JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (20-12, 7-5 SAC) returns home for a pair of midweek contests, welcoming the Limestone Saints (10-16, 5-7 SAC) to The Vick on Wednesday afternoon.
The Eagles come home following a tough weekend at Mars Hill, dropping two at the hands of the Mountain Lions. C-N jumped out to a 4-0 lead in game one following a four-run fifth inning, but Mars Hill scored the subsequent five runs, including a walk-off home run in the seventh. Game two was all Mountain Lions, scoring the game's first three runs. C-N got within two in the fourth and did so again in the seventh, but Mars Hill had the answer to secure the sweep.
C-N can right the ship at home on Wednesday, and the Eagles have had plenty of success in 2025 on their home turf. Carson-Newman is 14-2 at The Vick, with the only two losses coming on February 5th against Lee. The Eagles are hitting a scorching .435 as a team at The Vick, leading to two wins over ranked in-state foes Lincoln Memorial and Tusculum in March.
The Eagles welcome a Saints squad to Jefferson City that has seen their fair share of ups and downs in 2025. Limestone started the season on the right foot, winning three of its first four games with wins over Glenville State, Converse, and West Virginia Wesleyan. Since then, Limestone has faced losing three and five straight on separate stretches, leading to the 10-16 mark through 26 games. However, the Saints have accumulated several quality wins, taking one from Lander, Catawba, UVA Wise, Wingate, Mars Hill, and Newberry.
The Saints rank last in the conference in team batting average (.234) and have tallied just 78 RBIs through 26 games. However, Limestone is one of two teams in the conference to have less than 30 games played in 2025, joining Coker (28) as the only other team in the South Atlantic Conference with less than 30 games played in the 2025 campaign. The Saints also strike out frequently, ranking in the lower echelon in the conference regarding punchouts (134).
Tayler Jenkins is the Saints' leading hitter, hitting a team-high .317 with a home run and 12 RBIs. Jenkins is the only Saint with a batting average over .300. She is also one of three Saints who have started all 26 games, with Emma King and Olivia Veidt being the other two. King is hitting .270 with seven RBIs, while Veidt has been the top long ball and RBI threat with five home runs and 13 RBIs. Faith Calloway is the only other Limestone hitter with double-digit RBIs in 2025 (11).
Limestone ranks near the middle of the conference in team ERA (4.51), a mark that puts it right in the middle of the conference in 7th. The Saints have done a good job mostly limiting what Carson-Newman's greatest strength is, allowing the 5th-least home runs in the league (22).
Limestone's leader in ERA is Breanna Clayton, holding a 3.56 mark through 12 appearances and a 3-5 record in 39.1 innings of work. The Saints' leader in innings pitched and wins is Chelsey Stonesifer, holding a 6-4 record and a 3.97 ERA with six complete games, dealing 67 innings in 2025.
The Saints will see a familiar face when they trek to Mossy Creek, facing off with a former Saint in Carson-Newman's Santana Anderson. Anderson was Limestone's top hitter in her two seasons in Gaffney, hitting .416 with 16 home runs and 53 RBIs in her freshman season in 2023 before hitting .395 with 11 home runs and 30 RBIs in 2024. Anderson has replicated her success in Mossy Creek, mashing six home runs with 23 RBIs, and she will prepare to see her former team for the first time on Wednesday.
The Eagles and the Saints will square off for the 44th and 45th times on Wednesday, with C-N leading the all-time series 35-8. C-N took two on the road from Limestone last season and will aim to extend the winning streak to four on Wednesday in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.
The games will be available on FloSports ($) with an audio-only stream at cneagles.com/live.
For updates throughout the 2025 Carson-Newman softball season, visit cneagles.com and follow us on social media @cn_eagles.
