Experienced Lipscomb softball team prepared for 2019

Experienced Lipscomb softball team prepared for 2019

With the first game of the season only three weeks away, the Lipscomb softball team is preparing for what has all the looks of a promising season. The team only lost two seniors from last year and retained most of its strengths at the plate and on the mound. “Our speed game is good, as well as having heavy hitters with the likes of Jenna Pealor and Jordan Fortel,” Lipscomb assistant Megan Rhodes-Smith said. “And our defense is strong with players like Peyton Ward at shortstop and Hannah DeVault at second base.” Devault was just voted the ASUN’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. She made only three errors in 2018 and finished the season with an ASUN-leading .983 fielding percentage. Another advantage the team has is the depth of their bench, including of six pitchers. Coach Rhodes-Smith said it’s not typical to have that many on a roster, but that it’s a “good problem to have.” One of those pitchers is a familiar face to Lipscomb Athletics. Chloe Rogers, a former Lipscomb volleyball player, decided to join the softball team for her fifth year playing four seasons for coach Brandon Rosenthal. In their preseason games during this fall, the team went 8-0 against the competition, which included some fellow NCAA Division I schools. Coach Rhodes-Smith said that “the hardest competition is ourselves” and that the toughest offense and defense the team has faced has been their own in practice. However, she did mention that Liberty is new to the conference and will be a somewhat unknown factor and that Florida Gulf Coast has been a tough opponent in the...

Lady Bisons make Atlantic Sun volleyball history

The Lady Bisons Volleyball team received an at large bid to the NCAA tournament for the first time in Atlantic Sun history Sunday night. After the most recent RPI ranking was released on Nov. 24, the Lady Bisons moved into the no. 31 spot. Based on the wins throughout the season, different rankings during the season and their record of 21-8, the team was granted a bid into the NCAA tournament where they will face Ohio State in the first round. The Lady Bisons won the conference regular season championship, but fell to Jacksonville 3-1 in the tournament championship game. JU will take on Florida State in the first round of the NCAA tournament. It is the first time that the Atlantic Sun has placed two teams in the tournament. The game will take place Friday Dec. 5 at 4 p.m. CST in Lexington, Kent. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...