Featured photo by Conner Smith
Story by Conner Smith
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MURFREESBORO, Tenn- Middle Tennessee baseball has some serious obstacles to hurdle if it wants to get its season back on track, and they need to be addressed yesterday.
The Blue Raiders had some big shoes to fill, losing six starters from the 2023 team, four of which are now in a MLB system. However, they returned 12 key contributors from last year’s team that made the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament while adding talented freshmen and transfers.
Even with those losses, one would assume the team would not take much of a step down considering who they brought in. That’s not how the young season has shaken out whatsoever. MTSU has been incredibly inconsistent and it is a mystery what they will produce day in and day out.
“We’ve got to become a more consistent team. When we’re playing our game, we’ve played some good baseball,” MTSU head coach Jerry Meyers said after the loss to Lipscomb earlier in the week. “Some of it is handling adversity, tight games, and getting guys experience.”
MTSU has certainly seen its highs (winning the opening series and taking No.16 Alabama to the wire) but it’s also seen the lowest of lows (losing 14-2 to University of Tennessee-Martin.)
The thing about MTSU is it has a plethora of good talent and coaching, especially on offense. Hitting coach Kevin Nichols has done a great job of developing players and the results show, with seven players batting .286 or higher. They also get on base consistently as they’ve outhit their opponents 93-88 and the top nine batters combine for a .408 on base percentage.
Even with those numbers, the Blue Raiders are averaging nearly six runs a game which is second to last among CUSA teams. MTSU is simply leaving runners stranded, which won’t cut it when conference play arrives. It must find a way to start getting runners home more often or it could be a rough season.
It’s a similar story on the pitching side; Good talent and great coaching, just too much inconsistency baked in. The pitching staff features guys like Matt Schepel, Chandler Alderman, Justin Lee, and Cole Torbett whose ERAs are all under 4.16 and have been consistently good. However, other pitchers have been lackluster at times and leave viewers wondering what just happened.
A major reason for the fall off are the free bases and errors that the pitching surrenders. Between walks and hit batters MTSU has allowed 70 walks and 15 runs due to errors through nine games. Allowing one or two extra runs a game from errors and surrendering nearly eight walks a game is not a recipe for success.
MTSU has to work with what it has and the Blue Raiders have good pitchers. They just need to become more consistent. If they can become more consistent as a team, they will have a successful season. If not, they will be left thinking what could have been for this team.
Conner Smith is a sportswriter for MTSU Sidelines. For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com. Also, follow us on Facebook and Instagram @mtsusidelines, or on X @MTSUSidelines.
