2014 Schedule Lipscomb hits the Field 2/8 Miami-Ohio# W, 11-7 2/8 Tennessee State# W, 10-2 2/9 Virginia Tech# W, 2-1 2/9 Butler# W, 6-3 2/14 vs. Iowa$ W, 10-0 2/14 vs. Drake$ W, 8-0 2/15 vs. Missouri$ L, 8-0 2/15 at Baylor$ W, 1-0 2/16 vs. UAB$ W 8-6 2/21 vs. Appalachian St.% W, 9-2 2/21 vs. Evansville% W, 7-0. 2/22 vs. SE Missouri% W, 11-0 2/23 vs. Missouri St.% L, 7-2 2/23 vs. Murray St.% W, 7-2 2/26 at Belmont W, 13-0 3/1 at No. Florida* (DH) L,12-4,W, 9-0 3/2 at No.Florida* W, 7-0 3/5 Ohio U. (DH) W, 2-1, W, 9-4 3/8 FGCU* (DH) W, 6-4, W, 5-4 3/9 FGCU* L, 5-3 3/11 at Tenn. Tech (DH) W, 6-3, W, 6-1 3/15 Jacksonville* (DH) W,10-7, W,11-0 3/16 Jacksonville* Canceled 3/20 at Chattanooga W, 8-4 3/22 at Kenn, St.*(DH) W, 2-0, W, 5-0 3/23 at Kennesaw St.* L, 8-7 3/26 at Memphis W, 3-1 3/29 at USC Upstate* (DH) L, 4-0, L,7-6 3/30 at USC Upstate* L, 8-1 4/2 UAB (DH) W, 2-1, L, 5-3 4/5 ETSU* (DH) W, 9-0, W, 10-1 4/6 ETSU* W, 4-2 4/12 Mercer* (DH) W, 9-1, W, 5-4 4/13 Mercer* W, 2-1 4/18 at Stetson* (DH) L, 1-0, W, 9-2 4/19 at Stetson* L, 4-3 4/23 at Western Kentucky W, 7-1 4/26 Northern Ky* (DH) W, 10-0, W, 6-0 4/27 Northern Kentucky* W, 6-3 5/1 Tennessee State Canceled 5/8 Stetson^ L, 2-0 5/8 USC Upstate^ L, 3-0 5/16 Virginia Tech+ 2:30 Legend * -- Conference Game # -- Music City Classic $ -- Getterman Classic % -- Blues City Classic ^ -- Atlantic Sun Tournament +-- NCAA Regional 19 - Dee Baddley.200-0 HR Brianne - 0 RBI Welch Bridgette Begle 14 - Bridgette Begle.225-1 HR - 18 RBI Paige Neely 9 - Paige Neely.376-4 HRs - 31 RBI 21 - Haley Elliott.214-4 HRs - 15 RBI Lipscomb 39-19 Virginia Tech 35-21 Brittany 2 - Brittany Elmore Elmore.328-2 HRs - 23 RBI 15 - Brianne Welch Gracey.257 Aguirre - 6 HRs - 25 RBI Mimi Cartwright Heather Parker 16 Tanner - Ashley Sanders Anderson 19-6 Ashley -1.53 Anderson ERA - 121 Ks - 44 BBs 10 - Tanner Sanders 11-4 - 2.71 ERA - 35 Ks - 50 Rena Cothron BBs - Heather Parker 9-3- 3.73 ERA - 63Ks - 34 BBs 13 - Rena Cothron.350-4 HRs - 30 RBI 8 - Mimi Cartwright.288-0 HRs - 25 RBI Kristen Sturdivant Charleston Southern 27-31-1 23 - Kristen Sturdivant.257-9 HRs -41 RBI Tennessee 42-10
Lipscomb 39-19 Virginia Tech 35-21 Charleston So. 27-31-1 Tennessee 42-10 2014 KNOXVILLE REGIONAL Friday, May 16 2:30 p.m. - Game 1 Lipscomb vs Virginia Tech 5:00 p.m. - Game 2 Charleston Southern vs #10 Tennessee Saturday, May 17 1:00 p.m. - Game 3 (winner game 1 vs winner game 2) 3:30 p.m. - Game 4 (loser game 1 vs loser game 2) 6:00 p.m. - Game 5 (loser game 3 vs winner game 4) Sunday, May 18 1:00 p.m. - Game 6 (winner game 3 vs winner game 5) 3:30 p.m. - Game 7 (if necessary) TEAM COMPARISONS Record 39-13 35-21 Batting Average.298.285 Home Runs 39 59 RBI 259 246 Runs/Game 5.77 4.89 Slug. Pct..443.478 On-Base Pct..379.374 Steals 59 55 Fielding Pct..964.969 ERA 2.29 3.30 Strikeouts/G 4.52 3.55 Opp. BA.223.258 Shutouts 14 10 Record 27-31-1 42-10 Batting Average.253.320 Home Runs 24 70 RBI 166 314 Runs/Game 3.20 6.42 Slug. Pct..360.549 On-Base Pct..320.431 Steals 46 55 Fielding Pct..953.968 ERA 2.56 2.34 Strikeouts/G 3.93 4.65 Opp. BA.249.202 Shutouts 7 15
