by Russell Vannozzi | Feb 12, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Former Lipscomb pitcher Chris Nunn thought his professional baseball career was over on multiple occasions. He was released by San Diego, Milwaukee and Houston. He left the game in 2016 to pursue an MBA at Lipscomb. He nearly lost vision in his right eye after taking an elbow to the face in a pickup basketball game. And, recently, he had to deal with his mother’s breast cancer diagnosis. But on Jan. 28, the 28-year-old inked a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers, who project him to begin the season with Triple-A Nashville – a two-mile drive from his apartment in The Gulch. How did Nunn get here? And how, after all this time, is he back within striking distance of a life-long dream that seemed to be long lost? It took a change in his mindset and workout philosophy, an increase in pitch velocity and a little help from Twitter. Heating up in January It’s a 35-degree January day in Nashville, and Nunn is scrambling to get a quick bullpen session in at Lipscomb’s Ken Dugan Field, a place that “feels like home” to him. He’s working against the clock, because his former college team will be using the field that afternoon. Lipscomb pitching coach James Ogden lets Nunn use the team’s facilities provided that the current players take precedence. The hurler grabs Lipscomb junior Jarrett O’Leary to be his catcher, only to find out that the radar gun in the bullpen needs a new battery. Odgen promptly fixes that issue to bring Nunn’s workout to life. This isn’t supposed to be any type of show. Nunn is...
by Russell Vannozzi | Sep 24, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
Another baseball season has nearly come and gone. For Lipscomb’s nine former players in the professional ranks, 2018 was a mixed bag. Several players had outstanding seasons, while others struggled to stay healthy and find consistency. Caleb Joseph appeared in a few MLB games with his younger brother, while Michael Gigliotti tore his ACL and missed nearly the entire season. Meanwhile, Chris Nunn found success in the independent American Association after being released by the Houston Astros. Those are just a few of the storylines that can be found in the full breakdown below: MLB (1): Caleb Joseph, C, Baltimore Orioles: 77 GP, 251 AB, 25 R, 54 H, 17 RBI, 3 HR, 10 BB, .215 AVG* After batting .256 in 2017, Joseph’s performance at the plate regressed some this season. He spent one month with Triple-A Norfolk to get more regular playing time, but the Orioles brought Joseph back to Baltimore in June. The Franklin native then got the rare opportunity to pair with his younger brother, Corban, who briefly called up by the Orioles this summer. They are just one of nearly 100 sets of brothers to became MLB teammates. Baltimore (45-110) is set to finish with the worst record in baseball. Joseph has been outspoken about the team’s struggles and told The Athletic’s Dan Connolly that he understands why Camden Yards is mostly empty on game nights. “I don’t blame (the fans) at all,” Joseph said of the Oriole faithful. “I’ve been through really bad seasons in professional sports as a fan in Nashville. It’s not motivating. Of course, I don’t blame them at all (for not...
by Logan Butts | Jul 1, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
The summer of 2014 has reached the halfway mark, and Nashville has had its full share of sports news in May and June. Here is a recap on what you may have missed. Lipscomb Baseball: Former Lipscomb baseball stars Rex Brothers and Caleb Joseph have been performing well in the MLB. Joseph, who was called up to the majors on May 7, hit his first home run on June 22 against the New York Yankees. After coming very close to making the MLB All Star team last summer, on June 14 Brothers became the first pitcher in Colorado Rockies history to pitch an “immaculate inning,” which means he struck out three batters on only nine pitches in the inning. Rex’s younger brother Hunter was drafted by his brother’s team, the Rockies, in the 30th round of the 2014 MLB draft. Brothers is currently pitching for the Grand Junction Rockies of the Pioneer League. Former Bisons Chris Nunn and Josh Smith are also currently playing in the Minor Leagues. Nunn is pitching for the Lake Elsinore Storm of the California League, while Josh Smith is suiting up for the Louisville Bats of the International League. Lipscomb Track and Field: The Lipscomb track and field team continued their run of success from the fall semester into the spring and concluded their triumphant run through the summer thanks to appearances at the NCAA Nationals by Gemikal Prude and Madi Talbert, as well as participation in the NCAA East Preliminaries by Prude, Talbert and Colin Dempster. Talbert was named a Second Team All-American, while Prude earned an honorable mention All-American spot. Vanderbilt Baseball:...
by Emily Snell | May 16, 2012 | News Slider, Sports
ESPN’s SportsCenter rated a Lipscomb baseball catch as number 3 on its Top 10 plays list today. Chris Nunn, a junior left-handed pitcher from Memphis, made a no look, behind the back catch in a game against Jacksonville at Dugan Field over the weekend, landing him in the spotlight. The catch ranked number 9 initially and then moved up to the third spot at lunch time today, according to Mark McGee, media relations director for Lipscomb Athletics. The Bisons (25-27, 10-14 A-Sun) swept Jacksonville in an Atlantic Sun Conference doubleheader Saturday, May 12, winning the first game 6-1 and the second 6-2, on “Ken Dugan Day.” According to lipscombsports.com, “Nunn kept the Jacksonville offense off balance to pick up his first win of the season tossing five and two-thirds innings. Nunn scattered seven Dolphins hits, walked only one batter and fanned one Jacksonville hitter.” The final home regular season game was Tuesday, May 14 against Tennessee Tech. The Bisons lost 5-4. The last Atlantic Sun series of the year starts Thursday, May 17 at 5 p.m. at Belmont. The Atlantic Sun Tournament begins Wednesday, May...
