LETS GO DANCING: Eagles earn 12th NCAA tournament berth

LETS GO DANCING: Eagles earn 12th NCAA tournament berth



INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Carson-Newman softball will strap on its dancing shoes for the first time since the 2011 season.

The Eagles are NCAA tournament bound for a 12th time in school history after earning one of 42 autobids in the NCAA tournament.  The Eagles will head to Milledgeville, Ga. to face off with GRU Augusta in the Southeast Regional hosted by Georgia College.

First pitch between the Eagles and Jaguars is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Friday from the Peeler Complex.

The winner advances to face the winner of  the matchup between Georgia College and Armstrong State, while the loser will face the loser of that contest in the double elimination tournament. 

Carson-Newman has made postseason play on 16 occasions now. The Eagles made  four NAIA national tournaments before moving up to the NCAA ranks where they have now made 12.  The Eagles are 35-34 all-time in postseason competition.

In Carson-Newman's  last trip to the NCAA region. The Eagles went 2-2. Carson-Newman started the 2011 regional with a loss to Armstrong Atlantic 3-2.  The Eagles then blasted USC  Aiken 6-0 and enacted revenge on the Pirates with an 8-4 victory.  Carson-Newman exited the regional tournament with a 2-1 loss to  Lenoir-Rhyne.

Carson-Newman went 36-13 this year en route to its 14th regular season South Atlantic Conference championship.  Bre Lockett (Fontana, Calif.), Elayna Siebert (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Sarah Howard (Georgetown, Ky.) all earned all-SAC honors  from the league  office. 

Carson-Newman and GRU Augusta have gotten together on eight occasions and were scheduled to play this season before rain washed out the series.  The Eagles lead the all-time series 5-3.  Carson-Newman swept the season series from the Jags last year with a 6-1 win in game two and a 4-3 walkoff decision in eight innings in  game one.

Versus the other teams in this regional, Carson-Newman is 2-4 all-time against Armstrong Atlantic and 14-12 against Georgia College. The Bobcats swept Carson-Newman earlier this season.

Carson-Newman's regional games will be broadcast on the Eagle Sports Network. Coverage will be available online at cneagles.com/live.