Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
Vanderbilt
Middle Tennessee baseball caps off road trip with visit to Vanderbilt
4/27/2026 3:00:00 PM | Baseball
April 28, 2026 | Hawkins Field | Nashville, Tenn. |
||||
 |
Vanderbilt Commodores 26-19, 10-11 SEC |
vs | Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders 22-22, 9-12 CUSA |
 |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee baseball is taking a short trip north, to the West End of Nashville to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores. This rekindles a yearly mainstay on the Blue Raiders schedule, and marks the lone Power Four opponent on the regular season schedule. Originally scheduled for 6 p.m., the game has been bumped up to 3:30 p.m. due to forecasted weather on Tuesday night.
The Blue Raiders had a successful trip to Vanderbilt last year, taking down the No.9 ranked 'Dores 5-3 on April 22, 2025. After that midweek loss, Vanderbilt eventually won the Southeastern Conference tournament and became the number one overall seed in the NCAA tournament last season.
Fortune has not been on the same side of the Commodores so far through 2026. They sit a game below .500 in conference play, and have dropped games to mid-major opponents including: Central Arkansas, UC Irvine and North Dakota State.
Tuesday, April 28
» Time/ Site 3:30 p.m. at Hawkins Field
Live Stats
Radio
Watch
Last Five Games (Blue Raiders Trail 2-3)
Date Results Location
4.22.25 W, 5-3 Nashville, Tenn.
4.09.24 L, 1-14 Nashville, Tenn.
5.17.22 L, 2-7 Nashville, Tenn.
5.15.18 L, 4-21 Nashville, Tenn.
4.03.18 W, 4-3 Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Last Time Out: The Blue Raiders dropped a rubber match game three to Sam Houston on Sunday, 9-4. Owen Nowak led off the game with a home run, while Cole Torbett took his first loss of the season in his fourth start.
The Last Matchup: The last time Middle Tennessee and Vanderbilt met on the diamond, the Blue Raiders pulled off the 4-3 upset against the then ninth ranked Commodores. Former Vanderbilt infielder turned Blue Raider Matt Wolfe led the way on offense, going 2-for-3 with two runs.
The pitching staff was led by the trio of Bryant Beranek, Cole Torbett and Ethan Imbimbo. Beranek went 3.0 innings of two earned runs after starting on the mound, while Imbimbo tossed 3.0 scoreless to secure the win.
Bombs Away!: In the Blue Raiders win on Saturday, the offense strung together five home runs to take down the Bearkats. Left fielder Nathan Brewer blasted off for two home runs, while Layne Akers, Tyler Minnick and Dean O'Neill all leaving the yard.
King Shoves: After picking up three saves in three games against Delaware, right-hander Gavin King switched up his pace out of the bullpen.
The Nashville native provided 4.1 innings of two-run relief, striking out eight Bearkat hitters. King picked up his third win of the year in the effort as part of the 12-8 win.
Minni's @ 34!: Senior C/1B Tyler Minnick set the longest on-base streak since 2015 in the loss to Tennessee Tech last Tuesday. The Blue Raider back stop has continued to grow the streak, with a single on Sunday pushing him to 34 games.Dustin Delgado had the previous high, getting on-base in 30 straight contests in 2015.
Layne's Leaving the Yard : DH/UTL Layne Akers had a strong weekend at the plate, hitting two home runs against the Bearkats. Akers is now up to six home runs with a .320/.390/.557 slash line in a breakout redshirt freshman campaign.
Return to the West End: Three Blue Raiders will be making their return to their former program, after spending time at Vanderbilt: IF Matt Wolfe and RHPs David Horn Jr. and Ethan Robinson.
Career-High Pumps: 1B/C Dean O'Neill has continued to set a career-high in home runs after blasting his 11th homer of the year on Saturday. His previous high was seven as a sophomore and junior at Maine.
K Counter: David Horn Jr. is up to 58 strikeouts on the season, placing him seventh in Conference USA. Gavin King is knocking on the door of the strikeout leaderboard, with 47 strikeouts to his name.
9's Fine: The Blue Raiders win on Saturday over Sam Houston eclipsed the team's CUSA win total from 2025.
A Trio of Bombs: Middle Tennessee's offense was led by three home runs last Tuesday against Tennessee Tech, 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 in game three against Delaware, 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.
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.
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.
Follow the Blue Raiders: Stay up to date with the Blue Raiders on X (@MT_Baseball), Facebook (Blue Raider Baseball) and Instagram (@MT_Baseball).