Virginia Tech notes: This will be the second meeting between the Lipscomb Lady Bisons and Virginia Tech this season. On Feb. 9 the Lady Bisons beat Virginia Tech 2-1 at Draper Diamond at Smith Stadium on the Lipscomb campus in the Music City Classic. Senior first baseman Kristen Sturdivant sealed the win with a solo walk-off home run. The only other hit in the game for the Lady Bisons was a double to left field by Brianne Welch. She advanced to third on a bunt and scored on a wild pitch in the third inning. Lipscomb sophomore right-hander Tanner Sanders went the distance in the circle. She allowed only two hits, both to Virginia Tech s Vanessa Gonzalez. In the second inning Gonzalez s first hit was a solo homer. The Lady Bisons are 3-0 in the series with Virginia Tech from the Atlantic Coast Conference. This is Lipscomb s second NCAA Regional. This is the third straight regional for Virginia Tech, the seventh overall. Bank on it: Virginia Tech s Kat Banks has strong ties to Lipscomb. Her sister, Alex, plays for the Lady Bisons basketball team. Her brother, A.T., is a student at Lipscomb. Kat s father, Alan, was an NAIA All-American basketball player at Lipscomb. He was inducted in the Lipscomb Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996. Lipscomb season highlights: The Lady Bisons, 39-13, have not dropped lower than 35 in the RPI this season. Their highest ranking was 28th. They have been rated 33rd for the past two weeks. The previous high in the history of the program is 36th. They are 32nd this week heading into the NCAA Tournament. This the second trip to the NCAA regionals in softball for the Lady Bisons. They played in the Tuscaloosa Regional in 2010 finishing 2-2 with two wins over UAB and two losses to host Alabama. They are ranked in the top 25 in the NCAA in team W-L percentage (22nd,.750). They are in the top 35 in the NCAA runs scored per game (35th, 5.77). They are in the top 40 in the NCAA in earned run average (37th, 2.29). They are tied for the second most wins in a season in the history of the program with 39 (set in 2009). This is the sixth year in a row with 30 or more wins.
ANDERSON SETS NEW HIGHS Left-hander Ashley Anderson has set new season highs in the circle. Her 19 wins are a new all-time career season high, besting her 13 in 2012. She has struck out 121 batters, also a new season high in her career. Anderson was unbeaten this season in her first 12 outings. She enters the Knoxville Regional with a 19-6 record. She was named Atlantic Sun Pitcher of the Week for the first time in her career March 3 after 12 shutout innings and two wins at North Florida. She is ranked 23rd in the nation in ERA. She has been named Second Team A-Sun All-Conference and is also a member of the A-Sun All-Academic Team. PRODUCTION LINE Eight Lady Bisons in the regular batting order are in double figures in RBIs. Kristen Sturdivant leads the way with 41, a new season career high, followed by Kelsey Cartwright with 39 and Rena Cothron with 30. COTHRON CATCHING ON Rena Cothron was named A-Sun Player of the Week and TSWA Player of the Week for April 7. Cothron has caught every inning this season, the first time she has been behind the plate since high school. Cothron is batting.350, second on the team. She has four home runs in her career, all this season. She hit the first grand slam of her career against ETSU April 5. She was named Second Team A-Sun All-Conference. SLAM FEST Three players have hit grand slams this season - Bridgette Begle, Rena Cothron and Brianne Welch. It was the first career grand slam for each of them. NEAT FOR NEELY Paige Neely leads the team in batting average (.376), doubles (13), triples (3) and hits (68). College Sports Madness named her Atlantic Sun Softball Player of the Week for Feb. 17 for her exceptional performances during the Getterman Classic at Baylor. Neely was instrumental in the Lady Bisons finishing the Getterman Classic at Baylor University with a 4-1 record. The Lady Bisons beat Iowa, Drake, No. 14-ranked Baylor and UAB. Neely, a junior from Nashville, tied for first in the tournament in runs batted in with seven, hits with seven, total bases with 11 and sacrifice flies with two. She finished third in with a.467 batting average and tied for fourth with a.733 slugging percentage. SANDERS AWARD Tanner Sanders was named Atlantic Sun Pitcher of the Week for Feb. 17. Sanders, a sophomore right-hander from Flintville, Tenn., was also named to the Primetime Performers Weekly Honor Roll by College Softball 360 and was a Selected Top Performer by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. Sanders shutout Iowa and then blanked No. 14-ranked Baylor and also came on in relief to stop UAB. She is 11-4 with eight complete games and a 2.71 ERA. FEELING STREAKY Paige Neely, Haley Elliott and Heather Parker each have hits in their last three games. Neely s 16-game streak is the longest for the team this season. BLUES CITY CLASSIC The Lady Bisons finished the Blues City Classic hosted by the University of Memphis in Southaven, Miss., with a 4-1 record. They beat Appalachian State, Evansvile, Southeast Missouri and Murray State. The lone loss was to Missouri State. Brianne Welch and Gracey Aguirre were First Team All-Tournament selections. Ashley Anderson and Kelsey Cartwright earned Second Team All-Tournament honors. GETTERMAN DOMINATION The Lady Bisons finished 4-1 and placed three players on the Getterman Classic All-Tournament Team at Baylor Feb. 14-16 third baseman Paige Neely, left fielder Brianne Welch and right-handed pitcher Tanner Sanders. Neely was fourth in batting average (.467), tied for fourth in slugging percentage (.733), tied for first in both total bases (11), hits (7) and RBI (7). She also tied second for stolen bases with two. Welch was first in slugging percentage (.900). Sanders won all three games she appeared in, the most of any pitcher in the tournament. She recorded two shutouts, beating Iowa 10-0 and Baylor 1-0. As a staff the Lady Bisons recorded three shutouts, tying the- Getterman Classic record.
Lipscomb NUMERICAL ROSTER 1 Jordan Abell IF JR R/R Pleasant Shade, Tenn. (Smith Co. HS) 2 Brittany Elmore OF/IF SO L/R Mount Juliet, Tenn. (Goodpasture HS) 4 Heather Parker RHP SR R/R Pleasant Grove, Ala. (Wallace St.) 5 Madison Wray IF/OF SO R/R Stockton, Calif. (Lincoln HS) 6 Paige Neely IF JR L/R Nashville, Tenn. (Austin Peay) 8 Mimi Cartwright IF/OF FR R/R Joelton, Tenn. (Goodpasture HS) 9 Gracey Aguirre OF/IF JR R/R Houston, Texas (Deer Park HS) 10 Tanner Sanders RHP SO L/R Flintville, Tenn. (Lincoln Co.HS) 11 Kelsey Cartwright IF SR R/R Joelton, Tenn. (Auburn) 12 Becca Dean OF FR L/R Findley, Ohio (Liberty Benton HS) 13 Rena Cothron C/IF SR R/R Hendersonville, Tenn. (Beech HS) 14 Bridgette Begle IF SR R/R Houston, Texas (Clear Brook HS) 15 Brianne Welch OF/IF JR R/R Canton, Ga. (Cherokee HS) 16 Ashley Anderson P R-FR L/L Sharpsburg, Ga. (Northgate HS) 17 McCarley Thomas RHP FR R/R Brentwood, Tenn. (Lipscomb Aca.) 19 Dee Baddley OF SO L/R Southaven, Miss. (Lewisburg HS) 21 Haley Elliott C/IF SO R/R Lexington, Tenn. (Trinity Christian Acad.) 22 Taylor Neuhart RHP FR R/R Alexandria, Va. (Hayfield Secondary) 23 Kristen Sturdivant 1B/P SO R/R Bartlett, Tenn. (St. Benedict-Auburndale) 25 Kasey Gibson OF FR L/R Churubusco, Ind. (Churubusco HS) SOFTBALL QUICK FACTS Nickname... Bisons Mascot...LU Bison Enrollment... 