Justin Morrison, Mark Owens, Drew Ruble, Carol Stuart
Contributing Writers
Bethany Boyles, Anthony Fiorella, Chris Massaro, Justin Morrison, Mark Owens, Tony Stinnett, Josh Vardaman, Chip Walters
Designer
David G. Lowry
Athletics Photographer
Eric Beovich, Devin Grimes, Nathan Wallach
Special Thanks to Shad Adams, Chuck Arnold, Marshall & Helen Campbell, Charlie Legeman, Daniel Stiles
University President Sidney A. McPhee
Vice President of Marketing and Communications
Andrew Oppmann
Address changes should be sent to Advancement Services, MTSU Box 109, Murfreesboro, TN 37132; alumni@mtsu.edu. Other correspondence should be sent to the Blue Raider Athletic Association, 1301 E. Main St, Murfreesboro, TN 37132. 910 copies printed at Falcon Press in Nashville, Tenn.
0519-6828 / Middle Tennessee State University does not discriminate against students, employees, or applicants for admission or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, age, status as a protected veteran, genetic information, or any other legally protected class with respect to all employment, programs, and activities sponsored by MTSU. The Assistant to the President for Institutional Equity and Compliance has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies and can be reached at Cope Administration Building 116, 1301 East Main Street, Murfreesboro, TN 37132; Marian.Wilson@mtsu.edu; or 615-898-2185 The MTSU policy on non-discrimination can be found at www.mtsu.edu/titleix.
The
Pitcher
BLUE ZOO NEW
Relaunch puts pep back into step of student section
MTSU’s now-legendary 2016 March Madness upset win over No. 2 seed Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament helped Kobe Hermann confirm his decision to attend classes on the Murfreesboro campus.
But it was the Blue Zoo, the loud and proud student section he found at Floyd Stadium and Murphy Center his freshman year, that made him a Blue Raider fan.
“T he Zoo back then felt like the rowdy soccer sections you would see in games across Europe,” he said. “They created a great environment for all.”
But with the graduation of its cofounders, Brian Taylor and Aaron Grisham, the Zoo began to lose its mojo. Its once-active Twitter account cooled. The huge banner raised aloft by the Zoo when the Raiders scored vanished. The Zoo was becoming just a memory as its diehard supporters began to leave campus.
“I noticed last year that the Twitter account really wasn’t posting and the brand wasn’t as visible as it had originally been,” Hermann said. “Brian and Aaron had graduated, and the operation of the group was in limbo.”
Now a senior in the Jones College of Business, Hermann decided to bring his passion for sports and interest in management into play by reviving the Blue Zoo.
A former student government senator, he pulled together a core of student leaders over the summer to revive the Zoo. And thanks to a strategy of targeting incoming freshmen and transfers in its first wave of memberships, the group is poised to become the largest registered student organization on campus.
“The limbo status after the graduation of leadership is what sparked my interest in relaunching,” Hermann said. “I knew that registering the Blue Zoo as a student organization would provide it the structure it needs to go from year to year.
“So we wrote a constitution, named an outstanding faculty advisor—sports marketing guru Don Roy—and made an effort to target as much of campus as possible.”
Since the relaunch in May, Hermann and his team have targeted freshmen at CUSTOMS orientation, registering more than 1,000 from the incoming class. “We plan to make an effort to connect with other student organizations and clubs to involve as many students as we can,” he added.
Treasurer Emily Oppmann, a junior and former senator, said that while the Zoo wants to attract all students to games, she believes incoming freshmen are the key to the Blue Zoo’s revival.
“If we can engage the class of 2023, encourage them to come to games and keep coming, we will have a solid start to the Blue Zoo,” she said. “From there, it will just keep growing.”
Athletics Director Chris Massaro said the new Zoo is “off to a great start, and we couldn’t be more pleased that it is tracking to be the largest student organization on campus.”
MT Athletics “will do anything and everything we can to support this endeavor while respecting the independence of this chartered student organization,” Massaro said.
Secretary Micaela Griffin, a senior and also a former senator, wants to bring her communications experience as a student in the College of Media and Entertainment to help promote and market the new Zoo.
“Over the next few years, I hope the Blue Zoo grows to become a vibrant student section again that is always there to support our teams,” she said. “Helping fill the stands is my way of pitching in.”
Vice President Nate Parris, a junior and this year’s student Homecoming director, said he hopes the new Zoo will amplify the spirit of the Band of Blue and basketball pep band—and make games more compelling to students.
“I hope that we will be able to work together with the Band of Blue to celebrate their talents and hard work and add to the excitement to the student section that they bring,” said Parris, who is a former band member. RR
L to R: Nate Parris, Kobe Hermann and Emily Oppmann
Best in Class
Every year at the Raiders’ Choice Awards, two student-athletes—one male and one female—are chosen as President’s Award winners. The highest honor given to current MT studentathletes recognizes outstanding academic and athletic accomplishments, University/ community service, and leadership.
At the eighth annual awards show in April, two more of Middle Tennessee’s most-heralded student-athletes were honored: Hanley Long and Gonzalo Morrell. These newest President’s Award winners are engrained into the history of MT athletics, and the University is proud to call them Blue Raiders forever.
