#Risewithus

 I took a minute to jot down a few thoughts from the scrimmage Saturday with the season opener a little over 3 weeks away.   Format - HCHF puts on a great format for the event.  The offense usually starts around mid field or back deep in their own side of the field until they either score or get stopped.  That's followed by a FG attempt or PAT on the plus side stuff.  There's a lot of different combo's out there particularly after the first 45 minutes or so when there may be 2nd and 3rd teamers mixed in on certain drives.  The other big key is no tackling.  So that obviously hurts a guy like Salter and to a lesser degree Brewer who may have eluded a sack for a big play.  It also inhibits the run game as a big part of the run game is breaking tackles.  It's really kind of like 7 on 7 with the lines going at it full speed plus some live special teams reps.   QB Play - Of course that's everybody's first question about the "22 Flam...

  The coaching carousel has continued to spin into the late Summer.  Notre Dame lost HC Link Jarrett to his alma mater FSU after the historic run to get ND into the CWS.  Notre Dame then scooped up Shawn Stiffler from VCU leaving an opening in the commonwealth.  According to sources, Liberty assistant coach Tyler Cannon was a finalist for the VCU job before pulling out of the search recently.  VCU has been a very good program the last 3 or 4 years under Stiffler.  Liberty will be able to keep building continuity as the staff will remain intact for another year.  Cannon is the hitting coach and also works with infielders for the Flames.  He arrived on the mountain with Scott Jackson at the beginning of Jackson's career here at Liberty after a standout career at UVA and brief time in the Minor Leagues.   It's not a surprise that quality programs have made a run at all 3 of Liberty's coaches the past couple years and that will continue to b...

  The 2022 MLB Draft has come and gone.  Joe Adametz was taken in the 14th round by the Detroit Tigers and Mason Fluharty was taken in the 5th round by the Toronto Blue Jays.  That's the highest any Liberty player has been taken since RHP Jason Jones in 2004 draft when he was selected in the 4th round.  Sid Bream continues to hold the top spot as he was selected 48th overall in the second round in the 1981 draft.  That's 83 all time draft picks for the program.  Being drafted has always been an honor but with the current 20 round format it truly means that the team views the player as a prospect.  In the old 50 round format many guys were drafted just to fill minor league rosters and were often gone by the middle of the following season if they were even signed.  In many instances teams ran out of money and there was nothing left for later round players.   With the conclusion of the draft the 23 roster can begin to become a little more c...

  Liberty's staff was hot on the recruiting trail in the month of June and July has gotten off to a blazing start as well. We will take a look at what Liberty has added in the last week or so below.  We will start off with the 2 public commitments from the last several days before moving on to a new portal commitment and a new HS commitment for the 23 class.   Mikey Tepper - Tepper is a RHP that is transferring in from Mississippi State.  Tepper had a 9.49 ERA in 17 appearances while totaling 24 2/3 IP with 29 K's and 25 BB's.  His BA against was just .269 which would lead you to believe if the Flames can help him get better control, he could be a high impact guy.  Tepper could potentially get a shot to compete for a spot in the rotation but will certainly be a factor in the pitching depth either way.  Tepper was a highly sought-after player out of high school that has flashed a lot of potential still has 2 to 3 years of eligibility remaining dep...

  Another fun part of summer is tracking the status of the Flames players that are playing Summer league baseball.  Summer ball is a big deal, particularly for the freshman.  Many times the summer after the freshman year is a huge indicator as to whether the player will factor into the next season.  Below is an update on the players that are known to be playing.  The Flames don't have as many guys playing this year as in years past as veterans that are known commodities that are coming back are using the summer to get healthy and rest.  The Flames also have a number of guys that are preparing for the draft such as Adametz, Carter & Fluharty and then there are a number of players that have exhausted their eligibility or are recovering from injury.  Finally, pitchers that had a heavy workload (particularly freshman) will get the summer off.   Addrian Mcneal - The middle infielder is 3/12 with 1 run scored so far while playing for the Brookh...

  The Summer may seem quiet for fans but it's a very busy time in the College Baseball calendar.  Recruiting is in full swing as there are tournaments everywhere with coaches to attend, prospect camps are being held, the transfer portal is in full swing, the coaching carousel is mostly winding down & summer bridge is just around the corner for the freshman.  The draft is also in July and will remain at 20 rounds post COVID.  Roster finalization is a completely different animal thanks to all these factors which happen so late in the calendar year.  Add in the fact that COVID gave players and extra year of eligibility and the late time frame of coaching changes and the MLB draft and you can quickly see how roster projection is a very difficult part of the sport.  NIL has reached down into the College Baseball World as well which has further complicated the roster projection and recruiting calendar.  With that being said we will take a look at what th...

Summer is officially upon as we turn the calendar from Spring.  I haven't posted since Liberty went 0 and 2 in the Gainesville regional after loses to Oklahoma and Central Michigan.  Oklahoma has proven to be a worthy opponent as they went on to win the regional and beat VT in the Super Regional to get to Omaha.  They have also since beaten Texas A&M & Notre Dame in the CWS and have a great chance to bring home the title.  They will have a rematch with the Aggies up next.  Over the next week I'll have 3 updates including tonight's recruiting update, a look at the draft and roster projections & an update on Summer league baseball for those that are playing for the Flames. The transfer portal has been huge for Liberty Football and Baseball the last few years.  Baseball has produced guys like Trevor Delaite, Fraser Ellard, Aaron Anderson, Derek Orndorff & Stephen Hill just to name a few.  Liberty has added 4 players via the portal thus far...