Lancaster takes PBC Freshman of the Week

Bruce Smith Staff Writer

GC softball freshman

Sydney Lancaster was awarded the Peach Belt Conference Freshman of the Week after a great performance against Lander University.

The Bobcats played a three-game series against the Lander Bearcats winning one of the three games.

Lancaster batted .556 in the series along with going 3-3 at the plate in the second game on Friday, March 24.

“I felt very confident in all my at-bats,” Lancaster said. “My main goal during this game was to make solid contact in every at-bat in order to get a base runner on for our team.”

Game three was the highlight game for the Bobcats against the Bearcats, winning 7-2.

Lancaster went 2-3 at the plate with a pair of singles and a run scored.

The third inning was key for the Bobcats scoring all seven runs, and it was started by Senior Jessica Owens, who pushed the first run in off of a bases-loaded error.

Junior Mackenzie Martin was able to spark the scoring frenzy on a double that pushed two more runs across.

The Bobcats capitalized off of three errors for the Bearcats and managed to score on seven of their nine hits for the contest.

This was the first time in five meetings against the Bearcats that GC has pulled out the win.

Game two is where Lancaster shinned going 3-3 at the plate with a steal.

The Bobcats tried to rally late behind the freshman’s hitting, but only managed to score two runs off of 10 hits.

The Bobcats would outhit the Bearcats in the game 10-4, but unlike the Bobcats, the Bearcats managed to capitalize, scoring on every hit.

I had heard of it, it was an award I absolutely wanted to receive at some point in my career.”

The freshman’s outstanding plate perfor- power to go back to the World Series,” Riley said. to build off this outstanding performance.

Despite the loss of a leader in Dansby Swanson during the offseason, all signs point toward the Braves climbing back up to the highest echelon of baseball.

No matter who is crowned champs, though, there is no doubt that this season will be exhilarating, yet admittedly much swifter. As a result of the new rule changes, paired with the success of the MLB-sanctioned World Baseball Classic, the championship game of which amassed a WBC-record 5.2 million viewers across America, the spotlight will be on the MLB throughout this entire season. The players and coaches know that; the MLB knows that, and that gives them all the incentive they need to deliver another thriller of a season.

“I am going to carry this performance into the rest of the season by working hard on my weaknesses and trusting my teammates to pick me up when I fail,” Lancaster said.

The Bobcats are now 23-16 (9-9 PBC) and are looking to finish out the season strong before the conference tournament.

Lancaster is not the only one who has shined this season.

Senior infielder Jessica Owens is batting .378 on the season along with 32 runs batted in and seven home runs.

Despite the Bobcats losing game two 4-2, Lancaster’s performance in this game helped secure the PBC Freshman of the Week award.

“I was very excited to receive this award,” Lancaster said. “Since mance in all three games, along with no errors in the field, helped her win this prestigious award.

Even though this award was a great honor, the freshman is not done yet with the season and is looking

With Lancaster and Owens, and along with multiple other Bobcats, the team has their sights set on a postseason run ending in a title.

The Peach Belt Conference tournament will start on Friday, April 28.

Weather

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“There was one to two inches of water in the laundry room and down the hall,” said Ruth Rodriguez, a freshman business administration and theater double major who lives in Foundation Hall.

Rodriguez said that, due to the flooding, many students were unable to do their laundry for several days. Additionally, freshmen and those within walking distance of GC’s main campus had to walk to classes through the hazardous flooding and lightning.

Because of the extensive damage left by the storms across multiple counties, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp spoke in Milledgeville on March 29 to discuss relief.

“Our main goal right now is making sure that we are keeping everybody safe, and we are keeping our private sector part- tornado watch when a series of strong storms went across Middle Georgia.

GC did not cancel school and waited for

“I was in my lab, and then, all of a sudden, we were moving to the basement,” said Sofia Anderson, sophomore but we were down there for 10 to 20 minutes.”

Following the storm and the last-minute communication, stu- ments on GC’s weather policies, GC provided a statement on their handling of the most recent tornado watch. ners in the local government to restore normal operations,” said Kemp.

Back in January, Baldwin County was under a an official warning with sirens going off. Some students ran out of class. Others took cover in their classrooms. early childhood education major. “None of us knew what was happening outside since there were no windows, dents were left questioning whether GC’s biggest concern was students’ safety or their education.

With many disagree-

“On Sunday, March 26, some areas in Milledgeville were affected by severe weather,” said Omar Odeh, GC Associate Vice President for Strategic Communications. “In the aftermath, Facilities Management staff began assessing any potential damage to our campus and Public Safety continued to closely monitor weather conditions. By Monday morning, conditions improved and there was no damage to the campus that would prevent normal operations. Georgia College & State University will always place the highest priority on the safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff.”.

