NCAA Regionals Jacque Jones, who also added a triple. The Raiders managed 10 singles and were led by Craig Reavis (2-5, two runs scored) and Chris Goggin (2-4, two RBIs). Richie Conway took the mound and pitched 7.2 innings to claim the victory over the Bears of Southwest Missouri State 5-3. Middle Tennessee used timely hitting and exploited one SMS error to score three unearned runs, while George Oleksik came in to shut the door late, earning the save. Heroes offensively included Goggin (2-4, one run, RBI) and Jamie Walker, who had a pinch-hit RBI single to cap a three-run fourth inning. The Blue Raiders jumped out to a 16-9 lead with an eight-run sixth inning only to watch Pepperdine claw their way back and eventually steal an 18-17 victory in 12 innings. The Raiders had three players with three hits, led by Jordan Beddies (3-6, two runs, five RBIs, one HR). Goggin continued his fine play in the regional, going 3 for 6 with two runs scored and three RBIs, powered by a double and a triple.
2000 Clemson Regional Clemson, S.C.
Middle Tennessee swept through the OVC Tournament and earned the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament as the fourth seed at the Clemson Regional. The Blue Raiders opened with a game against the host Tigers and sent a former Tiger to the mound in Jeff Parsons. Parsons pitched well, but the Tigers chipped away, scoring single runs in the fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth innings to net a 4-0 shutout sending the Blue Raiders into the loser’s bracket early. Middle Tennessee would not go quietly, however. Dewon Brazelton got the start for the Blue Raiders against second-seeded Old Dominion, and the Blue Raiders took an early 4-1 lead. The Monarchs knotted the score with two runs in the top of the eighth, but Bryan Peck returned fire with a dramatic solo homer that retook the lead for Middle Tennessee in the bottom half of the inning. Things looked in control for the Blue Raiders as they held the lead with two outs in the top of the ninth, but an error sent the tying run across the plate and seemed to take the wind out of the Blue Raider sails. In the bottom of the ninth with a runner at second,Josh Renick, the same man to commit the error in the top of the inning, drove in the winning run and continued the Blue Raiders’ season with a 6-5 win. Thewinsetup a game against third-seeded Illinois for the right to play in Josh Renick led off the Clemson the regional Regional for the Blue Raiders in final against 2000, beginning the current stretch Clemson. Kris of five regionals in nine years.
Lammers got the starting nod and performed admirably, allowing only two earned runs through 7.1 innings. However, the Blue Raiders struggled offensively and looked as if they would be shut out to end their run. Then the tide turned. The Blue Raiders erupted for four runs in the top of the eighth inning with two outs, as Josh Pride and Justin Links hit doubles to drive in the decisive runs in the 4-3 victory and send the Blue Raiders to their first regional final since 1982. The Cinderella story ended for the Blue Raiders against Clemson. The Blue Raiders became the only No. 4 seed to advance to a regional final in the tournament, but their bubble was burst by an offensive juggernaut that posted a 21-3 win over Middle Tennessee.
2001 Knoxville Regional Knoxville, Tenn.
The Blue Raiders tied for the conference championship in their first season in the Sun Belt and were the third seed in the Knoxville Regional, facing host and second-seeded Tennessee in the opening game for both squads. The outcome was determined by a squeeze bunt off the bat of UT All-American Chris Burke, as No. 18 Tennessee turned back No. 24 Middle Tennessee 2-1 in front of 4,139, the fifth-largest crowd ever to watch a game at Nelson Stadium. Burke accounted for both of Tennessee’s runs in a game decided by inches. Burke led the game off with a triple that just nicked the left field foul line. He later scored on Stevie Daniel’s ground out to second. Middle Tennessee All-American Dewon Brazelton was the main attraction and didn’t disappoint, going the distance for the 11th time of the season. He pitched a four-hitter, allowed just one earned run and struck out six, but it wasn’t enough as UT’s Wyatt Allen had one of the best games of his collegiate career. Allen tossed a complete-game, two-hitter, struck out a career-high 14 and walked just two. He no-hit the Blue Raiders into the seventh inning. As if Allen weren’t tough enough, Middle Tennessee went against him without its top two offensive players for the final three innings. Allen plunked Josh Renick in the elbow in the sixth, forcing him out of action, and nailed Justin Sims one batter later, knocking him from the game. Reserve infielder Phillip Campbell replaced Renick and broke up Allen’s no-hitter with a one-out single in the seventh that plated Chuck Akers and evened the score 1-1. Brandon Johnson’s leadoff single in the eighth was the only other hit for the Blue Raiders. The Blue Raiders fell 6-3 to Wake Forest in the elimination contest the following day, playing without Renick and Sims. On top of that, junior starter
The 2001 Blue Raiders received the first at-large bid after an impressive season and Top-25 ranking.
2009 Sun Belt Champions
Jason Moates was knocked out of Saturday’s game in the fifth inning when he took a line drive off the toe of his right foot. One night after being no-hit into the seventh inning by Tennessee’s Allen, WFU’s Corey Sullivan held the Blue Raiders hitless until Marshall Nisbett cranked a two-out solo home run in the sixth. Nisbett had two of the team’s three hits, a home run and a double, drove in two runs and scored two. The Blue Raiders ended their season with a sterling 41-17 mark, the second-most wins in a single season.
2003 Starkville Regional Starkville, Miss.
Middle Tennessee struggled through ups and
downs throughout the season but got hot at the right time, sweeping through four games to win the Sun Belt Tournament and earning the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Raiders faced host and top-seeded Mississippi State in the opening round, and the crowd of 10,284 at Dudy Noble Field seemed to rattle the young squad early on. The Bulldogs jumped out quickly with four runs in the first off Blue Raider starter Steve Kline and put the game away with five more runs in the fifth en route to a 10-4 victory. Freshman Shay Horseman was the star of the game in the loss, coming on to strike out seven in 3.1 innings of relief. On Saturday, Middle Tennessee faced Missouri in the loser’s bracket. The last time the teams had met was during the 1988 NCAA South Regional, also in Starkville. Starting pitching was again a problem for the Blue Raiders, and the Tigers scored nine runs in the first three innings and cruised to a 13-7 victory. But sophomore Brett Carroll put on a show at the plate in the defeat, belting his 18th and 19th home runs of the season, both towering blasts deep into the left field lounge. Carroll was 3 for 4 with four RBIs in the outing.
2004 Athens Regional Athens, Ga.
The Blue Raiders made their fourth regional ap-
pearance in five years with an at-large selection, but the selection committee did Middle Tennessee no favors by grouping the squad with SEC champion and 10th-ranked Georgia as well as Clemson and Birmingham Southern. Chris Mobley drew the starting nod for the Blue Raiders in the opener against the host Bulldogs. The junior made it through the first before UGA erupted for nine runs in the second including a three-run blast from Marshall Szabo off reliever Danny Borne. Georgia added five more runs before the Blue Raiders got on the board in the seventh on a Jeff Beachum RBI single. Brett Carroll added a solo homer in the ninth, his 14th of the season, in the 16-2 loss. Middle Tennessee came back the next day with senior John Williams on the hill. The Murfreesboro native pitched admirably but was outdueled by Birmingham Southern’s David Horne, who tossed a five-hit shutout. The Blue Raiders stranded six base runners and grounded out 10 times in dropping a 5-0 decision.
65