With the fall season well behind them, the Lipscomb softball team looks forward to regular season play in 2022.
The team is once again led by head coach Kristin Ryman in her 17th season with the team, who graduated in 2004 from Lipscomb with 122 wins and a career batting average of .300 during her playing years.
Assistant coach Laura Dukes joins Ryman in her 3rd season with the Bisons and her 7th year of coaching experience. Adding to the experienced Bisons bullpen, Ken Hunt, who sports National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s highest classification as a Four Star Master Coach, adds 30 years of fastpitch experience.
The season starts out with a string of away tournaments, two in South Carolina and one in Youngsville, Louisiana. The first home action of 2022 comes on March 2nd against the University of Northern Iowa, who went 32-20 last season. The Bisons will then host a pair of tournaments at Draper Diamond, starting with the Purple/Gold Challenge on March 4-6.
This year’s Bisons squad has fourteen juniors and seniors. One upperclassmen to watch is fielding utility senior Amy Vetula from Canton, Georgia. Vetula posted a .333 batting average and a .920 fielding percentage last year. Behind the plate, redshirt junior Kamrie Rich has a solid glove behind the plate with a .977 fielding percentage on 176 chances. In the box, Rich is one to fear with a .416 slugging percentage last year.
The Bisons have a solid setup for the future of the team with eight freshman and sophomore players. Backing up Rich behind the plate is catcher and infielder Avery Cox from Puryear, Tennessee. With no true stats, Cox was able to stand out over the short fall ball season by playing time both behind the plate and in the hot corner at third. In the circle, freshman Makayla Veneziale put together a few great showings over her innings in fall ball. These two could be the leaders on the field for the Bisons come just a few short seasons.
Lumination predicts that the Bisons will finish 5th or above in the conference with a 32-22 record. Last season, Lipscomb finished at an even 18-18.
The ASUN softball coaches poll has Lipscomb placed sixth, while #24 Liberty, Kennesaw State, and Central Arkansas make up the top three.
Lipscomb begins their season with the Gamecock Invitational in Columbia, South Carolina. Their first matchup of the weekend is 2:30 p.m. Friday against the Virginia Cavaliers.
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics