Skylar Meade

Skylar Meade joined the Middle Tennessee baseball staff in September 2012 as the Blue Raiders' pitching coach.

Meade spent the previous five seasons at Eastern Illinois, first as a graduate assistant before being promoted to a full-time position in 2009.

In five seasons, Meade saw a number of his pitchers rack up Ohio Valley Conference accolades in addition to being drafted in the annual Major League Baseball Draft.

In 2010, Josh Mueller was drafted in the 13th round of the MLB draft by the Colorado Rockies while teammate Mike Recchia signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees. Both individuals earned OVC honors in their respective careers with the Panthers as Mueller was named to the OVC All-Freshman Team in 2008 while Recchia was a two-time OVC First-Team Selection in 2009 and 2010.

2009 saw Tyler Kehrer become the highest drafted player since Stan Royer in 1988, being taken as the 48th overall pick to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Compensation Round A. Kehrer led the OVC in 2009 in strikeouts and batting average against.

In addition to the individual accomplishments pitchers achieved under Meade, the entire rotation was one of the best in the OVC during his tenure. The Panthers posted the best staff ERA in the OVC on four occasions, recording a league-best ERA in 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012. In 2009, EIU finished the year second in the OVC in ERA with a 4.94 ERA.

Meade assisted in coaching the Panthers to the 2009 OVC Regular-Season Title and a 31-19 record. In his second year with the staff, EIU captured the 2008 OVC Tournament Title and advanced to the NCAA Division I Tournament for the second time in school history.

Meade joined the coaching staff at EIU after his playing career at the University of Louisville. With the Cardinals, Meade anchored a pitching staff that helped lead Louisville to the 2007 College World Series. The left-handed pitcher recorded nine wins in 2007 and limited opposing batters to a .247 average. He concluded his career with a 16-7 record, including a 5-1 mark in conference action.

The Louisville, Ky., native earned a bachelor’s degree in sports administration from Louisville in 2007 and completed a master’s degree in kinesiology and sports studies (sports management) in the summer of 2009 from EIU.