College Corner: Vanderbilt Football, MTSU vs. Memphis, Vanderbilt Basketball

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Vanderbilt’s Wright, Bresnahan, Orji Named To Pre-Season Watch Lists

Mike Wright. Photo: Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics

College football season is a little over a month away and Vanderbilt standouts Mike Wright, Ben Bresnahan and Anfernee Orji have been named to multiple pre-season watch lists.

Wright earned a spot on the Maxwell Award watch list, given to the player of the year by the Maxwell Football Club, while Bresnahan has been named to the Mackey Award watch list and selected as a nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. Orji was picked to the Butkus Award watch list, given to the nation’s best linebacker by the Butkus Foundation.

As quarterback in 2021, Wright eclipsed 1,000 passing yards with eight touchdowns, while also rushing for just shy of 400 yards in five games. In his first collegiate start at South Carolina, he threw for 206 yards and ran for 43 while falling one point shy of a victory.

Bresnahan has appeared in 31 games during his time in Nashville, making 20 starts. In that time, he’s caught 45 passes for 509 yards and four touchdowns. Bresnahan’s most productive season was 2020 when he caught 80 percent of passes thrown to him and was rated as one of the top 10 tight ends in the SEC per pro football focus.

Orji led the Commodores with 93 total tackles a season ago, while also pacing the team with 13 tackles for loss. He started all 12 games and finished 12th in the SEC in total tackles. His 13 tackles in the victory at Colorado State were the most by a Vandy player in a single game last season.

 

 

MTSU Football Agrees To Home-And-Home Series With Memphis

Middle Tennessee State University and the University of Memphis have agreed on a home-and-home football series, as announced jointly by both schools on Tuesday (July 26).

The first game is scheduled for Sept. 28, 2024 in Memphis before the two teams square off a second time on Sept. 25, 2027 in Murfreesboro.

“We are very excited to add Middle Tennessee to our future schedules,” says Memphis head football coach Ryan Silverfield. “Anytime you have the opportunity to play an in-state opponent, it makes sense from a recruiting and logistical standpoint. MTSU has a great tradition and we look forward to playing them in years to come.”

The two teams have played 27 times since their very first meeting in 1925 with the Blue Raiders owning a 17-9-1 advantage. The Blue Raiders and Tigers last met during a six-year stretch from 2009 until 2014 with three games in Murfreesboro and three in Memphis.

MTSU finished its 2021 season 7-6 overall and 4-4 in conference with a home record of 4-1. They kickoff the 2022 season on Sept. 3 at James Madison University and at Colorado State on Sept. 10 before returning home to face TSU on Sept. 17.

 

 

Vanderbilt To Face St. Mary’s In The Paycom Wooden Legacy Tournament

Photo: Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics

Vanderbilt men’s basketball is set to play mid-major powerhouse St. Mary’s at the The Paycom Wooden Legacy in November.

The event, which will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center Arena in California, will begin Nov. 23 with Washington taking on Fresno State before the Commodores battle the 2021 WCC runner-ups on ESPN2. 

The Nov. 24 schedule includes the third-place game on ESPNU followed by the championship game on ESPN2.

In 2021-22, Vandy had one of its best seasons in a number of years behind coach Jerry Stackhouse. They finished the season 19-17, picking up two wins in the SEC Tournament against Georgia and Alabama. They went on to run in the NIT beating Belmont and Dayton before falling to the eventual champions Xavier in the tournament’s quarterfinal.

Tennessee State Picked To Finish Fourth In The OVC Ahead Of 2022 Football Season

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Courtesy of TSU

The Tennessee State Tigers football team were voted to finish fourth in the upcoming OVC season by the league’s head coaches and communications directors. TSU received 46 points and one first-place vote in the poll.

The Tigers are welcoming back former Heisman Trophy winner and Titans legend Eddie George for his second year as head coach. TSU finished the season with an overall record of 5-6 and a conference record of 3-3

This year, TSU welcomes new quarterback Draylen Ellis, who transferred from Austin Peay. Ellis was named OVC Co-Freshman of the Year in 2020 and last season was a second-team All-OVC pick after passing for 2,626 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Ellis will be teamed with third-year running back Devon Starling, who shared those Freshman of the Year accolades with Ellis in 2020. A year ago, he was named All-OVC and earned Sophomore All-American honors after rushing for 800 yards.

