Esports began at MBU in the winter of 2015 through a volleyball coach, a student and a simple conversation that brought this team to life. Since then the team has grown, the facilities have become more high tech and sophisticated, and the program is finding a place among some of the best in the nation.
Photos by Andrew Douglas
Missouri Baptist University video gamers are locked and loaded during intense competitions as the gear includes Spartan shirts, personal headphones, colorful backlit keyboards, custom chairs and, of course, plenty of caffeine and hydration.
Missouri Baptist University volleyball player Mason Crabtree came to MBU from a town too small to have a high school volleyball team, so he never played in high school, except working out with the girls team, but now he has managed to make the nationally ranked volleyball team at MBU.
Photo by Haley Sandvoss
Mason Crabtree played basketball and ran track in high school, but he always loved volleyball, even though his hometown of just over 100 people did not offer the sport at his high school. But through determination and sheer athletic ability, he caught the eyes of coaches at MBU, and the rest is history.
For the third year in a row Missouri Baptist University is hosting the NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Championship. In addition to large live crowds at the SRC, games will be streaming on the NAIA Network and also ESPN3. The Spartans, who have won the coveted championship two years in a row, have their work cut out for them as they go for an unprecedented three straight.
Here are some interesting facts about MBU Timeline, the student newsmagazine of Missouri Baptist University, in St. Louis:
*Our mission statement is: MBU Timeline is the student news network of Missouri Baptist University, a private Christian university that embraces the essential core value of “social change through service and leadership.”
*The Bible verse that drives our mission is 2 Timothy 2:15 (Worldwide English Version): “Tell the true message in the right way.”
*The WordPress website has been up since late-fall 2013. We average about 3,000 sessions and about 5,000 pageviews per month.
*Our stories and galleries get as few as 40 or 50 hits, or as many as 8,000 hits.
*We have readers in every state and more than 90 countries around the world. We have several readers in South America, the United Kingdom, India and Australia.
*Most of our readers are in Missouri, followed by Illinois, California and Texas.
*We do not accept advertising as we are a not-for-profit online newsmagazine.
*We welcome contributors from all walks of MBU life, regardless of your major. Reach out to us on Twitter at: @mbutimeline.
