Only 23 days til the 2010 opener for the three time champion Liberty Flames, and this week we take a look at the other side of the trenches with the Defensive Line
Players Lost:
Trey Jacobs (First team All Big South)
Players Returning:
Darryl Robertson
Asa Chapman (Second team All Big South)
Patrick Bannon
Paco Varol
Justin Gunn
Greg Schuster
Bryant Llewellyn
Tim Smith
Terry Adams
Cody Freeman
Players Incoming:
Dylan Bowman 6-3 240 Lbs Ocean Isle Beach, NC
Matt Stokes 6-2 250 Lbs Ft Lauderdale, FL
The big boys up front are led by all conference selections Chapman (who Ive met and I seriously think he could snap me in half on his worst day) and UVa transfer Robertson but a guy who has really come on as the years progressed has been Terry Adams. He is an early choice at starter on the other end opposite Pat Bannon(who converted from LB to end in 2009). look for former walk-on Llewellyn to push Schuster for the backup NG role behind "Big Asa" and expect Robertson to get plenty of chances to get on the field and raise some hell in backfields this year.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Fan the Flames Preview: OL
Now we are getting to teh big boys in our next two posts...the young men battling in the trenches...this week...the OL
Players Lost:
Tim Hartman
Bryan Mosier (first team All-Big South)
Josh Weaver (first team All-Big South)
Mario Cosby (second team All-Big South)
Players Returning:
Alex Stadler (second team All-Big South)
Justin Vargas
Stan Herring
Malcolm Boyd
Toney White
Matt Camire
Aaron Lundy
Jay Weatherington
Soeren Wendland
Aaron Brown
Matthew Brink
Jeremiah Williams
Players Incoming:
Andre Mondor 6-4 320 Lbs Tampa, FL
Greg Ray 6-4 300 Lbs Pearisburg, VA
Its tough when you lose three all conference linemen to graduation like Liberty did but there are plenty of young men chomping at the bit. Thanks to Chris Lang (beat writer for LU with the Lynchburg News and Advance) I was able to piece together what the starting five up front looks like going into practice (which starts today):
LT Justin Vargas
LG Malcolm Boyd
C Matt Camire
RG Alex Stadler
RT Soeren Wendland
Vargas and Stadler spent the spring and summer recovering from injuries but sounds to me like they are good to go for the season so there will be a ton of experience up front plowing holes for the RBs and for Mike Brown. There is word of an incoming transfer but its not known by this writer if he will be able to play this fall but soon as I hear word I will pass it along.
Players Lost:
Tim Hartman
Bryan Mosier (first team All-Big South)
Josh Weaver (first team All-Big South)
Mario Cosby (second team All-Big South)
Players Returning:
Alex Stadler (second team All-Big South)
Justin Vargas
Stan Herring
Malcolm Boyd
Toney White
Matt Camire
Aaron Lundy
Jay Weatherington
Soeren Wendland
Aaron Brown
Matthew Brink
Jeremiah Williams
Players Incoming:
Andre Mondor 6-4 320 Lbs Tampa, FL
Greg Ray 6-4 300 Lbs Pearisburg, VA
Its tough when you lose three all conference linemen to graduation like Liberty did but there are plenty of young men chomping at the bit. Thanks to Chris Lang (beat writer for LU with the Lynchburg News and Advance) I was able to piece together what the starting five up front looks like going into practice (which starts today):
LT Justin Vargas
LG Malcolm Boyd
C Matt Camire
RG Alex Stadler
RT Soeren Wendland
Vargas and Stadler spent the spring and summer recovering from injuries but sounds to me like they are good to go for the season so there will be a ton of experience up front plowing holes for the RBs and for Mike Brown. There is word of an incoming transfer but its not known by this writer if he will be able to play this fall but soon as I hear word I will pass it along.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Fan the Flames Preview: WR/TE
We continue our look at the 2010 Flames by looking at the wideouts and the tight ends. First the WRs:
Players Lost:
Freddie Brown
Aaron Hewlett
Players Returning:
(Note: Mike Brown is also going to see some snaps at wideout and was the leading receiver in 2009 but most of his time will be at QB.)