In 2021, the Tigers were efficient offensively, throwing only six interceptions in 11 games, which led the OVC and ranked 17th nationally Defensively, the Tigers placed three players on the Preseason All-OVC team, in Tadarrius Patterson (30 tackles, 5.5 sacks), Teray Jones (15 tackles, 3.5 sacks) and James Green (77 tackles, 1 interception).

Ellis, Starling, Jones, Green, and Patterson, along with wide receiver Zaire Thornton, offensive lineman Robert Lacey and kick returner Dayron Johnson, were named to the 2022 Preseason All-OVC Football Teams.

UT Martin has been picked as the preseason favorites, coming off their 2021 OVC Championship and their first FCS Playoff victory. The Skyhawks picked up 10 of a possible 14 first-place votes.

In addition to the League schedule, OVC schools will collaborate with the Southland Conference in a non-conference scheduling alliance for 2022 and 2023. Beginning in 2023, the OVC and Big South Conference begin an agreement to create an association between its football member institutions. The unique agreement combines the two conferences’ football membership to ensure NCAA championship access and stability, and will provide the institutions a schedule of games against all the teams in their multi-sport conference and additional games against schools from the other conference.

Vanderbilt’s Kumar Rocker & Spencer Jones Selected In 2022 MLB Draft

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Kumar Rocker. Photo: Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics

For the second straight year a Vanderbilt superstar has been taken within the top five in the MLB Draft as Kumar Rocker was selected No. 3 overall by the Texas Rangers.

Rocker was selected No. 11 overall in the 2021 Draft by the New York Mets but was released due to health concerns raised by the Mets organization. He spent this past year training and playing with independent league team the Tri-City Valley Cats.

With the Valley Cats, Rocker had an ERA of 1.35 with 32 strikeouts and four walks in 20 innings pitched. At Vanderbilt, he had a 2.89 ERA in 42 games. He struck out 321 batters and had a WHIP of 1.001, according to Baseball Reference.

The former Commodore ace will be reunited with former teammate Jack Leiter who was drafted 2021 MLB Draft with the No. 2 overall pick.

Also drafted was 2022 Vandy star Spencer Jones who was selected by the New York Yankees with the No. 25 overall pick. He is now the 21st Vanderbilt player to be drafted under head coach Tim Corbin.

Jones was stellar for the Commodores in 2022, sporting a batting average of .370, fifth in the SEC. He also posted a team high .460 on-base percentage, placing seventh in the conference. An All-SEC second team honoree, Jones registered 21 multiple-hit games across the 2022 season. 

Rounds 1 and 2 of the MLB Draft concluded on Sunday evening and Rounds 3-10 will resume today (July 18).

Former Belmont Star Evan Bradds Joins Utah Jazz As Assistant Coach

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Evan Bradds. Photo: Courtesy of the Boston Celtics

Former Belmont men’s basketball superstar Evan Bradds has been hired by the Utah Jazz as an assistant coach.

A two-time Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, Bradds had been with the Boston Celtics organization since 2017, beginning as an assistant coach with Boston’s NBA G League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, before quickly earning a role on the NBA coaching staff.

As head coach Brad Stevens transitioned to the Celtics front office in 2021, Bradds was elevated to player enhancement coach under new coach Ime Udoka. From video analysis and specialized player skill development, Bradds contributed to the ascension of several Boston frontcourt players, most notably Grant Williams and Robert Williams.

The Jamestown, Ohio native worked with newly-named Jazz head coach Will Hardy this past season in Boston as the Celtics represented the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals.

Bradds is Belmont’s NCAA Division I era career scoring leader with 1,921 points, and he ranks sixth all-time in NCAA Division I career field goal percentage (.667).

MTSU To Host True Blue Town Hall With Chase McCabe, Jonathan Hutton & Joe Dubin

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As part of the upcoming Blue Raider Blitz Tour, Middle Tennessee State University will host a True Blue Town Hall event at Nashville’s Listening Room Cafe on July 20. The evening will feature sports talk radio personalities and MTSU graduates Joe Dubin, Jonathan Hutton and Chase McCabe, as well as MTSU Director of Athletics Chris Massaro.

