Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Baseball
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach/Pitching Coach
- Phone:
- 494-7762
Jerry Meyers is the 23rd baseball coach in Middle Tennessee history. He served as the interim head coach for the 2023 season after holding the title of pitching coach and associate head coach in 2022. The 2025 season will be considered his third season at the helm of the program.
After spending the 2023 season as the program’s interim head coach, Middle Tennessee Baseball head coach Jerry Meyers had the interim tag removed from his title at the end of the season and was named the head coach of the Blue Raider program in May 2023.
In the 2023 C-USA Tournament, the Blue Raiders went on a run to the semifinals after winning their opening two games. The 2-0 start was the first time since 2006 MTSU had that start at a conference tournament, and for the first time ever as members of Conference USA. A No. 7 seed, MTSU was the lowest tournament seed to reach the CUSA semifinals since Rice in 2019.
"When you look at his total resume, it's very impressive," Director of Athletics Chris Massaro said when Meyers’ interim tag was removed in 2023. "I want our fans to know the success he has enjoyed as a pitching coach, the multiple trips to Omaha and the national championship ring he has earned. I think we have a bright future. You learn a great deal from a coach in the way he fights through adversity. I liked how he handled his team and the way he developed his players."
MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee echoed Massaro's praises of Meyers in 2023. "Our Conference USA tournament run this year was very good, and it says a lot when you are playing your best at postseason time," he said. "Coach Meyers and his staff deserve a lot of credit."
"First off, I would like to thank everyone for this opportunity," said Meyers. "I want to thank Massaro, Dr. Sidney McPhee, Chairman of the Board Stephen B. Smith, everyone that has played for this program, the coaches that have been here prior to this point and have built a great tradition, and I want to especially thank this year's team that did everything we asked them to do. The program moving forward will be built on guys with strong character that do things the right way, that want to win and compete for championships every year. We didn't do things the easy way this year, but we did things that are special, and we played our most competitive baseball at the end of the year, which is a testament to the group that we had this season."
Meyers led a team in 2023 which took five of six games from rival WKU, earned C-USA series sweeps over WKU and FIU and a quintet of series wins in conference play.
Dating back to at least 1974, MTSU's series sweep over WKU April 6-8 represented the first three-game sweep over WKU in Bowling Green.
MTSU defeated a ranked team on the road for the first time since 2015, taking down No. 16 Dallas Baptist May 6, 2023. He would be victorious again vs. No. 25 Dallas Baptist a year later in 2024, this time at Reese Smith Jr. Field.
Under the tutelage of Meyers, members of the Blue Raider roster excelled and earned high accolades.
Left-handed pitcher Chandler Alderman threw the fourth ever no-hitter in MTSU history vs. Liberty on March 23, 2024. The freshman phenom completed the eighth inning shutout with 11 strikeouts to notch the milestone. He earned Conference USA Pitcher of the Week and Tennessee Sports Writers Association Pitcher of the Week for that performance. Alderman would later earn Conference USA All-Freshman and Second Team honors.
Third baseman Brett Vondohlen had a record setting night with a 10-RBI performance vs. longtime rival WKU on April 26, 2024. The redshirt freshman went 4-for-5 with three home runs, two of which were grand slams, and the other being a two-run shot to grab the win 16-9 vs. the Hilltoppers. He earned D1 Baseball’s Top Performer and the Golden Spikes Performance of the Week for his record setting night.
Catcher Briggs Rutter notched the third cycle in MTSU history on March 12, 2024 vs. NM State. The four-year starter sequenced it by hitting the single first, then triple, double, and then topping it off with a home run.
Two-way player Trace Phillips earned Conference USA All-Freshman and All-CUSA Second Team his first year on the squad. Phillips hit the second most home runs on the team while also tallying the fourth most innings pitched. He also earned Tennessee Sports Writers Association Pitcher of the Week on May 14, 2024 for going nine innings in two starts, striking out 13 batters only allowing one run.
Right-handed pitcher Jaden Hamm earned Tennessee Sports Writers Association Pitcher of the Week honors twice, and was named to the Conference USA First Team in a season for him which included a complete-game, one hit shutout on March 10, 2023.
Right-handed pitcher Eriq Swan also stood out as a member of the pitching rotation, earning Tennessee Sports Writers Association Pitcher of the Week on May 16, 2023 and claiming a spot on the Conference USA All-Tournament Team.