Bop or flop?: “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST: The Estate Sale”

Cale Strickland Managing Editor

Opinion

Tyler Okonma, known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is on top of the hiphop world right now.

At this point in his career, Tyler has done it all. He founded Odd Future, a left-of-center rap collective featuring Frank Ocean and Earl Sweatshirt. Teenagers and twentysomethings across the country are proud patrons of his pair of brands, GOLF WANG and GOLF le FLEUR. His last two records, “IGOR” and “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST,” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard, topped critics’ year-end lists and landed him back-to-back Grammys.

Since the release of his first studio album, “GOBLIN,” back in 2011, Tyler has been dropping a project every other year. And while he has not announced the follow-up to 2021’s “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST,” another album is imminent. In the meantime, he has given us “The Estate Sale,” a deluxe version of his last record featuring seven never-before-seen tracks.

Tyler opens “The Estate Sale” with “EVERYTHING MUST GO,” a 30-second interlude, on which he takes a short moment to reflect on the success of “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST” before thanking his fans for all of their support over the years.

The first of the seven new songs, “STUNTMAN,” features Vince Staples. Brimming with the bravado and exuberance synonymous with “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST,” the track picks up right where the original version of the album left off. Aside from his hit single “Big Fish,” I am unfamiliar with Staples’s work, but his flow here fits perfectly with Tyler’s beat and DJ Drama’s narration. It is a perfect track to put listeners back into the flex-fueled headspace they found themselves in when listening to songs like “CORSO,” “LUMBERJACK” and “SAFARI” two years ago.

With “WHAT A

DAY,” Tyler finds himself reflecting on the world’s post-success expectations of him: what he buys, what he wears, what he drives, and what he takes pride in.

“White boy said I brag too much; the Black kid said it’s inspiring,” Tyler said. “Duality is tiring.”

He follows up the line by referencing a laundry list of high-dollar items he has never owned — Hellcats, Maseratis, Richard Mille watches. At first glance, it may seem contradictory to the lush, luxurious atmosphere of “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST.” But the song is less of Tyler questioning the value of material goods as a whole and more of him trying to pin down what the world wants from him. If he buys a new car or a new watch, he is “just another rapper”; if he does not, he is “just trying to be different.” By no means is he using the track to denounce materialism; he just wants to navigate fame and success — and financial success — on his own terms. You might not see him driving around L.A. in a brand-new Bentley, but he might buy a Rolls Royce — just to put giant wheels on it and use it as a prop and quasi-stage in one of his music videos.

“WHARF TALK” features A$AP Rocky, a close friend and frequent collaborator of Tyler’s. If you are a fan of either rapper, you have probably heard either “Who Dat Boy” or “Potato Salad,” the pair’s collaborations from Tyler’s “Flower Boy” era. I am a massive fan of Rocky’s solo work, and it is always a treat whenever he jumps on a track with Tyler. “WHARF TALK” is no exception. It is breezy, light on its feet and a perfect springtime song.

Tyler dropped “DOGTOOTH” as a single and a teaser track for “The Estate Sale.” Needless to say, it has been stuck in my head ever since. It is the catchiest song I have heard all year. And in a chronically online world stained by Andrew Tate, his disciples and his wannabes, the track’s lyrics, which reference respecting women’s time and staying out of their business, may be exactly what the young men of the internet need right now.

“HEAVEN TO ME” serves as a sister song to “WHAT A DAY.” Here, in between the track’s hypnotic refrain of “heaven only knows,” Tyler reflects on just how far he has come — emotionally, sonically, financially — before laying bare his ideas of an idyllic future: being in good health, being a husband and being a father.

YG joins Tyler for “BOYFRIEND, GIRL-

FRIEND,” which is my least favorite of the seven songs. And that is not to say it is a bad song; it is simply a testament to how strong the other six tracks are. YG, like Vince Staples, is another artist whose work I am not all that familiar with — although I became well-acquainted with “FDT,” the unofficial anthem of Joe Biden’s most recent presidential campaign, while watching hours upon hours of election coverage in 2020. Although I love the beat of “BOYFRIEND, GIRLFRIEND,” and Tyler’s delivery is downright terrific, I found YG’s fleeting feature a bit underwhelming, even after a few listens. Maybe it will grow on me, though.

“SORRY NOT SORRY” caps off “The Estate Sale” and is the perfect encapsulation of everything Tyler is after on the record. Drama’s opening narration is downright hilarious. Just as with “WHAT A DAY,” Tyler explores what the world wants from him, if — and why — he should care.

The album’s final verse is an absolute barrage. Tyler, deservedly cocky, delivers a fast-paced fury, sonically flipping off his haters as he takes one last victory lap before beginning a new chapter in his discography.

“A new era is upon us,” Drama said.