Lady Eagles host Bluefield State Saturday in season opener
Feb. 5, 2009
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. -- After leading the Lady Eagles to one of the most successful seasons in school history, Carson-Newman softball coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield has several key holes to fill if her squad is to make its fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2009.
C-N opens the season on Saturday against Bluefield State (W. Va.) in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. at the Lady Eagles Softball Complex.
The Lady Eagles are coming off a record-setting campaign in 2008, in which they set a school record for wins (49) and won the South Atlantic Conference regular season and tournament titles. C-N also made its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance by advancing as the top seed in the South Atlantic Regional.
Despite being picked to repeat as champions in the SAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, Hollifield isn't ready to say her team is a shoe in to capture its 14th SAC title just yet. The Lady Eagles lost more than half of their run production from last year and an All-American pitcher in Zoe Heim, who went 31-7.
"It's nice to be picked No. 1, but you don't put a whole lot of stock into that," said Hollifield, who has compiled an 817-242 career record and is in her 24th season with the Lady Eagles. "Our conference is really competitive and we have an awful lot to replace. Anytime you lose the amount of run production that we did, that is really, really tough to make up real quick."
Along with Heim, All-American second baseman Whitney Hickam and second team All-SAC third baseman Mandy Stevens were also lost to graduation. Hickam batted .379 with 19 doubles, eight home runs and 69 RBI a year ago, while Stevens batted .401 with 20 doubles, 11 home runs and 53 RBI.
"Zoe had a confidence about her," Hollifield said. "When it was tough, she wanted the ball in her hands and she didn't shy away from that. (Hickam and Stevens) set the tone for our team last year. That's something that not all kids possess. They played so hard and that had a trickle-down effect."
To help ease the losses it suffered, C-N returns four preseason All-SAC honorees led by first team selection Stephanie Templeton (Ringgold, Ga.). The junior pitcher will be the No. 1 starter for the Lady Eagles this season after going 18-1 a year ago with a 1.25 ERA and 170 strikeouts.
Senior catcher Amber Palmer (Kennesaw, Ga.), junior first baseman Sara Little (Calhoun, Ga.) and sophomore Whitney Kee (Knoxville, Tenn.) were selected to the second team.
Palmer batted .257 a year ago with six doubles and 25 RBI. She also had a .987 fielding percentage behind the plate. Freshman Ashlee Dillard (Roanoke, Va.) is slated as the backup at catcher and could also play in left field.
Little finished last season batting .319 with 16 doubles and three home runs.
Kee, a second team All-SAC selection a year ago, will make the move from the outfield to third base this season. She batted .328 with eight doubles and three home runs in '08. Backing up Kee will be freshman Amy Lawrence (Knoxville, Tenn.).
"Kee moved in to play third," Hollifield said. "She has only practiced there about 10 days and she has been solid."
A trio of players will be in the rotation at first base, including freshman Mary Shealy (Clinton, S.C.), Little and Templeton. Hollifield said Shealy will also be C-N's No. 2 hurler, and sophomore Brittany Linton (Marietta, Ga.) will be the Lady Eagles' reliever.
Junior Jessie Howard (Knoxville, Tenn.) gets the nod at shortstop. Howard, who earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association first team All-American honors and Daktronics All-South Atlantic Region first team honors in '08, led the team with a .451 batting average last season. She also led the SAC in runs scored (64), hits (87) and stolen bases (54 in 57 attempts).
"(Howard) is kind of the spark that gets us going," Hollifield said. "We have to get Jessie on base. An area in her game that I thought really needed some work was her defense, and she is looking good this year. She has worked extremely hard."
Freshman Laura Potts (Dandridge, Tenn.) will also be counted on to provide depth at shortstop, while sophomore Amber Hewitt (Ringgold, Ga.) will play at second base.
Sophomore Whitney Durham (Rossville, Ga.), who took a year off last season, returns as C-N's centerfielder. Durham started as a freshman in 2007, batting .231 with 17 RBI and 28 runs scored.
Junior Brianne Coon (Orlando, Fla.) and sophomores Leah Price (Spring City, Tenn.) and Caley Needham (Knoxville, Tenn.) will all see time in right field. Freshman Kim Whaley (Maryville, Tenn.) is slated to play in left field.
The Lady Eagles will face one of the toughest schedules in the SAC, as they will square off against four teams that made it to the NCAA Regionals last season, including West Virginia State, Lenoir-Rhyne, Georgia College and Pfeiffer.
The Lady Eagles will open SAC play on March 21 at home against Catawba. C-N will also host conference games against Lincoln Memorial, Tusculum, Newberry and Brevard.
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