Men’s baseball fell to 3-1 on the season after traveling to Rome, Georgia, Tuesday to take on the Shorter University Hawks in a non-conference game.

Tight pitching from the Shorter staff shut down the Bryan bats that were so hot this past week. Shorter pitcher, Ryan Newell, recorded 12 strikeouts before coming off in the seventh inning. The Lions could only manage two hits against such good pitching.

However, solid pitching from Senior Tyson Latham kept the score at 1-0, in favor of the Hawks, for six innings. Senior Zach Breazeale took the mound in the seventh and gave up three hits, which led to two runs for the Hawks. The Lions committed seven errors in the loss. The final score was 3-0.

The Lions are now 3-1 and look to take on the University of Rio Grande (Oh.) this Friday at 5 p.m.

Senior middle-infielder Steven Brown at the plate / Triangle photo by Josiah Newport

Josiah Newport
Triangle Reporter

The Bryan Lions Baseball team showed it was here to play this season with an impressive sweep against the Toccoa Falls (Ga.) College Eagles on Feb. 2^nd and 3^rd at Senter Field.

“Our bullpen stepped up during this series,” said Head Coach Taylor Hasty when asked about the weekend. “This is the first time in 10 years that we have ever started the season off 3-0. Our guys demonstrated a lot of maturity; a lot of key plays were made.”

Seven strikeouts for Keesee, Veal leads with five RBIs and one home run

On Thursday, senior Kemonte Keesee started on the mound for the Lions, throwing seven strikeouts and only giving up two runs in five innings. Freshman Kenny Knudsen pitched the last two innings, striking out four batters.

The Lions opened up the game with sophomore second baseman Tyler Latham smashing his first home run of the season. Junior shortstop Billy Veal, batting fifth, doubled, making the score 2-0. Designated hitter, junior Andrew Smith followed Veal with his first home run of the season, making the score 5-0.

In the second, right fielder senior Doug Stroup stepped up to the plate, took a swing, and sent his first home run of season right over the scoreboard. In the bottom of the sixth Veal hit his first home run, a three-run shot, making it 10-2. The final score was 14-2 when the game was called in the seventh inning.

Billy Veal led the team with five RBIs and one home run.

Lions close out series in convincing manner

The Lions closed out their three game series with the Eagles on Friday afternoon, winning by scores of 8-5 and 5-3.

In the top half of the doubleheader, senior Jason Ridenhour pitched five innings, throwing seven strikeouts and giving up four runs. Senior Zach Breazeale pitched the sixth inning, giving up one run. Junior Adam Sanders pitched the seventh, a perfect inning, and got the save.

The Lions were up 3-0 at the end of the first inning thanks to a home run by Veal and a double by left-fielder senior Kevin Lane. Sophomore catcher Dwayne Boyd hit a home run in the fifth to bring the score to 7-4. Senior center-fielder Shane Clawson added another run by stealing second, third and eventually home. The final score of game one was 8-5.

Game two was tighter, but the Lions managed to pull out the win. Junior Tanner Brown pitched five innings, only giving up two runs, and earned the win. He was replaced by freshman John Cain who got two outs but then was replaced by Sanders who got the last out, even though the bases were loaded for the Eagles.

The game was tied 2-2 until the fourth inning when junior designated hitter Tyler Carroll hit a huge home run over left field. Strong defense in the sixth and seventh innings kept the Lions ahead to win 5-3.

Veal led Bryan again with three RBIs and one home run. Sanders got two saves.

The Lions lost their first road game at Shorter University Tuesday by a final score of 3-0. They play again in a doubleheader against Rio Grande (Ohio) University on Friday and Saturday.

"The guys have worked purposely," said Coach Hast, describing his teams preparations for Thursday / Triangle phot by Josiah Newport

Brittany Gurley
Triangle Reporter

This season’s baseball team may prove to be promising with seven returning starters and some of the best talent in years.

Expectations are high as the team prepares to kick off its season against Toccoa Falls (Ga.) College on Thursday, at 4 p.m. The general consensus of all those involved can be summed up in one word: excitement.

“I’m excited,” said Head Coach Taylor Hasty. “Not only have the guys worked hard, they’ve worked purposely.”

The players have not only improved individually, the team as a whole has progressed.

“I feel like this is the most talented team that we’ve had in years,” said senior middle infielder Steven Brown.

Hasty added, “On paper, we should be ahead of where we were last season.”

