No. 2 Lady Eagles host SAC Tournament beginning Wednesday; Open with No. 7 Brevard at 2 p.m.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — The Carson-Newman softball team has set the stage for another NCAA Division II Tournament run, now they just have to get it done on the field. Luckily for the Lady Eagles, it’s their home field. Carson-Newman (36-13-1, 14-4 SAC) hosts the South Atlantic Conference tournament this week. Games open Wednesday morning when No. 4-seed Tusculum takes on No. 5 Wingate. The Lady Eagles begin their run as the No. 2 seed, facing No. 7 Brevard at 2 p.m. in the Lady Eagles Softball Complex.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — The Carson-Newman softball team has set the stage for another NCAA Division II Tournament run, now they just have to get it done on the field. Luckily for the Lady Eagles, it's their home field.
Carson-Newman (36-13-1, 14-4 SAC) hosts the South Atlantic Conference tournament this week. Games open Wednesday morning when No. 4-seed Tusculum takes on No. 5 Wingate. The Lady Eagles begin their run as the No. 2 seed, facing No. 7 Brevard at 2 p.m. in the Lady Eagles Softball Complex.
Top seed Lenoir-Rhyne will take on Lincoln Memorial at 4:30 p.m. and No. 3 Catawba will host No. 6 Mars Hill in other first round games.
This has been one of the most hotly contested SAC regular seasons in recent memory. Carson-Newman finished second in the division, but defeated every SAC team at least once.
The Lady Eagles are led by junior pitcher and South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year Mary Shealy (Clinton, S.C.). Shealy (33-11, 2.22 ERA) has pitched all but five games for Carson-Newman this season. Shealy has helped herself out at the plate, batting .326 with seven doubles, one triple, 38 RBIs and a team-leading 11 home runs.
C-N sophomore catcher Bri Shoemake (Ooltewah, Tenn.), a first team All-SAC selection, has been one of the league's hottest hitters. She turned in an 8-for-8 performance on Saturday in a doubleheader against Wingate, and was named SAC Player of the Week after batting .600 and helping the Lady Eagles to a 3-1 record in the final week of the regular season.
In all, four Lady Eagles are batting .326 or better heading into the tournament. Senior outfielder Leah Price (Spring City, Tenn.) leads the team with .418 batting average. Price has hit five doubles, two triples and 30 RBIs.
Brevard (28-19, 6-12 SAC) comes into the SAC tournament after losing six consecutive games, including two against the Lady Eagles on April 13. The Lady Tornadoes have been shut out three times during that streak. Brevard's last SAC win came against Lincoln Memorial on April 6 when they swept the Lady Railsplitters 3-0 and 4-3.
Brevard splits starts between two pitchers, Martika Elmore (16-10, 1.69 ERA) and Alyssa Miller (12-9, 3.35 ERA). The Lady Tornadoes have three players batting over .300, with catcher/outfielder Chelsi Mallory leading the team with a .370 average, 27 RBIs and eight home runs.
