JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Bearing down on the end of the regular season, Carson-Newman (24-16, 12-6 South Atlantic Conference) starts a six-game homestand before SAC tournament play with a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. against Emory & Henry (17-16, 8-10 SAC).
Emory & Henry swept last season's doubleheader from the Eagles in the first meetings between the teams.
Carson-Newman has been on a home run tear. The Eagles have socked 49 home runs this season, tied for the most in a single-season in school history with the 2013 team. There have been 11, 50-home run campaigns in SAC history. Lenoir-Rhyne holds the league record for blasts in a season with 102 in 62 games in 2010.
On the individual charts, Macauley Bailey sits in a tie for fifth place on the career list with Brittany Hefner with 28. Macey Hughes is a spot behind with 27 career homers, tied with Hall of Famer Whitney Hickam Cruze. Abby Fiessinger is next on the listing in fourth with 29 home runs. Sara Kelley (2010-14) holds the program's all-time record with 35.
Hughes is also top five all-time in RBI with 160. She is one away from All-American catcher Bri Shoemake and fourth place with 161.
With 13 home runs this season, Brooke Matyasovsky and Macauley Bailey are in a three-way tie for the most in the SAC this season. The due is also tied for the 17th most in the country. Prior to this season, there had been 11, 12-homer campaigns in Carson-Newman softball's 39-year history. Those previous 11, 12-homer years all occurred in different seasons. Bailey, Matyasovsky and Hayden Dye all have pulled off the feat this year. Whoever clobbers home run 14 will tie Macey Hughes (2022) and Elayna Siebert (2015) for the fourth most in a season in program history.
Matyasovsky has 23 career home runs for the Orange and Blue, while Dye has 21. They are the 14th and 15th players in program history to hit more than 20 career bombs. Matyasovsky has hit 64 home runs in her collegiate career - the seventh most among active players in all divisions and the most of any player actively playing in NCAA Division II. Mandy Stevens sits in 10th in school history with 24 career blasts.
Bailey and Brittany Hefner are the only players in school history with more than 25 home runs in two years. This marks the first time in program history Carson-Newman has three, let alone four active players with 20 career home runs (Hughes, Bailey, Dye and Matyasovsky). Bailey's next home run will move her past Hefner for the most home runs by any Eagle in a two-year period.
Dye leads the SAC with 51 RBI this season - the 15th, 50-RBI season in school history. Macauley Bailey is two RBI away from joining her. Brooke Ramsey (51) and Bre Lockett (55) in 2015 are the only other pair of Eagles to drive in 50 runs in the same season. Bailey can join Hickam as the only Eagles to drive in 50 runs twice in a C-N career.
First pitch between the Eagles and Wasps is slated for 1 p.m. Saturday. Coverage of the contests is available on the Eagle Sports Network at cneagles.com/live. A video stream is available with a subscription to FloSports at cneagles.com/FloSB.