Chris Summers 46 catches 603 yards 4 TDs (led WRs in TDs)
BJ Hayes 15 catches 119 yards
Jimmy Eden 8 catches 49 yards
Ervin Garner 6 catches 124 yards
Pat Kelly 3 catches 24 yards
Kyle DeArmon did not register a catch in 2009
Players Incoming:
Greg Pratt 5-8 165 Lbs Naples, FL (Troy State University)
Summers had a big year last year, earning second team all conference (Note: earlier today Summers was named preseason all-conference at the Big South media day). Look for him to be Mike Brown's favorite target when he comes out from under center. BJ Hayes moves from the backfield back to WR, and Jimmy Eden (despite an extended trip to the hospital after an appendectomy) Ervin Garner and Pat Kelly will also be contributing. Look for Troy State transfer Greg Pratt to make an immediate impact as well.
Tight Ends
Players Lost:
Will Quarles 9 catches 116 yards 4 TDs (tied for team lead) Second Team All Big South
Players Returning:
Tommy Shaver 3 catches 35 yards 1 TD
Eric Fath (2009 redshirt)
Patrick Gibson (2009 redshirt)
Matthias Wrede (converted from OL to TE in 2009)
Players Incoming:
Kevin Widener 6-4 260 Lbs Lebanon, VA
Look for Shaver to step into the starting TE to replace Quarles with Fath as his backup (and coming in for two TE sets).
Players Lost:
Freddie Brown
Aaron Hewlett
Players Returning:
(Note: Mike Brown is also going to see some snaps at wideout and was the leading receiver in 2009 but most of his time will be at QB.)
Chris Summers 46 catches 603 yards 4 TDs (led WRs in TDs)
BJ Hayes 15 catches 119 yards
Jimmy Eden 8 catches 49 yards
Ervin Garner 6 catches 124 yards
Pat Kelly 3 catches 24 yards
Kyle DeArmon did not register a catch in 2009
Players Incoming:
Greg Pratt 5-8 165 Lbs Naples, FL (Troy State University)
Summers had a big year last year, earning second team all conference (Note: earlier today Summers was named preseason all-conference at the Big South media day). Look for him to be Mike Brown's favorite target when he comes out from under center. BJ Hayes moves from the backfield back to WR, and Jimmy Eden (despite an extended trip to the hospital after an appendectomy) Ervin Garner and Pat Kelly will also be contributing. Look for Troy State transfer Greg Pratt to make an immediate impact as well.
Tight Ends
Players Lost:
Will Quarles 9 catches 116 yards 4 TDs (tied for team lead) Second Team All Big South
Players Returning:
Tommy Shaver 3 catches 35 yards 1 TD
Eric Fath (2009 redshirt)
Patrick Gibson (2009 redshirt)
Matthias Wrede (converted from OL to TE in 2009)
Players Incoming:
Kevin Widener 6-4 260 Lbs Lebanon, VA
Look for Shaver to step into the starting TE to replace Quarles with Fath as his backup (and coming in for two TE sets).
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Fan the Flames 2010 Preview: RB
For part 2 of my look at the 2010 Liberty Flames, we'll move to the other members of the backfield, the running backs and fullbacks. First, a look at the running backs:
Players Lost:
Danny Broggin (switched to DB)
BJ Hayes (switched to WR)
Terron Lawrence
Players Returning
Aldreakis Allen- 118 Rushes 530 Yards (led team) 9 TDs (tied for team lead)
SirChauncey Holloway- 54 Rushes 285 Yards 7 TDs
Korrey Davis (sat out 2009 due to transfer rules)
Chase Barnett (2009 Redshirt)
Players Incoming:
Desmond Rice 5-8 190 Lbs Lynchburg, VA (Liberty Christian Academy)
When you have someone as dynamic as Mike Brown on your team, it pays to have somebody who can shoulder some of the load since he cant do it all by himself, and Allen and Holloway were more than up to the task in 2009. UMass transfer Davis is from nearby Heritage High School and showed some of how good he can be in spring practice, so look for those three to be battling for the top two spots on the depth chart, with Barnett getting some late game carries as well unless somebody gets hurt. I wouldnt be the least bit surprised if Rice redshirted for this season.
