Blue Raider baseball prepares for matchup with Lipscomb

Tuesday, April 7

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

6 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

Lipscomb

4/6/2026 5:00:00 PM | Baseball

By: Willie Phaler, MTSU Athletic Communications

Tuesday, April 7 \| 6 p.m. \| Reese Smith Jr. Field \| Murfreesboro, Tenn.

	LIPSCOMB BISONS 17-11, 3-3 OVC	at	MIDDLE TENNESSEE BLUE RAIDERS 16-12, 5-4 CUSA

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee baseball is returning to campus for a mid week match up against regional foe Lipscomb at Reese Smith Jr Field on Tuesday.

Lipscomb comes into the match up after dropping two of three to Bellamine, while the Blue Raiders come home after a weekend set against Jacksonville State. Tuesday's match up will be the 67th game between the two programs, and marks the fifth year in a row with a midweek series between the two.

Middle Tennessee (16-16, 5-7 CUSA) vs. Lipscomb (14-14, 3-3 ASUN)

Tuesday, March 17

» Time/ Site 6 p.m. at The Reese

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Last Five Games (Blue Raiders Trail 2-3)
Date                Results            Location
05.06.25       L, 2-7 Nashville
04.01.25          W, 14-9 Murfreesboro, Tenn.
05.07.24          L, 1-7   Nashville
02.27.24       L, 3-7 Murfreesboro, Tenn.
04.19.23          W, 6-2   Nashville

Last Time Out: Middle Tennessee fell 3-1 in game three of its weekend series against CUSA rival Jacksonville State.

Familiar Foe: Tuesday's matchup between Middle Tennessee and Lipscomb will mark the 67th matchup between the two schools. Lipscomb leads the series 36-30, while the two sides split the home and home last season. The teams have met for a two game series every season since 2022.

Mr. Double: After the weekend series against Jax State, catcher Tyler Minnick is up to third in CUSA in doubles with 13. Minnick picked up two doubles last week, including one during game one of the series on Thursday.

Junior Jumps Ahead: Right-hander David Horn Jr. picked up another strong outing on the mound, picking up six strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work. Horn held CUSA's standings leader to just two runs over those six frames.

Layne Train Takes Three: While earning the nod at first base for the first time this season, redshirt freshman Layne Akers picked up his first career triple in game two against Jax State. Akers cleared the bases, adding three RBI to his total of 25 on the season.

Never Fear, For Torbett is Here: Redshirt junior left-hander Cole Torbett made his first two appearances of the season last week, including a start on Friday against Jax State.

In his first start of the season, the Johnson City, Tennessee native hurled 3.0 innings, striking out five Gamecocks while not allowing an earned run. Torbett added a scoreless frame last Tuesday in his first appearane of the season against Southern Indiana.

Breaking out the Brooms: The Blue Raiders' series sweep over NM State was the team's first sweep since taking down Sam Houston last May during the team's last home series. Prior to that, Middle Tennessee's last Conference USA sweep was in 2023 against rival Western Kentucky.

Layne Leading the Way: UTL Layne Akers was on fire last week for the Blue Raiders. The Murfreesboro native collected eight hits and 11 RBI on the way to a .471/.500/.765 slash line, and capped off the strong week with a grand slam on the first pitch he saw Sunday. Akers was awarded with CUSA Hitter of the Week honors, earning Middle Tennessee's first weekly award of the season, along with the TSWA Player of the Week award

Huge Homeruns: Along with Akers' grand slam on Sunday against NM State, Nathan Brewer and Dean O'Neill added to the long ball total. Brewer picked up his fifth home run of the year with a two-run home run, while O'Neill added his team-leading ninth homer on a pulled solo home run off the Lee Victory Wall.

Kerrigan's Killin' It: Left-hander Colin Kerrigan had an exceptional weekend out of the bullpen for Middle Tennessee, picking up two decisions in the first two games of the weekend series.

On Friday night, the Nashville native picked up his second win of the season in a dominant outing, striking out the side in the ninth. Kerrigan returned to the bump on Saturday, picking up the save while striking out three across 1.2 IP.

Milestone Reached: MTSU Skipper Jerry Meyers picked up his 250th career win after Tuesday's game against Alabama A&M. It was Meyers' 83rd win at the helm of Middle Tennessee's club midway through his fourth season in Murfreesboro.

Opening Day Blue Raiders: Five former Blue Raiders are on the verge of beginning the season in affiliated ranks. RHPs Jaden Hamm (Detroit), Trace Phillips (Tampa Bay), Eriq Swan (Washington) along with catchers Jeremiah Boyd (Arizona) and Aaron Antonini (Detroit) are scheduled to begin the year in the MiLB.

Decisions, Decisions: Blue Raider right-hander Landen Burch leads the team in both wins and losses with a 4-3 record. The Corning, New York native is tied for the CUSA lead in wins with four, while being tied for the team lead in saves with two.

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).