by Jesica Parsley | May 18, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb softball team’s season ended Sunday after losing to the University of Tennessee 2-0 in the Knoxville regional championship game. The game was a pitchers duel until the sixth inning. Lady Vol sophomore outfielder Haley Tobler led off the inning with a single. Sophomore catcher/infielder Lexi Overstreet hit a two-run home run to plate the only runs of the game for either team. Lipscomb junior infielder Paige Neely led the Lady Bisons with two hits. Senior infielder Kristen Sturdivant earned one hit. Senior pitcher Ashley Anderson went the distance for the Lady Bisons. She gave up five hits and struck out nine. Her final record this season fell to 20-8. Seven Lady Bisons finished their careers at Lipscomb including: Anderson, infielder Bridgette Begle, catcher Rena’ Cothron, catcher/infielder Haley Elliott, infielder Kelsey Cartwright, pitcher/infielder Heather Parker, and Sturdivant. Lipscomb became the first softball team from the Atlantic Sun Conference to play in a regional championship game. The Lady Bisons finished the season with an overall record of...
by Cory Woodroof | May 18, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
Coach Don Meyer’s legacy is the way he spent his life. “I think that’s the reason why that we’re put here on the Earth is to try to help folks and to show that servant leadership and show Christ, and that was everything that Coach [Meyer] was about,” said one of his former players and coaches, Freed-Hardeman head coach Jason Shelton. Meyer, long-time coach of the Bisons and a college basketball icon, died today at age 69. Those who learned from and admired Coach Meyer spent time reflecting on how his life, not just his coaching, affected them. Meyer ends a long battle with cancer, stemming from a 2008 diagnosis that came after a serious car accident that claimed one of his legs. He was at home in Aberdeen, South Dakota, receiving hospice care at the time of his passing. A celebration of life for Meyer will be held in Allen Arena honoring Meyer’s life at 2 p.m. on June 1. A similar service will be held in South Dakota on Saturday at Northern State University. At an Athlete Leadership Chapel held in October 2012, Meyer spoke to a crowd of Bisons and Lady Bisons about a myriad of important subjects – character being one of them. “Character is really important,” Meyer said during his lesson. “Character is important in everything you do.” Meyer lived a life of iridescent character – the kind of character that Jesus taught people to have. The kind of character that showed on the court, in the locker room, at practice and at basketball camps. The kind of character that made him a beloved coach, mentor...
by Jesica Parsley | May 18, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb softball team won two games on Saturday to advance to the final day of the NCAA Knoxville Regional on the University of Tennessee’s campus. The Lady Bisons will have to beat the Tennessee Lady Vols twice on Sunday to advance to a super regional. Lipscomb eliminated Charleston Southern in the first game on Saturday. Freshman infielder Mimi Cartwright doubled to score sophomore infielder Brittany Elmore to give the Lady Bisons a 1-0 lead after the first inning. Elmore scored on junior infielder Paige Neely’s single up the middle. Lady Bisons had a 2-0 lead in the sixth. Charleston Southern tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom on the sixth. Lipscomb would strike again in the seventh off a solo homerun from senior infielder Kristen Sturdivant. Pinch runner Jordan Abell scored on freshman outfielder Dee Baddley’s single to give the Lady Bisons the 4-2 lead. Charleston Southern failed to score in the bottom of the seventh. Senior pitcher Ashley Anderson picked up her 20th win giving up six hits while striking out four. Lipscomb had a rematch against Virginia Tech in game two on Saturday. The Lady Bisons bats did not disappoint. Lipscomb recorded 12 hits and scored 12 runs. Senior infielder Haley Elliot hit two homeruns and had six RBIs. Junior outfielder Brianne Welch had a triple and an RBI. Senior infielder Bridgette Begle recorded a three hit game with an RBI. Elmore and Neely both had two hits. Elmore earned two RBIs. Virginia Tech scored three runs. Lipscomb sophomore pitcher Tanner Sanders went the distance for Lipscomb giving up seven hits with one strikeout. The...
