FLAMES

DRAFT DAY: Commonwealth players get the call on day three

3 seed Liberty handled Big East visitor Villanova to advance to the NIT second round.

Flames earn No. 2 seed and will play Villanova Tuesday at 9 p.m.

McKay and the Flames have posted seven straight 20-win seasons.

The Liberty Flames moved to 17-5 on the season after beating Stetson 74-45. The Flames lead the ASUN with an 8-1 conference record.

Josh Fricks suffered a severe neck injury.

McGhee moves into 5th all-time in D1 history in made three-pointers.

Darius McGhee made 5 three-pointers in the Monday night home victory.

Senior DE Durrell Johnson speaks of loyalty when chosing to play in next week's bowl game.

The Flames squad is coming off about four weeks of what can only be described as turmoil, with a bowl game looming.

Liberty football will head to Boca Raton, Florida for the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl on Dec. 20.

Freeze led Liberty through its FBS transition and first ever Bowl game appearance and win.

Virginia Tech is tied with Liberty at the half, 17-17.

Three key takeaways from the state’s football scene this past weekend -- and a glimpse at what’s to come next week.

"We're appreciative that we're getting recognized but the work isn't done."

Liberty University announced today it has extended its contract with head football coach Hugh Freeze for eight more seasons. Freeze has led the Flames to a 7-1 record so far this season, and has already clinched bowl eligibility.

Flames record a season-high 547 total offensive yards and a season-best 300 yards rushing in the 41-14 win.

As the Flames prepare to face the Cougars in football Saturday, the schools are coming together to hold a children’s book drive.

Three key takeaways from the state’s football scene this weekend.

The Flames attain bowl eligibility for the fourth consecutive season.

Demario Douglas recorded over 100 yards receiving in the Flames road win.

A pair of late touchdowns from running back Dae Dae Hunter allowed Liberty to open up a tied game and outlast Old Dominion for a 38-24 win, Saturday evening, at S.B. Ballard Stadium.

Liberty will travel to ODU for an in-state rivalry game.

Dae Dae Hunter rushed for 118 yards in the Flames win.

Liberty moves to 2-0 with a 21-14 win over visiting UAB.

Liberty's football camp is making progress thanks to solid chemistry and comradre.

Flames have engulfed a fourth tank at an oil storage facility in western Cuba as the raging fire consumes critical fuel supplies on an island facing a growing energy crisis.

The U.S. Forest Service says it will take emergency action soon to save giant sequoias by speeding up projects to clear underbrush to protect the world’s largest trees from the increasing threat of wildfires.

For the second time in as many days, top seed Liberty got a pool play win in Florida at the ASUN baseball tournament.

Flames are fresh off winning back-to-back ASUN conference titles.

Demon Deacons tally 16 hits in the mid-week victory over the Flames.

Bridgette Rettstatt led the Flames with 16 points.

Darius McGhee scored 26 points recording his 10th straight 20-point game with a game-high 21 points.

Both teams shot poorly in what was a tightly contested game.

Liberty defeats LIpscomb in ASUN men's action.

Darius McGhee dropped 48 points Saturday night to guide the Flames to a 78-75 victory.

Shiloh Robinson scored a career-high 21 points in the ASUN Conference win.

The win proved to be the first win over an ACC opponent since the 2008, when the Flames defeated the Hokies 45-43 in Blacksburg.

The Flames make their third consecutive bowl game appearance.

The 42-14 loss for snaps Liberty's 15-game home win streak.

A federal grand jury has indicted a former college professor for allegedly starting four wildfires in Northern California that threatened to trap firefighters as they battled a massive fire nearby.

Liberty tipped off the 2021-22 season Thursday night in front of a sold-out crowd of 4,034 fans at Liberty Arena, the most fans ever at a game in Liberty Arena. The Flames dominated from start-to-finish, defeating Regent 85-24 for its first win of the season.

The Flames defeated the Minutemen 62-17 for their 15th consecutive home win.

Malik Willis left in the second quarter with a foot injury, only to return in the second half, guiding the Flames to 21 unanswered points in the 35-26 win.

Malik Willis accounted for over 400 offense and three touchdowns.

September 30th was a good day for Liberty Men’s Basketball as they took the to the floor for the first official practice of the 2021-2022 season. The Flames made an NCAA tournament appearance in March and return some big dance talent like Darius McGhee and Kyle Rode.