4,593 Colors... Gold and Purple Conference...Atlantic Sun Field...Draper Diamond at Smith Stadium (250) President...Dr. Randy Lowry Athletic Director... Phillip Hutcheson Head Coach...Kristin Ryman Alma Mater... Lipscomb (2004) Overall Record...257-179-1 (.589) (9th year) Record at Lipscomb...Same Assistant Coach...Megan Smith Alma Mater...Tennessee, 2008 Assistant Coach...J.J. Dillingham Alma Mater...Lipscomb, 2000 NCAA Regional Apperances:... 1 NCAA Tournament Record...2-2 Conference Championships:... 1 Last A-Sun Tournament Appearance...2013 Last Postseason Opponent:...Alabama, 2010 Overall Record (2013:...35-24 Home (2013):... 11-13 Road (2013):...18-8 Neutral (2013):...6-3 Atlantic Sun Record Finish (2013):...18-8 (4th) Final Ranking:... N/A Tennessee (10) Abell, K. Cartwright, M. Cartwright, Cothron, Elliott, Elmore, Neely, Sanders, Sturdivant, Thomas Georgia (2) Anderson, Welch Texas (2) Aguirre, Begle California (1) Wray BREAKDOWN BY STATE Mississippi (1) Baddley Indiana (1) Gibson Alabama (1) Parker Virginia (1) Neuhart Ohio (1) Dean MEDIA RELATIONS Softball Contact:...Mark McGee Office Phone:... (615) 966-5862 Cell Phone:... (615) 479-4204 Media Relations Fax...(615) 966-1806 E-Mail:...mark.mcgee@lipscomb.edu Athletics Website:...www.Lipscombsports.com Media Relations Mailing/Shipping Address: One University Park Dr. Nashville, TN 37204-3951 2014 MULTIPLE HIT GAMES 2 3 4 5+ Tot Paige Neely 12 4 1-17 Brittany Elmore 12 4 - - 16 Rena Cothron 9 4 - - 13 Kelsey Cartwright 8 4 - - 12 Bridgette Begle 9 - - - 9 Gracey Aguirre 5 1 2-8 Mimi Cartwright 5 2 1-8 Kristen Sturdivant 7 1 - - 8 Brianne Welch 5 1 - - 6 Haley Elliott 1 - - - 1 TEAM 73 21 4-98 2014 HITTING STREAKS Longest Current Paige Neely 16 3 Brittany Elmore 12 - Kelsey Cartwright 10 - Gracey Aguirre 6 - Mimi Cartwright 6 1 Kristen Sturidvant 5 2 Rena Cothron 5 - Brianne Welch 4 - Haley Elliott 3 3 2014 MULTIPLE RBI GAMES 2 3 4 5+ Tot Kristen Sturdivant 8 4 1-13 Kelsey Cartwright 7 4 - - 11 Rena Cothron 5 1-1 7 Mimi Cartwright 3 3 - - 6 Brittany Elmore 5 1 - - 6 Brianne Welch 4 - - 1 5 Paige Neely 3-2 - 5 Haley Elliott 2 1 - - 3 Gracey Aguirre 2 - - - 2 TEAM 39 14 4 2 59
2014 LIPSCOMB GAME-BY-GAME LEADERS Opponent Hits Runs RBI 2/8 Miami-Ohio, W, 11-7 Cothron (2) Elmore/M.Cartwright (2) Neely/M.Cartwright/Cothron (2) 2/8 Tennessee St., W, 10-2 Aguirrre (4) Neely/Sturdivant (2) M.Cartwright (3) 2/9 Virginia Tech, W, 2-1 Welch/Sturdivant (1) Welch/Sturdivant (1) Sturdivant (1) 2/9 Butler, W, 6-3 Neely (4) Neely/Sturdivant/M. Cartwright (2) M. Cartwright (3) 2/14 Iowa, W, 10-0 Five (one hit) Welch (2) Welch (2) 2/14 Drake, W, 8-0 Neely (3) Elmore (3) Neely (4) 2/15 Missouri, L, 8-0 Three (1) 0 0 2/15 Baylor, W, 1-0 Six (1) Aguirre (1) Begle (1) 2/16 UAB, W, 8-6 Three (2) Sturdivant/Aguirre (2) Three (2) 2/21 Appalachian St., W, 9-2 Aguirre (4) Welch/Aguirre (2) Eight (1 each) 2/21 Evansviille, W, 7-0 Aguirre (3) Three (1 each) Neely/Begle (1) 2/22 Southeast Missouri St., W, 11-0 Elmore (3) Elmore/Welch (2) Three (2) 2/23 Missouri St., L, 7-2 Aguirre/Welch (2) Elmore/Welch (1) Neely (1) 2/23 Murray State, W, 7-2 Welch (3) Welch (2) Neely (2) 2/26 Belmont, W, 13-0 Cothron (3) Three (2 each) Cothron (3) 3/1 North Florida, L, 