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 Carter Sanderson | Apr 10, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
The battle is on at Dugan Field this weekend as the Bison baseball team prepares for a rivalry game against the Bears of Mercer University. The Bison’s enter the weekend 10-2 in the conference which matches the Bears’ conference record of 10-2. The first place battle begins on Friday night at 6 p.m. and continues again on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. at Dugan Field. Bisons head coach Jeff Forehand is excited about the opportunity for his team, and says he wants this series to have record attendance. “Home is one thing, but having a crowd and support behind you is another,” Forehand said about the big weekend ahead. “We have good crowds most of the games, but this is one I just thought we could have a chance to break the record, get some people out there,” Forehand said. “It’s supposed to be a nice weekend, so [we’re] just challenging all the students to wherever they’re going to be, bring whatever you’re doing and bring it out to the field.” Mercer has been a well-coached team for several years now and is constantly flirting with the Top 25 polls. The Bisons, on the other hand, are 19-4 in their last 23 games, and Forehand says the practices this week have been the most intense that they have had all year. Forehand and his group know all about the positives that come from the momentum that comes with winning. “Anytime you can win a college game, its a big win because everybody works at it just as hard as you do,” Forehand said. “But as...
by Cory Woodroof | Mar 1, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb Bisons men’s basketball team won one for the lone senior against the Stetson Hatters Saturday at Allen Arena. In an early morning tipoff, the Bisons secured a 83-76 win over Stetson. As fans munched on free goodies from Fox’s Donut Den, the Bisons engaged in a highly defensive match. In the first half, Lipscomb only made three of 13 attempts from the 3-point line, including the first points of the game, a 3-pointer from senior guard/forward Khion Sankey. Despite the troubles from beyond the perimeter, Lipscomb inched closer and closer to Stetson’s cementing lead, with the Hatters up 38-36 at the break. In the second half, the Bisons began to pick up steam. The 3-point problems began to erode, as the team made five of their 11 attempts. Lipscomb also out-rebounded Stetson 19-to-12 in the latter half. While Lipscomb never truly pulled away from the Hatters, the Bisons would hold on to win 83-76. “It feels great, especially to get a win at home,” redshirt freshman J.C. Hampton said. Freshman guard Josh Williams led the team in both scoring and rebounding with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Junior guard Martin Smith was not too far behind with 20 points. Junior guard Malcolm Smith had 18 points and six rebounds. Hampton had nine points and five rebounds. Fouling from Stetson helped Lipscomb’s cause, as the Bisons went 31-for-40 from the line. Malcom Smith hit 10 of his 12 attempts. With the win, the Bisons close the regular season with a winning record overall (15-14) and in conference (10-8). The team finished fifth in Atlantic Sun regular season play behind Florida...
by Jesica Parsley | Feb 23, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb’s redshirt sophomore forward Ashley Southern got her nineteenth double-double of the season in the Lady Bisons’ loss to the Northern Kentucky Norse Saturday 61-57. Southern is chasing the double-double season record of 21. She finished the game with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Redshirt freshman guard Chandler Cooper added 11 points. Redshirt sophomore guard Danay Fothergill scored 10 points. Northern Kentucky’s senior guard Kayla Thacker finished with 24 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Christine Roush and freshman guard Kelley Wiegman added nine each. The Lady Bisons had a slow first half, which led to them chasing the Norse the entire game. Lipscomb shot 27 percent from the field in the first half. The Lady Bisons shot 17 three pointers, while only making four. “Because of their defense, we couldn’t get what we wanted,” Southern said. “All the credit goes to them.” Cooper and Fothergill went to the bench with four fouls each with 12 minutes to go in the second half. Southern stepped up, scoring 21 of her 27 points in the second half. Northern Kentucky went on an 11-0 run at about the five-minute mark of the second half. The Lady Bisons stayed in the game by getting three turnovers on the full-court press with four minutes remaining. A made three-pointer by Cooper with two minutes left cut the lead to three. Northern Kentucky hit three free throws to take the lead back to six. Another made three-pointer by Southern took the lead back to three with 33 seconds to go. The Norse’s freshman guard Lauren White made two free throws to put the game out...
