Conference play hasn’t been kind to Middle Tennessee baseball in 2025. With three weeks left in the Conference USA baseball regular season, the Blue Raiders sit eighth in the league with a 4-14 record in conference play.
Through 18 games and six weekend series, Middle Tennessee has only picked up four wins while being run-ruled five times in league play.
Most recently, MTSU was swept on the road against the New Mexico State Aggies. This wrapped up a seven-game road trip, where the Blue Raiders went 2-5, with the stretch highlighted by a historic win over No. 9 Vanderbilt.
“I wish it would count as a conference game,” head coach Jerry Meyers said following the victory. “We didn’t get the job done [in conference play].”
Not getting the job done in conference play is a good summary of the CUSA season so far for Meyers and the Blue Raiders. With a .222 winning percentage and a -75 run differential, league play has been rough for MTSU.
“We’ve faced the adversity, we’ve had some games where we’ve played well and won,” Meyers said. “We’ve also had some others where we couldn’t seal the deal, or one big inning hurt us. That’s happened quite a few times.”
Big innings for opposing offenses aren’t uncommon against MTSU, as Meyers said, but the Blue Raiders couldn’t stay away from it this past weekend against NMSU. In the fourth inning of game two, the Aggies piled on six runs against pitchers Chandler Alderman and Ethan Imbimbo. The Aggies piled on six hits, while one batter drew a walk and one reached on an error.
Extended inning troubles continued in game three of the series, as MTSU let up seven runs in the fourth, along with five in the sixth on the way to a 16-8 loss.
A large part of Middle Tennessee’s conference woes originated on the mound. Trace Phillips, who started on Friday nights at the start of the season, is out “indefinitely” according to Meyers.
“We’ve gotten quality starts from multiple guys,” Meyers said. “We’ve had to move some guys around, and some guys are either banged up or not recovered extremely well, so we’ve just got to settle in and hopefully get off to a good start.”
In place of Phillips, the majority of those innings have been filled by Will Jenkins and Colin Kerrigan, who have been bumped up from the bullpen for MTSU.
Kerrigan has most recently shouldered the load in the rotation, making the last three starts to begin the conference series. In game one against NMSU, Kerrigan allowed four runs (one earned) in four innings while striking out and walking two each.
With Drew Horn unable to go against NMSU, Jenkins made a spot start on Sunday and struggled to find the zone, as the redshirt senior walked four while allowing two runs in 2.1 innings of work.
Both pitchers who have filled in for the Blue Raiders have shown promise at times. Against Louisiana Tech on April 11, Kerrigan provided MTSU with good length across 5.1 innings but allowed five runs on the way to picking up the loss that day.
Jenkins has shown that his stuff can play on the mound against opponents at times, including six innings of three-run ball against Dallas Baptist, and some relief appearances as well, including three shutout frames against Belmont. There have been a few outings that have gotten away from him, though, including giving up nine runs in 3.2 innings to Liberty.
The pitching troubles have leaked into the bullpen for MTSU, as pulling both Kerrigan and Jenkins to fill the roles of starting pitchers has diminished depth for the unit. It’s also cost Middle Tennessee late in games.
“We’ve had a couple of opportunities with five outs to go or six outs to go or whatever it was to have a chance to have won two out of three, but it didn’t happen,” Meyers said.
The injury woes have also carried over into the field for the Blue Raiders. Outfielder Nathan Brewer also received the indefinite tag from Meyers, as he is sidelined with a broken hamate. Brewer provided tons of pop for MTSU, as he slashed .278/.300/.546 along with six home runs. That mark is still good for the top five on the team.
The injury bug hasn’t stopped there either, as infielder Cooper Clapp suffered that same injury in the opening series against Bowling Green. Clapp returned to the lineup just a month after breaking the bone in his hand but has struggled since. The Florida Southwestern Community College transfer has hit .191 through 68 at-bats, while picking up only one extra-base hit and five RBIs.
The Blue Raiders series against NMSU also showcased inconsistency at the plate. The strength of this team has been with a bat in their hands as they are fourth in CUSA with a .284 batting average and third with 52 home runs. However, this firepower didn’t show up in the first two games of their trip to Las Cruces, New Mexico, as in the first 16 innings of the series, MTSU mustered only one run.
With nine conference games left on the schedule, the Blue Raiders look to right the ship amidst these woes.
“We’re trying to build and get better,” Meyers said. “A little bit better, a little more consistent and see if we can do everything, we can to play our best baseball down the stretch and give ourselves the best chance.”
MTSU will host Jacksonville State and Sam Houston for three-game sets before hitting the road to Kennesaw State to finish the regular season.
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