12-4 Begle (2) Four (1 each) Begle (1), Welch (1) 3/1 North Florida, W, 9-0 Welch (2) Neely (2) Sturdivant (2) 3/2 North Florida, W-7-0 Four (2 each) Neely (2) Sturdivant /Welch (2) 3/5 Ohio Univeristy, W, 2-1 Five (1 each) Sturdivant /Aguirre (1) Strudivant (2) 3/5 Ohio University, W, 9-4 Elmore /K. Cartwright (3) Elmore /Neely (2) Aquirre/K. Cartwright (2) 3/8 FGCU, W, 6-4 Elmore/M. Cartwright (2) Six (i each) Elliott (2) 3/8 FGCU, W, 5-4 Neely (3) Five (1 each) Sturdivant (2) 3/9 FGCU, L, 5-3 K. Cartwright (3) Three (1 each) K. Cartwright (3) 3/11 Tennessee Tech, W, 6-1 K. Cartwright (2) K. Cartwright (3) K. Cartwright/Sturdivant (3) 3/11 Tennessee Tech, W, 6-3 K. Cartwright/Sturdivant (2) Elmore/Neely (2) Sturdivant (4) 3/15 Jacksonville, W, 10-7 Three (3 each) Elmore/Cothron (2) Elmore (3) 3/15 Jacksonville, W, 11-0 Welch (2) Cothron/Begle (2) Welch (2) 3/20 Chattanooga, W, 8-4 Neely (3) Eight (1 each) K.Cartwright/Welch (2) 3/22 Kennesaw St., W, 2-0 Elmore/Elliott (2) Elmore/Elliott (1) Elmore/Elliott (1) 3/22 Kennesaw St., W, 5-0 M.cartwright (3) Elmore (3) Four (1 each) 3/23 Kennesaw St., L, 8-7 Elmore (2) Elmore (2) M.Cartwright (3) 3/26 Memphis, W, 3-1 K.Cartwright (3) K.Cartwright (2) 3 (1 each) 3/29 USC Upstate, L, 4-0 4 (1 each) 0 0 3/30 USC Upstate, L, 7-6 Cothron (2) K. Cartwright (2) Elliott (3) 3/30 USC Upstate, L, 8-1 Elmore (2) Elmore (1) Elmore (1) 4/2 UAB, W, 2-1 Cothron (3) Dean/Begle (1) Elmore (1) 4/2 UAB, L, 5-3 K.Cartwright/Sturdivant (2 each) Three (1 each) Elliott/Cothron (1) 4/5 ETSU, W, 9-0 Five (1 each) Elmore (3) Sturdivant (3) 4/5 ETSU, W, 10-1 5 (2 each) 3 (2 each) Cothron (5) 4/6, ETSU, W, 4-2 Cothron (2) Elmore (2) K.Cartwright (3) 4/12 Mercer, W, 9-1 Neely (2) Elmore/Neely (2 each) Neely (4) 4/12 Mercer, W, 5-4 Elmore/Begle (2 each) 5 (1 each) Elmore/K. Cartwright (2 each) 4/13 Mercer, W, 2-1 K.Cartwright (3) Elmore/Neely (1 each) K.Cartwright (1) 4/18 Stetson, L, 1-0 Elmore (3) 0 0 4/18 Stetson, W, 9-2 M.Cartwright (4) Elmore (2) Sturdivant (3) 4/19 Stetson, L,4-3 Neely (2) Cothron (2) Cothron/Elliott (1 each) 4/23 Western Ky., W, 7-1 Cothron/Begle (2 each) Elmore (2) M. Cartwright (3) 4/26 Northern Ky., W, 10-1 7 (one each) Elmore/K. Cartwright (2 each) Begle (4) 4/26 Northern Ky., W, 6-0 Begle (2) Begle/Welch (2 each) Elmore (2) 4/27 Northern Ky., W, 6-3 Six (one each) Welch/Cothron (2 each) Five (one each) 5/8 Stetson, L, 2-0 6 (one each) 0 0 5/8 USC Upstate, L, 3-0 Sturdivant (2) 0 0 ATLANTIC SUN PITCHER/PLAYER OF THE WEEK 4/7/14 - Rena Cothron, Player of the Week 3/17/14 - Kristen Sturdivant, Player of the Week 4/17/14 - Rena Cothron, Player of the Week 3/10/14 - Kelsey Cartwright, Player of the Week 3/3/14 - Ashley Anderson, Pitcher of the Week 2/17/14 Tanner Sanders, Pitcher of the Week QUICK ROSTER Lipscomb Lady Bisons Starters Pos. Name Yr. G C Rena Cothron Sr. 4 1B Kristen Sturdivant Sr. 4 2B Mimi Cartwright Sr. 4 3B Paige Neely Jr. 4 SS Bridgette Begle Sr. 4 LF Brianne Welch Jr. 4 CF Brittany Elmore So. 4 RF Gracey Aguirre Jr. 4 DP Kelsey Cartwright Sr. 4 P Heather Parker Sr. 1 P Tanner Sanders So. 2 P Ashley Anderson Sr. 1 Pronunciations Abell......Able Brianne.....BREE-Ann Rena...Ruh-nay/CAWTH-ron Begle...BAY-glee Sturdivant...STURD-ah-vent Neuhart...NEW-heart Class Breakdown Seniors (7) - Anderson, Begle, K. Cartwright, Cothron, Elliott, Parker, Sturdivant Juniors (4) - Abell, Aguirre, Neely, Welch Sophomores (4) - Baddley, Elmore, Sanders, Wray Freshmen (5) - M. Cartwright, Dean, Gibson, Neuhart, Thomas TSWA PLAYER OF THE WEEK 4/8/14 - Rena Cothron 3/18/14 - Kristen Sturdivant 3/10/14 - Kelsey Cartwright COLLEGE SPORTS MADNESS PLAYER OF THE WEEK 3/18/14 - Kristen Sturdivant 3/10/14 Kristen Sturdivant 2/17/14 Paige Neely