Moderated by Voice of the Blue Raiders Chip Walters (class of ’85), the Blitz event is set for 6 p.m. with the Town Hall portion getting underway at 6:30 p.m. CT. This event is free and open to the public.

As the world of college athletics continues to change rapidly, the panel will discuss the state of Blue Raider football, NIL, the Transfer Portal, and the many on-going changes in college athletics. Middle Tennessee head coach Rick Stockstill, members of his staff and a handful of student-athletes will also be on hand to talk Blue Raider football prior to the Town Hall portion.

Dubin, class of 1997, was a longtime sports anchor for WSMV and is now the host of “Mornings on Main Street.” McCabe, class of 2012, has spent most of his career with 102.5 The Game, starting off as an intern and working his way up to hosting the station’s midday show and now serving as the station’s program director. Hutton, class of 2006, is currently a co-host on Outkick 360 and was a longtime broadcaster with 104.5 The Zone. He’s worked with Titans Radio and continues to call Middle Tennessee high school football games.

Fans interested in attending can RSVP at mtalumni.com to receive a complimentary meal at the Listening Room Café for the night of the event.

2022 Complete Blitz Schedule:
Wednesday, July 20
Franklin— 12-1:30 p.m. at Party Fowl
Nashville — 6-8 p.m. at The Listening Room

Thursday, July 21
Manchester — 12-1:30 p.m. at Boskey’s Grille at Willowbrook Golf Course
Smyrna — 6-8 p.m. at Lee Victory Park

Monday, July 25
Mt. Juliet — 12-1:30 p.m. at The Pub – CP Between the Lakes
Shelbyville — 6-8 p.m. at Bedford County Courthouse

Thursday, July 28
Murfreesboro — 6-8 p.m. at Cannonsburgh Village

Cumberland Football Voice Tommy Bryan Steps Down, Christian Kaposy Named Successor

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Tommy Bryan and Christian Kaposy. Photo: Courtesy of Cumberland University

Cumberland University’s Tommy Bryan is stepping down from his position as the play-by-play voice of CU football and is being replaced with up-and-coming broadcaster Christian Kaposy.

“I just appreciate everything Tommy has done and will continue to do for Cumberland,” says Director of Athletics Ron Pavan. “He has always been great to us both on and off the air. He will still be involved as he is on the Sports Hall of Fame Committee, but we will miss him in the booth.”

Bryan, a Cumberland University Sports Hall of Famer has been calling Cumberland football games for the past 13 seasons alongside Bob Lea. He has called 67 wins over the years, all heard on WANT-FM, WCOR-AM, and the Cumberland Sports Network.

“I appreciate the opportunity Ron Pavan gave me over 13 years ago to call Cumberland football,” Bryan says. “It’s been fun, but always a grind–preparing for a Lebanon game on Friday and a Cumberland game on Saturday. Back in March, I took a long look at the schedule and decided I wasn’t very excited about the prospects of broadcasting the 2022 season,” he adds. “I knew then it was time to step aside and make way for someone younger and more energetic to handle the play by play duties.”

Kaposy, a graduate of Belmont University and a Mt. Juliet native, will take over the play-by-play duties with Lea still working by his side as the color commentator. Kaposy has worked with Titans Radio on 104.5 the Zone and is the founder and lead broadcaster for the Green Hill Sports Network where he calls the high school’s football and basketball games.

During his time at Belmont has worked closely with the Bruins and their ESPN+ teams working on broadcasts for all Belmont sporting events. Kaposy also has experience working with Vanderbilt’s football radio crew as a spotter. Kaposy has served as Cumberland’s basketball public address announcer for the past three seasons.

“Christian is an up-and-coming talent with the experience and education to handle anything that might come his way,” Bryan notes. “I know he will do his homework for every Saturday broadcast of Cumberland football and give his listeners a quality product. He’ll also have the benefit of working alongside my friend Bob–a guy he can lean on.”

