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Athletics

No.1 Bulldogs Defeat Three Ranked Opponents in East West Challenge

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By Gabe Katz  The Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs baseball team, ranked #1 in the NAIA preseason poll, backed up their ranking with a dominant performance at the coveted East/West Challenge in Lakeland, Florida, finishing 3-1 for the weekend. This tournament is a battle between the best of the best in NAIA baseball. The Bulldogs knew that “they were going to play really tough teams” but they were “all really excited because we have a really good group of guys and a great coaching staff” according to Senior IF transfer Nick Collins.  TWU 9 – British Columbia 6Tennessee Wesleyan opened their season January twenty-ninth against the #24 ranked University of British Columbia, a game that saw the Bulldogs defeat the Thunderbirds 9-6. Kolton Reynolds came up clutch in the bottom of the third inning with a bases loaded, 2-RBI single that paved way for a 4-run inning for the Bulldogs. Timely hitting from the team across the board, including six players with an RBI, as well as quality pitching from Cameron Goffar and Daniel Davila saw the Bulldogs move to 1-0.  TWU 4 – Arizona Christian 3The challenge didn’t stop their, as this win meant a dance with the #10 ranked Arizona Christian University the following day. This was as close a contest as you could hope for, each team registering 8 hits and an error. The difference was that Tennessee Wesleyan had Daniel Stewart and Arizona Christian did not. Stewart was responsible for the bringing in of all four runs that the Bulldogs tacked on the board. A double in the first inning, a two-run triple in the second inning, and a solo, eventual game-winning, home run in the sixth inning capped off a stellar day for Stewart. Apart from a three-run bottom of the seventh for the Firestorm, pitching was quality once again for Tennessee Wesleyan. Daniel Batcher finished with six strikeouts and the win, while Daniel Davila was credited with his second save in as many games. The Bulldogs moved to 2-0 with this result and booked themselves a spot in the championship game against the #2 ranked Hope International.  TWU 5 – Hope International 4A team that the Bulldogs know all too well, the Hope International University Royals topped the Bulldogs just months ago in the 2024 NAIA World Series Championship. The rematch was nothing short of what we expected between two teams of this caliber. Although not taking part in last year’s showdown with Hope International, Collins felt like “hearing all the stories, there was a feeling in the air right before we played that was super competitive”. It was an evenly matched affair the whole way through. The Bulldogs scored three runs in the first three innings and carried a 3-1 lead into the sixth inning before the Royals drew level in the top half of the inning. The Bulldogs’ response was swift as a pair of RBI singles from Devin Dixon and Edwin Toribio restored the Bulldogs’ two-run advantage. The Royals made it interesting in the ninth inning with a run that halved the deficit, but the Bulldogs’ bullpen did enough to secure the victory. Christian Delashmit was credited with the win out of the bullpen. In a rematch that lived up to the hype, Toribio and Daniel Stewart drove in two runs apiece for the Bulldogs, Justin Jackson had seven strikeouts, and the Bulldogs took home their third straight ranked win to start the 2025 campaign.  Interview by Dakota CaldwellEditorial Assistance by Noah Lones

Student Life

Sigma Kappa and Social Work Hold Walk to End Alzheimer’s

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By Emma StrattonSigma Kappa Sorority, the Social Work Club, and the Pilot Club of Athens hosted an on-campus Walk To End Alzheimer’s, Tuesday, October 22, on the Tennessee Wesleyan University campus and surrounding areas. The walk at Tennessee Wesleyan University took place on Tuesday evening, October 22nd. Many students and local citizens gathered at the campus to listen to a guest speaker, Astrid Maples, and member of Sigma Kappa, Christian Jackson, tell their personal stories and reasonings for supporting the walk. The walk started and ended on the TWU campus, making it’s way through downtown Athens. Founded in 1989, The Walk to End Alzheimer’s is an organization that is raising awareness and funds to find a cure to end Alzheimer’s. Over 600 communities nationwide participate in walks that are sponsored by local organizations and clubs. The association has raised over $405 million so far for in-field projects working to find a cure. Sigma Kappa, a sorority at Tennessee Wesleyan University, does their philanthropy work surrounding Alzheimer’s. The sorority annually participates in the local walks to raise awareness and help fundraise. Since 1989, The Sigma Kappa sorority has raised over $10 million nationwide for the association. “Alzheimer’s foundation is something that is very personal for a lot of our girls… girls with personal connections to people,” said Jackson. Maples, the key note speaker, emphasized the need to care for families and caregiver workers that have patients with Alzheimer’s. “It is not survival of the fittest. It is the survival of those who are most adaptable to their situation,” said Maples. For more information on the Walk To End Alzheimer’s or to make a donation, visit alz.org. Photos by Emma Stratton