While the team mainly focuses on building up today for a better tomorrow, Hasty said that he is ready to see the team grow to a nationally competitive level. With top-notch players like seniors catcher Dewayne Boyd, outfielder Shane Clawson, pitcher Jason Ridenhour and sophomore second baseman Tyler Latham, this could very well be the season where that growth happens.

After a 31-25 (9-12 in AAC) record last season that meant the first winning record since the program restarted in 2002, the team is ready to become nationally known.

“We have a very good shot taking this program to the next level…our bats are the best they have ever been in my four years at Bryan,” Clawson said.

“Everyone is excited, but at the same time, I’m a little sad that it’s my last year,” senior catcher Jordan Day explained.

But, not to worry, that minute feeling of sorrow among the seniors won’t affect the way the team plays.

“If we stick together as a team and stay healthy and trust in the Lord,” continued Clawson, “we can go a long way and bring success back to Bryan.”

Senior outfielder Josh King steps up to bat in the last game of this weekend's series against Tenn. Wesleyan / Triangle photo by Catherine Rogers

This weekend the Bryan College baseball team hosted Tennessee Wesleyan College (Athens) in a three-game series and fell to the Bulldogs in every game.

“Tennessee Wesleyan played really well,” said head coach Taylor Hasty. “I felt like we were close in game one and two, but in game three we had some breakdowns defensively that ended up costing us, taking us out of the game a little bit.”

Friday night’s game, lasting nine innings, saw the Lions put up a good fight with two runs in the bottom of the third inning, one in the sixth, two in the seventh and one in the eight. The final score was 10-6.

The Lions kept close competition during Saturday’s first game scoring two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and leaving the Bulldogs ahead by one. After five runs in the sixth and seventh by the Bulldogs, the Lions pushed forward with four runs in the seventh inning but fell short, 8-6.

The last game of the series the Lions suffered a decisive loss with only two runs and a final score of 11-2.

“Of the 23 innings played, probably about 18 of those we did what we wanted to do, but if you play against a really good team, they take advantage of that and that’s what happened this weekend,” said Hasty.

Senior third baseman Jonathan Davis had a really good weekend, according to Hasty, with five hits, two of which were home runs and five RBI’s.

After breaking the Bryan College school-record for career hits, Davis is now one home run away from tying the school-record for home runs.

Junior pitcher Tanner Brown competed consistently against a tough lineup in game two, according to Hasty, making several excellent pitches, giving up eight runs and 13 hits in all seven innings that he pitched.

“It’s hard to finish the final stretch of the season strong, but I feel that this is a team that can and will finish strong, so I’m excited to see what we’re going to do,” said Hasty.

The Lions are now 22-17 overall this season and 4-8 in their conference. Their next home game is scheduled for April 19 at 6 p.m. against Covenant College.

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Senior third-baseman J.D. Davis steps up to bat at the game against Asbury University this past Friday / Triangle photo by Catherine Rogers

The Bryan College baseball team expanded its winning record last weekend while hosting the Tennessee Valley Invitational. The Lions won their games against Indiana Wesleyan University (Marion, Ind.), Madonna University (Livonia, Mich.) and Berea College (Kent.). Their only loss was in a close game against Asbury College (Wilmore, Kent.).

“I was happy with the results [even though] I feel like we could have played better throughout the weekend. It’s important that we play well consistently, and I don’t think we’re quite there yet. But that’s good because we’re going through a process of trying to build and get better so that we’re playing our best baseball at the end of the season,” said Coach Taylor Hasty.

Bryan dominated the first game of the tournament Thursday night against the Wildcats of Indiana Wesleyan University, winning with a final score of 6-2. After giving up two runs in the first inning, freshman Tyler Latham led the Lions to a clear win going 2-for-4 from the plate and recording two solo home runs.

In what appeared to be a close, high-scoring game, the Lions came up short against the Asbury Eagles in Friday nights match up. After seven highly competitive innings, the scoreboard recorded a final result of 13-11 for Asbury. According to Hasty, the Lions struggled defensively and on the mound.

However, the Lions rebounded, winning both of their games on Saturday, beating the Madonna University Crusaders 5-4 and the Berea College Mountaineers 4-2. The win over Madonna University was crucial, with the Crusaders being ranked 11th in the nationwide NAIA Coaches’ Poll.

