2021: Rinus earned All-SAC honors for the fourth time in her career.  She is a two-time first team honoree and now a two-time second team honoree. Rinus joins Libby Conley, Megan Elliot, Marci Mitchell, Cynthia Newton and Brooke Randolph as the program's only four-time All-SAC honorees.  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 634. She needs 20 more to catch Carson-Newman Hall of Famer Heather Randolph (662) for third all-time. Rinus has split her time between the circle and the outfield this year. While pitching, Rinus has gone 7-9 with a 3.46 era in 19 appearances and 16 starts. She's gone a complete game 14 times while striking out 88 and walking 40. Opponents have hit .265 off Rinus this year.  She dealt double-digit strikeouts with 12 on March 4 against Coker.  At the plate, Rinus is hitting .382 with seven double and a triple.  She has driven in 20.  Rinus collected her fourth-career, four-hit day on March 6 at Queens.  She also drove in a season-best three runs in both games of that doubleheader against the Royals, also doing so on Feb. 21 against Tiffin. Rinus has five-multi RBI efforts this year. She rode a nine-game hitting streak from March 4 – March 16, the second longest of her career.

HONORS

• All-SAC Second Team Utility/Pitcher 

2020: In a CoVID-19 shortened season, Rinus hit .224 with 11 hits, a double and 11 RBI.  She tallied a trio of multi-hit performances, including a 2-for-4 day with three RBI in the season opener against Converse (2/3).  In the circle, Rinus accrued a 6-2 record with a 2.90 ERA.  She struck out 29 with a .266 batting average against.  

2019:  Rinus ranked second on the team with her .379 batting average.  She roped nine doubles, hit four triples and drilled five home runs en route to driving in 28 on the year. The junior split time equally between centerfield and the circle. As a pitcher she tallied an 11-3 record with a 3.10 ERA. She has 62 strikeouts against 24 walks on the year and has gone a complete game 10 times.  She fanned a season-high eight in a home contest with Coker.  Regardless of position, she has played error-free softball this year. Rinus has picked up 16 multi-hit efforts and eight multi-RBI efforts on the year.  She matched a career high with a four-hit day in the SAC title game against Anderson. 

HONORS: 

• Fast Pitch News Preseason All-America
• NFCA/Shutt Sports Top 50 POTY Watch List
• All-SAC Second Team
• SAC All-Tournament
• NFCA All-Region Second Team 

2018: Rinus joined second baseman Whitney Hickam as the only other two-year All-American since Carson-Newman moved to NCAA Division II. Hickam earned third team honors in 2007 before following it up in 2008 with a second team accolade.  Carson-Newman and SAC Hall of Famers Sammi Hatcher (1992-93) and Carol Zachary (1989-91) were multi-year All-Americans for the Eagles during the program's NAIA days.  Zachary is the program's only three-time All-American.  Rinus earns Carson-Newman its 18th all-time All-American honoree.  Rinus adds the accolade to her SAC Player of the Year and SAC tournament MVP honors. Rinus is just the second pitcher in league history since the SAC began presenting a distinct Pitcher of the Year award in 2004 to be named player of the year.  She joins Carson-Newman warhorse Mary Shealy who brought home player of the year honors in 2011.  The sophomore is the first player in league history to win both a pitcher of the year and a player of the year honor in a career.  She joins former Carson-Newman pitchers Carol Zachary, Heather Randolph and Marci Mitchell (all three SAC Hall of Famers), who all won the award before the awards split in 2004, as Eagle hurlers who have taken home the Player of the Year honor. Rinus was formidable both at the plate and in the circle on the year.  She finished the year second in the league in batting average at .435.  She had 70 hits, 19 doubles, three triples and a pair of home runs.  She got on base 52 percent of the time and slugged .656.  She lead the conference in hits and doubles, was fourth in triples and fourth in the league with 99 total bases. Her 19 doubles are top five in the country and were one away from the single-season school record in Carson-Newman history. Rinus had 19 multi-hit efforts and seven multi-RBI days.  She collected her first career four-hit day against Lenoir-Rhyne in the Eagles' home finale.  In the circle, Rinus led the league in starts (36), complete games (25), shutouts (11), innings pitched (232.2) and strikeouts (223).  She had the fifth best batting average against in the league at .221 and the fifth best ERA in the conference at 2.12.  She matched her career high for strikeouts on a trio of occasions this year, striking out 12 against Queens, Wingate and Mars Hill.

