Vickee Kazee-Hollifield interview
C-N Game Notes
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Seventh-seeded Carson-Newman (32-16, 11-11 South Atlantic Conference) tangles with co-regular season champion and second-seeded Anderson (38-11, 16-6 SAC) Thursday at 3 p.m. in the opening round of the 2014 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Championship in Harrogate, Tenn.
The last time the team's got together, the results were some of the most lopsided in Carosn-Newman history. The Trojans run-ruled Carson-Newman in game one 8-0 before taking a 13-2 decision in the nightcap – the second largest margin of defeat in school history for the Eagles.
"We've got a clean slate anytime you go to conference tournament play," Carson-Newman head softball coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield said. "We know more of what we're going to see, and I hope we're a far more disciplined ball team than we were the first time we faced them."
The Eagles are led by South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year Kelli Hensley (Knoxville, Tenn.) who needs to more hits to match the single season Carson-Newman record (87) and five more to catch the all-time SAC record (90).
Hensley leads the nation in triples with nine this year; she went two-for-five with a triple against Anderson in the regular season doubleheader.
"I don't look at us as an underdog," Kazee-Hollifield said. "If we are playing on all cylinders, we can beat anybody. Our mentality is to think of this as our game, so let's go take it."
Sara Kelley (Ooltewah, Tenn.) looks to add to her Carson-Newman career home run record. The senior has 35 after overtaking Sarah Little on senior day against Queens. She sits in a tie for sixth on the conference list. Her 54 career doubles are also a Carson-Newman record and the fifth most for a career in the SAC.
The Eagles lead the all-time series with the Trojans 30-7 but have lost the last five meetings with AU.
The Trojans are bolstered by the league's top scoring offense. AU has plated 341 runs this year.
"The thing I remember about them from the first meeting was how fast they scored," Kazee-Hollifield said. "We have to play with emotion and high energy. We look forward to it."
Anderson has three of the five best home run hitters in the league in Molly Child (13), Abby Child (11) and SAC Freshman of the Year Courtney Czentnar (11). The Childs, as well as Danielle Swygert are in the top five in the conference in runs batted in. Swygert has the most of the trio with 51 while Abby and Molly each have 49.
The Trojans are arguably the hottest team in the league heading into the tournament, AU has won 14 of its last 15 games dating back to March 30.
This will be just the second time in Carson-Newman's 24 years in the SAC for softball that the Eagles will have finished outside of the top four in the conference.
The last time it happened was 2009. The Eagles were a six seed for the league tournament and rattled off four consecutive victories over Mars Hill, Lenoir-Rhyne, Catawba and Wingate to win the tourney and advance all the way to the program's first ever super regional.
First pitch Thursday is set for 3 p.m. Tournament host Lincoln Memorial will provide live stats and a free video stream at lmurailsplitters.com.
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