Undefeated Liberty (3-0) travels to 2-1 Syracuse for a Friday night game in Central New York State.

A smothering second-half defensive effort and six total touchdowns by Flames’ quarterback Malik Willis led Liberty to a 45-17 win over Old Dominion, Saturday night, at Williams Stadium.

The Cavaliers had four players drafted on Monday afternoon. The Hokies and Flames had one each receive the big call.

The Flames bats fell flat against the Volunteers pitching.

This will be Liberty's seventh appearance in the tournament and second consecutive.

The Dukes scored five runs in the fifth inning leading to the 8-5 victory.

The Flames defeated Eastern Kentucky in game one and knocked off the host #9 Tennessee in game two.

The Flames are set to make the programs fourth appearance in the NCAA Division I Softball Tournament.

The Flames defeated the Owls of Kennesaw State to claim the programs first ASUN Championship, 4th overall conference title.

The Flames shutout the Bisons 8-0 to claim the ASUN North Division and the right to face Jacksonville in the semifinals

The Hokies lost their 5th straight game, while Liberty extended its win streak to 13.

ROANOKE, Va. – Sunday’s NCAA Selection Show yielded rich results for 5 schools across the Commonwealth. “It’s certainly a unique way to prepare for the NCAA Tournament,” Bennett said. In just his second year in Blacksburg, ACC Coach of the Year Mike Young, has guided the Hokies to their 12th NCAA Tournament appearance, fourth consecutive. The Spartans were last in the NCAA DI Tournament in 2012 as a No. This marks the Rams’ 18th appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Liberty will represent the ASUN in the 2021 NCAA TournamentROANOKE, Va. – During Sunday’s NCAA Selection Show, it was announced that Liberty would be a 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament. This will mark the Flames’ 5th NCAA Tournament appearance and the second under head coach Ritchie McKay. In 2019, Liberty defeated Mississippi State in the first round before falling to Virginia Tech in the second round, 67-58. The Flames will enter the NCAA Tournament with a 23-5 overall record and an active 12-game win streak. Darius McGhee was named the ASUN Player of the Year, ASUN Tournament MVP and also earned ASUN All-Tournament Team honors along with Chris Parker and Kyle Rode.

Liberty defeats UNA to win its third straight ASUN Tournament ChampionshipJACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Top-seeded Liberty defeated No. 5 North Alabama, 79-75 to claim the program’s third consecutive ASUN Tournament Championship. ASUN Player of the Year, Darius McGhee, proved his worth by leading the Flames in scoring with 21 points. However, North Alabama is in year two of a four-year transition to Division I, making them ineligible for postseason play until 2023. However, the Flames still added to the trophy case by defeating North Alabama for the third time this season.

Chris Parker and Elijah Cuffee led the way for the Flames on offense scoring eight points each. Christian Jones led the way for Stetson scoring 10 points. Key Stats & NotesElijah Cuffee won his 103rd career game at Liberty, becoming Liberty’s all-time winningest player. 31with 956 career points. 28 on Liberty’s all-time scoring list, with 1,019 career points, passing Mike Goad.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – For the second straight season Liberty has gone unbeaten at home as the Flames completed the sweep over North Alabama, defeating the Lions 74-54. Liberty improves to 19-5 and 10-2 in conference while North Alabama drops to 10-10 and 6-8 in conference. First HalfAfter scoring 29 points on Monday against North Alabama, Darius McGhee stayed hot scoring 11 of Liberty’s first 15 points of the game. Liberty’s defense frustrated North Alabama throughout the half as the Lions shot 32 percent from the floor while Liberty shot 45 percent. Liberty shot 48 percent from three (16-33) while holding UNA to 25 percent (5-20).

LYNCHBURG, Va. – For the first time in the Liberty-North Florida series, a team has won back-to-back games as the Flames complete the sweep over North Florida, defeating the Ospreys 80-60. The Flames improve to 17-5 and 8-2 in the ASUN Conference while North Florida drops to 7-13 and 5-5 in conference. As Liberty held North Florida on a near four-minute scoring draught, Liberty extended its lead to 18 points (60-42) with 11:52 left in the game. Liberty countered with an 8-0 run to keeping its double-digit lead as North Florida went on a three-minute scoring draught to seal the win. Liberty shot 54 percent while limiting North Florida to 41 percent.

