With a bases-loaded, walk off RBI single in the 10th inning last Friday night against Conference USA opponent Jacksonville State, senior infielder Clay Badylak put an exclamation mark on his bounce-back season.
Badylak, who began the season on the bench for the Blue Raiders after an abysmal 2024, has found an extra gear in the two-hole for the MTSU offense.
“It’s a lot of putting my faith in God and trusting him,” Badylak said. “It’s getting your confidence back and trying to play the game the right way.”
After transferring to Middle Tennessee from Frontier Community College, the infielder experienced trouble at the plate and in the field early. While carrying a .175 batting average at the plate in 63 at-bats, Badylak struggled in the field committing 14 errors in 26 games.
If qualified for CUSA statistics, Badylak’s blunders would have tied him for fourth in the league for errors.
Badylak’s poor performance last season forced head coach Jerry Meyers to bench him, with freshman infielder Grant Snider stepping in for most of April.
Primarily a shortstop in 2024, Badylak looked to second and third base for playing time this season as Vanderbilt transfer Matt Wolfe has had the position on lock for the Blue Raiders. Badylak began 2025 on the bench, serving as the backup second baseman to Cooper Clapp.
It didn’t take the Cincinnati, Ohio, native long to catch a break, however. In the opening series against Bowling Green, Clapp broke a hamate, sidelining him for nearly a month and drawing Badylak out of the dugout.
Badylak has since made the most of this opportunity, as the senior infielder is finding success at the plate in 2025.
Through 147 at-bats, the left-handed hitter slashed .293 out of the two-hole for MTSU while driving in 27 runs on 13 extra base hits. The infielder still has more to be desired in the field as he has committed 12 errors, but with a much larger sample size of 42 games in the field.
Badylak credits the turnaround to a major change in his attitude.
“It sounds a little weird, but I stopped caring so much,” Badylak said. “I had a decent fall, and I knew I would be in there [the starting lineup] at some point, so I was just waiting my turn and staying ready.”
His success also stems from looking at things bigger than baseball, Badylak said.
“Looking back at the last year, it’s been about putting my identity not in the baseball game,” Badylak said. “Putting it in something else bigger than the game, and that helped me play more free this year and gave me a lot more confidence.”
The freedom and confidence in Badylak’s play have been evident to the coaching staff, as he’s been given everyday opportunities in the field while hitting second in the lineup lately for MTSU.
“Just happy for Clay and the opportunity that was there,” Meyers said. “They walk a guy not because they are disrespecting Clay necessarily, but because they’re trying to set up a double play everywhere. Sometimes those moves don’t work, and sometimes they pay off for you.”
After dropping two of three to Jacksonville State, Badylak and the Blue Raiders sit in last place in CUSA and need a strong showing in their final six conference games to have a shot at the conference tournament.
More timely hitting from Badylak in his turnaround season would certainly help Middle Tennessee’s cause as they sit two games behind No. 8 seed Liberty, currently the last team in.
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