VIDEO: Michael Graves Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (17-9, 10-8 South Atlantic Conference) will look to shake off the rust from a six-day break over the Easter holiday with a pair of midweek doubleheaders.
C-N welcomes in Tusculum (12-12, 4-4 SAC) for a 1 p.m. Wednesday first pitch and a rivalry matchup before stepping out of conference play Thursday to take on Lees-McRae (9-23, 4-10 Conference Carolinas) for the first time in series history in Banner Elk, N.C.
Carson-Newman has won four straight against the Pioneers and 16 in-a-row over the Bobcats.
Lacie Rinus became Carson-Newman's fourth member of the 600 K club in C-N's game one win over Limestone on March 10. Rinus is fourth all-time in Ks at Carson-Newman with 628. She needs 34 more to catch Carson-Newman Hall of Famer Heather Randolph (662) for third all-time.
Carson-Newman has been swinging the hottest bat in the South Atlantic Conference this season. The Eagles lead the league in batting average and are 15th nationally hitting .348. With a .433 on-base percentage, the Eagles also lead the league and rank 14th nationally. Meanwhile, the Eagles are ninth nationally with 7.65 runs per game and third in overall runs with 199 scored this season.
Shannon Smith has put on a show for Carson-Newman at the plate. Even after seeing a 16-game hitting streak end against Lincoln Memorial, Smith ranks in the top 20 nationally of seven offensive categories. Smith is sixth in the country in RBI (37). She is second in doubles with 13 and third in total bases with 81. Smith is ninth nationally in hits with 40 while ranking 19th in RBI per game (1.42). The Channahon, Ill.-native's eight home runs are 21st in the country.
"The way she's hitting, it seems like the ball is over the fence, or it's off the fence for a double," Carson-Newman softball coach Michael Graves said. "Any time she does struggle a little bit, and she did in game one against Anderson last Thurdsay, she snaps out of it so quick."
If the season were to end today, Smith would have produced the second-highest slugging percentage in Carson-Newman softball history. She sits at .853 behind Brittany Hefner's absurd .967 from 2013.
KaraLynne Levi's next jack will put her into the 20-home run club for a career at Carson-Newman. She looks to be the 12th member of that grouping. Two home runs will tie her with Katie Pritchett and Staci Fish for the 10th most all-time (21).
Levi needs three more RBI to catch Lisa Rogers for the sixth most alltime in C-N history with 143. Levi enters these midweek games with 140 driven in all-time.
Tusculum boasts the South Atlantic Conference Pitcher of the Week in Nicole Sappington. She tossed a 10 inning no-hitter, the longest in program history, in a game one win over Lenoir-Rhyne on March 29. The Ashburn, Va. native struck out nine Bears and the only blemish of the contest was a hit batter. This outing marked her second no-no of the season, tying her for the Pioneer season and career record.
"They've definitely upgraded their pitching staff," Graves said. "I had the chance to watch her pitch against L-R. She did a great job of keeping them off balance and getting them to chase pitches out of the zone. Any time you pitch a no-hitter against a team the caliber of Lenoir-Rhyne, you're doing something right. She'll be a good challenge for us."
Carson-Newman swept the Bobcats earlier this season in a pair of one-run games, winning 1-0 and 2-1 back on Feb. 20.
Carson-Newman has won 16 consecutive games against Lees-McRae. The Eagles are up on aggregate 102-6 over that span. Lees-McRae snapped a six-game scoring drought to C-N in game two of 2016's double-header, a 4-2 C-N win. Nine of the Eagles' last 16 wins against LMC have come via the run rule and 12 of the last 16 in shutout fashion.
Coverage of the Tusculum twinbill will be available on the Eagle Sports Network at cneagles.com/live with first pitch at 1 p.m.
