Baseball looks forward to opening day, upcoming season

With baseball’s opening day on the horizon, both new and returning players alike look forward to the chance to put their skills into play. Coming off of a 22-34 season in 2024, the 2025 team has a lot of room to use those skills as the season begins.

Herd Media spoke with five of the players – both new and old – on Lipscomb’s 2025 baseball team, learning what they were looking forward to, how they felt about their team, and what they had in store for the teams they will face this season.

“We have a very versatile team this year,” said redshirt senior infielder David Coppedge. “I feel like we have a lot of new guys coming in, and we also have a strong freshman class which is gonna make a big difference… I think all around, we’re good in a lot of places.”

“I feel like we’ve gotten a lot better from the fall,” said graduate student outfielder and catcher Jake Berg. “I feel like we’ve got a lot of pieces who can play together… I think our staff’s gotten a lot better, and that’s credit to the coaches… I think we’re ready to go for the season. I’m really excited for this year.”

Freshman infielder Brady Miller said he felt at home on the team and was looking forward to the upcoming season. “The guys accept me for not only who I am as a player but also who I am as a person,” he said. “And they’re very welcoming too. I think that allowed me to find my role, and I think I know what my role will be for this season.”

The team has been focusing on some different ways to play for this season, implementing new tactics to their regimen. Part of those tactics are due to new additions to their coaching staff, but others come from an overall shift in philosophy.

“I think we’ve put more of a focus on finding a way on base,” Berg said. “No matter what, it’s a team at bat, it’s not your personal at bat. You’re finding a way to contribute to the team, you’re finding a way to help out the team. Whether it’s get a bunt down or get a walk or hit a home run, it’s not all about hitting home runs this year. And I kinda like that. It’s more focused on how we can help the team, not how we can help ourselves.”

The shift highlights the fact that not only are the Bisons changing their tactics to better their game, but they’re adapting to include the entire team, moving away from a personal game to put the others before themselves.

“We’re just gonna try to play our style of baseball,” said senior left-handed pitcher Davis Rokose, a transfer from the University of Georgia. “We’re not gonna let the other teams [change that]… We’re just gonna focus on our guys on the field.”

“Offensively things have changed a lot,” Coppedge said. “We used to want to hit a lot of home runs and hit the ball in the air. But this year we have a new hitting coach and a new philosophy, and we kind of have to be a bit more gritty and just kind of find other ways to score runs… Defensively, we always want to catch the ball at a 980 fielding percentage.”

“I feel like in the past couple years, we really lived and died by the home run,” said redshirt senior infielder Parks Bouck. “We’ve had some great home run hitters in the past couple seasons with Trace Wilhoite, Alex Vergara, Austin Kelly, Mason Lundgrin. In ’23 we set the program record for home runs in a season. And so we really lived and died by the home run.”

“But this year, our offense is gonna look a little different. We’re not gonna be those sluggers,” Bouck explained. “We’re still gonna hit the ball for some power, but I think those home run numbers are gonna be down. But that’s okay. We’re really gonna try to get on base more frequently and go first to third and drive ‘em in. So it’s gonna look a little different on offense but I think we can still score a lot of runs, and maybe score more runs than just the homer. I’m really excited for our new offense.”

“[Coach] wants us to play the baseball that we play and do it the best that we can, and the results will show on the field,” Rokose said.

A team that’s determined to play not just for themselves, but for the others, needs to be close-knit. For the team to stand firm in their resolve to not let other teams influence the way they play, a community has to be created, both on the field and off. All five said that not only had the team done this, but they’d done it incredibly well.

“Honestly, out of all the teams I’ve played with before – this being my fourth year – I think I can say that this team is the closest that I’ve experienced,” Coppedge said, smiling. “We kinda bonded all together right away. It’s really cool and it’s really encouraging. I think it’s gonna help us win some games down the road as well.”

Bouck said that Coach Forehand is one of the main reasons for the team’s strong chemistry. “[He’s] all about ‘hey, we’re all here to play baseball, but we’re also here to build relationships. We’re not gonna remember the wins and losses, we’re gonna remember the bonds we made with each other.’ So if we really put an emphasis on relationships and being a good teammate above everything else, it makes playing baseball a whole lot easier.”

“I think everyone mixes well,” Miller said. “And even though there are like little groups within the team — and I think that happens with everyone — everyone is really comfortable hanging out with each other, and I think that sets us apart from other teams.”

“We all mesh together really well… I think it’s great,” Rokose smiled. “In the locker room everyone’s friends… I would go and hang out just one on one with literally anybody on the team. I think that’s definitely a plus, just being comfortable around everybody.”

While Coach Forehand has been setting the example for the players, he’s not alone in leading them. The upperclassmen have also been stepping into leadership roles. Especially those who have been on the team for a while – like Berg, Bouck and Coppedge, who have each been on the team for three years.

“The upperclassmen, they’re very good leaders,” Miller said. “They’ve been able to set the example for what I should be and what the younger guys and the transfer guys should be like, which is a lot different from how high school was.”

“I’m really looking forward to just making an impact on my teammates’ lives and just making an impact on everyone that I can,” Coppedge, one of the players stepping into leadership, said. “With it being my last year, I just [want to make] an impact and [pour] into everyone around me as much as I can. And just tryin’ to [show] these group of guys, the younger ones, what it looks like… [It’s] no longer just about me being good at baseball.”

“I gotta set that standard for this is how we do things, this is how we don’t do things,” Bouck said. “I like being in that role. Being the guy that people look to, it’s a lot, right? It’s a big responsibility, and I feel like I’m eager for the task to lead my team… Just really leading by example and doing everything from off the field to on the field just using that championship mindset.”

Bouck continued, talking about one of the main things he tried to keep in his mind when helping lead the rest of the team. “We have this saying that ‘how you do anything is how you do everything.’ If you wanna be a championship team, you gotta do the little things at a championship effort, even if they seem monotonous… I think that’s a great thing not just in baseball but in life. If you take shortcuts on the small stuff, you’re gonna take shortcuts on the big stuff. We don’t wanna take any shortcuts, we just wanna get our work done and just have that championship effort and hopefully it pays dividends down the road.”

“I got hurt halfway through [last] season,” Berg said. “And I kinda was like a coach a little bit, on the sidelines. I just embraced that role, and this year… I’m excited to see [what happens]. I think my leadership role has grown as well. Parks and Copp too, our leadership roles have just grown as our three years have gone by. I mean last year, I feel like all of us were leaders, but this year it’s pretty much our team,” he finished with a smile.

Lipscomb’s 2025 baseball team has been focusing on bettering themselves so that they better their team, all while deliberately building community. Whether they’re meeting off campus for putt putt, or on campus for a Bible study, their actions have led to a culture shift all the players have noticed.

“That relationship-first energy, it just breeds great culture, and culture’s everything,” said Bouck.

“I’m just excited to finally start playing with these guys,” Rokose said with a grin.

“Go Bisons. We’re gonna take it all this year,” Coppedge smiled.

The Bisons will take to the field for the first time this season on Friday at noon in a double header, with the second game 30-40 minutes after the end of the first. Their opening series will be against Kentucky. The Bisons will have home games from February 14 all the way through March fourth, a new setup for their schedule. Their first twelve games will all be right here, at Dugan Field.

Featured image taken by Micah Barkley.