Hanley Long
As she stood over her ball on the 18th green at Saugahatchee Country Club in Alabama this May, memories from the past four years came rushing at Long.
Latest President’s Award winners epitomize all that is good in intercollegiate athletics
She needed to calm herself down before attempting her last putt, but that came easily. She’s hit thousands of pressure putts in her golf career, including a few during her senior season on her way to the appearance at the NCAA Auburn Regional tournament.
With her nerves extinguished, Long made a sweet stroke and sent her ball rolling smoothly toward the pin. The ball was on a true line, the speed perfect, and it dropped into the hole.
Long, with her usually bright smile, walked to the cup, picked up her ball, gave a hug to her coaches, and turned, putter in hand, toward a waiting camera.
With the lens facing her way, the photographer snapped a picture of a symbolic putter drop that finished off Long’s record-setting career at Middle Tennessee.
“I don’t think I could have scripted anything better for my senior season,” she said. “I accomplished a lot of things that I knew were within reach if I put in the time and effort. I’m really proud of how I played on the course and managed to maintain my GPA off it.”
HANLEY LONG
AW ARD PRESIDENT’S
GONZALO MORRELL
Long finished her career as one of the Blue Raiders’ best golfers historically. She owns four program records, most notably as the women’s all-time leader in career stroke average (74.27) and single-season stroke average (72.66).
As importantly, the links phenom maintained a 4.0 GPA through her four years, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication.
The Clarksville native will now try her hand at playing professionally, starting with the LPGA Q-School beginning in August.
Wherever her golf career takes her, though, Long will always have a home bin Murfreesboro.
“Middle Tennessee is definitely my home now,” she said. “I’ve grown to love so many people at the University, and I love all the relationships I’ve built. It definitely holds a special place in my heart, and I’m super grateful that I got to represent this University.”
Gonzalo Morrell
Following a tough three-day stretch, the men in blue captured their first C-USA title with an upset over topseeded Florida Atlantic, sending the team to its first NCAA Regional since 2012.
After four years full of more ups than downs, Morrell reached the pinnacle with his teammates this spring.
Middle Tennessee was granted the opportunity to host the Conference USA Men’s Tennis Championships in April at Adams Tennis Complex, and the Blue Raiders did more than just graciously host.
“I’ve been here four years, and to be able to go out of MTSU with a ring and a championship is just awesome,” Morrell said. “To be able to win it at home with the crowd that came to support us, it was amazing.”
Morrell was instrumental to the conference title, just as he’s been a catalyst for the team all four years he’s been in Murfreesboro.
He became one of the program’s mostbeloved players, ranking in the top 10 all-time in singles and doubles victories and seventh in combined wins (158).
It’s clear Morrell has become quite accustomed to his life far away from home. The Spaniard didn’t know how he’d fit in when he moved to America in 2015, but he quickly found friends and built relationships that will last a lifetime.
“I liked the coaching staff and the players who were already here,” he said. “I really chose Middle Tennessee because it’s family-oriented, and it didn’t feel like it would be a big difference coming from Spain to here.
“I’ve met so many great people. It really feels like a second home for me here.” RR
Middle Tennessee held its eighth annual Raiders Choice Awards at Tucker Theatre on campus April 25. Tennis standout Gonzalo Morrell Raschiatore and golfer Hanley Long were the big winners.
Raschiatore and Long were honored with the True Blue President’s Award, which is the highest honor bestowed upon a current MT student-athlete who epitomizes all that is good in intercollegiate athletics. Presented annually to one male and one female student-athlete, the President’s Award recognizes outstanding academic and athletic accomplishments, university/community service, and leadership. A number of athletes were honored for their academic success and performance on the field or court in this year-end Academy Awards-style show. The Blue Raiders also awarded its annual Make A Difference Award winner to longtime team physician, Dr. O. Tom Johns. Johns, honored posthumously, was on the sidelines for the Blue Raiders 40 years and was an inspiration to everyone he came in contact with. RR
HOMECOMING
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MT Debuts Beer G arden at Football Games This Fall
By Josh Vardaman
Middle Tennessee is brewing up an exciting new attraction at Floyd Stadium this football season to enhance the fan experience for Blue Raider faithful.
The Blue Raider Beer Garden will debut at field level in the south end zone, in partnership with Hop Springs Beer Park, Steel Barrel Brewery, and the MTSU Fermentation Sciences program. Entrance to the field level area is free with a ticket to the game, but you must be 21 or over.
The garden, which will start serving when stadium gates open, will feature different Steel Barrel craft beers for purchase, as well as grilled food and tables with umbrellas where fans can enjoy the game. There also will be an area for corn hole, giant Jenga, and other games for fans to enjoy.
“We are thrilled to partner with our Fermentation Science program to provide another element to providing an unparalleled game experience for our fans,” MT Director of Athletics
Chris Massaro said. “We visualize this area to be a festival/street fair-type area in the south end zone for all of our fans over 21 years old to enjoy as they watch great C-USA football.