Athletics

Bulldog Baseball: Review and Preview

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By Hayden Harmon 2024 Season Recap Six months ago, the Tennessee Wesleyan University (TWU) baseball team found themselves competing for a national title for the third time in program history. Their remarkable journey to the 2024 Avista NAIA World Series Final was filled with highs and lows, involving a matchup against the Hope International University Royals. TWU’s run through the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament provided proof of their perseverance before competing on the national level. In a highly competitive championship game against the top-seeded Reinhardt University Eagles, the Bulldogs proved their title history. Crucial hits like Carson Ford’s two-run home run and Jack Stevens’ double helped TWU get ahead, but they ran into trouble when Reinhardt leveled the game in the late innings. A sacrifice fly by Corbin Shaw in the tenth inning gave the Bulldogs their 15th AAC Tournament Title and a 5-4 victory. Highlights and lessons learned What Went Well:· Offensive Strength: The Bulldogs showed their offensive power throughout both the conference and national tournaments, with clutch hits from Stevens, Newman, and others.· Team Consistency: TWU’s ability to maintain a high level of performance over multiple seasons is notable, and their 2024 campaign extended their streak of AAC championships and national tournament appearances.· Player Impact: Standout performances, particularly from Kruise Newman, who earned MVP honors in the AAC Tournament, and Jack Stevens, kept TWU competitive. Challenges:· Defensive Struggles: Despite their early lead, TWU’s defense couldn’t hold Hope International at bay in the later innings of the title game. The Bulldogs gave up 14 runs, making it difficult to stage a comeback.· Late-Game Momentum Shifts: TWU’s opponents capitalized on key moments to seize control of the game, and the Bulldogs were unable to regain their footing after the third inning. What Went Right and What Went Wrong In the NAIA World Series title game, the Bulldogs opened strong against Hope International. TWU took an early lead, with contributions from Braxton Turner, Evan Magill, and a sacrifice fly by Cayle Webster. The Bulldogs also saw power at the plate, with Jack Stevens hitting a three-run home run and Kruise Newman following up with a solo shot to give them a 6-4 lead by the third inning. However, the momentum shifted once again. Hope International rallied, and TWU struggled to stop the offensive surge that ultimately led to a 14-6 defeat. The loss ended TWU’s season with a 44-18 record, marking the fourth consecutive year the team won 40 or more games, but falling short of the championship they had hoped to claim. Photo by Dakota CaldwellInterview by Jack Shaw

Athletics

Lady Bulldogs Earn Resounding Victory Over Lady Knights

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By Gabe Katz The Tennessee Wesleyan Women’s Soccer team scored early and often against conference foe Kentucky Christian University, posting a decisive 14-0 victory against the Lady Knights. Krista Eik Hardardottir, the team’s leading scorer with 17 goals, opened the scoring in the 12th  minute thanks to an Addison Smith assist. Hardardottir quickly made it 2-0 in the 15th minute. Alexandra Machado added to goals of her own in the 21st minute and the 40th minute. It was a tame halftime score given the volume of shots and sustained pressure on the KCU goal. The dam didn’t take long to burst in the second half as KCU ran out of steam. 4 minutes into the second half, Lisa Kirwan got her name in the scoresheet, followed by 4 goals in the next 10 minutes from the Bulldogs. Natascha Frei, Addison Smith, and Marte Stokseth each bagged a goal in this time frame with Hardardottir completing her hat trick as well in the 55th minute. The remaining 30 minutes were no lighter on the Lady Knights as they allowed another 5 goals in this span. Laura Nünning tallied the Bulldogs’ 11th goal in the 65th minute, coming sandwiched in between Natascha Frei’s 2nd and 3rd goals in the 61st and 71st minutes. Rosie Dunkerton also found the back of the net in the 73rd minute with Valerie Koopman rounding out the scoring and cementing a resounding win in the 75th minute. This was the Lady Bulldog’s second win of the season, moving their overall record to 2-1-2, 2-0-2 in AAC play. The TWU Women’s team will take their talents on the road to Bluefield at the weekend followed by a rivalry game at Bryan College on September 25th. Photo by Willie Foreman