The win bumped the Flames win streak to 11 and proved to be the program’s 16th straight win over an ASUN opponent. The Dolphins saw freshman Khalela Hayes score a game-high 17 points but they dropped their sixth straight game overall. Liberty outrebounded Jacksonville 52-26 leading to 30 second-chance points. Bella Smuda tallied a career-high 15 points and career-high 12 rebounds. Liberty is currently scheduled to play at North Florida Saturday and Sunday, with tipoff slated for 2 p.m. each afternoon at UNF Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.

DELAND, Fla. – Liberty’s second half struggles proved costly in Game 1 of the weekend series at Stetson, as the Flames drop the 66-59 contest to the Hatters. First HalfBlake Preston kickstarted Liberty’s offense scoring six points in the first three and a half minutes of the game. Turnovers proved costly for the Flames in the second half, committing nine turnovers, which led to 14 points for Stetson. · This was the second game this season Liberty has outshot its opponent from the field and yet lost. Thoughts from Head Coach Ritchie McKay“Their (Stetson) game plan was shoot the three, and if you don’t have it, drive it.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty completed the weekend sweep over Kennesaw State, defeating the Owls 76-47. Liberty improves to 11-4 this season and 3-1 in the ASUN Conference while Kennesaw State drops to 3-9 and 0-4 in conference. The Flames took advantage of Kennesaw State inside the paint, as 14 of Liberty’s first 20 points were inside the paint. · Liberty out-rebounded Kennesaw State 39-29. · Liberty outscored Kennesaw State 40-14 inside the paint.

Four Lady Flames scored in double figures, and Liberty tallied a season high for points in an 88-59 triumph over Lipscomb. The Lady Flames have won four straight contests overall, seven consecutive ASUN Conference games and nine home games in a row. Lipscomb Individuals: Jordan Peete – 12 points; Taylor Clark – 11 points; Jalyn Holcomb – 10 points, 3 assists; Jane Deason – 6 rebounds. Eleven different Lady Flames scored points, as the victors recorded 39 bench points. The home team remains undefeated at Liberty Arena, including a 6-0 record for the Liberty men’s basketball team and a 4-0 mark for the Lady Flames.

Malik Willis rushed for 137 yards and four touchdowns and Alex Barbir hit a 44-yard field goal in the first overtime to give No. 9 Coastal Carolina in the Cure Bowl in Orlando on Saturday. After Barbir’s field goal, Coastal Carolina had a chance to tie the game on its possession of the first overtime, but Liberty blocked a 42-yard attempt to preserve the win. Liberty never trailed, but saw Coastal Carolina rally from a 31-19 deficit and tie the game at 34-34 with 3:01 remaining. Liberty finished its season 10-1 and handed Coastal Carolina (10-1) its first loss of the season.

23 Liberty is off to a great start in the Cure Bowl in Orlando against No. 9 Coastal Carolina, as the Flames have taken a 17-13 lead at halftime. Malik Willis rushed for two touchdowns in the first quarter, one from five yards out to give Liberty a 7-0 lead with 6:59 left in the first and another on a 6-yard touchdown run with six seconds remaining in the opening quarter to give the Flames a 14-0 lead. Liberty (9-1) is trying to end a bid for a perfect regular season by Coastal Carolina (10-0).

Lynchburg, Va. – Liberty closes out the 2020 calendar year with a 108-65 win over Alcorn State. Liberty started the game 6-10 from the field, while holding Alcorn State to 3-10 on offense. Liberty led Alcorn State 19-16 at the 10:26-mark and the Flames would go on a 15-3 run as the Flames continued to be efficient on offense. After shooting 58 percent in the first half, Liberty would go into the break with a 57-33 lead. Liberty outscored Alcorn State 32-18 inside the paint.

– Liberty’s defense led the way in the Flames’ 82-52 win over South Carolina State. First HalfSouth Carolina State got off to a hot start, jumping out to a 14-5 lead, sparked by Rahsaan Edwards’ nine points. Liberty did not allow South Carolina State to score a field goal in the final 10:50 of the half and ended the 1st half on a 31-1 run, going into the break with a 44-17 lead. As Liberty’s starters set the tone, Liberty’s bench came in and provided offense as well, outscoring South Carolina State’s bench 23-12 throughout the game. Liberty shot 50 percent for the game, while holding South Carolina State to 39 percent.