“We hope this unique offering will help grow attendance and provide a better game environment for our fans while perfectly showcasing yet another partnership athletics has with academics.”
Students in MTSU’s Fermentation Sciences program will provide ideas and input to Hop Springs for the brewery to create small-batch brews that will be served only in the beer garden. Each beer will have a different name with a theme related to the week’s opponent.
“We are hopeful that this project will both enhance our fan experience at Floyd Stadium and provide additional exposure for our Fermentation Science program,” MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee said.
The creation of the beer garden was done with fans in mind. After a successful first year of selling alcohol at sporting events, the athletics department decided to take it to the next level.
“This has never been done before with a Fermentation Sciences program, and and will help the whole experience at MT football games to be more fun,” said Mark Jones, an MTSU alumnus,
co-owner of Hop Springs and Steel Barrel, and CEO of Life is Brewing LLC. “The benefits are immeasurable. You have people who are getting hands-on experience, and their hearts are in the business. We actually just hired the first graduate of Fermentation Sciences full-time, so we’re pretty pumped up about all of it.”
MTSU’s Fermentation Sciences laboratory at Hop Springs was created through a partnership with Steel Barrel, whose brewery is housed at Hop Springs and Life is Brewing LLC. It features sensory and teaching labs for students to get hands-on brewing experience
“The new beer garden will enhance our Fermentation Sciences academic program by providing our students hands-on opportunities to produce and showcase a unique craft beer for each home football game,” said Bud Fischer, dean of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences. “The opportunity also offers students and faculty in the program the occasion to interact and educate the public on all aspects of the program and the fermentation industry while strengthening the program’s ties to the industry and the community.”
Make sure to take advantage of this new and exciting area by purchasing season tickets. Order online at GoBlueRaiders.com/tickets or by calling the ticket office at 615-898-5261. RR
RUNNER’S WORLD
by Josh Vardaman
C-USA Female Athlete of the Year
Abike Egbeniyi completes a “perfect” MT career
In 2015, legendary Middle Tennessee track and field and cross country coach Dean Hayes traveled to Africa to watch the All-African Games and do a little recruiting.
While in Brazzaville, the capital and largest city in the Republic of Congo where the meet was being held, Hayes caught up with a recruit he’d already signed to be a future Blue Raider. She was competing in the women’s 800 meters, and it was her first time meeting Hayes face to face.
Right away, the fabled coach knew he’d signed someone special.
A teenage Abike Egbeniyi lined up in the 800 final alongside some of the best middle-distance runners in the world, including future 2016 Olympic gold medalist Caster Semenya of South Africa. Though younger and much less experienced than her counterparts, Egbeniyi wasn’t the slightest bit intimidated, running a respectable time of 2 minutes, 9.36 seconds to finish eighth.
Little did she know then that five years later she’d become one of the faces of a collegiate running program 7,000 miles away learning under the man she’d just met.
It was in Egbeniyi’s junior year when she really fulfilled her potential.
After earning a second All-American honor in indoor track, she recorded a national runner-up finish in the 800 at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and was named C-USA Female Athlete of the Year.
With accolades already aplenty, Egbeniyi set out to accomplish yet another feat as a senior.
At the Vanderbilt Invitational indoor meet in January, she became the fastest Nigerian woman ever in the indoor 800, laying down a blistering 2:03.77 that was at the time the second-best mark in the world in 2019. She then advanced to the NCAA outdoor championships for the third time.
“That record means a lot to me, because it’s for my country,” Egbeniyi said. “I thank Coach Hayes and Coach [Keith] Vroman for helping me get to this stage in my career.”
While in Brazzaville, Hayes caught up with a recruit he’d already signed to be a future Blue Raider.
“We knew then she was going to be the perfect team person,” Hayes said. “I probably didn’t know she’d be as good as she’s been, but I knew she was the real deal.” From the moment she stepped foot in Murfreesboro, Egbeniyi showed world-class ability in the 800.
She finished third in the Conference USA Indoor Championships as a freshman. Egbeniyi followed that up by setting school records in both indoor and outdoor events the next year. She was named SecondTeam All-American during her sophomore outdoor season and placed second in the NCAA East Preliminary in the 800-meter race with a personal and school record of 2:02.34, which still stands.
“Middle Tennessee is my home, and it means a lot to me,” Egbeniyi said. “To have the school record is very special.”
Her time running for the Blue Raiders may be over, but Egbeniyi has etched a legacy that will be hard to top for future Middle Tennessee mid-distance runners. That’s not solely because of her performance on the track, either. She’s a star student as well.
“She does everything that you’re looking for as the perfect student-athlete,” Hayes said. “I couldn’t ask for more than she’s done.
“As far as I’m concerned, she’s perfect.”
Josh Vardaman is the staff writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Vardaman and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders. RR RR
TRUE BLUEAWARD WINNERS
Hometown Hero
by Josh Vardaman
With a pro career in her sights, Alex Johnson leaves behind a memorable legacy
The college career of one of Murfreesboro’s all-time greatest athletes is now complete. Basketball fans in the ’Boro have known the name Alex Johnson for years, long before she stepped onto MT’s campus as a freshman and, for some, even before she starred at local Blackman High School.