“When it comes to football in Wilson County, Tommy Bryan has been at the forefront of it for a long time and we will miss his knowledge and experience at Cumberland,” shares Sports Information Director Kyle Allen. “I am excited for Christian coming in though, I know he will do a great job. He works hard at mastering his craft each day, and will be great along with Bob.”

Bryan remains as the play-by-play voice of Lebanon High football on WANT-FM and WCOR-AM along with Terry Stafford, Lea and Joe Gardner. Bryan and Stafford started working together with Bruce Skeen in covering Blue Devil football in 1986.

Belmont, OVC & Horizon League Partner For Men’s Tennis Programs

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The Horizon League and the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) announced a partnership of their men’s tennis member institutions beginning in the 2022-23 academic year. Belmont, who joined the Missouri Valley Conference on July 1, will also be joining this partnership as the MVC doesn’t sponsor men’s tennis.

“The changing landscape of intercollegiate athletics requires we have an openness to identifying new and creative ways to provide our student-athletes with outstanding competitive opportunities,” says OVC Commissioner Beth DeBauche. “The OVC programs and Belmont University are delighted to join the Horizon League programs and grateful to Commissioner Roe Lach and the Horizon League directors of athletics for their willingness to collaborate and embrace a new partnership model that illustrates how two likeminded conferences can work together to help provide opportunities for student-athletes, strengthen the sport of men’s tennis and maintain regional competition.”

The partnership will provide the men’s tennis member institutions a full complement of conference matches, a conference championship experience at the Horizon League championship and the opportunity for those teams eligible per NCAA rules to earn an automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Championship.

The league competition will be split into two divisions. The South Division will consist of Belmont, Eastern Illinois, Lindenwood, Southern Indiana, Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech, while the North Division will include Chicago State, Cleveland State, IUPUI, Northern Kentucky and Youngstown State. Belmont will be joined with Chicago State as an added affiliate member.

“This is a tremendous day for our men’s tennis program,” says Belmont Vice President, Director of Athletics Scott Corley. “It marks the culmination of months of work between conferences and member institutions. We thank the Horizon League, OVC and fellow members, and are proud to participate in this venture to benefit men’s tennis student-athletes. From accomplishment on the national stage to opening the Crockett Center for Athletic Excellence, our men’s tennis program has undeniable positive momentum. With the leadership of Director of Tennis Mauricio Antun and today’s conference affiliation announcement, we look forward to what lies ahead.”

Belmont men’s tennis has won seven conference championships – six in the last eight years – including two NCAA Tournament appearances. The doubles team of Hendrik Inno and Marko Ilic earned a No. 8 national ranking, reached the NCAA Championship Round of 16 and won the ITA fall regional championship.

Vanderbilt Duo Named To USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Roster

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Top: Enrique Bradfield Jr. Bottom: Carter Holton. Photos: Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics

Vanderbilt baseball’s Enrique Bradfield Jr. and Carter Holton have been named to the final 26-man roster for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, USA Baseball.

The final squad was named after the completion of the 2022 Collegiate National Team Training Camp—a five-game intrasquad series played across the state of North Carolina. 17 schools have players on the 2022 Collegiate National Team roster, but Vanderbilt is one of five programs to boast multiple student-athletes on the team. The others are Florida State, LSU, Ole Miss and Wake Forest.

Bradfield ended the year with a batting average of .317 in 243 at-bats. He had an on-base percentage of .415 and was perfect this season in stolen bases with 46 steals on 46 attempts. Holton finished the season leading the team in ERA of 3.14 in 15 starts, the best on the team. He pitched 80 innings and struck out 97 batters. His opposing batting average was also the best on the team with .197.

Including the selections of Bradfield and Holton, Vanderbilt has had 27 players on USA Baseball Collegiate National Teams—the second-most among SEC programs. Most recently, Austin Martin and Tyler Brown played on the Collegiate National Team in the summer of 2019.

Team USA will travel to the Netherlands on Wednesday and begin Honkbalweek Haarlem on Saturday. They open against Japan at 7 a.m. CT and then have games against Italy, Cuba, the Netherlands and Curacao to complete group play. All games will be streamed at HonkbalSoftbal.tv.