The first game in Liberty Arena was a success for the Liberty men’s basketball team as the Flames improve to 3-2 with a 78-62 win over St. Francis (1-3). The Flames shot 53 percent from the field, led by Keegan McDowell’s career-high 21 points. First HalfLiberty did an exceptional job of getting its players involved on offense to start the game, as eight players scored for Liberty in the first half. The Flames distributed the ball well throughout the night, especially in the second half recording nine assists off 13 makes. Key Stats & Notes· Liberty shot over 50 percent for the third time this season.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – “If you don’t humble yourself you will be humbled so, we’re taking that approach,” said Flames Safety, Ben Alexander. Despite riding high on “Cloud 9” at 7-0 with two ACC victories, they aim to remain true to themselves. “You talk about 2020 being strange, we’re playing our 8th football game and facing an opponent that hasn’t had a game. Now, that’s strange and uncomfortable and not quite sure what to prepare for,” said head coach Hugh Freeze. Lining up in hopes of not letting up when they kickoff at Noon Saturday--as they aim to win their 10th consecutive home game.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Looks like Liberty University’s head football coach is going to stay with the Flames for six more years. Liberty announced Wednesday that it has extended its contract with Hugh Freeze, the head football coach, through the 2026 season. “We are proud of Coach Freeze and the football program,” said Jerry Prevo, Liberty University President. Falwell’s vision was for Liberty to compete at the highest level of college football and Coach Freeze is making great strides towards realizing the vision.”Prevo said that this contract extension demonstrates his commitment and support of Freeze and the football program. “Coach Freeze is a wonderful blessing to Liberty and we are grateful for his outstanding leadership of our football program and mentorship of our football student-athletes,” said Director of Athletics Ian McCaw.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Following a thrilling 38-35 win over in-state foe Virginia Tech on Saturday, Liberty has moved into both top 25 polls for the first time in program history. 22 in the Associated Press poll and received their first-ever ranking in the Amway Coaches poll at No. In its second full season at the FBS level, Liberty cracked the top 25 polls last week when the Flames were ranked No. 25 in the Associated Press poll. Liberty is one of two FBS independents currently ranked in both top 25 polls.

The Liberty Flames defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies by a score of 38-35. The Flames started the game off scoring in the first quarter with a Malik Willis 32-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver CJ Yarbrough. In the second quarter, Liberty scored again with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Willis to tight end Jerome Jackson. In response to the Liberty touchdown, Virginia Tech quarterback Hendon Hooker completed a 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Nick Gallo. Then in the fourth quarter, Willis extended the Liberty lead to eight points with a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Johnny Huntley.

According to Johnson, the average percentage of players the Flames are recruiting in states without fall football is 36%, and 19% of those are in the state of Virginia. “Where it sticks us, we will prioritize over states that are playing football," Johnson said. “The big challenge for us moving forward is the actual 2021 class, their senior film," Adams said. That leaves high school football coaches as the liaison between their players and the next level. That when the spring comes around and you can play, hopefully it all pays off?

In just its second full season at the FBS level, Liberty has cracked one of the nation’s top 25 polls, entering the Associated Press poll at No. With 118 votes in this week’s poll, the Flames (6-0) secured the final ranking spot in this week’s media poll. Liberty is one of two FBS independent programs in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll, joining fellow undefeated program BYU, who is ranked No. 25 in the STATS FCS Poll on Nov. 7, 2016, during one of the Flames' final seasons at the FBS level. 25 Liberty will travel to Blacksburg, Va., this weekend to face its second ACC foe of the season in Virginia Tech.

The win had special meaning to Liberty Head Coach Hugh Freeze, a 1992 Southern Miss graduate. Willis added 97 rushing yards on 12 carries, and his rushing touchdown gave him seven total touchdowns. Southern Miss quarterback Tate Whatley (52 yards rushing, 188 yards passing) rushed for a Williams Stadium record-tying four touchdowns and added a passing touchdown. After Liberty held each of its previous three opponents to below 100 rushing yards, the Golden Eagles totaled 215 rushing yards. Southern Miss scored with less than a minute left to set the final score.