After Madonna tied the game in the seventh inning, junior Billy Veal stepped up to hit the game-winning single. Additionally junior Dewayne Boyd, junior Shane Clawson and sophomore Kevin Lane batted in runs, Lane and sophomore Andrew Smith recorded two hits apiece. Junior Jason Ridenhour pitched all seven innings against the Crusaders. He surrendered four runs on seven hits, striking out seven batters.

“[Beating Madonna] is huge for the team because it proves to us how good we can be,” said Smith. “We are riding on a high right now.”

The Lions topped off their convincing performance at the Tennessee Invitational with a win over Berea College Saturday night. This time junior Tanner Brown started on the mound for Bryan, only giving up one run on eight hits. Offensively Boyd had another great game, leading the Lions with two hits, including a three-run home run.

Hasty said he was happy with the third win of the weekend. However, he said that he recognized a letdown in concentration but that it was still “nice being able to play well even though you’re not playing at your best.”

Bryan comes out of the Tennessee Invitational with an overall record of 8-3. This time last season the Lions were only 6-5. Hasty contentedly recognizes the team’s development.

“This year’s team has a deep understanding of the game of baseball. Like many other athletics, it’s about consistently doing the little things over and over again. This team seems to do that better than teams in the past–that’s really exiting.”

Nevertheless, Hasty is careful about mapping out ambitious goals.

“We are constantly trying to move from game to game and trying to view each game as a microcosm of the season. We want to make sure we do what we’re capable of doing well in that game and then let everything else take care of itself,” he said.

[Gallery photos by Catherine Rogers]

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Junior pitcher Tanner Brown pitches the ball towards a Rio Grande hitter / Triangle photo by Catherine Rogers

Baseball is a summer sport. Fans should be scarfing down hot dogs and wearing t-shirts and baseball caps supporting their team. Instead, the fans watching the Lions’ games on Saturday traded the usual costume for blankets and parkas to guard against the cold.

The Red Storm baseball team from the University of Rio Grande (Ohio) swept in from the north to arrive in Dayton, ready to play their first games of the season at Bryan College. The Lions beat them once. And then beat them again.

The teams were scheduled to play one game Friday and the other two on Saturday, but a cold rain prevented the game Friday. The two games left were played back-to-back Saturday afternoon with the first game played to nine innings and the second to seven.

In the first game, the Red Storm trailed the Lions by one run in the bottom of the fourth inning, 4-3. Junior DeWayne Boyd made it to first with a single. While Junior Billy Veal was up to bat, Boyd stole second. And then third.

In the meantime, the Red Storm’s pitcher threw four balls to the plate, and Veal walked to first.

Senior Jonathan Davis stepped to the plate and hit a home run – one of three he managed throughout the day.

With the three runs added to the Lion’s score to make seven runs, Bryan ended the game with a two-run lead over Rio Grande.

After a 30-minute break, the teams clashed again.

Rio Grande posted a quick two run lead in the first inning of the second game. Those two runs were the only two that Rio Grande slipped past Bryan junior pitcher Tanner Brown.

Brown prevented the Red Storm from scoring five innings in a row by quickly striking most batters out. In the last inning, sophomore pitcher Tyler Vakey replaced him. Under Vakey’s pitching, the Red Storm wrested another run from the Lion’s defenses.

Head coach Taylor Hasty replaced Vakey with junior Zach Breazeale who finished the game by striking out two hitters.

The Lions bested the Red Storm 5-3.

“We knew they were a good team, but if we could play a good game we could beat them, and that’s what happened,” said Doug Stroup, a senior redshirt.

According to Hasty, Rio Grande is ranked 25^th in the NAIA. Bryan is still unranked.

“It’s always nice to sweep a team like that early in the year,” he said.

The Lions will play their next game on Friday against Indiana University Southeast.

[Gallery photos by Catherine Rogers]

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Senior forward Derek Batt taks a shot on the basket during last Wednesday's game against Tennessee Wesleyan College / Triangle photo by Daniel Jackson

After defeating the Tennessee (Athens) Wesleyan Bulldogs, 71-57, in a home game last Wednesday, the men’s varsity basketball team travelled to Bluefield (Va.) College on Saturday and gained their second win of the week with a score of 67-54.

“It’s our first win [at Bluefield] in the seven years I’ve been at Bryan,” said Head Coach Don Rekoske. “And when you’ve never won up there and you’re playing a team that’s only a game behind you in the conference you’re worried, but I thought we were extremely responsible defensively.”

In the first half, the Lions’ defense kept Bluefield shooting only 24 percent overall and built their lead to 12 points. The score at halftime was 28-16.

