JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – No. 18 Carson-Newman's (24-4, 5-1 South Atlantic Conference) senior second baseman Emily Harris (Cumming, Ga.) will take aim at the 300-hit mark for her career when C-N plays host to UVA Wise (13-7, 5-5 SAC) in a league doubleheader Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex.
The fifth-year player sits on 298 knocks for her career - a figure that ranks first among all active player in NCAA Division II. She needs 15 more hits to start moving up the top 25 list for career hits in NCAA Division II history.
Harris has 49 knocks this season at Carson-Newman, she had 249 in her career at Young Harris.
Harris has produced multiple hits in four consecutive games and hit successfully in all but two games this season.
Carson-Newman ranks in the top 10 nationally in 10 offensive categories. The Eagles lead the nation in doubles per game (2.39) and hits (309). The Eagles are second in the nation in doubles (67). C-N ranks fourth in runs scored (246), runs per game (8.79), triples (17) and on-base percentage (.455). Carson-Newman's .380 team batting average ranks fifth. C-N is sixth in slugging (.588) and triples per game (.61). The Eagles check in in 10th in stolen bases with 75.
Macey Hughes is second in the country with 44 RBI this season. Hughes has four games this year with at least four RBI and three with five or more. If Hughes maintains her average of 1.53 RBI per game, she could catch Brittany Hefner (2013) for the most RBI in a single season in SAC and school history (75).
Hughes has hit 10 home runs this season, she has the 17th double-digit home run season in school history. Her next bomb will tie her for 10th in a single season.
Emily Harris and Leah Sohm both rank in the top five nationally in hits. Harris is second with 49, while Sohm ranks fourth with 45. Both players stand poised to finish in the top five in program history for hits in a season if they conclude the year on their current hitting pace.
Carson-Newman hasn't played host to UVA Wise since 2017. The Eagles took two from the Highland Cavaliers that day, winning 7-3 and 4-0 on Valentine's Day. The 4-0 win in the nightcap was Vickee Kazee-Hollifield's 1,100th career win at the banks of Mossy Creek.
Few sock home runs at a more prolific clip than UVA Wise. Through 20 games, the Cavs have clocked 27 home runs. They are are fourth in the SAC in total home runs, but lead the league in home runs per game with 1.45. UVA Wise hit five HR in its doubleheader sweep of Coker on Saturday. The Cavs have hit a home run in nine of the last 10 games and multiple home runs in five of their last 10 games.
First pitch between the Eagles and Cavs is set for 1 p.m. Tuesday. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network is available at cneagles.com/live.