Fullbacks
Players Lost:
Derek Bishop
Mark Malvaso
Players Returning:
Nathan Revell (moved from LB)
John Carter Jr. (2009 Redshirt)
Players Incoming:
Francis Bah 6-2 250 Lbs. Duisburg, Germany (Lise-Meitner Gesamtschule)2010 signee
Ryan Mickens 6-0 230 Lbs. Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (University Christian) 2010 signee
Liberty lost both of their fullbacks from 2009 to graduation so its an open competition as to who will be leading the way through any holes created by the offensive line. Bah is easily the biggest of the candidates but look for a three way battle at that position as well.
Players Lost:
Danny Broggin (switched to DB)
BJ Hayes (switched to WR)
Terron Lawrence
Players Returning
Aldreakis Allen- 118 Rushes 530 Yards (led team) 9 TDs (tied for team lead)
SirChauncey Holloway- 54 Rushes 285 Yards 7 TDs
Korrey Davis (sat out 2009 due to transfer rules)
Chase Barnett (2009 Redshirt)
Players Incoming:
Desmond Rice 5-8 190 Lbs Lynchburg, VA (Liberty Christian Academy)
When you have someone as dynamic as Mike Brown on your team, it pays to have somebody who can shoulder some of the load since he cant do it all by himself, and Allen and Holloway were more than up to the task in 2009. UMass transfer Davis is from nearby Heritage High School and showed some of how good he can be in spring practice, so look for those three to be battling for the top two spots on the depth chart, with Barnett getting some late game carries as well unless somebody gets hurt. I wouldnt be the least bit surprised if Rice redshirted for this season.
Fullbacks
Players Lost:
Derek Bishop
Mark Malvaso
Players Returning:
Nathan Revell (moved from LB)
John Carter Jr. (2009 Redshirt)
Players Incoming:
Francis Bah 6-2 250 Lbs. Duisburg, Germany (Lise-Meitner Gesamtschule)2010 signee
Ryan Mickens 6-0 230 Lbs. Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (University Christian) 2010 signee
Liberty lost both of their fullbacks from 2009 to graduation so its an open competition as to who will be leading the way through any holes created by the offensive line. Bah is easily the biggest of the candidates but look for a three way battle at that position as well.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Fan the Flames 2010 Preview: QB
Well its time for me to put on my writer's hat once again as we look ahead to the 2010 season (thanks to Sly for inspiring me with his posting of opponent previews).
As we count down the last weeks until training camp and the season opener on September 4, I'll be posting my thoughts and breakdown of the various positions each Wednesday. Today we start with probably the most talked about position last year, the QB.
Going into 2009 there was a lot of debate (especially on here) as to who would be the new face under center for the Liberty Flames. Brock Smith completed an amazing four year stretch being named to the Big South First team all conference and leaving his mark in a number of QB statistics all time (finishing third in passing yards, second in TD passes, tops in passing efficiency and second in completion percentage, and to put the icing on the cake, second in total offense), his would be very big shoes to fill (figuratively and literally). Mike Brown and Spencer Landis were seen as the two looking to battle for that spot going into the spring, and then a new face joined the party...South Carolina QB Tommy Beecher left Columbia and he landed himself in Lynchburg, VA. Beecher missed the spring practice but when preseason rolled around, it was Beecher and Mike Brown who would be battling for the starting spot with Landis moving behind redshirt freshman Tyler Brennan. Brown's dynamic playmaking abilities were not lost on the coaching staff, so when the season opener against West VIrginia from the Big East rolled around, he was listed as a WR and Beecher was the starting QB.
The quasi-2 QB system worked as Beecher finished the season with 1700 yards passing and nine TDs on the way to being named second team all conference while Brown left his mark all over the stat sheet, finishing as the team's leading rusher, second leading passer (behind Beecher) and the team's leading receiver.