“I want to beat Southern Miss. I have fond memories of being at Southern Miss, meeting my wife there and so many dear friends there that I met but … you want to win,” Freeze said. Southern Miss hasn’t played since Oct. 3, having had two games postponed due to COVID issues. And just Tuesday, Southern Miss announced that interim head coach Scotty Walden tested positive for the virus. And we have a game with Southern Miss on Saturday, we don’t entertain the possibility it could be canceled.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – A game that was previously on the Flames' 2020 football slate has returned as Liberty and UMass will end up meeting on the gridiron this season. Liberty has announced it will host the UMass Minutemen at Williams Stadium on Friday, Nov. 27 at Noon. “We are excited to confirm the game with UMass on Friday of Thanksgiving weekend,” said Director of Athletics Ian McCaw. Liberty was previously scheduled to host UMass on Saturday, Nov. 28, but the contest was dropped from the Flames' 2020 schedule when the Minutemen announced they were not going to play football this fall in August. UMass Athletics provided an update on the status of its football program on Sept. 21, stating the Minutemen would play a limited schedule in 2020.

Liberty earned its first-ever win over an ACC opponent, rolling to a 38-21 victory at Syracuse, Saturday at the Carrier Dome. 22 Syracuse, Liberty registered 338 yards on the ground in today’s historic win. Liberty came into the game ranking seventh in the nation in rushing yards per game (250.8), while Syracuse allowed 237.5 rushing yards per contest. With the victory, Liberty improves to 5-0 for the first time since opening the 2008 season with six straight wins. The Flames pushed their winning streak to seven games, their longest since a program-record 11-game winning streak spanning Oct. 20, 2007 through Oct. 11, 2008.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Syracuse Orange came to the Hill City and left the Flames a sour 24-0 loss in 2019′s season opener. “I actually think they’re better,” said Syracuse head coach Dino Babers. “I think we’re further along in year two than I thought we’d be,” said Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze. Liberty enters at 4-0 with a staunch defense but an offense that’s seeking consistency in the passing game. The Flames hope to be the ones standing on Saturday and in the process, gain their first ever win over an ACC team.

With the win, Liberty improves to 4-0 for the first time since opening the 2008 season with six straight wins. Liberty became the second 4-0 team in FBS football this season, as only SMU beat the Flames to four wins this year. During the game, Liberty Athletics honored its 12th Athletics Hall of Fame class. Liberty stifled a ULM passing attack that came into the game averaging 265 yards per game. For the game, Liberty totaled twice as many first downs as the visitors (20-10), with four of ULM’s first downs coming in the fourth quarter.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – While the Flames imprved to 3-0 last week with a win over North Alabama, Coach Hugh Freeze was honest with his team in his evaluation. “I told them I thought we did not pass the test Saturday. We got the win which was good but didn’t pass the test,” Freeze said. They trust us, we trust them,” said Flames running back Peytton Pickett. That’s pretty much going to be the standard for the game,” said Flames defensive end Jayod Sanders.

While the Flames defense has dialed up 6 sacks and eleven tackles for loss this season, there have been some dropped calls, that is, explosive plays and missed tackles. We’ve played good defense at times and we can see we’ve got a chance to be really good,” said Liberty defensive coordinator Scott Symons. “A bit of a challenge since they haven’t played and they have a few transfers. “They’re not overly fast but good football players. Just solid football players,” said Flames linebacker Anthony Butler.

(AP Photo/Noah Berger)SAN FRANCISCO – Flames devoured swaths of brush and trees in Northern California on Wednesday amid unseasonably hot and dry weather. The firefighters covered themselves on the ground with the emergency shelters that look like space blankets if they are in imminent danger from flames. On Sept. 8, 14 firefighters deployed emergency shelters as flames overtook them and destroyed the fire station they were defending in the Los Padres National Forest. He was the fourth person killed by the blaze that has spread to neighboring Tehama County. The Glass and Zogg fires are among nearly 30 wildfires burning in California.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty racked up more than 500 yards of offense in the 36-34 victory over FIU. For the second consecutive game, running back Joshua Mack rushed for over 100 yards while dual-threat quarterback Malik Willis passed for 285 yards and 2 touchdowns. DJ Stubbs was the Flames top receiver, hauling in 8 receptions for 119 yards including a one-handed snag in the second half. #TougherTogether #RiseWithUs pic.twitter.com/I005yYe9Jo — Liberty Football (@LibertyFootball) September 26, 2020Despite the win, Liberty did lose quarterback Malik Willis in the fourth quarter to an apparent arm injury. The Flames move to 2-0 on the season and will now prepare for North Alabama next week.

