday, March 7
» Time/ Site 1 p.m. at Jerry D. Young Memorial Field
Middle Tennessee (9-4) vs. UAB (7-6)
Sunday, March 8
» Time/ Site 1 p.m. at Jerry D. Young Memorial Field
Last Five Games (Blue Raiders Lead 3-2)
Date Results Location
3.16.25 W, 3-1 Murfreesboro, Tenn.
3.16.25 L, 4-5 Murfreesboro, Tenn.
3.14.25 W, 9-7 Murfreesboro, Tenn.
5.14.23 L, 2-6 Murfreesboro, Tenn.
5.13.23 W, 8-7 Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Last Time Out: Middle Tennessee fell 8-7 to in-state rival Belmont to finish a season-opening 13-game homestand.
An Old Friend: The Blue Raiders are hitting the road for the first time all season, taking a trip down south to take on a former Conference USA foe, the UAB Blazers. The two teams matched up in Murfreesboro last season for the first series since UAB's departure to the American Athletic Conference.
Lightning Strikes 3x: The Blue Raiders led off Wednesday's game 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.
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. O'Neill leads the team with five roundtrippers, with two of them coming against Belmont.
One For Your Trouble: The Blue Raider pitching quartet of Drew Horn, Mason Dobbs, Collin Kerrigan and Landen Burch combined for a one-hitter against Murray State on March 3. Horn surrendered the one hit on an RBI single to center field.
Fresh Bats: Redshirt freshmen Layne Akers and Calvin Cook notched their first career home runs in the loss to Illinois State. Akers hit a home run to left field, while Cook lined a single through the 3-4 hole.
King takes the crown: 6-foot-7 right-hander Gavin King earned the nod in the 13-3 Friday night win over Illinois State, filling in for the scheduled starter Drew Horn. Across 5.0 innings in his first start at the Division I level, King allowed one earned run while striking out three.
Nowak Knows: The Blue Raiders first year centerfielder Owen Nowak has jumped out in his first few outings donning blue.
Nowak is hitting .342/.534/.632 through 13 games, and leads MTSU in runs scored with 18.
OPS'ing to the Moon: Through 13 games, five Blue Raiders boast an OPS of over 1.000: Owen Nowak, Dean O'Neill, Brett Rogers, Tyler Minnick and Cooper Clapp.
Willing and Abel: The Blue Raider staff combined for 8.0 innings of three-hit, one-run ball in the midweek win over TTU. Abel Albarran went 4.2 IP in the start, while Landen Burch earned the win with 1.1 IP after striking out the first hitter he saw to strand the bases loaded.
Landon Sexton, John Michael Pickens and Bryant Beranek also made appearances in the 11-1 victory.
Super Cooper: Redshirt junior second baseman Cooper Clapp had a strong week at the plate against St. Bonaventure and Alabama A&M. The Tennessee native hit .538 with a home run and 4 RBI, paired with a walkoff RBI double to beat SBU in game one.
Home Sweet Home: The Blue Raiders are home for the first 13 home games of the year. "The Reese" will host a total of 32 games throughout the 2026 season.
Super 5-for-5 Bros.: Redshirt sophomore RF Brett Rogers and senior first baseman Dean O'Neill have set a precedent at the plate. with the pair going 5-for-5 in back-to-back games. Rogers accomplished the feat in the nightcap of a doubleheader against Bellarmine, while O'Neill did it on Feb. 17 against Alabama A&M.
Trace Phillips: Two-Way Superstar, Trace Phillips was signed as an undrafted free agent after the 2025 MLB Draft to the Tampa Bay Rays. The RHP/INF signed the second highest UDFA signing bonus in history for $629,200 which is the average slot value for the third round - pick 120 in the draft.
Conference Honors: Drew Horn was the lone Blue Raider named to the 2025 All-Conference USA Preseason team after striking out 57 hitters across 46.1 IP last season.
New Bats Show Out: On opening day, first year Blue Raiders Owen Nowak and Dean O'Neill went back-to-back in the third inning, to put the Blue Raiders' offense in the driver's seat in a 8-2 win over Bellarmine.
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 protocals. WGNS will carry the team's radio broadcasts.
Follow the Blue Raiders: Stay up to date with the Blue Raiders on X (@MT_Baseball), Facebook (Blue Raider Baseball) and Instagram (@MT_Baseball).