Honors: 

• D2CCA All-America Third Team
• NFCA All-America Third Team 
• Fast Pitch News All-America Honorable Mention 
• NFCA All-Region First Team 
• D2CCA All-Region First Team 
• SAC Tournament MVP 
• South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year 
• All-SAC First Team 
• SAC Pitcher of the Week (2/6)
• TSWA Pitcher of the Week (2/20)

2017: Rinus became the fourth Eagle pitcher to be recognized as an All-American with second team accolades from the NFCA and third team honors from the D2CCA.  She joins Heather Randolph (1995), Zoe Heim (2008) and Carol Zachary (1989-1991). Rinus is the first Eagle to ever earn All-America honors as a utility/pitcher.   Rinus adds the All-America accolade to all-region and region Pitcher of the Year plaudits in a prolific year where she has already stuffed her trophy case with placards for SAC Freshman of the Year, SAC Pitcher of the Year and SAC Tournament MVP.  She is the first player in league history to win all three of those awards in the same season. Rinus is the just the second player in the league's history to take both Freshman and Pitcher of the Year honors in the same season.  She joins Catawba's Carly Tysinger (2013) as the only other player to receive that distinction.  She becomes the second Carson-Newman pitcher to earn the league's top honor for hurlers, joining Megan Elliot, who did it in 2005.  Rinus is the fifth Carson-Newman player recognized as the league's freshman of the year and the most recent since Elliot was lauded in 2003.  She joins Elliot and SAC Hall of Famer Marci Mitchell as the only two C-N pitchers to receive the accolade. The Murfreesboro, Tenn.-native led the conference in strikeouts (232), batting average against (.205), earned run average (1.56) and wins (26). She also led the league in shutouts, overtaking first place with back-to-back scoreless outings to clinch C-N the SAC tournament title.  On three occasions this year, Rinus garnered AstroTurf South Atlantic Conference and Tennessee Sportswriters Association Pitcher of the Week accolades.  She was lauded with recognition as the Fastpitch News National Pitcher of the Week on April 5^th.  She did not allow an earned run from March 22 – April 5^th, a streak of 35 consecutive innings.  Rinus pitched a season-high 12 strikeouts against Erskine on Feb. 22.  She has hit double digit strikeouts on seven occasions this season.  Perhaps more impressive is her strikeout to walk ratio, which sits at 6.75:1.  There have been 13 starts this year where Rinus did not issue a base on balls.  At the plate, Rinus has also proved to be an asset.  She hit .356, the second highest average among regulars on the team.  Her 12 doubles and three triples are both second on the team.  She hit an inside-the-park home run against Brevard.  She has collected 12 multi-hit games this year, the third most on the team.  She has a staggering seven, three-hit efforts, which is tied for the second most in a single season for a Carson-Newman player in the last seven seasons.

HONORS

• D2CCA All-America Third Team 
• NFCA All-America Second Team 
• D2CCA Southeast Region Pitcher of the Year 
• D2CCA All-Region First Team
• NFCA All-Region First Team
• SAC Tournament MVP 
• SAC Freshman of the Year 
• SAC Pitcher of the Year
• SAC Pitcher of the Week (weeks of 4-18, 4-4 and 3-27)
• TSWA Pitcher of the Week (weeks 5-1, 4-18 and 4-4)
• FastPitch News National Pitcher of the Week (4-4) 

HIGH SCHOOL: Rinus comes to Carson-Newman from Oakland High School where she played for Luke Sheppard.  She is the Patriots' all-time leader in strikeouts with 699 career Ks.  She surpassed former Arkansas pitcher Valanna Lyons for that record.  In her senior season, she batted .411 with three bombs.  In the circle, she had a 1.68 ERA. Rinus is a three-time all-district most valuable player, a three-time Daily News Journal MVP Pitcher, a two-time all-state selection and a two-time all-tournament pick.  She helped guide the Patriots to a 2014 district title. 

PERSONAL: The daughter of Don and Kim Rinus, she chose Carson-Newman over Middle Tennessee State and North Alabama. She plans to study radiology at Carson-Newman.  He father played football at Iowa.