The 22-year-old has spent countless nights wowing Murfreesboro crowds with her ferocious post presence, all the while keeping a bright smile that fans will remember long after she’s gone from her hometown university.
“I got to leave my legacy here,” Johnson said. “Wherever my career path leads me, it’s just a great feeling knowing I have the support from people in the community who I don’t even know.”
The local legend of Alex Johnson really started while she was at Blackman High.
As a junior, she helped the team to a 34-1 record and state title, and the Blaze was named national champion by USA Today, MaxPreps, and ESPN. It was the second national championship in a row for a Murfreesboro school after Riverdale accomplished the feat the season prior, with the help of Johnson’s future MT teammates Ty Petty and Olivia Jones.
Johnson led Blackman to a second straight state championship and 32–2 record as a senior, becoming
the school’s all-time rebounding leader and a member of the 1,000-point club. She was nominated as a McDonald’s All-American and had offers from Power 5 schools in the Southeastern and Atlantic Coast conferences, but opted instead to stay home.
“Being in my hometown means a lot,” Johnson said. “A lot of the same people followed me from high school when I came to college, and getting to see those familiar faces, that’s part of what made my decision easy.”
The Murphy Center floor had become almost a second home to Johnson by the time she walked onto campus as an MT freshman in 2015, and she played like it.
Johnson was named the Conference USA Freshman of the Year, starting all but one game and scoring in double figures 21 times, including 19 of the last 21 games. Her brilliant play helped the Lady Raiders to a 24-9 overall record and trip to the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to Florida State in the first round. They captured both the C-USA regular-season and tournament titles.
“That was an incredible experience,” Johnson said. “To be able to go to the NCAA Tournament and experience that with my teammates, that’s something that I’ll always remember.”
With the injury behind her, Johnson set out to make her senior season memorable with a group of her best friends. Since they were freshmen in 2015, Johnson, Katie Collier, Jess Louro, and Jordan Majors have lived together and built a fierce friendship on and off the court. Those relationships were a big help while Johnson was coming back from her foot ailment.
“It’s been the four of us since Day 1,” Johnson said. “We’ve been each other’s ride or die. Not being able to live with them, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I couldn’t have made it this far without their support and their motivation.”
“Being in my hometown means a lot,” Johnson said. “A lot of the same people followed me from high school when I came to college...”
Johnson’s stellar freshman year carried over to her sophomore season, when she finished fifth on the program’s single-season scoring list with 687 points and became just the third sophomore in program history to achieve 1,000 points in her first two seasons.
She was primed to build on her First-Team All-Conference USA nod and was named the league’s preseason player of the year as a junior, but a setback derailed her plans. Just five minutes into the season-opener against Vanderbilt, Johnson went down underneath the basket on the defensive end with a foot injury. She ended up missing 11 games.
Middle Tennessee finished just 18–13, the lowest win total under Coach Rick Insell, and missed the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.
“That was definitely a rough time, and I don’t talk about it much,” Johnson said. “Never in a million years did I think I would go out in the season’s first couple of possessions.”
Johnson hit the hardwood as a senior with a renewed focus on getting her team back to the NCAA Tournament. She also came to play with a new weapon: a 3-point shot.
In her fourth allconference campaign, Johnson averaged 15.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, and her 38 3-pointers were 18 more than she made in her first three years combined. She also crept into the top 10 of several program career records, including points (eighth), field goals made and percentage, and free throws made and percentage.
“She showed a great deal of leadership and toughness coming back this season like she did,” Insell said. “But that’s just classic Alex Johnson. She’s been a joy to coach the last four years, and I’d do it all over again.”
The third-seeded Lady Raiders advanced to the C-USA Tournament finals against Rice, then won their first-round game in the WNIT at home. The second-round defeat at Ohio University didn’t just signify Johnson’s last game for Middle Tennessee. It was also the end of playing in front of her hometown fans.
Sure, she’ll likely have a career in the WNBA or overseas, but her playing career in the ’Boro has been a long chapter in her life, and turning the page is a bittersweet feeling.
“The rest is in God’s hands,” she said. “I’m just blessed to be able to call this place home.”
Josh Vardaman is the staff writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Vardaman and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders. RR
TRUE BLUEAWARD WINNERS
TITLETOWN
MEN’S TENNIS
Men’s tennis and golf take C-USA titles and make NCAA tourneys
Easter Sunday is a great day for many reasons, but on this Easter Sunday, it was even more special for the Blue Raiders, as the men’s tennis team would accomplish something they have never done before—capture the Conference USA championship.
Third-seeded Middle Tennessee was facing No. 1 seeded Florida Atlantic University in Murfreesboro at the Adams Tennis Complex, where the Blue Raiders had posted an 11–3 regular-season home record. The MT team got off to a great start with a point in doubles on the way to winning four of seven points, but hit a rough start in the singles
round. After losing three singles matches and falling behind 3–1, the Blue Raiders came back in exciting fashion with junior Max Roach taking his match in three sets and Tom Moonen sweeping his match—both going to tiebreakers. With the C-USA tournament final tied 3–3, freshman Pavel Motl won two straight sets including a tiebreaker in the third set to win the match and the Blue Raiders’ first C-USA conference title.
