With a win in Friday’s 8-2 series opener against Liberty University, Middle Tennessee baseball (26-29, 12-18 CUSA) clinched a berth in the Conference USA Baseball Championship in Kennesaw, Georgia.
MTSU enters the CUSA tournament as the No. 9 seed, returning to the tournament for the first time since 2024. The Blue Raiders will compete in a two-game pool play format, with a chance to advance to the semifinals.
“We’ve competed, came up short at times, but we competed against every single top team in the league,” MTSU head coach Jerry Meyers said after Saturday’s 7-5 loss to Liberty. “We have to be ready to play our best at a neutral site.”
The Blue Raiders entered pool play against No. 1-seeded Jacksonville State University (42-13, 23-7 CUSA) and No. 6-seeded Western Kentucky University (29-26,14-16 CUSA). The bottom two finishing teams will be eliminated, and the top team from each of the four pools will move on to the semifinals.
Game 1: No. 6-seeded Western Kentucky
The 100 Miles of Hate rivalry returns for a fourth edition in 2026. The last time the two teams met, the Hilltoppers defeated MTSU 8-9 in a rubber match in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The Blue Raiders won the series opener but lost both games two and three.
In the series after Middle Tennessee, WKU defeated Dallas Baptist University 2-1 in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and fell 2-1 at the University of Delaware. The strength of the Hilltoppers remains at the top of their lineup with six batters holding a .300 or better batting average.
The Hilltoppers plated six runs per game over the regular season while allowing 5.8 runs to opposing teams. Infielder Lane Arroyos leads the charge on offense for Western Kentucky, slashing .366/.474/.595 while adding seven home runs and a CUSA-leading 24 doubles. The junior had a four-hit performance in an 11-0 win over Middle Tennessee this season.
Outside of Arroyos, the Hilltoppers have many other options in the batting lineup. Austin Haller, JP Acosta and Camden Ross round out the top four in terms of hits, while catcher Kyle Hayes leads WKU in home runs with 10.
On the mound, right-hander Gavin Perry leads Western Kentucky, who pitched a complete game through seven innings in an 11-0 run-rule victory during the series against Middle Tennessee. Perry carries a 4.06 ERA in 77.2 innings, adding 77 strikeouts heading into the postseason.
Beyond Perry, WKU has rotated several arms in recent weeks. Gage Olsen has made five starts with an 8.68 ERA over 28 innings, while left-hander Dominic Monaco has started six games, posting a 6.52 ERA in 19.1 innings. The Arlington, Tennessee, has handled Sunday duties in recent weeks.
Game 2: No. 1-seeded Jax State
The last time Middle Tennessee and the Gamecocks met, Jax State swept MTSU in a weekend series in Jacksonville, Alabama. The Blue Raiders struggled to finish, winning two of the three games by one run, with one loss coming on a walk-off.
The Gamecocks’ best ranking in CUSA comes on the back — or rather the arm of their pitching staff. Jax State boasts the lowest ERA among CUSA staff at 3.68, and the fewest earned runs per game at 3.5. The Gamecocks hold opposing batters to a .217 batting average.
Leading the way out of the weekend starters for JSU is Sunday starter Steven Cash. Cash ranked second in the CUSA with a 2.92 ERA over 74 innings pitched while striking out 83 batters.
Senior arm Beau Bryans and left-hander Eli Pillsbury rank within the top 10 of CUSA arms in average ERA with a 3.36 and 3.79, respectively. With only two games in pool play, the Gamecocks will have their choice of talented arms to start the contest against the Blue Raiders.
In the batter’s box, Jax State ranks in the bottom three of CUSA lineups in home runs with 46, but it more than makes up for it with exceptional base running. The Gamecocks lead CUSA in both sacrificial hits and flies and rank third in successful stolen bases.
What to watch
With each game carrying significant weight, the first order of business is settling the two starters on the mound. Middle Tennessee has a variety of quality options, including four arms with significant time starting during the weekend series. Meyers will need to decide between David Horn Jr., Chandler Alderman, Cole Torbert and Drew Horn.
Based on past trends, Horn Jr. has the hot hand on the bump for Middle Tennessee. In the series opener against Liberty, the right-hander pitched seven innings of one-run ball while fanning nine batters. Out of the rest of the staff, Horn made his first career relief performance in the series against the Flames while Torbert received the start. Alderman has consistently started on Saturdays, posting a 6.12 ERA through 60 1/3 innings, recent struggles have included allowing six earned runs against Liberty.
Over the last seven games, the Blue Raiders averaged just under seven runs a game. If the batting trend carries over to Kennesaw, Middle Tennessee can compete with both teams despite regular-season series losses. In a hitter-friendly ballpark, MTSU needs to lean on the power hitters in the middle of the lineup to get hot, including third baseman Brett Vondohlen, catcher Dean O’Neill and designated hitter Layne Akers.
“If we can get hot and stay hot in a tournament, there’s no stopping us,” O’Neill said.
The Blue Raiders open their CUSA tournament slate against the Hilltoppers on Wednesday, followed by the Gamecocks on Thursday, with first pitch set for both games at 12:30 p.m. CDT at Mickey Dunn Stadium.
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