Now its 2010. Beecher has graduated and moved on and Mike Brown is "the man" at QB. He still will get his chances at WR but if Brown is to make his own mark this season it will be with his arm and his legs.
Quarterback
Players lost:
Tommy Beecher
Spencer Landis
Players returning:
Mike Brown
Tyler Brennan
Brian Hudson (2009 redshirt)
Players incoming:
Brian Reese 6-2 220 Lbs Chambersburg, PA (Walk-on)
Gabriel Henderson 5-11 190 Lbs Garner, NC (2010 signee)
This position is Mike Brown's to lose. He will be spending "75%" of the offensive snaps as the QB, but he will have a few opportunities to split out and show his gamebreaking ability, and for those moments, look for Tyler Brennan to get his opportunity to show what he can do. In a sense this will be like a two year audition of sorts for Brennan as Brown likely will be the starter for the next two seasons, but look for Brian Hudson to push him, especially as he gets his chances to show his skills (most likely in late game situations where the score has already been decided). The real interesting situation at this position is likely going to be for the 2012 season as Class of 2010 signee Gabe Henderson will enter the mix along with walk-on Brian Reese. Look for both to redshirt this season unless there is an injury to one of the other three QBs on the roster.
As we count down the last weeks until training camp and the season opener on September 4, I'll be posting my thoughts and breakdown of the various positions each Wednesday. Today we start with probably the most talked about position last year, the QB.
Going into 2009 there was a lot of debate (especially on here) as to who would be the new face under center for the Liberty Flames. Brock Smith completed an amazing four year stretch being named to the Big South First team all conference and leaving his mark in a number of QB statistics all time (finishing third in passing yards, second in TD passes, tops in passing efficiency and second in completion percentage, and to put the icing on the cake, second in total offense), his would be very big shoes to fill (figuratively and literally). Mike Brown and Spencer Landis were seen as the two looking to battle for that spot going into the spring, and then a new face joined the party...South Carolina QB Tommy Beecher left Columbia and he landed himself in Lynchburg, VA. Beecher missed the spring practice but when preseason rolled around, it was Beecher and Mike Brown who would be battling for the starting spot with Landis moving behind redshirt freshman Tyler Brennan. Brown's dynamic playmaking abilities were not lost on the coaching staff, so when the season opener against West VIrginia from the Big East rolled around, he was listed as a WR and Beecher was the starting QB.
The quasi-2 QB system worked as Beecher finished the season with 1700 yards passing and nine TDs on the way to being named second team all conference while Brown left his mark all over the stat sheet, finishing as the team's leading rusher, second leading passer (behind Beecher) and the team's leading receiver.
Now its 2010. Beecher has graduated and moved on and Mike Brown is "the man" at QB. He still will get his chances at WR but if Brown is to make his own mark this season it will be with his arm and his legs.
Quarterback
Players lost:
Tommy Beecher
Spencer Landis
Players returning:
Mike Brown
Tyler Brennan
Brian Hudson (2009 redshirt)
Players incoming:
Brian Reese 6-2 220 Lbs Chambersburg, PA (Walk-on)
Gabriel Henderson 5-11 190 Lbs Garner, NC (2010 signee)
This position is Mike Brown's to lose. He will be spending "75%" of the offensive snaps as the QB, but he will have a few opportunities to split out and show his gamebreaking ability, and for those moments, look for Tyler Brennan to get his opportunity to show what he can do. In a sense this will be like a two year audition of sorts for Brennan as Brown likely will be the starter for the next two seasons, but look for Brian Hudson to push him, especially as he gets his chances to show his skills (most likely in late game situations where the score has already been decided). The real interesting situation at this position is likely going to be for the 2012 season as Class of 2010 signee Gabe Henderson will enter the mix along with walk-on Brian Reese. Look for both to redshirt this season unless there is an injury to one of the other three QBs on the roster.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Fan the Flames 2010 Preview
Well Flames Fans after a long hiatus (grad school will do that to a person), Fan the Flames is back just in time for the 2010 football season. Preseason training camp starts in a few weeks and so we are going to be taking a look at the Flames in our next few postings and then in the two weeks leading up to the Sept. 4 opener, look at the Flames 2010 opponents. Starting tomorrow we will open by looking at the QB position, which will be looking a lot more sure this year after some debate that lasted much of the spring and well into the season.
