VIDEO: Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Sixth-seeded Carson-Newman (36-13) will effort to power past GRU Augusta (32-12) on the opening day of NCAA Regional Tournament Play.
The Eagles will take to the Peeler Complex on the campus off tournament host Georgia College for a 4:30 p.m. first pitch with the Jaguars Friday.
"It's stressful with finals wrapping up," head softball coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield said. "We realize the hard work to get to this point. I think we're ready to utilize that hard work and apply it here."
C-N opens up its 12th trip to the NCAA tournament and its first since 2011 with a team that it was scheduled to face on Feb. 18 before weather got in the way of things. The Eagles lead the Jags 5-3 in the brief series which dates back to 2006 with a 4-1 C-N win.
The Eagles took two from the Jags last year at The Vick. Carson-Newman won the nightcap of a twinbill 6-1 after rallying for a 4-3 walkoff win in nine innings to start the doubleheader.
The winner of the matchup advances to face the winner of Georgia College – Armstrong Atlantic State game. The loser falls into the consolation bracket with the loser of that matchup in the double elimination tournament.
Carson-Newman hasn't gone two-and-out in any of its last seven appearances in the NCAA tournament.
"The competition with unquestionably be tough," Kazee-Hollifield said. "All three teams are regional fixtures. Everyone is well-coached. We feel like the SAC prepared us well to go against the Peach Belt. We'll have to play from the get go if we're to have a chance."
The Jaguars are led by pitcher Paige Deschaine. Deschaine gives up less than half a hit an inning. She is top 15 in the country with hits allowed per seven innings. She also led the Peach Belt and ranked 18th in the country with nine strikeouts per seven innings. She struck out 12 Eagles when called upon in game one of last year's doubleheader.
Deschaine will try to shutout a high octane Eagle attack that has been held under five runs just once in the last month and a half. The Eagles .341 team batting average is 11th in the country. The Eagles also hit SAC-best and top-15 nationally 1.77 doubles per game.
At 6.79 runs per game, Carson-Newman is not only the top scoring team in this regional, but among all teams in the Southeast Region. That offensive attack has led C-N to 331 runs – the fifth most in school history. The Eagles need just three runs to move into third place in the school's 30-year history. The school record for runs scored would likely require a run to the College World Series. The 1992 edition of the Carson-Newman softball team tallied 364 runs.
Carson-Newman slugger Bre Lockett (Fontana, Calif.) is also on the cusp of a record. The junior needs two doubles to match Sara Kelley's year-old single season record for doubles. Kelley hit 19 last year, the seventh most in a single season in SAC history. Lockett sits at 17.
Lockett, with her .462 average, has the best batting average at either regional site (she is tied with North Georgia's national player of the year candidate Kim McMillian).
Coverage of all Carson-Newman's NCAA tournament games will be available on the Eagle Sports Network with a free audio stream at cneagles.com/live.
