JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (2-0) was originally set to head to the Peach State for four games against three opponents this weekend.
However, after a deluge of a downpour forecasted for the greater Milldgeville, Ga.-area washed out those games, C-N invited one of those opponents to Mossy Creek to play two.
Now, Carson-Newman will tangle with Emmanuel (37-22) at 1 p.m. Saturday from the Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex.
Carson-Newman owns a 2-0 record against Emmanuel in the brief series history between the two schools, and has never played the school away from a neutral site. The Eagles won 8-3 in Milledgeville last year and 13-4 at the Bearcat/Fleet Invite in Greenwood, S.C.
Carson-Newman is 28-3 against Conference Carolinas schools under Michael Graves. King is responsible for all three of the losses.
Emmanuel was picked to finish fourth in Conference Carolinas this season and picked up a first-place vote in the preseason poll. Emmanuel set a program record for wins last year with 37, included in that is a 4-2 record against top 25 ranked opponents last year (two wins over North Georgia and triumphs over Lincoln Memorial and Anderson).
Carson-Newman is looking for its first 3-0 start to a season since 2019 when it opened the year with 13 consecutive wins and was unbeaten for the month of February.
Macey Hughes had a strong 2022 against Emmanuel. She was 3-for-6 at the plate with three runs scored, two home runs and six runs batted in.
Macey Hughes opens her junior year sitting on 18 career home runs. Two more and she becomes the 12th player in Carson-Newman softball history with 20 career jacks. Staci Fish (2000-01) and Katie Pritchett (2015-18) sit in a tie for 10th on the all-time list with 21.
Eastern Connecticut State transfer Brooke Matyasovsky brings 43 career home runs with her down from Orange, Conn. The grad transfer has the third most home runs in Division III among active players when she left. She enters this season with the third-most in NCAA Division II. By comparison, Sara Kelley holds the Carson-Newman career record for bombs with 35 (we should note, that Carson-Newman has the deepest park in the Southeast Region at 220 to center and 210 down the lines).
In 2022, sophomores Chloe Nadler (catcher) and Kya Santiago (outfield) were both voted first team all-conference for Emmanuel. The are both the first, first-team all-league selections for the Lions since becoming members of Conference Carolinas in 2015.
Coverage of the contests will be available on the Eagle Sports Network at cneagles.com/live with a free audio stream. A video feed is available for a monthly fee through FloSports at cneagles.com/flosb.
