Men’s and women’s cross country sweep A-Sun titles

Another year, another successful season for the Men’s and Women’s Cross Country programs. The Women scored 21 points in the Atlantic Sun Championships to secure their fourth consecutive conference title. Madi Talbert, Paige Stoner, and Dani Walker swept the top three spots, taking first, second and third respectively. All three runners, along with Sally Larson who finished sixth overall, earned spots on the A-Sun All-Conference First Team. Stoner was also named A-Sun Freshman of the Year. Barbara Lee Ball, Kayla Montgomery and Minna Fields took spots on the All-Conference Second Team. Ball and Montgomery finished ninth and 13th in the A-Sun Championship. The Men’s team also had a stand-out day in route to winning their second A-Sun Championship in a row. Juan Gonzalez, Daniel Gardner and Christian Freeman took third, fourth and fifth place in the competition. All three also placed on the A-Sun All-Conference First Team. The Bisons fourth and fifth runners, junior Jared Wingerter and sophomore Jared Daedler, both set personal records in route to finshing ninth and 15th overall. Wingerter earned a spot on the All-Conference Second Team. “Jared Wingadner had a great race,” head coach Benton Reed said. “He passed two Northern Kentucky guys in the end with an awesome finish. I knew Jared Dadeler was going to have a good race because he just kept on moving up throughout the race and by the end he was where he needed to be and it really made the difference for the team. Without him, we wouldn’t have won.” The Men’s team had made it a goal all season to win Conference again, while the women’s...

Bisons bow out in A-Sun final

In a season that saw great improvement over the last, the 2014 Lipscomb Bisons’ baseball season came to an end on Sunday with a 7-1 loss to Kennesaw State in the Atlantic Sun Championship final. A win would have put the Bisons in a winner-take-all second match against Kennesaw State, with the victor advancing to the NCAA Tournament. Lipscomb posted a NCAA era school record for wins in a season with 33, and the Bisons also set a new team record for winning percentage with a 33-28 mark. The Bisons scored their lone run for the game in the second inning thanks to a hit from senior catcher Nick Rome that scored junior designated hitter Tyson Ashcraft. After an Owls scored a run in the third frame, the game remained knotted at one run apiece until Kennesaw scored three runs in both the seventh and eighth innings. The Bisons had two players, juniors Grant Massey and Ian Martinez-McGraw, earn All-Tournament honors. Seniors Drew Adams, Jacob Knott, Conor Moynihan, Nick Rome, Chad Shannon and Weston Wolfe all played in their final game as a Bison. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...

Bisons defeat top-ranked FGCU with eighth-inning rally

The Lipscomb Bisons baseball team upset the top-seeded Florida Gulf Coast Eagles on Thursday night in their second game of the Atlantic Sun Conference Baseball Championship thanks to a late game rally. The Bisons scored three go-ahead runs in the eighth inning to take a 5-4 lead. With two outs and two runners on base, junior left-fielder Josh Lee blasted a hit to left field that scored senior right-fielder Drew Adams. Freshman catcher Tyler Bethune was then able to score both Lee and freshman third baseman Hunter Hanks to give Lipscomb the lead. The Bisons notched their first run of the game in the fourth inning thanks to a sacrifice fly from Lee that sent Adams to home plate, a preview of what would come in the eighth inning. Thanks to their two victories, Lipscomb will not be playing on Friday, but will instead jump back into action on Saturday at 12:15 p.m. against the winner of Florida Gulf Coast and Jacksonville. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...

Lady Bisons softball team earns NCAA Tournament bid

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...

Former Bison Caleb Joseph makes MLB debut

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...