JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – No. 24/19 Carson-Newman (19-6) is set to play host to Tusculum (8-17) for a non-conference contest on Tuesday at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex with a 3:00 p.m. first pitch.
The two sides are playing a midweek non-conference contest for the fourth straight season, in large part because the two teams will not play each other in a South Atlantic Conference scheduled series for the second time in three years.
These two programs have met 114 times over the past 35 seasons with C-N leading the all-time mark 59-55. Over the last 10 matchups, C-N has won six of them. Seven of the last ten meetings have been decided by three runs or less.
The Eagles are coming off their first road conference series sweep in six seasons, winning all three contests versus Limestone over the weekend. C-N won all three games because of its pitching. Limestone scored just seven runs in three games and did not score more than three in a single game. Griffin's group walked 13 guys but pitched well with runners on base forcing Limestone to strand 27 runners in three games.
Offensively, Carson-Newman is hitting .301 as a club and has seven guys hitting above that mark for the year. Out of mainly the nine slot in the batting order, Trey Miller (Rocky Point, NY) has been the team's top hitter with a .417 batting average and a team-best 24 RBI. Logan Floyd (Adairsville, Ga.) and Tanner Kilgore (Kingsport, Tenn.) have been super valuable as well, both hitting above .300 and each have 23 RBI in their sophomore seasons.
The pitching staff continues to shine. The team has the lowest earned run average in the SAC at 3.81. That ERA mark is very close to equal with both starting pitchers and relief pitchers (3.73 to 3.91). Seven pitchers have at least seven appearances and an ERA that is 3.1 or lower for the season.
The Pioneers are trying to overcome a rough start to the 2025 season. TU suffered through a four-game and five-game losing streak in the first month of the season and finished February with a 4-11 record. They have almost played .500 baseball halfway through March, going 4-6 this month with wins in three of their last six affairs. Overall, Tusculum sits at 8-17 and has won just three of its 12 conference contests.
The record may be deceiving for a Tusculum team that has played in plenty of close games. TU has lost 11 of its 17 games this season by four runs or less including eight straight losses by that mark. Head coach Brandon Steele's team has already played three extra-inning games this season, two that went to 11 innings including last time out in a series finale win over Anderson 11-10.
Tusculum hits .290 as a team this season average just under seven runs per game. Despite having the 11th ranked scoring offense, TU is fourth in doubles with 53 led by Caleb Webster's 11 two-baggers. He is top six in the league with his .406 batting average and his 39 hits are eight more than anyone else on the team. Webster is tied with Max Schmarder for the team lead in RBI with 22.
Pitching and defense let TU down in 2025. The 7.15 earned run average is 11th worst in the SAC. It ranks second to last in WHIP at 1.87 and in walks with 82, roughly averaging five per game. Tusculum's defense ranks last in the SAC with a .948 fielding percentage mark. The Pioneers have committed an error in all but two games with as many as six in one game this season.
First pitch for Tuesday's game is set for 3:00 p.m. from the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex. The game will air with a video stream available on FloSports with a subscription. There will also be a free audio stream available courtesy of the Eagle Sports Network on cneagles.com/live.
