VIDEO: Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (4-0) hits the road Friday to begin a 10-game string of games away from the Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex. The Eagles take on Erskine (1-3) Friday in Due West, S.C. before heading to Gaffney, S.C. to face off with Limestone (4-2) Saturday.
"They're two good contests for us," head coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield said. "They'll give us a good measuring stick because both teams always play us so strong. It should be a fun exciting weekend."
Both doubleheaders start at 1 p.m.
The Eagles are coming off a record-setting offensive performance in their last game. The Eagles swept a doubleheader with Bluefield State by a combined score of 40-1. The Eagles took game one with the Blues 26-0. That contest marks the second largest margin of victory in school history and the third most runs the Eagles have scored all time.
In that contest, Bre Lockett (Fontana, Calif.) set the single-game school records for home runs (three), runs batted in (nine) and total bases (13). Meanwhile Kristen Toppel (Roanoke, Va.) tied Sammie Hatcher's 22-year-old school record for runs scored in a single game with five.
Carson-Newman's early season success can largely be attributed to moving runners around to score. Carson-Newman's hitting .423 with runners in scoring position and six regulars hit better than .500 in those situations led by Lockett and her .600 average.
Also, Carson-Newman produces a run 62 percent of the time when the Eagles have a runner on third and less than two outs. Haley Taylor (Strawberry Plains, Tenn.) is a perfect three-for-three in those situations. Finally, the Eagles have successfully advanced runners 56 percent of the time as a team. Much like hitting with RISP, Carson-Newman has seven regulars who have advanced runners at least 70 percent of the time. Talisa Fiame (Pacifica, Calif.) and Taylor have the best marks there at 73 and 78 percent, respectively.
"That starts with pitch selection," Kazee-Hollifield said. "Level swings, level cuts, that's the name of the game. You're going to hit better if you go after good pitching. We'll need to continue that this weekend because of the level of pitching we'll face."
The Eagles swept Erskine last season in Due West, S.C. 9-1 and 2-0. Carson-Newman leads the all-time series with the Flying Fleet 39-8 heading into the teams' 48th meeting.
Kalyn Davis pitched a no-hitter against the Flying Fleet in game two of last year's doubleheader. She only needed one strikeout to retire 21 straight batters, 18 of which came on ground balls.
The Flying Fleet has struggled to put together all three phases of a game. The offense has performed spectacularly. Erskine has three players who are hitting .500 and is batting .315 as a team.
"They are putting the ball in play" Kazee-Hollifield said. "We'll have to be aware of that and work to keep them off balance."
However, Erskine is averaging 3.75 errors per game and has a .885 fielding percentage. The pitching staff has a 5.25 team ERA.
Last year, against Saturday's opponent Limestone, Carson-Newman head softball coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield collected her 1,000th career victory last season with 6-0, 10-0 doubleheader sweep of the Saints.
The Saints are 2-0 against the SAC this season, taking a doubleheader from Tusculum. Limestone starter Josie Weber has 16 strikeouts in three appearances against just three walks. Opponents are hitting .159 against her and she has only allowed two extra base hits this season.
"She's new and throwing very well for them," Kazee-Hollifield said. "She's going to give them a chance to win every game because of her arm."
The Eagles are 22-1 all-time against Limestone and have won nine consecutive in the series. The Saints have scored five runs in the nine meetings since beating C-N in 2010.
Live stats for the two doubleheaders will be available at erskinesports.com and golimestonesaints.com. Follow @cnathletics on Twitter for live updates to both contests.
