JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (23-13, 10-6 SAC) hosts a hard-hitting Catawba (15-19, 5-9 SAC) on Tuesday as two of the top offensive squads in the South Atlantic Conference prepare for battle.
The Eagles are coming off their first road SAC sweep of the season at UVA Wise on Saturday, outscoring the Highland Cavaliers 16-5 in a pair of conference wins on the road. C-N took an early lead in game one and added to it on a pair of Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) home runs before using an eight-run fourth in game two to overcome an early two-run deficit and secure the sweep.
Bailey's pair of blasts bring the Eagles within one home run of tying the single-season record, which sits at 58 home runs, set in the 2024 season. Her five-RBI day also ranks her seventh in Division II in RBIs (46).
Carson-Newman welcomes a Catawba squad to The Vick, which ranks third in the South Atlantic Conference in home runs (48). The Indians have two in the top ten, with Brianna Gallagher tied for second with ten long balls and Maddy Altiers in 10th with nine home runs.
The Indians are one of the top overall hitting squads in the South Atlantic Conference, sitting fifth in the league in batting average (.347) and tied for sixth in on-base percentage (.402). However, Catawba ranks third-to-bottom in the conference in walks (77), joining Limestone and Coker as the only teams in the SAC with less than 100 walks.
Catawba holds two of the top five in the league in batting average, with Gallagher (.464) and Kary Hales (.461) joining a tightly packed top five in the South Atlantic Conference. Hales leads the Indians in RBIs (37) and has hit six home runs in 2025, while Gallagher is the second-highest run-scorer with 35 RBIs. Five other Indians have double-digit RBIs, most notably Maddy Altiers (24) and Christina Brendle (17).
Catawba's struggles have come in the circle. It ranks last in team ERA (7.03) and allows the second-most earned runs in the South Atlantic Conference (210) and the third-most hits (313).
Three arms have seen meaningful time for Catawba in the circle, with Kate Holland leading the Indians in innings pitched (75.2) and wins (7). The freshman also holds a team-best 5.46 ERA in 23 appearances. Alexandra Baquie leads the Catawba staff in strikeouts (43) and has a 6.54 ERA and a 5-8 record through 66.1 innings. Brianna Herring serves as a two-way threat, dealing 35.1 innings in the circle with a 9.42 ERA and a 1-4 record.
The Eagles and the Indians meet for the 80th time, with C-N leading the all-time series, 58-21.
C-N and Catawba split in 2024, with C-N winning the nightcap to earn the split. The Indians earned the largest margin of victory over the Eagles in the opener, winning 13-6. C-N bounced back in game two with a 7-4 win.
The Eagles used RBIs from Trinity Brooks (Jackson, Tenn.) and Brooklyn Lucero (Loma, Colo.), while Hayden Dye (Knoxville, Tenn.) used a pair of long balls to help C-N create the needed separation to secure the split.
Two of the South Atlantic Conference's top offenses will face off at The Vick on Tuesday afternoon with a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m.
The games will be available on FloSports ($) with an audio-only stream at cneagles.com/live.
For updates throughout the Carson-Newman softball season, visit cneagles.com and follow us on social media @cn_eagles.