Pavel Motl after winning the championshipclinching match
TITLETOWN
GOLF
Four days later in Texarkana, Arkansas, the MT men’s golf team was looking to defend its conference title in the C-USA Championship match-play against the University of Texas–San Antonio. Like the men’s tennis final, the men’s golf championship round was filled with plenty of drama. After being down most of the match, the Blue Raiders would turn the tide and take a late 3–2 lead. Senior James Beckner and junior Tanner Owens each won their match, giving the Blue Raiders two victories. Sophomore Cooper Sears lost his lead on the 18th hole, allowing UTSA to tie his match and force a playoff, but made up for it six holes later—winning on the 24th hole to clinch the Blue Raiders’ second consecutive C-USA championship.
In the following weeks, men’s tennis and men’s golf participated in the NCAA Regionals. Men’s tennis traveled to Knoxville and lost to North Carolina State 4–1. Men’s golf didn’t advance out of the regional in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, but junior Tanner Owens had a solid performance in finishing even par and tied for 20th. Sears and Beckner shot 6-over par for the weekend.
The future looks bright for both of these programs. RR
MEN’S
by Anthony Fiorella
An Imperfect Game Pitcher Andy Rivera overcomes two surgeries to return to the mound for the Blue Raiders
It was a chilly, midFebruary morning in Murfreesboro. The Middle Tennessee baseball team was preparing for just its second game of the 2018 season. With a chance to win the season-opening series, a 21-year-old righthander calmly headed toward the dugout after he finished his warmup tosses in the bullpen.
Andy Rivera, a transfer from Chattanooga State Community College, didn’t have to wait any longer. His family watched intently from their seats as he finally took the mound for the first time in a Division I game. After allowing a leadoff single, Rivera struck out the next three batters to close out the opening inning of his Blue Raider career.
to be a promising season for the fireballer from Florida.
Then the unthinkable happened. Just days later, the Blue Raiders headed south for a mid-week clash with the University of Alabama. A couple of hours before the game, Rivera stepped into the outfield for his regular daily throwing session. His glove popped when he caught the ball, he dropped it into his right hand and threw it—nothing irregular. But then a sharp pain ran down his arm from the top of his shoulder to the tips of his fingers. Not thinking much of it, he threw again. There it was again, that annoying sting running down his arm.
“I started feeling some weakness,” Rivera said. “I was sweating, and it was maybe only 50 degrees. I started throwing and couldn’t even finish it.”
piercing sensation trickling down his right arm.
He delivered the second pitch: ball two. What Rivera couldn’t see was his arm looking like a pool noodle flailing in the air after the throw. He fought through the pain, but finally was relieved after four at-bats, loading the bases in the process.
“When I got pulled, I looked at my hand as I sat in the dugout and asked myself, ‘What's going on?’ I thought my baseball career was over.”
He underwent both an ultrasound and MRI. Doctors told Rivera that either an artery in his arm wasn’t getting the right amount of blood flow or that one had been cut.
“At that point, I started getting goosebumps, and I could remember shaking—I was in complete shock,” Rivera said.
Rivera called his brother, Oscar, at 1 a.m. to deliver the grim news.
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” he said. “After I finished warming up, I had a lot of confidence. I wasn’t trying to do too much. I just wanted to lay it in the zone and trust the defense.”
By the time he reached his pitch count with two outs in the fourth, Rivera had amassed seven strikeouts and allowed two runs in an impressive debut that led to a Blue Raider victory. It was a promising start to what looked
With sweat pouring down his brow, the best he could do while fighting the pain was a three-quarter arm slot. Unsure of what was wrong, Rivera and MTSU trainer Keita Isaji decided the pitcher should take a few days off before his next scheduled start.
Come that Saturday, Rivera took the mound to face Indiana State. Sweat was again pouring down from his scalp and hat, and he hadn’t even fired the game’s first pitch yet.
As he stared down at catcher Jake Hagenow to get the sign, his normally tan-colored face went ghost white. Rivera missed the strike zone for ball one. There it was again, that same
“Andy called me, and he was pretty freaked out,” his brother said. “When I first heard about what happened, I thought his season was done. After we hung up the phone, I was like, ‘That's it, he’s not going to be able to play anymore.’ ”
When the Blue Raider pitcher received the official diagnosis at Vanderbilt—thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS)—it sounded like he may never throw another pitch again. With this condition, blood vessels or nerves in
the space between the collarbone and the first rib are compressed, which caused a blood clot in Rivera’s right shoulder that rendered his arm nearly useless. Because it had gotten so bad, he had to undergo surgery almost immediately. In the early morning hours after surgery, Isaji informed Rivera that his mom, Mayra, was pulling into the parking lot. As soon as he saw his mother, Rivera gave her a hug.
“I was crying and didn’t know what to do,” he said. “I thought my world had ended. Baseball has always been my life. It’s funny when people say ‘Baseball is life,’ but for me it literally is.”
Rivera had some huge decisions to make in the upcoming months.