by Jesica Parsley | May 17, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb softball team lost 4-3 to Virginia Tech in their first game of the NCAA Knoxville Regional Friday afternoon in at Lee Stadium on the University of Tennessee’s campus in Knoxville. The Lady Bisons scored first. Sophomore infielder/outfielder Brittany Elmore led off with an infield single then would reach second on a passed ball. Freshman infielder Mimi Cartwright reached on an error. Elmore would score to give Lipscomb the 1-0 lead after one inning. Tech junior infielder Lauren Gaskill and junior infielder Kylie McGoldrick got back-to-back hits in the third. A pitch to load the bases hit redshirt sophomore catcher Katey Smith. Senior outfielder Amanda Ake hit a triple to clear the bases and give Tech a 3-1 lead. In the sixth, senior infielder Kristen Sturdivant hit a single to left center. Junior infielder Jordan Abell came in to pinch run for Sturdivant. Senior infielder Haley Elliot was walked, and freshman Becca Dean pinch ran for Elliot. Junior outfielder Brianne Welch scored on a fielder’s choice to load the bases. Senior infielder Bridgette Begle hit a single to score Abell and Dean. Begle’s RBIs tied the game up 3-3 after six innings. Gaskill singled in the top of the seventh. Tech’s freshman outfielder Vanessa Gonzalez’s hit a ball in the gap between shortstop and third that tipped off Begle’s glove at shortstop. The ball ended up on the top step of the Lipscomb dugout, which was ruled a dead ball. Gaskill scored on the play to give Virginia Tech the 4-3 lead. The Lady Bisons did not go down without a fight. In the bottom of the seventh, senior...
by Cory Woodroof | May 13, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
Don Meyer, the iconic former men’s basketball coach who has been battling cancer, is in hospice care, according to The Tennessean’s Mike Organ. Meyer, 69, is receiving the care at home after spending three days at Avera St. Luke’s Hospital in Aberdeen, South Dakota, Meyer’s town of residence. The Meyer family released a statement to Nashville’s morning newspaper on the coach’s situation and on his stubborn fight against the disease. “As a family we are so proud of that perseverance. He is at peace, loved and getting exceptional care.” The family recommends those wishing to reach out to Meyer should contact his Twitter handle (@CoachDonMeyer) or his Facebook page. Meyer coached at Lipscomb from 1975-1999. His 1985-1986 squad won the NAIA National Championship. Meyer is a member of the Lipscomb University Athletics Hall of Fame, and the annual Don Meyer Evening of Excellence is held in his honor. In 2011, Lipscomb named its basketball court in Allen Arena the “Don Meyer Court.” The coach has had health struggles, stemming from a cancer diagnosis that followed a serious car accident in 2008. Meyer’s son Jerry commented on the battle his father has fought. “He’s fought hard,” Jerry Meyer said to The Tennessean. “He was diagnosed with (cancer) and he’s exceeded the prognosis.” Photo: Meyer, in the striped shirt, smiles as his team gathers at a timeout during the 1998-1999...
by Logan Butts | May 13, 2014 | Sports
Caleb Joseph, a former standout player for the Lipscomb baseball team, made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night. Lumination spoke with Joseph on his experience with the Orioles and his time at Lipscomb. Q: What was it like when you found out you were being called up to play for the Orioles? A: It was quite surprising. We didn’t know that Matt (Wieters) was even having some discomfort, so it was definitely a shock. The first 24 hours were pretty crazy. It went by really fast. We had a great time. It was a lot of fun. Only very few people get to achieve a dream that they had as a young child. Q: What was the actual game like? Was it different than other games you have played? A: Well, the atmosphere was obviously different with major league fans and a major league stadium. The game itself was no different because the same players were hitting the same pitches with the same counts and missing the same pitches with the same counts. The speed of the game was a little bit different, but it wasn’t anything that was overwhelming. My teammates were able to help kind of slow it down a few times. Q: How does it feel to join Rex Brothers and Bo McLaughlin as the only other former Lipscomb players to play in the MLB? A: Really good. And since I’ll be the first position player because Rex and Bo are both pitchers, that’s quite an honor. When I was young I use to go to [Lipscomb] games. I’m...