HEAD COACH: kristin RYMAN BIO Head softball coach Kristin Ryman, in her ninth season, has developed the Lipscomb Lady Bisons into one of the top programs in the NCAA. In eight seasons Ryman has tallied an overall record of 257-179-1. Since Ryman began coaching in 2006, she has managed to turn the Lipscomb softball program from a 14-win team to a consistent 30-plus game winner for each of the past five seasons. Lipscomb has either won or been runner-up at the Atlantic Sun Tournament in four of the last five seasons, including a second place finish to USC Upstate in the 2013 Tournament. The Lady Bisons finished fourth in the regular season in the A-Sun for the second time in a row. They posted a 35-24 overall record, 18-8 in the A-Sun. They were ranked 49th in the final NCAA RPI, the second highest ranking in program history. Brittany Elmore and Paige Neely both were named to the All-A-Sun First Team. Gracey Aguirre was selected for the second team. Elmore, Tanner Sanders and Mickey Bell were named to the A-Sun All-Freshman Team. Elmore and Sanders were unanimous selections. In 2012 the Lady Bisons finished in fourth place in the A-Sun with an 11-7 record. The Lady Bisons posted a 14-7 record at Draper Diamond, the site of the 2013 A-Sun Softball Tournament. They finished 35-20 overall, the third highest win total under Ryman s direction. The Lady Bisons ranked 69th in the final RPI. Kelsey Cartwright was named First Team All A-Sun in 2012. Whitney Kiihnl and Haley Elliott were each named Second Team All-Conference. Ashley Anderson and Gracey Aguirre were A-Sun All-Freshman Team selections. The Lady Bisons are a stellar group off the field as well. In 2010 and 2011, the Lady Bisons earned team scholastic honors from the NFCA and individual players were named NFCA All-American Scholar Athletes. The Lipscomb softball team has also gone out into the Nashville community as a team. Under Ryman, Lipscomb has participated in home building for Habitat for Humanity, breast cancer walks in the area, the Front Porch Ministry, Friends Life mentoring at Cole Elementary and mission trips. In 2011 the Lady Bisons finished second in the conference. They placed Caroline Mason on the All A-Sun First Team. Whitney Kiihnl and Courtney Billington made the Second Team. Haley Elliott was named to the All-Freshman Team. The Lady Bisons finished the season 30-20 overall with a 15-5 conference record. They ranked 68th nationally in the RPI. In 2010, the Lady Bisons began receiving more national attention. A conference regular season title, an Atlantic Sun Tournament Championship, and a trip to the NCAA Regional Finals to play the overall No. 1 seed Alabama went above and beyond the goals Ryman had set. The 2010 season established the Lipscomb softball program as a powerhouse not only in the Atlantic Sun, but also among the entire NCAA. Kiihnl earned both A-Sun Player of the Year and A-Sun Pitcher of the Year for her performances in 2010, marking the first time a student-athlete has won both awards in the conference in the same year. Kiihnl finished 2010 as the national leader with a 0.98 earned run average.