Home Is Where the Heart Is
After classes let out that May, Rivera returned home to Miami for the summer.
Every day as the sun was rising, the alarm clock rattled Rivera awake. Jumping out of bed, he headed immediately for a quick workout. Then, he met the one guy who knew him best on the baseball field to begin his daily throwing sessions . . .
Oscar slid on the catcher’s mitt and squatted behind the plate in the fenced-off bullpen as his brother took his first few steps onto the hill— ready to test if the strength was coming back in his arm. Oscar didn’t even have to move his glove as the first pitch went right down the middle.
As the older brother, Oscar had sacrificed a lot to see his younger sibling succeed. A former college pitcher himself, Oscar gave up the game he loved so the Riveras could financially support Andy continuing his baseball career in Tennessee. When Oscar got that phone call on that fateful day in February, he said he knew right away there was no way he was going to let his brother give up on his dream of playing ball.
“I was proud to see how hard Andy worked,” Oscar said. “I told him when he got home for the summer, it’s time to go to work. You’re going to bust your butt and get back to it. You’re going to get on the mound again.”
When it was time to head back to Murfreesboro, Oscar followed his younger brother so he could catch his bullpen sessions before the other MT players returned to town. Eventually, he had to leave.
“When Oscar left, it was emotional,” Andy Rivera said. “He was there from the beginning. I owe him everything.”
With his brother gone, the Blue Raider hurler put his head down and kept working. The fastballs he was throwing regained velocity and were back into the 90-mph range. It appeared the strenuous early-morning weight training and days spent under the hot sun with his brother were paying off.
Cruel, Cruel Fate
It was finally time for Rivera to put his arm to the test in live action on Sept. 27, 2018. What was just a fall scrimmage game against a junior college team to all eight other guys on the diamond felt like Game 7 of the World Series to the player on the mound.
The Middle Tennessee redshirt junior breezed through the Columbia State Community College lineup in a couple of innings of work, the familiar “zip” coursing through his arm and down to his fingertips on every pitch. Rivera’s world was beginning to rotate again.
Then, Rivera’s worst fear came rearing its ugly head again a week later in another scrimmage against Motlow State.
Sweat ran down the back of his neck as he walked to the dugout. His face began to turn that same off-white color it had done before. Something was wrong, again.
Rivera saw the exact same thing he had seen earlier that spring: the stark-white color running down his arm and onto his hand.
Headed to Saint Thomas Rutherford Medical Center in Murfreesboro. This time, an ultrasound revealed another blood clot just as big as the first one.
“When I saw it, I told myself ‘Now, I’m for- real done” with baseball, Rivera said. “I’m not going to be able to come back from this a second time.”
He picked up his phone and called his brother.
After the end of the phone call, Oscar thought to himself, “He’s done. It’s over. That’s it.”
On Oct. 5, 2018, for the second time, Andy Rivera underwent surgery to remove a blood clot in his right shoulder. He woke up to see his mother standing over him after surgery. He asked a simple but complicated question: “Why is this happening to me?”
“Your grandma always used to tell me, ‘Don’t ask why,’ ” Mayra replied. “Ask God: ‘What is this preparing me for?’”
For Rivera, his mother’s words changed his entire outlook. Good thing, too, because he described the rehab as “100 times harder” the second go-around.
Second Time’s the Charm
Rivera, who has one final season left with the Blue Raiders, pitched in seven games with one start this spring and notched 10 strikeouts over nine innings. He didn’t allow a run in his last five appearances, going 2 1/3 innings in his final outing and striking out three in middle relief against Florida Atlantic.
Every time Rivera steps on the mound now, the Middle Tennessee pitcher takes a second to reflect on just how lucky he is to have such a strong support system behind him. Not everyone has the chance to play the game they hold so dearly to their heart at the college level, and not many have been able to come back after two surgeries to their throwing shoulder.
“I try to picture (taking the mound again) every single day,” Rivera said. “I’m going to look at Keita and my parents and brother and best friend and smile. They may not know it, but I’m going to be saying thank you to them.”
No matter where his loved ones are, he knows they’re smiling right back at him. After all, it’s because of them he’s a winner every time he gets the chance to pitch, no matter what the outcome is.
AnthonyFiorellaisastudentwriter forgoblueraiders.com.Followhim on Twitter @a_fiorella74 and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders. RR
SpringFinale
The Middle Tennessee football team put a bow on a successful spring April 13 in its final practice with fans, family, and former players in attendance at Floyd Stadium.
“It was a good spring,” Coach Rick Stockstill said. “I think we improved from the first day until the last . . . and I think the toughness, competitiveness, leadership of the team, those intangibles areas, I think we’re forming that part of our identity.”
The Blue Raiders went through summer conditioning and weight work the next three months before the start of fall camp Aug. 1. The first game of the 2019 season is Aug. 31 at Michigan.
PRESSBOX VIEW FROM THE
The Voice of
Chip Walters
the Blue Raiders THEY LEFT THEIR MARKS
When the 2019 football season kicks off, something will be missing. Actually, two somethings . . . or two someones.
Dr. Tom Johns and Dr. Liz Rhea will not be with us.
