Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
Sam Houston
Middle Tennessee baseball preps for road series with Sam Houston
4/23/2026 2:00:00 PM | Baseball
April 24-26, 2026 | Don Sanders Stadium | Huntsville, Texas |
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Sam Houston State Bearkats 18-23, 7-11 CUSA |
vs | Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders 21-20, 8-10 CUSA |
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HUNTSVILLE, Texas.- Following a series sweep of Delaware to jump up three positions in the Conference USA standings, Middle Tennessee baseball heads to Texas for a series against the Sam Houston State Bearkats.
Sam Houston sits at 7-11 in CUSA play, tied with three other teams in the league. This mark is a game back of the Blue Raiders.
The Bearkats are coming off a series sweep as well, after taking all three games on the road from New Mexico State. Prior to this, Sam Houston dropped six straight games in league play.
All three games of the weekend series will be televised on ESPN+, along with a radio broadcast and audio stream on WGNS and ESPN+ with Dylan Simmons coming to you live from Huntsville, Texas.
Friday, April 24
» Time/ Site 6:30 p.m. at Don Sanders Stadium
Middle Tennessee (21-20, 8-10 CUSA) at Sam Houston (18-23, 7-11 CUSA)
Saturday, April 25
» Time/ Site 2 p.m. at Don Sanders Stadium
Middle Tennessee (21-20, 8-10 CUSA) at Sam Houston (18-23, 7-11 CUSA)
Sunday, April 26
» Time/ Site 12 p.m. at Don Sanders Stadium
TVLast Five Games (Blue Raiders Lead 3-2)
Date Results Location
5.11.25 W, 13-3 Murfreesboro, Tenn.
5.10.25 W, 11-6 Murfreesboro. Tenn.
5.9.25 W, 4-1 Murfreesboro, Tenn.
5.22.24 L, 0-2 Ruston, La.
4.21.24 L, 2-3 Huntsville, Texas
Last Time Out: The Blue Raiders fell in a midweek contest to in-state opponent Tennessee Tech on the road in Cookeville, 12-6. Tech rode a seven-run seventh inning, after the Blue Raiders led 6-5. The offense was led by a trio of home runs.
The Last Matchup: The last time the Blue Raiders and Bearkats met in 2025, Middle Tennessee finished off a sweep in the team's last homestand of the year at The Reese. The offense run-ruled the 'Kats, backed by multi-hit days from Brett Vondohlen, Cale Vinson and Clay Badylak. RHP Ollie Akens closed it out on the mound with 1.2 IP of one-hit ball.
A Trio of Bombs: Middle Tennessee's offense was led by three home runs on Tuesday, with Brett Vondohlen, Owen Nowak and Cooper Clapp all leaving the yard. Vondohlen's was his second in the last four games, while Clapp and Nowak both picked up their sixth homers of the season.
Torbett's Terrifc: LHP Cole Torbett had a career outing for the Blue Raiders on Sunday, hurling 8.2 innings of four-hit baseball for the Blue Raiders en route to his first career CUSA Pitcher of the Week honors and TSWA Pitcher of the Week honors.
The Johnson City, Tennessee native struck out six Blue Hens while walking just one batter. The redshirt junior totaled 116 pitches in his third start of the season.
Minni's @ 31!: Senior C/1B Tyler Minnick set the longest on-base streak since 2015 after picking up a walk in the loss to Tennessee Tech. Dustin Delgado had the previous high, getting on-base in 30 straight contests.
8's Great: The Blue Raiders win on Sunday over Delaware marked the team's eighth CUSA win of the year, matching last year's total for the entire season.
Dave Deals: David Horn Jr. set the tone for Middle Tennessee's sweep over Delaware, tossing an 8.1 inning gem for the Blue Raiders. The senior righty tied a career high with nine strikeouts, while the Blue Hens only worked one run across while he was on the hill.
Rotation Rumbles: With the weekend trio of David Horn Jr., Chandler Alderman and Cole Torbett all picking up wins, the Middle Tennessee rotation combined to pitch 22.0 of MTSU's 27.0 innings.
King's Closing: Right-hander Gavin King has recently taken the mantle of closer for the Blue Raiders and has shined in the role. While the electric 6-foot-7 sophomore's fastball has ticked up to topping out at 99.2 mph, the Nashville, Tennessee native picked up a save in all three games against UD.
Overall for the week, King struck out 12 batters over 6.2 innings while holding hitters to a .095 average against with a win against Belmont to go with his trio of saves.
Blue Raiders for Three!: In Friday's 8-7 win over the Blue Hens, Nathan Brewer, Brett Vondohlen and Tyler Minnick led the way with a home run each to fuel the offensive outburst.
Dean Strike: Catcher Dean O'Neill was the hero of Tuesday night's game on offense, belting a two-run home run off the batter's eye at E.S. Rose Park to give Middle Tennessee a 10-8 lead. The homer was O'Neill's team-leading 10th of the season, and the third most in Conference USA.
Doubles on Doubles: The Blue Raider bats rewrote history on Tuesday night against Belmont, setting the program's single-game doubles record with nine as a team.
Designated hitter Layne Akers and second baseman Cooper Clapp led the way with three each, tying the single game record for the Blue Raiders.
Wolfe Goes Yard: Redshirt Junior shortstop Matt Wolfe picked up his second home run of the season against Belmont, and the Blue Raiders' first pinch-hit home run of the season.
Wolfe pulled a pitch down the left field line, playing a large part in the comeback with a two-run home run in the seventh.
Taking a trip up the Standings: With the series sweep of Delaware, the Blue Raiders jumped up from ninth in CUSA to sixth. Middle Tennessee was able to overtake NM State, WKU and Kennesaw State.
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).
