Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
EKU
Blue Raider baseball set to host EKU for midweek clash
3/9/2026 4:00:00 PM | Baseball
March 10, 2026 | Reese Smith Jr. Field| Murfreesboro, Tenn. |
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EKU Colonels 5-11, 0-0 ASUN |
vs | Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders 9-7, 0-0 CUSA |
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MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Following the first road trip of the year, Middle Tennessee baseball returns home to take on the Eastern Kentucky Colonels for the first time since 2000.
A former Ohio Valley Conference rival of the Blue Raiders, EKU now sits in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Colonels are led by Jan Weisburg, who is in his first year with the program after spending 19 years at Birmingham-Southern College.
The Colonels are coming off a weekend series against Illinois State, taking two of three from the Redbirds. Middle Tennessee also took two of three from ISU in a weekend series two weeks ago.
Tuesday, March 9
» Time/ Site 4 p.m. at The Reese
Last Five Games (Blue Raiders Lead 3-2)
Date Results Location
5.9.00 W, 6-4 Cape Giradeau, Mo.
5.7.00 L, 7-11 Murfreesboro, Tenn.
5.6.00 L, 2-0 Murfreesboro, Tenn.
5.6.00 W, 12-2 Murfreesboro, Tenn.
5.21.99 W, 8-7 Cape Giradeau, Mo.
Last Time Out: Middle Tennessee was walked off on a grand slam by the UAB Blazers in game two of a doubleheader last Saturday, 16-14.
An Old Friend: The Blue Raiders are hosting Eastern Kentucky for the first time since Middle Tennessee left the Ohio Valley Conference in 2000. All-time, the Blue Raiders lead the series 41-24.
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 to the tune of a .294 average.
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 16 games, Badylak has taken charge of the Blue Raider infield at shortstop with 32 assists and a .980 fielding percentage.
Starters Galore: The Blue Raider pitching staff has boasted plenty of depth through the first month of the season with six different pitchers earning starts on the mound.
Drew Horn, Chandler Alderman, David Horn Jr., Gavin King, Abel Albarran and Ethan Robinson have all earned the nod from the coaching staff.
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 six 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.
Nowak Knows: The Blue Raiders first year centerfielder Owen Nowak has jumped out in his first few outings donning blue.
Nowak is hitting .313/.521/.583 through 16 games, and leads MTSU in runs scored with 20.
OPS'ing to the Moon: Through 16 games, four qualified Blue Raiders boast an OPS of over 1.000: Owen Nowak, Dean O'Neill, Tyler Minnick and Cooper Clapp.
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.
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.
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.
Listen to the Blue Raiders: All Blue Raider baseball games are scheduled to be streamed online, with Conference USA games airing on WGNS Radio.
Follow the Blue Raiders: Stay up to date with the Blue Raiders on X (@MT_Baseball), Facebook (Blue Raider Baseball) and Instagram (@MT_Baseball).
