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 Vanessa Medina | Mar 15, 2011 | News Slider, Sports
If you drive out to a Little League Ballpark and ask any little kid what they want to be when they grow up, most will answer “a professional baseball player.” Caleb Joseph, who was one of those kids before his time at Lipscomb, is living that dream, aiming for a roster spot with the Baltimore Orioles when spring training breaks. The former Bison star got the call to join the big league team in Florida when the Orioles opened camp this winter. Joseph is one of seven catchers in the rotation, meaning he will catch about every three games until the dust settles and the roster is filled. This will give him the opportunity to wear the official Baltimore Orioles jersey. He comes by his baseball love naturally. Mom and Dad both graduated from Lipscomb and were involved with athletics. His dad, Mark, played baseball for the Bisons during the NAIA days. Caleb’s sister, Carly, currently cheers at Lipscomb. Caleb’s younger brother, Corban, is also in the minor leagues and is working out with the New York Yankees. The young Joseph has been working with the major league stars after being called upon twice in the past week to play alongside Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira. He also gets to learn from one of the best second basemen in the league, Robinson Cano. Corban was drafted out of Franklin High School and bypassed college ball to try his hand in the majors. While the Joseph brothers are both in the minor league stages, they work out together and push each other. Caleb finally got to see Corban in action on the field last summer. “It’s...
by Jadrienne Myhre | Nov 25, 2010 | News Slider, Sports
Caleb Joseph started off as a towel boy for Lipscomb’s basketball games. Then he played for Lipscomb’s baseball team. Today, he is playing in minor league baseball, and it’s all due to the influence of his idols – Lipscomb athletes. Joseph had family who attended Lipscomb University, and was involved in Lipscomb athletics from a young age. Even though a Jr. Bisons Club did not officially exist until 2009, Lipscomb has been getting kids involved with athletics since 1978. Joseph was part of that effort, and remembers looking up to athletes. “When you’re a kid, they seem so much older, they have that mega-star quality,” Joseph said. “You want to grow up and be just like them.” Joseph was drafted in 2008, his junior year in college at Lipscomb University, by the Baltimore Orioles. He played last summer for the club’s AA Bowie (Maryland) Baysox and then began catching for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona fall league. Joseph said while he was playing catcher for the Bisons, there were many bat boys – mostly ages 5 and 6 – who spent time with players on the field. He remembers a pair of twins who loved being bat boys so much they stayed on for the whole season. Joseph said Lipscomb athletics contributed greatly to who he is today. “I remember him when he was just a little towel boy,” Andy Lane, executive director of the National Bison Club at Lipscomb, said. “Now he’s all grown up – we really feel like next year he may be in the big leagues.” Lane remembers Caleb Joseph as a youngster, but knows that kids...