“We executed our game plan pretty well,” said senior forward Astral Guerrier. “We shut them down on the defensive end, we out rebounded them and we eliminated fast break points.”

The Lions advanced their lead to 19 points in the second half until the Rams cut it down to nine points just 26 seconds before the final buzzer.

“What really helped us, not only in this game but throughout the year, was bench play,” said Senior guard Xavierian McCall. “[Several players] came in and really gave us a lift.”

Senior guard Dominique Clements came off the bench to score 17 points and four assists throughout the night as well as being a key player defensively, according to McCall.

Senior forward Scott Newton averaged 23 points a game this week, making six three-pointers on Wednesday and grabbing 10 rebounds and 20 points Saturday.

McCall also contributed 16 points to the Lion’s score on Saturday and Guerrier managed 14 rebounds.

“I think earlier on [in the season] we were still searching to play our best basketball,” said Rekoske. “But we’ve won seven of our last eight games, so I think we’re just finally hitting our stride.”

The Lions are now ranked 24^th in the nation by the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll.

“The team is on the right track now,” said Clements. “We are ranked in the top 25 nationally, number one in the conference and if we continue to play the way we are now, we can receive an automatic bid to the national tournament in March.”

With eight conference games left in the season, the Lions goal is to not get complacent with their achievements so far, according to Rekoske.

“We just have to stay the course,” he said.

The Lions play again this Saturday at Montreat (N.C.) College and are scheduled for a home game on Monday against Maryville (Tenn.) College at 7:30pm.

[Gallery photos by Daniel Jackson]

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The Lions baseball team thoroughly dismantled the Crusaders of Tennessee Temple (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 16-6 Tuesday evening. With this victory, the Lions now have a record of 16 wins and 23 losses for their overall record. They are 7-8 in the AAC.

At bat, the Lions were a force Tuesday night. The team finished the game with 22 hits and two home runs with 16 runs total. This is the second highest total of runs they’ve scored in a game this season.

“We really manufactured runs tonight,” Head Coach Taylor Hasty said after the game. “I think our team is really dangerous because we can really hit.”

The game was close for the first three innings with Tennessee Temple ahead just 2 – 1. However, the Lions were able to make a break away in the bottom of the third with junior outfielder Josh King pounding a home run with two men on base. The Lions continued the surge and were leading 10 – 3 by the end of the fifth inning. Defensively, the team stood their ground, turning a “huge” double play at the top of the sixth, according to Hasty.

One strength Hasty said he has observed with the team this year is their concern for each other on the field.

“This team really loves each other,” Hasty said. “They are passionate about seeing one another succeed.”

“We’re just like brothers out there,” sophomore outfielder Shane Clawson said.

Clawson said he, like Hasty, has observed the team chemistry and commented that it is important as players to know “we’ve got each other’s back.”

With only 15 games left in the season, the Lions are currently ranked fifth in the AAC. However, as nice as it may be to land a good seat in the playoffs, placing well in the tournament is still not a primary goal just yet, according to Clawson. King said the team likes to take things just one at a time.

The strengths of the team have undoubtedly come through in their hitting, according to King. He said he thinks the batting coaches deserve a lot of credit this season for helping the hitters to shine at the plate.

Overall, the baseball team has played exceptionally better this year than last, according to Hasty. Hasty said he attributes the better playing, not to mention much better record, simply to better playing all around in the game and he expects to see good results throughout the rest of the season.

Sophomore Ryan Hill makes a pitch during this weeks series against Covenant.

by Ericka Simpson
Staff Writer

The Bryan College baseball team hosted Covenant College (Lookout Mountain, Ga.) at Senter Field in a three-game series on March 26 and 27, losing the first two games but winning the third.

Lions lose first game

The Lions fell to the Scots 8-2 in the first game, despite taking the lead in the first two innings. Senior first baseman Pablo Rodriguez hit a home run in the first inning, which was the highlight of the game according to Head Coach Taylor Hasty.

Freshman outfielder Kevin Layne scored the Lions’ second and final run in the bottom of the second inning on an RBI from junior outfielder Josh King, according to Hasty.

Junior pitcher Tyson Latham started the game on the mound, and pitched well, according to shortstop junior Jonathan Davis. Latham threw nine strikeouts.

According to Hasty, in the fourth inning Davis had an error and the Scots’ next hitter banged out a home run. The Lions could not recover from the Scots taking the lead.

