JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The two highest scoring offenses in the South Atlantic Conference will collide in a doubleheader Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Dorothy Neely Field in Harrogate, Tenn.
Carson-Newman (19-11, 9-1 SAC) averages a league-leading 7.13 runs per game (17th nationally), while Lincoln Memorial (19-15, 6-4 SAC) is second in the conference with 6.88 runs per game (21st nationally).
Lincoln Memorial has been stout of late offensively. The Railsplitters have scored at least six runs in eight of their last nine games. Included in that stretch are four games with at least 10 runs scored.
The same can be said of Carson-Newman. The Eagles have put up at least eight runs in eight of their last 11 games.
LMU has won 11 of the last 12 meetings between the two programs. Carson-Newman will be angling for its first wins at Neely Field since 2018. Michael Graves is looking for his first win as C-N's head coach at LMU.
After starting the season 2-8, Carson-Newman has rattled off 17 wins in its last 20 games. The Eagles are hitting .351 as a team in that stretch while averaging 9.22 runs per game. The Eagles have socked 31 home runs in that stretch. Hayden Dye has been especially prolific in the last 20. She's hitting .491 with 12 extra base hits in her 28 knocks in that stretch. Dye has driven in 31 runs during this run of good form.
Macey Hughes sits in seventh place place in Carson-Newman history for career home runs with 26. She sits tied with Lisa Rogers for seventh. Hall of Famer Whitney Hickam sits in sixth with 27 career blasts, while All-American Brittany Hefner is in fifth with 28. Sara Kelley (2010-14) holds the program's all-time record with 35. Hughes is also top five all-time in RBI with 157. She sits tied for fifth with Mandy Stevens. She is four away from All-American catcher Bri Shoemake and fourth place with 161.
With 11 home runs this season, Brooke Matyasovsky leads the South Atlantic Conference in jacks. She ranks 13th nationally. The nation's leader - Valdosta State's Abby Sulte - has 22 home runs. Matyasovsky has 21 career home runs for the Orange and Blue - the 14th player in school history with 20. She has hit 62 home runs in her collegiate career - the seventh most among active players in all divisions and the most of any player actively playing in NCAA Division II.
The Eastern Connecticut State transfer has especially been on a torrid pace in this 20 game stretch. She has 19 hits and is batting .352. Of those 19 hits, 16 are for extra bases (six doubles and 10 home runs).
Macauley Bailey has clobbered 25 home runs in her career. She sits a spot away from tying Macey Hughes for seventh all-time. Bailey and Brittany Hefner are the only players in school history with more than 25 home runs in two years.
First pitch Wednesday between the Eagles and Railsplitters is slated for 1 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network is available at cneagles.com/live with a free radio call