Until tomorrow,
Fan the Flames
Until tomorrow,
Fan the Flames
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
LU Weekly Sports Review 03/16
We're back again with a look at teh week that was in LU Sports:
Baseball
LU took two of three from Big East member St Johns winning 9-1 and 12-9 before falling in the finale 7-6 on Sunday. On Friday the Flames were led by freshman Josh Richardson who finished 2-4 with three runs scored. Tyler Bream went 1-3 and drove in one and Shawn Teufel remained unbeaten on the 2010 season as he went six innings allowing four hits and striking out five. Saturday was teh PJ Jimenez show as the senior transfer from CA went 4-5 with three runs scored. Tyler Bream went 2-4 with three RBIs and Curran Redal and Trey Wimmer hit home runs to back Keegan Linza who also remained unbeaten on the year as he went 6 1/3 innings allowing six hits and four runs (only one earned) while striking out 6 although he did not factor in the decision. CHris Roach, a junio college transfer from NJ, pitched 1 2/3 innings to pick up his first victory of the season in relief. On Sunday the Red Storm were able to salvage a win in the last game of the series by rallying from down three to force extra innings and pushed one across in the 11th to pick up a 7-6 win. Curran Redal and Tyler Bream both went 3-6 for the Flames and Steven Evans had another fine start going seven innings allowing two runs on three hits and striking out four, but the bullpen could not hold the lead as the loss went to Dane Beakler, coming back after a year off from an injury. LU's record fell to 11-2 on the year with the loss while St Johns improved to 8-5. LU has a couple midweek contests with JMU and Duke before returning to the friendly confines of Worthington Stadium for a three game set with Manhattan.
Softball
the Lady Flames took a trip to Alabama after a successful weekend in GA to face the #10 Crimson Tide, 2009 Women's College World Series participant. The bats came alive early as they dropped a five spot in the second inning, thanks to a grand slam by Ashley Bensinger. The Tide rallied, scoring six runs in their half to tie the game, and then took the lead for good following a storm delay with three runs in the fifth inning and held on for a 10-7 win. Danielle Howard went 2-3 for the Flames, launching a home run of her own while Kelly Strickland extended her hit streak to six games with a home run. Tiffani Smith took the loss.
Then it was off to Tennessee where the Flames would take on Tennessee Tech before heading to Rocky Top for the Tennessee Spring Classic where they would face CAmpbell, Tennessee Tech and the 19th ranked Lady Vols. They got off to a good start as they picked up their first win over Tennessee Tech by a score of 6-2 Kelly Strickland went 2-2, and Cassie Hendrix went 2-3 with a home run to back freshman hurler Katie Warrington and junior Tiffani Smith, who got teh win going 3 2/3 allwoing one hit and striking out seven. After their first matchup with Tennessee was cancelled due to heavy rains in the area, teh Lady Flames picked up another win over teh Golden Eagles, this time by a 4-1 score. Jenny Law stepped up and led the way for teh victors, going 2-3 with a double, while Kelly Strickland added another home run and Smith picked up her second win in as many games, this time going four innings while allowing one hit and striking out seven.
Next up was the Campbell Camels, former Big South foe and teh Camels were able to jump out early with four runs in the second inning and four more in the sixth on the way to a 10-4 win. Kelly Strickland upped her hit streak to nine games with a home run and senior J'nae Jefferson also went deep for Liberty. Freshman Katrina Johnson took the loss. The ladies rebounded and took their third straight over Tennessee Tech, once again by a 6-2 score. Kelly Strickland upped her streak to ten straight games with a hit while Katie Warrington earned her fourth win in the circle. Finally the Flames got their chance to face teh Lady VOls and they showed why they were the 19th ranked team in the country as Ivy Renfroe went four no hit innings and the VOls won by a score of 10-0. J'nae Jefferson and Amber DePasquale had hits for the Lady Flames while Kelly Strickland went 0-2 to end her streak at ten games. Tiffani Smith took the loss in the circle. The ladies conclude their spring break run with a doubleheader today against East Tennessee State before jumping into Big South Conference play against Radford.
