LOS ANGELES -- After one of the best individual seasons in program history, Guy Lipscomb was selected No. 151 overall in the 5th round by the Cleveland Guardians in the 2022 MLB First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday.
The All-American center fielder becomes the highest draft selection in program history since Mike Perkins was picked in the 2nd round in 1975. In the modern era, Lipscomb's selection at No. 151 overall eclipses the previous high mark set by Blake Owen, who was picked No. 183 overall in the 6th round in 2006.
Lipscomb becomes the first Bruin drafted since Dylan King (18th round, Angels) and Matt Cogen (30th round, Dodgers) were selected in the 2018 MLB First-Year Player Draft. The outfielder is the first Bruin drafted by the Cleveland organization in school history.
The draft-eligible sophomore was named a Third-Team All-American by the NCBWA, Second-Team All-Region by the ABCA, and the 2022 OVC Player of the Year after leading the Bruins to their first OVC Regular Season championship this past season.
The native of Franklin, Tenn., ranked 9th in the country in batting average (.406), 5th in stolen bases (42), and ranked 2nd in the OVC in on-base percentage (.484).
Lipscomb also became the first player in NCAA Division I since 2011 (Bryson Miles, Stephen F. Austin) to hit at least .400 and steal at least 40 bases in a single season.
Lipscomb shattered the Belmont record for stolen bases in a single season (42) breaking the previous mark of 30 that was held by Matt Reynolds (2005), and set the new NCAA-era program record for batting average (.406) eclipsing Dylan Craig's mark of .397 set in 2009.
Lipscomb's 88 hits ranked tied for sixth-most in a single season in the program's Division-I era (Wilson Tucker, 2003), and his 59 runs ranked seventh-most in a single season in the Division I-era.
Additionally, the sophomore struck out just once every 12.1 plate appearances, the 28th-best rate nationally, finishing with 29 walks to just 18 strikeouts on the season. The outfielder finished with four home runs, 12 doubles, three triples, and 42 RBIs.
Lipscomb was also named to the OVC All-Tournament Team after going 6-for-12 with three walks and five runs scored in three games at the OVC Baseball Championship in Lexington during the Bruins' run to the championship game.
The OVC Player of the Year nod was the first league MVP award for a Bruin since Belmont moved to NCAA Division I in 1998, and was part of a Belmont sweep of the conference's major honors, with Andy Bean taking home OVC Pitcher of the Year and Dave Jarvis winning OVC Coach of the Year.
Lipscomb helped power Belmont to 39 wins, tied for the most in program history, and the school's first-ever road sweep of a Power Five opponent (Purdue, April 22-24).
The outfielder becomes the 32nd Bruin drafted in program history, and the highest selected position player since Matt Beaty was taken in the 12th round of the 2015 MLB Draft.
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