It will be a little bit surreal to not see either of them there when the Blue Raiders open up at Michigan on Labor Day weekend. Even more so when TSU comes to town the following week. They may not be there in person, but I’m sure their spirit will live on.
Johns’ arrival on the scene of Blue Raider football coincided with that of Boots Donnelly as head coach in 1979. A young doctor at the time, Johns jumped in and shared the dream of bringing a once-proud football program back to glory. He and his wife, Betsy, were all in. The generosity of their time, talents, and treasure was much needed and will always be much appreciated as they helped many achieve their dreams.
Upon his passing, so many former student-athletes that his talented hands helped mend told similar stories of how he prayed with them before and after surgery, and you knew his care for them and his love for the University was genuine.
I have to say that his medical talents didn’t stop with the players. As recent as last year’s game at Old Dominion, the good doctor helped this broadcaster keep his voice to call another Blue Raider victory. After giving me a shot, I got a squeeze of
They may not be there in person, but I’m sure their spirits will live on.
the neck and an “I love you, boy.” Over there years, there were a lot of those squeezes and love passed out.
Rhea’s contributions, along with her late husband Creighton, will live on forever at MTSU. There has never been a cheerleader for Middle Tennessee like Liz. While in college in the 1950s, she was an actual cheerleader for then-named Middle
Tennessee State College. I guess it got in her blood and never let up.
At her funeral mass, the priest stated in his homily that if you compared the life of Liz Rhea to colors of paint, it would all be bright colors . . . no pastels. How true, indeed.
It has been documented that she served on upwards of two dozen philanthropic boards across the county at one time, and once that giving spirit took hold, we were all the beneficiaries. MTSU and Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital were probably the two entities that benefitted most from her giving spirit. There aren’t many areas of campus that she did not touch. Major campaigns for the new baseball stadium and new Science Building hold lasting reminders of this great lady and her family. So too does every Blue Raider Athletic Association membership campaign and the fundraising efforts of so many civic organizations in our area.
Personally, I was proud to call her a friend and was truly humbled when asked to serve as one of her pallbearers. As the cheers go up at Floyd Stadium and Murphy Center, her unique voice will certainly be missed. While we mourn
their loss, don’t forget to celebrate they were here. They were ours. There may never be two that meant so much as Doc and Liz. When toe meets leather in Ann Arbor, he will be passing out Lifesavers and she will be waving her pom-poms. They were the epitome of True Blue. RR
COMPLIANCE CORNER
Daryl Simpson Compliance Coordinator
Booster Education EXTRA BENEFIT
We greatly appreciate our fans and boosters for all that they do for our athletics program. Without our boosters and fans, MTSU would not be able to reach its full potential. With that in mind, there are certain NCAA guidelines and restrictions to what a booster can and cannot do when it comes to student-athletes. However uncomfortable, the news of other schools being penalized for impermissible activities gives us a chance to break down and learn from their actions and helps us educate our student athletes, staff, and boosters further.
In recent months, there have been a few instances in which athletic programs across the country are being penalized by the NCAA due to impermissible activity by boosters. Recently at Brigham Young University, four boosters were found to be supplying a student-athlete with extra benefits. These benefits included allexpenses-paid vacations, cash, trips to golf courses, and the use of one of the booster’s cars. This is a major violation of the NCAA award and extra benefit bylaw. After the full investigation, the NCAA Infractions Committee decided to vacate all records of the two seasons the student-athlete participated while ineligible, plus handed down a two-year probation, a reduction in one scholarship, recruiting
restrictions, and a monetary fine. BYU also had to disassociate itself from one of the boosters. A decision like this was reached due to the competitive advantage BYU would have compared to other member institutions.
Situations like this are extreme and unfortunate but it makes other athletic programs stop and readdress their educational efforts. Under NCAA bylaw 16.11.2.2, boosters are prohibited from providing:
• Cash or loans to a current student-athlete, prospective student-athlete, or their family members
• An automobile or use of an automobile
• Transportation
• Co-signing of any kind
• A special discount on services or rent
Boosters are responsible for notifying the MT Compliance Office of any potential rules violations. Even if a violation is unintentional, it may affect the eligibility of a student-athlete. Again, we appreciate your support greatly and, if a question ever arises, please remember to always ASK BEFORE YOU ACT. RR
RECENT GRADS GET FREE YEAR, REDUCED RATES IN NEW YOUNG ALUMNI PROGRAM
We are excited to roll out a new and improved young alumni program this year that will help engage and excite our new and most recent graduates about MT Athletics. In the past, our young alumni program was only open to those who have graduated within the past four years and paid a minimum of $50 their first year, $100 their second year, $125 their third year, and $150 beginning with their fourth year, which is the regular BRAA minimum donation amount.
This year, in an effort to increase recent graduate involvement, we are offering all new graduates of Middle Tennessee State University a complimentary membership to the Blue Raider Athletic Association (BRAA) for their first year after graduation. The first group this will take effect with is for our December 2018 and May 2019 graduates. After their complimentary year is over, their second year will require a $50 donation, followed by a $100 donation their third year, and then $150 for their fourth year postgraduation to receive the Lightning level membership.