The Lady Bisons were ranked 36th in the RPI, a program high, following the 2010 season and among the top 40 in every major poll. In 2010 the Lady Bisons set a program record for shutouts with 29. The previous record was 17 set just one year earlier in 2009. The Lady Bisons finished with an overall record of 50-13, the most wins in the NCAA era for the program. They won the A-Sun regular season title with a conference record of 18-2. In addition to traveling to the NCAA Regional, the Lady Bisons became the first Lipscomb team to win two regional games, defeating UAB twice before bowing out to Alabama. Six players from the 2010 team were named to the All-A- Sun First Team Kellie Sirus, Whitney Kiihnl, Lauren Dortwegt, Abby Keese, Mollie Mitchell and Courtney Billington. Ryman was named the Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year for the second time in her career. She also won the award in 2008 when the team finished tied for the regular season title. In 2009, the Lady Bisons finished 39-14, earning a then-program best second place regular season finish. The Purpleand-Gold went 12-3 in road games and were victorious in 10 straight road contests at one point. Whitney Kiihnl was A-Sun Freshman of the Year. Kellie Sirus was named A-Sun All-Conference First Team and also received honors as a COSIDA National All-Academic All-American. The 2008 Lipscomb squad finished 29-26, winning the Lady Bisons first-ever A-Sun regular season title. The Lady Bisons were 25-28-1 in 2007. They finished with a 9-8-1 worksheet in Atlantic Sun Conference games, good enough for a fifth place finish. The 2006 team finished 14-34, 4-14 in the Atlantic Sun in Ryman s first season as head coach. Ryman spent the 2005 season as a graduate assistant coach in softball and volleyball. She helped direct the softball team to it s first-ever berth in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament. The Lady Bisons finished in a tie for third place in the A-Sun and entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed. On the softball field Ryman was one of the most decorated players in program history. She excelled at shortstop and in centerfield, helping lead the Lady Bison softball program to 122 wins while being named All-Conference and All- Region. She posted a career batting average of.300, a.400 on-base percentage, 150 runs, 187 hits, 34 doubles, 18 triples, 69 runs batted in, 41 stolen bases and a.940 fielding percentage. She was a four-year starter who served as team captain in 2003. Academically, Ryman was also a leader. In 2004 she won the James R. Byers Award given annually to the top male and female athlete at Lipscomb for leadership in athletics, academics and Christian life. She was named NCAA Woman of the Year for the state of Tennessee in 2004. Ryman graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Health and Physical Education-Teaching. She was a member of the CoSIDA Academic All-American All-District IV second team. She is married to Brian Ryman, director of operations for athletics at Lipscomb. They live in Nashville. She is the daughter of Barbara and Larry Peck of Smyrna, Tenn. She has three sisters: Karin, Katie, and Kelci.
