VIDEO: Macey Hughes Interview
VIDEO: Macauley Bailey Interview
ROCK HILL, S.C. – Carson-Newman has placed three players on the preseason All-South Atlantic Conference teams, the league office announced Wednesday morning.
The 2023 NFCA Freshman of the Year Macauley Bailey was selected to the first team as designated player. Macey Hughes made the preseason All-SAC team for a third straight season, this time as a utility player. Finally, transfer pitcher Emma Frost is a second-team selection at pitcher.
Last year, both the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association bestowed Bailey with All-America status, making the freshman designated player a consensus All-American. She garnered first team accolades from the NFCA and a spot on the second team from the D2CCA.
The Cross Plains, Tenn.-native becomes Carson-Newman's first-ever All-American designated player, its fourth freshman All-American and its 22nd overall. Bailey joins Abby Fiessinger (2017), Lacie Rinus (2017) and Bri Shoemake (2010) as the only freshman to garner All-America status. However, of the quartet, Bailey is the only one with a first-team honor. The honors follow an already productive postseason for Bailey where she has been named TUCCI/NFCA Division II National Freshman of the Year, All-Region first team by both the NFCA and D2CCA, SAC All-Tournament, first-team All-SAC, SAC Player of the Year and SAC Freshman of the Year.
"Macauley is always swinging a big bat," head softball coach Michael Graves said. "But she is also always supporting her teammates and talking about them in such a positive manner."
Bailey was the first player in South Atlantic Conference history to take home both Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year in the same season. Bailey became Carson-Newman's 19th SAC Player of the Year and sixth Freshman of the Year.
While Bailey is the first Eagle to take home Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year in the same season, former C-N All-American Lacie Rinus brought home Freshman of the Year and Pitcher of the Year honors in 2017. Rinus also went on to be named SAC tournament MVP that season. The Cross Plains, Tenn.-native was Carson-Newman's first Freshman of the Year honoree since Rinus won in 2017. She is the first Player of the Year since Rinus picked up that plaudit in 2018.
Carson-Newman's 19 Player of the Year honorees are the most in the league.
Bailey was consistently been in the top five nationally throughout the season in RBI. She finished with 67, which is sixth in the nation both overall and but first in terms of games played. She was eight RBI away from matching Carson-Newman's Brittany Hefner and her single-season SAC and school record of 75. She drove in a run in 21 of her last 29 games and had 17 games this year where she drove in multiple runs.
Her 67 RBI are good for the fourth-most in a single-season in school history, and two away from third place and Hall of Famer Whitney Hickam (2008). Bailey has set a litany of freshman records. She had the most RBI of any freshman in school history, as well as the most home runs (15), longest hitting streak (18) and the highest slugging percentage (.818). Her home runs are good for the second-highest single-season total in school history overall, while the hitting streak is tied for fourth and the slugging percentage sits in seventh.
A two, time all-region honoree, Hughes was a second team selection last year at first base before qualifying for the utility position this year splitting time between first and the outfield.
The Gibbs-product has been her usual productive self at the plate. Hughes hit .371 with 12 doubles, two triples and six blasts. In spite of moving from the three-hole to the two-hole in the order this season, she still has driven in 46 runs to rank second on the team and ninth in the run-happy SAC.
"Macey I can't say enough about what she has done in her four ears," Graves said. "I'm so fortunate to have her here because of what I can turn to her for as a leader."
Her numbers last year have moved her into eighth in school history all-time with 24 home runs and ninth all-time for career RBI with 138. Hughes tallied a career-long 11-game hitting streak from Feb. 26 to March 18. She had 12 multi-hit efforts this year, including three hit days against Shorter (Feb. 12) and Tusculum (April 11). Hughes drove in five runs in a game for the fourth time in her career against the Pioneers as well. She has 14 multi-RBI efforts this season.
Frost utilizes her CoVID year to conclude her collegiate softball career with Carson-Newman. Frost was a two-time all-region selection, two-time all-conference selection and the 2022 SAC Softball Championship MVP for archrival Lincoln Memorial. She has one year of eligibility remaining.
"Bringing in Emma is a huge deal for us," Graves said. "She's done just about everything there is to do as a pitcher in the South Atlantic Conference. We're excited for what she can bring to the table."
In her four-year career, Frost has amassed 69 wins against 26 losses in 110 appearances and 86 starts. She has made it a complete game 00 times with 16 career shutouts, six career saves and a 2.63 ERA. She has 574 career strikeouts in 574.1 career innings pitched against just 514 career hits allowed. She has walked just 123 batters lifetime.
Frost will enter this season second among active Division II players in career victories, and seventh in career strikeouts.
Carson-Newman opens the season Feb. 2 at Eckerd with a doubleheader at 2 p.m. C-N will then head to Florida Southern and Tampa for six games on the opening weekend. The contests will be broadcast on the Eagle Sports Network at cneagles.com/live.
