by Logan Butts | May 12, 2014 | News Slider, Opinion, Sports
After months of anticipation for prospects both highly regarded and barely known, as well as NFL die-hard fans, the 2014 NFL Draft has finally come to a close. Thanks to a 2013 campaign that saw a fifth consecutive playoff miss, the Tennessee Titans roster went through an overhaul in the offseason, leaving plenty of holes to be filled by the draft. Having been a Titans fan for the franchise’s entire existence, I can say that this draft, like many before it, had both highs and lows. Here are my thoughts on the Titans’ 2014 Draft selections. First Round, 11th pick: Taylor Lewan, Offensive Tackle, Michigan: Easily the most baffling selection in an otherwise solid draft haul for the Titans. With the team’s two most glaring needs being a quarterback and a defensive back, the Titans chose an offensive tackle despite having two starters entrenched in that position already. I, personally, was hoping for Texas A&M star quarterback Johnny “Football” Manziel. Even if he does not live up to his ultra-high expectations, he will be an entertaining player who draws crowds to the stadium. The Cleveland Browns sold 2,000 season tickets in the first 24 hours after selecting Manziel in the draft. Second Round, 54th pick: Bishop Sankey, Running Back, Washington: After a historic drought for running back selections, the Titans made Sankey the first back chosen in the 2014 draft. Sankey was an extremely productive player in college and will be a solid replacement after losing Chris Johnson in the offseason. Fourth Round, 112th pick: DaQuan Jones, Defesnive Tackle, Penn State: The Titans have always seemed to make good...
by Logan Butts | May 11, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
For the second time in school history the Lady Bisons softball team will be competing in the NCAA Division 1 Softball Championship. After Lipscomb was shut out by Stetson and USC Upstate in last week’s Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament at Draper Diamond, there were doubts as to whether the Lady Bisons would make the field of 64. However, Lipscomb’s name was called on Sunday night during the selection show. The Lady Bisons (39-13) will be heading to the Knoxville Regional, where they will be joined by host and No. 10 Tennessee, Virginia Tech (35-21) and Charleston Southern (27-31-1). They will open up tourney action at 3:30 p.m. EDT Friday, when they will play Virginia Tech. The Lady Bisons defeated Tech 2-1 at home during the opening game of the regular season, thanks to a walk-off home run by senior Kristen Sturdivant. The Lady Bisons were among three Atlantic Sun Conference teams to make the tournament. It was the first time in conference history that multiple teams made the NCAA Tournament. Tournament champion Stetson will play in the regional hosted by No. 5 Florida, and USC Upstate will play in the regional hosted by No. 2 Alabama. The NCAA Tournament appearance, the team’s first since playing in the Tuscaloosa Regional in 2010, will give the seniors a second chance to go out on a good note. Friday’s Lady Bisons game against Virginia Tech will be followed by Tennessee’s 5 p.m. showdown with Charleston Southern. The double-elimination regional ends Sunday afternoon. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...
by Jesica Parsley | May 8, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb Lady Bisons softball team was eliminated from the Atlantic Sun Softball Championship Thursday evening at Draper Diamond at Smith Stadium. The 3-0 loss to USC Upstate that ended the tourney for the Lady Bisons was the end of a scoreless day for the home team. Earlier Thursday, the Lady Bisons lost their first game of the tournament to the Stetson Hatters 2-0. That struggle began with senior pitcher Ashley Anderson walking in a run in the first inning. The Lady Bisons had a chance to answer when junior infielder Paige Neely got a single in the bottom of the inning but was left stranded. The next runner to cross the plate did not come until the fifth inning. Stetson junior infielder Demi Meza and senior pitcher/infielder Meredith Owen earned back-to-back walks. Meza and Owen were bunted over by sophomore infielder Kayla Drury. Meza scored on a sacrifice fly from junior utility player Amanda Grimaldo to give the Hatters a 2-0 lead. The Lady Bisons scattered six hits in the losing effort. Anderson picked up the loss. Her record fell to 19-5. Owen picked up the victory for the Hatters, improving her record to 24-7. Lipscomb head coach Kristin Ryman said she was not expecting the morning to end like it did. “I thought we came out in good spirits,” Ryman said. “We struggled to adjust to the strike zone early in the game. It’s frustrating to come into a game expecting to start one way and not have that happen.” The offensive struggles continued for the Lady Bisons Thursday evening in game two against USC Upstate. Upstate got on the board...