Uncategorized

TWU Athletics Player Profile – Gabriel Katz: Men’s Soccer Athlete

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By Brant Helms In this entry of Bulldog Beat, interviewer Brant Helms sat down with Gabriel, or Gabe, Katz to ask questions about his love of soccer as well as aspirations and thoughts he has in the upcoming soccer season. In addition, Gabe gives his inner motivations for becoming a TWU Bulldog on top of the hopes he has during his studies on campus. Q: What brought you to Tennessee Wesleyan University? What was the driving factor for choosing Athens over your hometown of Knoxville? A: “Soccer is a big reason why I came to Tennessee Wesleyan. It had always been a goal of mine to play soccer in college and Tennessee Wesleyan gave me that opportunity. The two major things I wanted in a school was a personal academic experience at a school that wasn’t too big and wasn’t too far from home. UTK was far too big for me, and TWU was a decent size and a decent distance from school that allowed me to be my own person while still being close enough to home that I could go home if anything came up.” Q: What is your major and do you have any career goals in mind after graduation? A: “My major is sports communication. I started as an exercise science major but after my second of two anatomy classes, I decided that it wasn’t the route I wanted to go. With sports communication, I would like to work as a sports broadcaster or a sports journalist in some capacity. A dream job would be to call games for the Vols or to be the PA announcer or stadium production at Neyland Stadium.” Q: Why choose soccer over any other athletics, and how did you get started in the sport? A: “Ever since I was young, I was all about everything sports, hence my career path. My mom wanted to get me involved in sports early on and soccer ended up being the sport that stuck with me. I tried football, baseball, and basketball before I picked up soccer and just kinda ran with it. Basketball would have been my second choice, but I couldn’t get enough of soccer.” Q: What are some accomplishments you have made on the field with your team or individually, and what are your upcoming hopes for the next Men’s Soccer season? A: “My senior year of high school I was the district and region midfielder of the year as well as landing a spot on the all district and all region first teams. So far in my 3 years at TWU, I have been named an NAIA academic All-American twice. As far as the upcoming season goes, I just really would like to build on the standard we’ve set since I’ve been here. We won the program’s first NAIA national tournament game in November and being a part of that was something really special. Also for our new coach, I want his first season and my last season to be really memorable so that I can leave the program better than I found it.” As many have seen this semester, TWU Athletics has had a great many staffing changes and among those changes is the hiring of Codi Crippen as head coach for the Men’s Soccer Program. Any new staff changes bring a difference to a team dynamic in sports and the changing of a head coach is the largest change that could affect players. The interview concluded with Gabe’s thoughts on Codi stepping in as head coach. Q: Finally, there will be a new head coach overseeing men’s soccer. Do you have any opinions on that, and do you think this will bring good changes or results to the program? A: “I think that it was a good change for the program. The previous coach [Luke Winter] took the program to great places, and it was just time for a new guy in charge. With our assistant being promoted to head man, I’m very excited to see how he runs things and I want nothing but the best for him. I think he’ll do a great job.” Gabriel looks to be an aspiring member of TWU Athletics, and he will continue to work hard to deliver on his mission to leave the program a better place than he found it, which should be an aspiring goal for many athletes to help build their team even after graduation. Photo courtesy of Gabriel Katz