Track
The indoor season came to a close for the Flames and LAdy Flames as Sam Chelanga and Jaime Watson represented Liberty at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, AR. Chelanga finished second in the 5000 while Watson, making her first trip as a senior, finished eighth in the 800 meters. The rest of the team headed off to Conway, SC to kick off the outdoor season at rival Coastal Carolina. The Flames and Lady Flames had event winners on the weekend, as Ryan Smith won the shot put in dominating fashion, Kevin Reddington won the long jump, and Evans Kigen took the 3000 meter steeplechase. On the women's side, Alyssa Pegues sprinted (literally) to a victory in the 100 meters. Liberty is next in action this weekend as tehy stay in Conway for the Shamrock Invitational, also hosted by Coastal Carolina
Tennis and Golf
The Liberty mens and women's tennis teams both saw success down in Orlando, FL this past week as teh men won three matches over Fairfield, Northern Illinois and SOuthern Illinois-Edwardsville, while the women lost their first match to Fairfield but logged a win over the Lady Huskies of Connecticut. Chad Simpson was also honored by the Big South Conference as CO-Men's Tennis player of the week for his success in FL. Both teams will be in action this weekend as they conclude spring break with a trip to Clinton, SC to match up with the Blue Hose of Presbyterian.
The Liberty golf team continued its success as they took fourth place at the Palmetto Invitational hosted by USC Aiken last week. Sophomore RObert Karlsson led the way as he finished runner up in the individual competition. The Flames are in Florida this week for the Rio Pinar Invitational hosted by Central Florida.
Lacrosse
Finally this week, the Lady Flames lacrosse team was back in action as they headed to Jacksonville to face the Blackbirds of Long Island University (no that is not a misprint). Freshman Lauren See had a hat trick and keeper Rebekah Leutters had 11 saves but it wasnt enough as LIU jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never looked back as they defeated Liberty 19-9. The ladies will remain in Jacksonville and face National Lacrosse Conference foe Jacksonville on Thursday.
That's it for a crazy busy week in LU sports...until next time,
Fan the Flames
Baseball
LU took two of three from Big East member St Johns winning 9-1 and 12-9 before falling in the finale 7-6 on Sunday. On Friday the Flames were led by freshman Josh Richardson who finished 2-4 with three runs scored. Tyler Bream went 1-3 and drove in one and Shawn Teufel remained unbeaten on the 2010 season as he went six innings allowing four hits and striking out five. Saturday was teh PJ Jimenez show as the senior transfer from CA went 4-5 with three runs scored. Tyler Bream went 2-4 with three RBIs and Curran Redal and Trey Wimmer hit home runs to back Keegan Linza who also remained unbeaten on the year as he went 6 1/3 innings allowing six hits and four runs (only one earned) while striking out 6 although he did not factor in the decision. CHris Roach, a junio college transfer from NJ, pitched 1 2/3 innings to pick up his first victory of the season in relief. On Sunday the Red Storm were able to salvage a win in the last game of the series by rallying from down three to force extra innings and pushed one across in the 11th to pick up a 7-6 win. Curran Redal and Tyler Bream both went 3-6 for the Flames and Steven Evans had another fine start going seven innings allowing two runs on three hits and striking out four, but the bullpen could not hold the lead as the loss went to Dane Beakler, coming back after a year off from an injury. LU's record fell to 11-2 on the year with the loss while St Johns improved to 8-5. LU has a couple midweek contests with JMU and Duke before returning to the friendly confines of Worthington Stadium for a three game set with Manhattan.
Softball
the Lady Flames took a trip to Alabama after a successful weekend in GA to face the #10 Crimson Tide, 2009 Women's College World Series participant. The bats came alive early as they dropped a five spot in the second inning, thanks to a grand slam by Ashley Bensinger. The Tide rallied, scoring six runs in their half to tie the game, and then took the lead for good following a storm delay with three runs in the fifth inning and held on for a 10-7 win. Danielle Howard went 2-3 for the Flames, launching a home run of her own while Kelly Strickland extended her hit streak to six games with a home run. Tiffani Smith took the loss.