by Logan Butts | May 8, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
Former Lipscomb Bison baseball player Caleb Joseph’s journey to the majors has seen stops in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and Arizona since he was selected in the seventh round of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft. On Wednesday night in Tampa, Joseph made his MLB debut for the Baltimore Orioles against the Tampa Bay Rays. Joseph, who replaced usual starter at catcher Matt Wieters, batted 0-3 on the night. Joseph has spent the last seven years playing baseball in various minor leagues with great success since his playing days at Lipscomb. Last season alone, Joseph was named to the mid-season and post-season Eastern League All Star Team and took home the honors of Eastern League MVP and Home Run Derby champion. Joseph finished the season with a batting average of .299 with 22 home runs and 97 RBIs. At Lipscomb, Joseph was a key contributor to Lipscomb’s first Atlantic Sun championship and subsequent NCAA Tournament appearance. In the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, he homered in the Bisons’ upset win over the Georgia Bulldogs. Joseph is the third Bison to have played in the MLB, joining current Colorado Rockies pitcher Rex Brothers and current Colorado Rockies assistant coach Bo McLaughlin. McLaughlin played for the Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves and Oakland Athletics in his MLB career. Joseph’s brother, Corban Joseph, also made a MLB appearance for the New York Yankees in 2013. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...
by Travis Byrd | May 2, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
The Atlantic Sun conference has taken the college basketball world by storm over the last couple of years. In 2013, A-Sun member Florida Gulf Coast went on a magical run to the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA tournament, and in March, the Mercer Bears upset heavily favored Duke in the first round of the tourney. To Lipscomb Athletic Director Philip Hutcheson, the success of fellow A-Sun teams provides a good reputation to the other members of the conference. “A rising tide lifts all boats,” Hutcheson said. “When teams from this conference win, it makes everybody look good.” The good news for Lipscomb fans is that the Bisons have been very competitive with the conference’s top teams. “This year, we were right there,” Hutcheson said. “We split with FGCU and swept or split with most of the teams in the conference. We aren’t far from the top.” One of the problems that face teams from the A-Sun is that it is considered a non-power conference. The A-Sun is not in the same conversation as the ACC, SEC or Big Ten, but Hutcheson said he believes that with the recent success, the conference will not go unnoticed for long. “The thing about our conference is that only the conference tournament champion gets in the NCAA tournament,” Hutcheson said. “If teams from this conference continue to get in the tournament and advance, that could open the door for other teams that have good years in this conference to get an at-large bid.” This past season in men’s basketball was the first for Lipscomb head coach Casey Alexander. He led the Bisons to a fifth...
by Erika Thornsberry | Apr 28, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
Senior night is always a special time for a team, but for Lipscomb’s softball team it was that much sweeter. Having a senior-led team, the women celebrated seven of their 20 players. Pitchers Ashley Anderson and Heather Parker, catcher Rena’ Cothron, shortstop Bridgette Begle, first basemen Kristen Sturdivant, right fielder Kelsey Cartwright and designated hitter Haley Elliot make up the senior class. “The standards are high, and the bar was raised for this team this year,” head coach Kristin Ryman said. “We have played so well this year.” The Lady Bisons took the sweep against Northern Kentucky this past weekend. They won the first game in a run-rule fashion 10-0, the second game 6-0 and on senior night won 6-3. This series may have been the seniors’ last, but it had a lot of firsts for them. Anderson was the winning pitcher in game one pitching her first no- hitter in her college career. “I wasn’t even paying attention; I didn’t even know until after the game because I was just thinking about how well we were hitting,” Anderson said. Begle hit her first grand-slam in her career with two outs in the fourth inning. Also in game one Heather Parker got her first hit of the season. “The seniors are a really special group. There’s not too many classes that are that big that you can say every single one of them are a key contributor to the team,” Ryman said. “They are a very unique group, five of them have been together for the long haul, and then we added Kelsey Cartwright and Heather Parker who transferred...
