JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – For the first time this season, Carson-Newman (12-11) will battle a ranked foe when #11 Young Harris (21-5) comes to the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex Tuesday afternoon at 3:00 p.m.
Carson-Newman will face a ranked team for the first time this season. The Eagles have won back-to-back games against ranked foes after winning the final two games of a series against #15 Lenoir-Rhyne last season. Overall, C-N is 34-66 under Griffin when facing ranked ball clubs and has won 21 of those games at home. Three of those ranked victories came in 2023. As a Division II program, the Orange and Blue have a 47-97-1 record against the top 25.
The last time C-N faced a ranked squad in a midweek was when these same two teams battled last April. The Eagles led 5-3 entering the bottom of the seventh inning, but Young Harris scored seven times in the seventh and five in the eighth to secure a 10-run victory.
C-N has lost all eight matchups against the Mountain Lions, who have scored double digits in five of the eight wins over the Eagles.
Harrison Travis (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) became the first player in recorded history at Carson-Newman to hit three home runs in one game by doing so in the series opener against Emory & Henry. He finished the weekend with eight hits in 13 attempts and hit five home runs to drive in seven runs. Travis hit a home run in all three games of the series becoming the first hitter since Tyler Thompson in 2018 to homer in three straight games. He is now up to 20 home runs in his Eagles career and is hitting .294.
Carson-Newman will be eyeing its first midweek win of the season. The Eagles are 0-4 in midweek contests this season. Their last win in a midweek contest came against King last season on April 19th at 6-3 road win.
Young Harris brings the ninth longest active winning streak to the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex on Tuesday afternoon. The Mountain Lions have won six straight games and are 21-5 overall to be the 11th ranked team in the country.
Stephen Waggoner's team started the season 9-0 before falling 9-5 to Columbus State. Three of the teams five losses this season came consecutively at the end of February into March. Since that three-game skid, its won nine of its last ten games.
After winning their first six road games of the season, the Mountain Lions have dropped four of their last five away from home.
Six regular starters are hitting above .300 led by Steven Spell who has a team-high 36 hits and is hitting .391. His 23 RBI are most on the team. Nine different hitters have drove in at least 10 runs this season. It's an offense that is active on the bases, swiping the second-most bases in the conference and 18th most nationally.
Young Harris has pitched well all season, sporting a 3.39 team earned run average. That is the 15th lowest ERA nationally and second best in the Conference Carolinas. Opponents average just eight hits per nine innings, 18th best in the country and the team WHIP is 1.28, 11th best. It's been nine games since YHC allowed more than five runs in a game.
The contest will air on the Eagle Sports Network with video available on FloSports with a paid subscription and an audio-only stream on cneagles.com/live.
