Two months into the Middle Tennessee baseball season, head coach Jerry Meyers’ squad is sitting just above .500 at 16-13 with a 5-4 mark in Conference USA play.

With 29 games in the rearview mirror, a handful of players have had strong starts for the Blue Raiders, while the team has struggled in road series.

Mid-season standouts

No player for Middle Tennessee has a hotter bat than designated hitter Layne Akers. Akers received CUSA Player of the Week honors on Monday, slashing .471/.500/.765 with 11 RBI.

The highlight of Akers’ strong week at the plate included the second-generation Blue Raiders’ first career grand slam in the first inning of Sunday’s 9-6 series-clinching win over New Mexico State University.

“I was seeing the ball well in BP and just had confidence,” Akers said. “With the wind blowing out, I knew if I put a good swing on it, it would take care of itself.”

After stepping into the lineup as the designated hitter, Akers looked as advertised, solidifying his spot in the batting order. In 64 at-bats, the redshirt freshman has amassed 19 hits, 19 RBIs and four home runs.

Alongside Akers, first baseman Dean O’Neill continues to impress in the batter’s box. The University of Maine transfer ranks third in CUSA in hits with 39 and fourth in home runs with nine.

O’Neill slots into the four hole in the batting lineup and has provided steady offensive production for the Blue Raiders, posting a .331 batting average. Alongside the consistent hitting, O’Neill continues to launch long balls at a career-best rate.

With a home run in Sunday’s win over NMSU, O’Neill toppled his previous career high of eight homers.

While MTSU’s offense has stolen the headlines, junior arm Collin Kerrigan has emerged as a key piece in the bullpen for the Blue Raiders. With the starting pitching rotation consistently falling on Chandler Alderman, Drew Horn and David Horn Jr., Kerrigan has provided valuable innings in relief.

Kerrigan, a tenured member of Middle Tennessee’s pitching staff, has stepped into a closer role as the season progresses. In 2025, the left-hander started six games and pitched 34 2/3 innings. So far in 2026, Kerrigan has pitched 20 innings while adding his first two career saves.

“Sometimes even going back-to-back days, as good as he [Kerrigan] was, striking out five of the first six he faced in two outings, it shows what our guys can do when they execute,” Meyers said.

In the Blue Raiders’ last two series wins against Kennesaw State University and New Mexico State, Kerrigan made two separate appearances on the mound in the later innings. In the series against the Aggies, Kerrigan carried a five-batter straight strikeout streak before running into trouble late in Saturday’s series-clinching win.

Trouble away from home

The biggest challenge facing Middle Tennessee is winning a CUSA series away from Reese Smith Jr. Field. With a looming matchup with Jacksonville State University (24-6,9-0 CUSA), the road is not looking any easier.

In seven road matchups this season, the Blue Raiders sit at 1-6, with the only win coming in a 10-2 victory over Alabama A&M University, whom MTSU previously beat 19-2 in seven innings. The six losses came in series sweeps at the hands of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and CUSA opponent Missouri State University.

“If we can just bounce around and support each other, we can take that energy into away series as well,” O’Neill said.

Pitching needs to be the focus heading into the series against the Gamecocks. In the Blue Raiders’ series loss to Missouri State, MTSU allowed 30 runs compared to 17 runs scored. In the second leg of the series, all 14 runs allowed by the pitching staff were earned, including four home runs.

On the flip side, the Gamecocks’ strength lies in their exceptional pitching staff. Jax State ranks first in several pitching stats, including ERA with 3.56 and an opposing batting average of .211.

“It’s a big series, and they’ve got a really good team,” Meyers said. “We’re gonna have to play as clean as we can and compete every pitch. Obviously, they’re sitting at the top of the league, and they’re there for a reason.”

With a 7-2 midweek loss to the University of Southern Indiana still fresh, the Blue Raiders will travel to Jacksonville, Alabama, to take on Jax State April 2-4. First pitch on Thursday is scheduled for 6 p.m. CDT at Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium. 

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