JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Head coach Tom Griffin sits one win shy of his 250^th as the leader of the Carson-Newman Eagles (7-1, 3-0 South Atlantic) as his team travels to face the Anderson (S.C.) Trojans (1-6, 1-2 SAC) for a three-game series. The two teams will play one game on Saturday at 5 p.m. and a doubleheader on Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.

Griffin is in his ninth season in Mossy Creek and currently has a record of 249-181 and a conference record of 110-82.

"I think about it every day how blessed I am and how grateful I am," Griffin said of the people that have been a part of his success. "I thank God every day when I pray that I'm blessed to be in the position I'm in as a coach."

The Eagles have won five consecutive games and are seeking their longest winning streak since the 2010 team won 11 straight games from March 17 to March 29. Carson-Newman has had a flare for the dramatics as they have won four of five one-run games.

"I think all coaches try to plan for every situation and try to get their kids mentally prepared," Griffin said of the early season experiences. "There is no way to know how the season is going to turn out and how many one-run games you're going to have or how many walk-offs you're going to have."

On Tuesday, Carson-Newman defeated Lee University as junior shortstop Bryan Everhart (Greeneville, Tenn.) recovered after a ball skipped off of his chest to throw out a runner at home plate to end the contest.

Of the seven players that have played at least seven games, Everhart leads the team in batting average with a .391 average and five runs scored.

Heading into this weekend's action, only Tusculum (2.06) has a better earned run average than Carson-Newman's 2.37 ERA. The Eagles have been the most efficient team in the conference at throwing strikes as Griffin's group is walking 1.84 batters per nine innings, better than Tusculum's 2.06 clip.

Anderson is at the opposite end of the spectrum as a pitching staff as they rank 10^th in the SAC with a 6.22 ERA. The Trojans have allowed 14 runs on two occasions and are returning home after a four-game road trip.

"Records really don't mean anything," Griffin said prior to this weekend's series. "I know they are returning some pitchers that we've seen in the past that have been very successful against us."

Nathan Galliford has been the leading offensive player for the Trojans as the senior is batting .333 with three home runs and eight RBIs. As a unit, Anderson is hitting .251 this season and has struck out 47 times, the third-most in the league.

Carson-Newman leads the all-time series 16-4, but the Trojans took two out of three games last season at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex.

"We talk a lot about not playing the team," Griffin said of his team's preparation. "We are playing against ourselves. We just try to take one pitch at a time and do the things we can do."