VIDEO: Lacie Rinus Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. –This is the first part in a three-part series chronicling the Eagles' positions for 2021. Senior hurler Lacie Rinus (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) breaks down Carson-Newman's pitchers and catchers.
Last year for this position preview, we wrote that 2020 would be the last year with Rinus in the circle and KaraLynne Levi (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) behind the plate.
Then CoVID happened and one of the insignificantly good things to come from the global pandemic is the return of the pair of Murfreesboro, Tenn.-natives for a second shot at a senior season.
"The first thing I did was weigh every option," Rinus said. "I had just graduated and gotten my diploma. That was the main thing, making sure my parents are ok with it. Of course I wanted to stick to softball. I don't take any second on that field or in the weight room for granted. That was something I learned the hard way. I thought as a freshman that these four years would drag by. That hasn't been the case at all."
The pair has started a combined 331 games between the two of them with Levi making 169 behind the plate. Rinus has started 162 games in the field and 95 in the circle.
"It is so exciting and so weird because KaraLynne and I pretty much started our softball careers together around age nine," Rinus said. "She knows me more than I know myself sometimes. She controls the game and controls it so well."
Levi was hitting .463 in 2020 before the season came to an early close. She had eight doubles and two bombs with 25 RBI. In her Carson-Newman career, she ranks first in SAC flys with 10 and second in times hit by a pitch with 54. She also has the second best fielding percentage (.996), second most chances (1089) and second most putouts (990). She was riding a five-game multi-hit streak when the season was cut short and had three games with at least four RBI.
A three-time All-SAC selection, Rinus hit .224 with 11 hits, a double and 11 RBI in last year's shortened season. 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.
Backing up Levi behind the plate will be starting third baseman Shannon Smith. For the year, Smith hit .403 with eight doubles and two home runs across 25 hits. She drove in 16 and slugged .629. She had a whopping nine multi-hit days before the season came to a close.
Aside from Rinus in the circle, the Eagles will be able to count on veteran arms in Makayla McCarthy and Morgen Baker-Celis, as well as freshman hurler NicKollete Ferguson.
"What's great about this year," Rinus said. "Whether it's me, NicKollete, Makayla or Morgen, we all have different speeds and different styles. None of us are the same in our style of how we pitch a game."
McCarthy picked up where she left off from transferring in from Wilmington University. A month into her Carson-Newman career, she was named SAC Pitcher of the Week. McCarthy dealt two wins for C-N in a SAC doubleheader at Tusculum. She allowed two runs in both of the games. Across 10.1 innings pitched, McCarthy allowed six hits and four walks against 14 strikeouts.
McCarthy started the doubleheader with the Pioneers with a 3.1-inning relief effort. She preserved a three-run deficit and allowed C-N to rally for an 11-7 win. She got the start in game two and set a Carson-Newman high with 10 strikeouts while allowing just four hits. The 10 Ks were the first double-digit strikeout performance by a Carson-Newman pitcher last season. It marks the fourth double-digit K performance of her career behind a trio of 14-strikeout days from her days at Wilmington University.
Meanwhile, Baker-Celis appeared in the circle in six games with three starts en route to a 3-0 record and a 3.04 ERA. Baker-Celis tallied two complete games and a shutout on the year. Opponent's hit .196 off her. She struck out 24. Her complete-game shutout came in a 9-0 run-rule win over King (2/15). She also had a career-high six strikeouts that day.
A product of Daniel Boon High School, Ferguson hit .333 with a .455 on-base percentage and 15 home runs for coach Jeremy Jenkins. She was named first team All-Big 7 Conference twice and was the league's pitcher of the year as a freshman. She helped the Trailblazers to a pair of district titles.
Carson-Newman's position previews continue Thursday with a look at the outfield with assistance from Haley Caldwell.