After the 2023 season, Swan and Hamm were selected higher in the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft than any Blue Raider since 2010. Swan was selected at No. 137 overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth compensatory round, while Hamm earned a call from the Detroit Tigers in the fifth round at pick No. 143.
Right-handed pitcher James Sells finished the 2023 season as MTSU's leader in both wins and saves, claiming a save in each of the Blue Raiders' wins at WKU April 6-8 and earning Conference USA Pitcher of the Week honors in the process.
Shortstop Brett Coker was one of four hitters with a batting average above .300 and secured a spot on the Conference USA All-Conference First-Team alongside Hamm. Catcher Jeremiah Boyd hit .306 on the year and had a team-high 13 runs as a graduate transfer from Presbyterian College. And MTSU had a conference-high three players named to the league's All-Freshman team in RHPs Ollie Akens, Patrick Johnson and Catcher/Utility Jared Vetetoe.
The Blue Raiders were also strong academically, with Boyd being named to the Conference USA All-Academic team in 2023 and Eston Snider earning a spot in 2024, and Hamm, Boyd, Snider and DJ Wright all earning a spot on the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District roster.
Before arriving at MTSU, Meyers served two stints as pitching coach at South Carolina, from 1997-2004 and from 2011-2017. While at South Carolina, he helped lead the Gamecocks to five College World Series appearances, a national championship in 2011 and two national runner-up finishes in 2002 and 2012. He also developed 13 All-American players during his time in Columbia. Jerry Meyers coached some of South Carolina's top college pitchers, including Kip Bouknight, the 2000 Golden Spikes Award winner.
Meyers also served as head coach at Old Dominion from 2005-2010. And in 2008, Meyers served as pitching coach of the Team USA Collegiate National Team, helping lead the squad to the gold medal at the World Championships in the Czech Republic.
Born in Harvey, Illinois, in 1965, Meyers was a four-year letterwinner at Iowa State, where he graduated in 1987 before completing his master's at South Alabama as a baseball graduate assistant in 1989.
Meyers lives in Murfreesboro with his wife, Chris. He is the father of two daughters, Audrey and Riley.
Honors/Awards
- 13 All-American players developed during his time with the Gamecocks (Ryan Bordenick 2x, Adam Everett, Mike Curry, Kip Bouknight, Lee Gronkiewicz, Yaron Peters, Blake Taylor, David Marchbanks, Landon Powell, Chad Blackwell, Micheal Roth, and Kyle Martin).
- 128 Players drafted in the MLB draft from his squad over the years at ODU, USC, and now MTSU.
- 2006 CAA Coach of the Year
- 2008 Team USA Pitching Coach - Gold Medal
What they are saying about Coach Meyers
Ray Tanner, South Carolina AD, former HC at South Carolina
"Jerry Meyers is a national championship pitching coach. He is among the best in all of college baseball. The impact that he will have on the MTSU pitching staff will be immediate."
Tim Corbin, Head Baseball Coach, Vanderbilt
"Jerry has always been one of the premier pitching coaches in the country. When you look at the South Carolina teams that he was a part of, pitching success was paramount, and he had a lot to do with that. At the heart of it, Jerry has a teacher’s spirit for pitching. He is a very good instructor."
Eric Campbell, USA Baseball
"Jerry was our pitching coach for the 2008 USA Team that went 24-0. It was one of those historic national collegiate teams, and Jerry led a great pitching staff. It was a pitching staff that had a 0.88 ERA and helped win the World Championship against Japan in the Czech Republic. I’m just so glad he’s back in the game. I am so excited for him and Middle Tennessee State that we have a true pitching talent back on the baseball field."
Clarke Schmidt, Pitcher, New York Yankees
"It’s tough to put into words the impact Coach Meyers has had on my career. Not only was he a great mentor and coach, but he made a lasting impact on me off the field. The amount of time that (Meyers) puts in behind the scenes doesn’t go unnoticed. He is relentless in his efforts to not only help the individual player, but also help the pitching staff and team. I will forever be grateful for the time I got to spend with Coach Meyers throughout my college experience, and I’m thankful to still have a strong relationship with him today."
Grayson Greiner, Catcher, Detroit Tigers
"Coach Meyers is one of the most genuine, dedicated, and intelligent coaches I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing for. He had an immense impact on me as a catcher with what he taught me about the game of baseball. Middle Tennessee State is getting an outstanding coach, but an even better man."
Jordan Montgomery, Pitcher, Arizona Diamondbacks - World Series Champion
Coach Meyers made an immediate impact on me in college. He taught me a great deal about pitching and competing.