Lions fall to Scots in the second game of the series

In the second game, the Lions lost 14-5 to the Scots. Hasty said the team did not “execute on defense,” and the Scots’ pitcher threw multiple strikes, which eventually led to Bryan’s second loss.

“We did not make adjustments to the pitcher,” Hasty said. “We were really anxious on offense all weekend and as a result, we lost.

According to Davis, the game was “all around an ugly game.” The Lions were not consistent in offense, defense or pitching.

“In the first two games, we could not get all three parts firing at once,” Davis said.

The Lions did not make routine plays on defense, which allowed Covenant to get players on base and score runs, according to Hasty.

The only highlights were that Rodriguez hit another home run in the fourth inning and had two RBIs, according to Davis. Freshman third baseman Trey Colvard also hit a home run in the sixth inning.

Lions win last game of series

The Lions defeated the Scots 6-5 in the last game of the series after the Scots led with four runs in the second inning.

Junior pitcher Zack Breault pitched six and a third innings with six strikeouts, according to Davis.

“Breault really stuck in there for us and battled on the mound,” Davis said. “He kept us in the game while we were struggling at the plate.”

The game was tied 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning when Layne came up to the plate and hit a two-run home run, according to Hasty, pulling the Lions ahead by two.

The Scots were able to score another run in the final inning, but junior pitcher Josh Smith got the last two batters out and threw one strikeout, ending the game in the Lions’ favor, Hasty said.

“Our guys fought hard that game, especially after losing the first two,” he said. “I was proud of them.”

The Lions are currently 5-7 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference and 13-19 overall.

Covenant’s take on the game

Covenant’s Head Baseball Coach Doug Simons said that the Lions have improved since Covenant played them last year.

The Lions lost to the Scots in every game in the three-game series played at Covenant in April 2009.

“Coach Hasty has done a very good job in getting more talent and getting them to play hard,” Simons said.

Bryan’s offense is better than their pitching and defense, according to Simons, who said that the Lions run the bases “as well as any team that we have played.”

He said that the Lions are capable of the “big inning,” when batters focus on drawing walks or getting extra base hits and home runs; this proved to be an obstacle for the Scots.

“We tried to keep their offense down to put more pressure on their pitching,” Simons said. “But they never gave up!”

The Bryan Lion’s baseball team tackled a tough three-game series this past weekend against the RedStorm of the University of Rio Grande (Ohio) and came out with two loses and one determined win.

Head Coach Taylor Hasty said that the RedStorm is a “very well-coached team from top to bottom” with “five really good seniors in their lineup who can all hit.”

This showed Friday night as Rio Grande took the lead in the first inning and caused a devastating loss of 15-3 for the Lions.

“Friday, we failed to throw strikes, and we really didn’t finish off hitters,” commented Hasty. “We had eight total walks, seven of which scored and we kind of lost momentum as a result of that.”

Junior pitcher Bronson Holland said, “I believe we’re better than the team we played. We just made costly mistakes.”

Saturday proved to be better for the Lions with the first game a close loss and the second a solid win.

“In game one, we didn’t have a good offense approach and got away from our hitting philosophy, but in game two we did much better offensively at the plate,” said Hasty, who continued by praising the Lions’ defense that shut down the RedStorms’ running game.

The first highlight of Saturday came when senior catcher Jon Brown took an 85mph fastball to the face, a move that junior outfielder Josh King referred to as, “taking one off the cheek for the team.”

Brown continued to have “two great games on Saturday after not playing on Friday,” said Hasty. “He went 4 for 4 with a home run and two singles.”

The Lions kept the momentum growing Saturday by starting the final game with a three-run home run by freshman pitcher Josh Harris, giving the team a 4-0 lead.

Hasty said that “Zach Breazeale threw exceptionally well as a starter in game three and Josh Harris came in and finished the game well for the team.”

Sophomore outfielder Shane Clawson was also an outstanding player in the final game, hitting two home runs, including the game-winning three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Although the team came out 1-2 for the weekend, they are now 4-3 overall, and Hasty is unconcerned about the loss. His philosophy for the rest of the season: “We’re just going to take one game at a time.”

“As a team, we want our identity to be one where we are fundamentally strong and tough, and I think that winning game three out of a three game series after getting beat the first two demonstrates toughness and character.”

The Lions play at home again this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in the Bryan College Invitational. The first game will begin at 6 p.m. against Toccoa Falls College (Ga.).