Athletics

New Basketball Coach

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By Corbin Shaw Tennessee Wesleyan is pleased to welcome new head basketball coach Randy Casey! Casey is taking over Coach Ray Stone’s head men’s basketball coaching position in the upcoming season. Casey coached high school for many years and then moved to coach college level at the University of Pikeville then went back to the high school level to watch young boys chase their dreams to play college ball. The past three seasons Casey has been head basketball coach for the boys’ team at McMinn County High School. Tennessee Wesleyan Athletic Director Donny Mayfield states, “During our search, Coach Casey was a candidate that impressed us with his commitment to building a championship-caliber team while maintaining the character and academic standards that have been established in our athletic department.” Tennessee Wesleyan has a great foundation to build on, and there are high hopes for Randy Casey this upcoming season. Casey is a big believer in teamwork and hopes to find a way for the players to work well together. Casey makes a point to say, “Every player is unique and skilled, but being able to combine those skills is what makes a great team”. Casey not only wants a great ball team, but also wants to help his players develop lifelong skills and make them better people overall. Casey is a big believer in teamwork and hopes to find a way for the players to work well together. Casey makes a point to say that every player is unique and skilled, but being able to combine those skills is what makes a great team. Casey not only wants a great ball team, but also wants to help his players develop lifelong skills and make them better people overall. Casey believes that how you act on the court and off the court makes you a better person, “I feel like if we develop the whole person, not just a basketball player, then everything is successful. All that stuff that you do in a classroom, that carries over to how you are on the court, and stuff you do in the dorm that carries over how you are how you play, and how your things do on the court how you treat people in a cafeteria that carries over. All those things are important and we’re goanna emphasize it. And you guys, the first day I met with you, I really attested to this, that that’s one of the main things I was talking about is we’re going to treat people right and make sure that we help people that have nothing to give us in return so we that makes us better people,” stated Casey. “He’s going to share knowledge with you, he’s going to show you the way. He’s going to do everything it takes to be a head coach, and then when you become one, you learn how to treat them, let them work, give them your assistance, and let them grow. You know I’m not a micromanager- I’ll give them my assistance; they’re going to have requirements so they must do it in practice every day. I expect them to get it done but I’m not going to stand right over with my hand on the neck and make sure that because I trust them. And we were going to allow everybody to grow. The main thing is this: listen; a young coach? Listen. Listen twice as much, God gave you two ears and one mouth so you listen twice as much as you talk listen, everything somebody has to say you may not.” Casey makes a point to establish his stance on learning something new every day. “I’m blessed to have the opportunity to lead the TWU men’s basketball program moving forward. We are going to continue to build on the foundation laid by Coach Ray Stone, and we will not stop until we bring a National Championship back to Athens” expressed Casey. “I can’t wait to get started! We are going to set a standard of where our team will not be outworked, will be tougher, and we will produce a brand of winning basketball that our campus and our community can be very proud of,” added Casey. “You know it’s been proven that it could happen from here. Baseball has done it, you know a couple times, so it can happen from Athens, Tennessee. That’s our goal.” The Bulldogs men’s basketball team will kick off their season in October. This will start the new era of Tennessee Wesleyan basketball with Coach Randy Casey. Edited by Noah LonesPhoto by Matti BrayInterview by Willie Foreman and Dan ThorntonAudio by Elijah LoveladyAudio Editing by Jackson Lollis

Athletics

Golf Postseason Recap

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By Elijah Lovelady and Jacob Parton Men: A slow start in men’s golf for the spring semester they have managed to fight back and place second in the last 2 tournaments. As the AAC direct qualifier starts on April 22-23 they are looking for the first win of the spring semester and a trip to nationals.   As the Season ends the Bulldogs are competing for a chance to win conference and a shot at nationals. Within recent tournaments beating top-ranked teams, the opportunity is there.   “We have the ability to be the best,” said TWU Senior Jacob Parton, “as long as we work together on the course.”   Women: With the Women’s Golf team having a rough start as well placing 3rd and 5th in their first few tournaments of the spring semester.   Senior Morgan Satterfield was named “Women’s Golfer of the Week” and turned things around for the Bulldogs, finishing 3rd at the Northeast Colligate and Winning the TWU spring Invitational.  Edited by Megan TippsPhoto by Jackson Lollis

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Lady Bulldogs Softball Season Recap

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By Gabe Katz The Tennessee Wesleyan Softball team started their 2024 season with high spirits and even higher expectations. In their last two seasons the Bulldogs made an appearance at the NAIA National Tournament twice, having gone to the NAIA College World Series in 2022. The trips in 2022 and 2023 seem to have cemented the Bulldogs’ place near the top of the Appalachian Athletic Conference softball scene and set the standard for the program as National Tournament contenders. Hoping to attend their fourth NAIA Softball National Tournament since 2013, the Bulldogs came into their season poised for major success. During the team’s preseason, they were “in the gym a lot” said Sophomore In-fielder Kaley Bradley. One of the team’s more seasoned players and leaders, Junior In-fielder, Mackenzie Baldwin feels like this preseason was much “more locked in” compared to the preseason experiences in her previous two years in Athens.  As the season has progressed, the team has “developed a chemistry” that they hope to be the final piece that will secure a ring for the program. While the preseason was more stringent and there is a sense of camaraderie in the team, Baldwin feels like the team can do so much more. The season “has been rough compared to the last two years I’ve been here”. She cited the coaching staff’s lack of “confidence in us” as something that the team hopes to address in the latter stretch of the season. Up to this point in the 2024 campaign, the Bulldogs boast a record of twenty wins and eleven losses, seventeen of these wins and seven losses coming in conference play. With 4 games remaining in the regular season, the team is preparing to make another deep run into the postseason. Two road trips with games at Pikeville University and Truett-McConnell University will conclude the regular season. Truett-McConnell sits one place above the Bulldogs in the AAC standings, making that midweek series very important as the Bulldogs only mindset now is “looking for first”. Edited by Jack ShawInterview by Jonathan Powers and Corbin ShawAudio Editing by Jonathan PowersPhotos Courtesy of Adolfo Nicolas