2014 Lipscomb Stats Record: 39-13 Home: 19-3 Away: 14-7 Neutral: 6-3 Conference: 18-8 Player avg gp-gs ab r h 2b 3b hr rbi tb slg% bb hp so gdp ob% sf sh sb-att po a e fld% NEELY, Paige.376 52-52 181 44 68 13 3 4 31 99.547 8 1 14 0.395 5 3 10-14 43 129 6.966 COTHRON, Rena'.350 52-52 137 26 48 10 0 4 30 70.511 22 4 29 0.448 2 4 0-1 247 28 4.986 AGUIRRE, Gracey.350 24-24 80 18 28 5 1 2 9 41.513 4 1 3 0.388 0 0 3-6 24 5 2.935 ELMORE, Brittany.328 52-52 174 50 57 8 2 2 23 75.431 24 2 26 1.415 0 4 25-26 46 3 0 1.000 CARTWRIGHT, Kelsey.321 50-50 162 34 52 9 1 7 39 84.519 16 2 16 2.385 2 2 2-3 22 3 0 1.000 CARTWRIGHT, Mimi.288 52-52 146 17 42 8 0 0 25 50.342 15 6 22 0.375 1 4 3-3 98 101 13.939 WELCH, Brianne.257 52-52 140 28 36 7 0 6 25 61.436 15 2 21 1.335 1 5 8-9 38 2 1.976 STURDIVANT, Kristen.257 49-49 140 20 36 5 0 9 41 68.486 32 1 44 1.397 1 0 0-0 408 13 7.984 BEGLE, Bridgette.225 48-48 138 24 31 3 1 1 18 39.283 11 3 37 1.296 0 4 5-6 61 105 19.897 ELLIOTT, Haley.214 38-27 84 8 18 3 0 4 15 33.393 14 1 13 1.324 3 1 0-0 0 0 0.000 -------------------- PARKER, Heather.375 4-3 8 2 3 0 0 0 1 3.375 3 0 2 0.545 0 0 0-0 23 16 0 1.000 BADDLEY, Dee.200 14-2 5 7 1 0 0 0 0 1.200 1 0 3 0.333 0 1 0-0 3 0 0 1.000 DEAN, Becca.143 20-1 7 10 1 0 0 0 1 1.143 0 0 1 0.143 0 0 0-0 3 0 0 1.000 ABELL, Jordan.111 23-3 9 6 1 0 0 0 1 1.111 3 0 3 1.333 0 0 1-1 4 2 0 1.000 WRAY, Madison.000 6-2 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 0 0 1 0.000 0 0 1-1 14 1 0 1.000 GIBSON, Kasey.000 12-0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 1 0 0 0 1.000 0 0 1-1 1 0 0 1.000 Totals.298 52 1414 300 422 71 8 39 259 626.443 169 23 235 8.379 15 28 59-71 1045 495 57.964 Opponents.223 52 1320 142 295 33 5 27 123 419.317 132 24 223 3.305 5 27 27-38 1009 407 86.943 LOB - Team (346), Opp (328). DPs turned - Team (13), Opp (17). CI - Team (2), COTHRON 2, Opp (1). IBB - Team (7), CARTWRIGHT,K 4, NEELY 1, STURDIVANT 1, ELLIOTT 1. Picked off - ELMORE 1, NEELY 1. (All games Sorted by Earned run avg) Player era w-l app gs cg sho sv ip h r er bb so 2b 3b hr b/avg wp hp bk sfa sha ANDERSON, Ashley 1.53 19-6 30 27 21 6/1 0 179.0 136 52 39 44 121 14 3 10.204 0 17 0 3 12 SANDERS, Tanner 2.71 11-4 19 11 8 4/0 0 90.1 87 43 35 50 35 12 1 4.248 4 5 0 0 10 -------------------- THOMAS, McCarley 0.00 0-0 1 0 0 0/1 0 2.0 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0.143 0 0 0 0 0 NEUHART, Taylor 0.00 0-0 1 0 0 0/1 0 2.0 2 0 0 3 2 0 0 0.286 0 0 0 0 1 PARKER, Heather 3.73 9-3 18 14 8 2/1 0 75.0 69 47 40 34 63 7 1 13.239 2 2 1 2 4 Totals 2.29 39-13 52 52 37 14/2 0 348.1 295 142 114 132 223 33 5 27.223 6 24 1 5 27 Opponents 4.72 13-39 52 52 20 5/0 0 336.1 422 300 227 169 235 71 8 39.298 25 23 3 15 28 PB - Team (8), COTHRON 8, Opp (12). Pickoffs - Team (0), Opp (1). SBA/ATT - COTHRON (27-36), ANDERSON (10-16), SANDERS (8-11), PARKER (9-11).
Jordan Abell PLEASANT SHADE, TENNESSEE JUNIOR ELEMENTARY EDUCATION Brittany Elmore MT. JULIET, TENNESSEE SOPHOMORE ELEMENTARY EDUCATION S O F T B A L L R O S T E R 1 2 4 5 6 Heather Parker PLEASANT GROVE, ALABAMA PSYCHOLOGY/NURSING Madison Wray STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA SOPHOMORE SPANISH 8 9 10 11 12 Paige Neely NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE JUNIOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE Mimi Cartwright JOELTON, TENNESSEE FRESHMAN UNDECLARED Gracey Aguirre HOUSTON, TEXAS JUNIOR BIOLOGY Tanner Sanders FLINTVILLE, TENNESSEE SOPHOMORE ELEMENTARY EDUCATION Kelsey Cartwright JOELTON, TENNESSEE REDSHIRT PSYCHOLOGY 13 14 15 16 17 Becca Dean FINDLAY, OHIO FRESHMAN BUSINESS Rena Cothron HENDERSONVILLE, TENNESSEE MARKETING Bridgette Begle HOUSTON, TEXAS JOURNALISM/MEDIA Brianne Welch CANTON, GEORGIA JUNIOR JOURNALISM/MEDIA Ashley Anderson SHARPSBURG, GEORGIA EXERCISE SCIENCE 19 21 22 23 25 McCarley Thomas BRENTWOOD, TENNESSEE FRESHMAN ENGLISH EDUCATION Dee Baddley SOUTHAVEN, MISSISSIPPI SOPHOMORE FAMILY RELATIONS Haley Elliott LEXINGTON, TENNESSEE ACCOUNTING Taylor Neuhart ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA FRESHMAN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION Kristen Sturdivant BARTLETT, TENNESSEE ELEMENTARY EDUCATION Kasey Gibson CHURUBUSCO, INDIANA FRESHMAN CORPORATE MANAGEMENT