“FIU has better athletes, probably, across the board than we have so there’s no way you should overlook it,” said head coach Hugh Freeze. We can’t take a lull as Coach Freeze said,” Flames Center Thomas Sargeant said. The highly touted coach has gained 23 wins in just three seasons behind veteran leadership on offense. While many of the talented wide receivers graduated last season, they’ll still lineup with a two-back tandem and multiple transfers from Power 5 schools-- which leaves Liberty wondering what to expect in the Panthers season opener. “It is challenging with the amount of unknowns that are in front of us,” said Flames linebacker Aaron Pierre.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – For nearly the past four years, more than 1,400 days, 43 games to be exact, only one man was under center for the Liberty Flames-- Stephen “Buckshot” Calvert. With the record setting passer now graduated, the Flames turn to Malik Willis to be the starting quarterback in the season opener. “I appreciate the faith they placed in me and I just want to go out there and do what they tell me to do and the right way, you know,” Willis said. As they prepare to open the season with Western Kentucky, the Flames will face a defense that ranked 4th in passing in Conference USA last season and returns with the conference’s reigning defensive player of the year De’Angelo Malone at defensive end. The Hilltoppers offense is a work in progress with grad transfer Tyrrell Pigrome at quarterback but experience is on the side of Western Kentucky.

LYNCHBURG, Va. - LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) - Stephen Calvert threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns, Antonio Gandy-Golden caught six passes for 144 yards and Liberty defeated New Mexico 17-10 on Saturday night. Calvert's touchdown passes were 3 yards to Gandy-Golden in the first quarter and 2 yards to Jerome Jackson in the second quarter. Liberty (3-2) added a 42-yard field goal by Alex Probert in the third quarter and led 17-3 deep into the final period. Gandy-Golden entered the game as the FCS leader in receiving yards (544 yards) and receiving yards per game (136 yards). Calvert threw for 417 yards and Gandy-Golden had a program-record 245 receiving yards in a 52-43 Flames win over the Lobos.

LYNCHBURG, Va. - LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) - Antonio Gandy-Golden caught two of Stephen Calvert's four touchdown passes, and Liberty coach Hugh Freeze collected his first win with the Flames in a 35-17 victory over Buffalo on Saturday night. Calvert was 23 of 30 for 325 yards passing, and Gandy-Golden finished with eight receptions for 174 yards that included many spectacular catches. Gandy-Golden made an over-the-shoulder, two-handed catch then jumped over his defender at the goal line for a 36-yard score in the second quarter. On the Flames' next series, he beat safety Tyrone Hill to the ball for a 30-yard catch, setting up Frankie Hickson's 1-yard touchdown run one play later. Matt Myers was 15-of-33 passing for 167 yards and threw a pair of touchdown passes for Buffalo (1-2).

LYNCHBURG, Va. - (Courtesy of Liberty Athletics)Every member of Liberty's football team is asked to live out the program's motto for 2019, #TougherTogether, and Head Football Coach Hugh Freeze is leading by example. Freeze was released from the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, Va., Wednesday afternoon. Additionally, the football staff is to holding several of its daily staff meetings at the hotel until he returns to the office, keeping their head coach up to date on the team's progress as they prepare for their season-opener in eight days. Conditions for Freeze worsened throughout the week and he underwent back surgery on Friday, Aug. 16. Freeze addressed his football team about the recovery process during a team meeting on Sunday, Aug. 18 via a live video feed from his hospital bed.

LYNCHBURG, Va. –After having their NCAA hopes dashed in the A-Sun tournament, The Flames are focused on making the most of this postseason chance, especially for their eight seniors. Hopefully the bats continue to be that way," Head Liberty coach Dot Richardson said. The Climb to Colorado now complete, Liberty wants to finish what they started. So I think we're really excited to do this journey in Colorado and give it all we have again," LIberty senior pitcher Julia DiMartino said. Liberty opens the NISC championship round on Friday vs UT Arlington.