It’s the top of the seventh inning and the Blue Raiders are down 5-4 at home against in-state rival Belmont. The bases are loaded with two outs. Middle Tennessee needs a big defensive play or the game will get out of hand.
The batter hits the ball to third base, but senior Rawley Bishop scoops up the grounder and outraces the runner to touch the base. The force out ends the inning and prevents Belmont from breaking the game wide open.
“All I wanted to do is really stay in front of the ball,” Bishop said after the game. “If I let that ball get by me then that’s two, maybe three runs. It worked out for the best.”
In the bottom half of the inning, Tyler Burnett crushes a two-run homer and Blue Raiders won the contest 7-5.
Bishop’s defensive play is nothing new for one of the best players in Blue Raider history.
His stats tell the story?MTSU career leader for home runs, runs scored, RBI, defensive putouts and hit-by-pitch.
When asked which one is the most important to him, Bishop gave an answer that might surprise you. He took more pride in being hit by a pitch than any other record.
“I don’t like moving out of the way. I like being on base,” he said, but added that all the records were special for him.
Bishop broke the home run record on April 18 in the second inning of a 5-4 win over Louisiana-Monroe.
“It just all came together. Bryce (Brentz) pushed me back out there to take a curtain call. I didn’t really want to do that, because we were still in the middle of the game. I just couldn’t get caught up in the moment too much, because it was a big game at that point. We needed as many conference wins as possible. So I couldn’t take it all in until I went back home and sat and realized there have been a lot of great players that have gone through Middle Tennessee,” Bishop said.
The previous mark was 44 set by Josh Pride, who was a member of the Blue Raiders from 1997 – 2000.
According to MTSU baseball coach Steve Peterson, Bishop has a work ethic that earned him the “Bust your Butt” award last season. The players and managers voted on the award. The coaches had no say in the matter.
“They said Rawley never takes a day off,” Peterson said. “He is the type of guy that you have to prove to him your work ethic. He uses himself as an example as far as doing things extra. He does anything you ask him to do and he does a lot more. He is very mature, besides being a heck of a ball player. I seen him have to overcome injuries.”
Bishop had to redshirt during his freshman year, because of a shoulder injury.
“I could see right away how diligently he worked in rehab,” Peterson said. “I said this guy could be special. He never thinks he does enough. He is a workaholic and he loves baseball.”
Right now, Bishop is thinking about helping to lead the Blue Raiders to their first Sun Belt title since 2003 and their first NCAA tournament berth since 2004.
Currently, Middle Tennessee is in second place in the Sun Belt Conference behind Western Kentucky. The Blue Raiders will host WKU in a three-game series in the final weekend of the season, May 14 – 16.
“Right now, we have our destiny in our own hands,” Bishop said. “It just comes down to what we are going to do. We don’t want to be in a position where we have to have people beat other teams. We just need to keep playing good baseball.”
Golf regional begins May 14
The 2009 Sun Belt Conference men’s golf champion, MTSU, will head to the NCAA regional at The Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Ky., May 14-16. In order to qualify for the NCAA Championship at Toledo, Ohio, May 26 – 30, the Blue Raiders will have to place in the top five in the regional against tough competition.
Defending national champion UCLA is one of the teams in the regional. Last year, the Blue Raiders earned a spot in the national championship.
Boise beats Blue Raiders
The MTSU men’s tennis team, also winners of the Sun Belt championship this year, fell to Boise State 4-0 in the first round of the NCAA tournament May 8 on the campus of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
Besides the team competition, Blue Raider players, senior Robert McKenzie and sophomore John Peers, earned a spot in the NCAA individual men’s tennis tournament. The 34th ranked duo by the ITA will compete in doubles. McKenzie, who is ranked 89th, will also compete in singles. The individual tournament will start May 20 on the campus of Texas A&M in College Station.