Then it was off to Tennessee where the Flames would take on Tennessee Tech before heading to Rocky Top for the Tennessee Spring Classic where they would face CAmpbell, Tennessee Tech and the 19th ranked Lady Vols. They got off to a good start as they picked up their first win over Tennessee Tech by a score of 6-2 Kelly Strickland went 2-2, and Cassie Hendrix went 2-3 with a home run to back freshman hurler Katie Warrington and junior Tiffani Smith, who got teh win going 3 2/3 allwoing one hit and striking out seven. After their first matchup with Tennessee was cancelled due to heavy rains in the area, teh Lady Flames picked up another win over teh Golden Eagles, this time by a 4-1 score. Jenny Law stepped up and led the way for teh victors, going 2-3 with a double, while Kelly Strickland added another home run and Smith picked up her second win in as many games, this time going four innings while allowing one hit and striking out seven.
Next up was the Campbell Camels, former Big South foe and teh Camels were able to jump out early with four runs in the second inning and four more in the sixth on the way to a 10-4 win. Kelly Strickland upped her hit streak to nine games with a home run and senior J'nae Jefferson also went deep for Liberty. Freshman Katrina Johnson took the loss. The ladies rebounded and took their third straight over Tennessee Tech, once again by a 6-2 score. Kelly Strickland upped her streak to ten straight games with a hit while Katie Warrington earned her fourth win in the circle. Finally the Flames got their chance to face teh Lady VOls and they showed why they were the 19th ranked team in the country as Ivy Renfroe went four no hit innings and the VOls won by a score of 10-0. J'nae Jefferson and Amber DePasquale had hits for the Lady Flames while Kelly Strickland went 0-2 to end her streak at ten games. Tiffani Smith took the loss in the circle. The ladies conclude their spring break run with a doubleheader today against East Tennessee State before jumping into Big South Conference play against Radford.
Track
The indoor season came to a close for the Flames and LAdy Flames as Sam Chelanga and Jaime Watson represented Liberty at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, AR. Chelanga finished second in the 5000 while Watson, making her first trip as a senior, finished eighth in the 800 meters. The rest of the team headed off to Conway, SC to kick off the outdoor season at rival Coastal Carolina. The Flames and Lady Flames had event winners on the weekend, as Ryan Smith won the shot put in dominating fashion, Kevin Reddington won the long jump, and Evans Kigen took the 3000 meter steeplechase. On the women's side, Alyssa Pegues sprinted (literally) to a victory in the 100 meters. Liberty is next in action this weekend as tehy stay in Conway for the Shamrock Invitational, also hosted by Coastal Carolina
Tennis and Golf
The Liberty mens and women's tennis teams both saw success down in Orlando, FL this past week as teh men won three matches over Fairfield, Northern Illinois and SOuthern Illinois-Edwardsville, while the women lost their first match to Fairfield but logged a win over the Lady Huskies of Connecticut. Chad Simpson was also honored by the Big South Conference as CO-Men's Tennis player of the week for his success in FL. Both teams will be in action this weekend as they conclude spring break with a trip to Clinton, SC to match up with the Blue Hose of Presbyterian.
The Liberty golf team continued its success as they took fourth place at the Palmetto Invitational hosted by USC Aiken last week. Sophomore RObert Karlsson led the way as he finished runner up in the individual competition. The Flames are in Florida this week for the Rio Pinar Invitational hosted by Central Florida.
Lacrosse
Finally this week, the Lady Flames lacrosse team was back in action as they headed to Jacksonville to face the Blackbirds of Long Island University (no that is not a misprint). Freshman Lauren See had a hat trick and keeper Rebekah Leutters had 11 saves but it wasnt enough as LIU jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never looked back as they defeated Liberty 19-9. The ladies will remain in Jacksonville and face National Lacrosse Conference foe Jacksonville on Thursday.
That's it for a crazy busy week in LU sports...until next time,
Fan the Flames
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