A few benefits that our new graduates and young alumni will receive include a discount on season tickets, an exclusive gift from the BRAA, and an invitation to exclusive young alumni events throughout the year. Additionally, all recent graduates/young alumni will receive the benefits of a regular Blue Raider Athletic Association member at the Lightning level.
We are eager to roll out this new and improved program, and connect all of our recent graduates with MT Athletics in a way we haven’t done before! RR
Former softball standout Morgan Harris joined the Blue Raider Athletic Association in April as the BRAA’s development coordinator. Harris will have a variety of responsibilities with the BRAA as well as handle all administrative duties for men’s and women’s tennis.
A four-year starter, Harris was named to the All-Conference USA Freshman team, followed by three years as an All-Conference USA first-team selection. Academically, Harris was chosen to the All-Academic team and was a fourtime Conference-USA Academic Medal Award winner. She was nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year award
during her senior campaign. Harris also was a member of the Blue Raiders’ 2018 C-USA Championship softball team. Additionally, she received the True Blue President’s Award at the 2018 Raiders’ Choice Awards, the highest award given to a student-athlete at MTSU.
As a student worker the past two years, Harris helped with numerous BRAA fundraising projects, as well as stewardship of premium seating donors on football and basketball game days. Harris also played a big role in helping create the new and improved young alumni program, which gives recent grads a free BRAA membership for their first year after graduation. In her new role, she will lead efforts to get these new alumni to continue supporting the BRAA. RR
UAB Challenge
The Blue Raider Athletic Association entered into a donor challenge with the University of Alabama–Birmingham and its development office, the Blazer Boosters, on Jan. 14. The purpose was to engage our fellow fan bases and stoke their competitive fires by seeing which institution’s supporters could recruit the most new donors in a two-week span. Once the competition concluded, the BRAA came up just shy of UAB’s total but achieved more than 70 new members over the two-week period! This event was a tremendous success, and we hope to keep this momentum going all year long. RR
Donor SPOTLIGHT
Marshall and Helen Campbell
n Year(s) Graduated: Marshall 2000, Helen 2001, ’08, ’13
n Currently Reside: Murfreesboro
Q:How long have you been a fan of MT Athletics, and what/who encouraged you to support the Blue Raiders?
A:I started traveling to Blue Raider football games with my parents when I was 4 years old. My parents are huge MTSU fans, and that rubbed off on me. For Helen, when we started dating in 1993, she started coming to games with me, and the fandom for her grew from there. Now we share this fandom with our two children so they can grow up with these experiences.
Q:When did you attend your first Blue Raider game?
A:I believe I attended my first MTSU game in 1982. Helen’s first game was in 1993.
Q:What is your favorite MT sport and why?
A:Football is my favorite and Helen’s favorite. I really enjoy tailgating, and our family has been doing it since roughly 1984. We still tailgate for every game as a family, and the tailgate has grown a lot in 30-plus years. We are The Godfather’s Blue Crew. Our tailgates go up early for every game, and we try to feed all comers, including visiting fans.
Q:What is your best memory of MT athletics?
A:There are two that come to mind. First is the beatdown of Georgia Tech in football, and then beating Michigan State in basketball.
For Georgia Tech, just the way the game went with total domination from beginning to end was fantastic, coinciding with Benny Cunningham’s career day and Anthony Amos’ highlight-reel catch. For the Michigan State NCAA Tournament game, I was watching the game in a sports bar, and the crowd’s reaction was so fun to watch. Helen has loved traveling to bowl games. Her favorite memory is taking our son at 4 months old to Alabama to his first football game and, 10 years later, returning with our son for his second Alabama visit to see the Blue Raiders play again.
Q:What is the farthest distance you have traveled to see the Blue Raiders play?
A:I guess the Motor City Bowl in Detroit would be the farthest we have traveled for a game. We also went to the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, and the University of Maryland game with a visit to Washington, D.C.
Q:How did you first get involved with the Blue Raider Athletic Association?
A:My parents have been involved in the BRAA for years, and my father is a past president. We started donating as soon as we graduated college and have given ever since.
Q:Why do you give to the BRAA?
A:The student-athletes give their all for a university that my
family loves, and I feel like giving back is my way of supporting these young men and women in what they are doing.
Q:How do you encourage others to give to MT Athletics through the BRAA?
A:We speak about the BRAA all the time to people and ask folks that live here and attend games if they donate. Every amount helps, no matter how small. All of those amounts can add up to large giving over the years.
Q:What are you most excited for about the 2019–20 MT Athletics seasons?
A:In football, I am interested to see what happens after Brent Stockstill. He obviously led our team well both on and off the field, and he will be extremely difficult to replace at quarterback. For basketball, I think Rick Insell is really on the cusp of something special with the women’s team he has assembled, and I am very excited to see where he goes with this very talented team. And for Nick McDevitt, I think he has the men’s team headed back in the right direction, and if fans will give him a chance, he is going to do great things. I think he did a fabulous job with the team he had last year, and the talent he is starting to gather has me very excited for the years ahead. RR
