William Stephenson
MTN Sports Director
Murfreesboro- In hopes to control the spread and endangerment of players and the general public, the Conference USA has joined other sports organizations in suspending the remainder of Spring athletics until further notice. Middle Tennessee State has postponed all foreseeable match-ups pending more information from the conference itself.
"This is uncharted territory but our highest priority is the safety and well-being of our student-athletes. It's always best to err on the side of caution as no one has all the answers for this virus. I fully support this but I do think we need to keep in mind how hard these kids work to be able to compete at the highest level,” Director of Athletics, Chris Massaro says.
Other associate directors have stated that information regarding MTSU’s relation to the COVID-19 suspension will be posted on the MT Athletics website www.goblueraiders.com.
With a lot of speculation, players and coaches are fearing that their season has outright ended. The most upsetting fear is for the seniors of these teams who do not know if they have finished their last season of Division I ball so unexpectedly. Here is the current status of MTSU’s Spring and Winter athletics.
Women's Basketball
Women’s basketball was set to play LA Tech for the C-USA Quarterfinals tonight. Instead, the team is heading home from Frisco after a 21-9 season with no chance of competing for a championship. The only current senior is Charity Savage from Memphis, TN. Savage made All-Conference USA Second Team of 2019-2020.
Men's Tennis
Men’s Tennis is in Houston where they were preparing to host Rice on Friday. The only cancelled match of the season is a home match against Dartmouth, which is a result of the cancellation of all Ivy League sports this season. The men’s team is riding a 13-5 season as well as being ranked at 41 for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s national Division I rankings. Current seniors are Tom Moonen, Max Rauch, and Daniel Stormon. Moonen is from Rotterdam, Netherlands and has a career record of 67-60 in singles and 75-43 in doubles. Rauch is from Heidelberg, Germany and has a career record of 65-46 in singles and 54-50 in doubles as well as being ranked by the ITA at No. 121 in singles. Stormon is from Sydney, Australia and has a career record of 13-7 in singles and 23-10 in doubles.
Baseball
Baseball was set to play their first conference matchup with LA Tech this weekend in a three-game series. They are sitting with a 7-10 record after facing several high-tier teams such as North Carolina, Tulane, Alabama, Samford, Coastal Carolina, and more. Current seniors are David Zoz, Walker Armstrong, and Sheldon Paulk. Zoz is from Dunlap, IL and has pitched seven innings with ten strikeouts and six earned runs for the year. Armstrong and Paulk are both red-shirts for their senior year.
Softball
Softball was set to host a three-game series with Charlotte this weekend. The Lady Raiders just improved to a 15-13 record before the suspension. Current seniors are Summer Burgess, Keely McGee, Samantha Valentine, Lexi Cushing, and Sydney Heath. Burgess is from Delray Beach, FL and is a shortstop with a career batting average of .340. McGee is from Portland, TN and is an outfielder with a .232 career batting average. Valentine is a red-shirt senior. Cushing is from Flower Mound, TX and plays first base with a .291 career batting average. Heath is from Murfreesboro, TN and is an outfielder with a .297 career batting average.
Women's Tennis
Women's Tennis is in New Orleans where they planned to face New Orleans on Friday. The women are holding a 9-5 record. Current seniors are Lidia Burrows and Marta Peris Herrero. Burrows is from West Yorkshire, England and has a career record 76-53 in singles and 43-37 in doubles. Herrero is from Manuel, Spain and has a career record of 56-52 in singles and 53-47 in doubles.
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