No. 8 Pfeiffer awaits second-seeded C-N in NCAA Tournament
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – For the second time in program history, Carson-Newman (43-11) opens up play in the Southeast Regional against Pfeiffer (44-6). First pitch between the Eagles and Falcons is set for 2:30 p.m. Thursday in Savannah, Ga., at the Armstrong Softball Field.
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Carson-Newman opened up the 2008 Southeast Regional with an 8-0 win over the Falcons in what was Pfeiffer's first NCAA tournament appearance.
The Eagles have historically dominated the series with PU. The Eagles are 25-1 all-time against the Falcons. Pfeiffer's lone win came in 2002 with a 1-0 margin. Since then, the Eagles have won 21 straight.
However, this isn't the same Pfeiffer team that the Eagles have faced in years past.
"They are all tall and really athletic," Carson-Newman head softball coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield said. "They are the number eight team in the country for a reason. However, the SAC is so highly competitive, so we feel like we're well prepared for any challenges this tournament can throw at us. It's made us tougher because we had to go to work each and every single day. This goes back to the hard work of our kids though from day one."
In spite of its 44-6 record and spot in the top 10 in the NFCA Coaches Poll. Pfeiffer is seventh in the region because it played the region's weakest strength of schedule. Nationally, the Falcons are 274th out of 295 teams in SOS. The Eagles rank 81st.
The last time the Eagles and Falcons squared off was 2014. C-N took a pair of run-rule wins from the Falcons on the back of big bats 7-0 and 10-2. The Eagles homered five times in the doubleheader. All-American Brittany Hefner went yard in game one while Cassie Lyons, Sara Kelley twice and Elayna Siebert all blasted bombs in game two.
However, no Eagles from that team remain on the roster. Pfeiffer had three freshmen that played in that game that are still on the teams. Those are pitchers Sydney Poole and Kaitlin MacMillan, plus catcher Rachel Crowder.
Poole pitched four innings in game two. She allowed eight hits and nine runs. MacMillan hurled two innings of relief in game one with five hits and three runs allowed. Crowder was 1-for-5 at the plate with a run scored.
This is C-N's first meeting with a top 10 team since losing 3-1 to No. 8 Georgia College in the 2015 Southeast Regional.
This is Carson-Newman's first trip to Savannah for a regional. The Eagles have been to the Peach State six times for regional play (thrice to Kennesaw, Ga., twice to Columbus, Ga., and once to Milledgeville, Ga.).
Otherwise, C-N has been to Hickory, N.C. twice and Pembroke, N.C. once.
The Eagles enter the tournament fresh off their league-best 10th South Atlantic Conference tournament championship. The Eagles pulled off the double - winning the regular season and tournament title - for the first time since 2008 and the seventh time overall. Carson-Newman's last four SAC tournament championships have come with four straight wins without a loss.
Lacie Rinus (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) earned tournament MVP honors for her efforts. She pitched the Eagles to all four wins. Opponents hit a paltry .168 off her for the tournament. She is Carson-Newman's fifth SAC tournament MVP - joining Stephanie Templeton (09), Zoe Heim (08), Megan Elliot (05) and Marci Mitchell (03). All of those players, with the exception of Templeton, are pitchers.
Rinus and Allison Webster (Charlestown, Ind.) will look to lock down the region's second best scoring offense. The Falcons average 6.42 runs per game, second only to Lenoir-Rhyne in the region. The Eagles picked up a 1-0 shutout win over L-R in the SAC tournament and are the only team to blank the Bears this year.
Freshman Makenzie Pennell leads the Falcons offense. She's hitting .411 this year with 56 RBI, 10 doubles and 10 home runs. She is the Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year.
Pennell etched her name in the record books in her rookie campaign at Pfeiffer and now holds the program's single-season record for RBI's in a season with 56. In 44 regular season games, the third basemen led the league in RBI's and ranked in the top five in: runs, hits, total bases, home runs, batting average, on base percentage and slugging percentage. Pennell closed out the regular season on a 12-game hitting streak and can become the first player in the Fast Pitch era to hit over .400 for an entire season.
Pennell was joined by Crowder and outfielder Chandler Walker on the all-conference first team. Pfeiffer has an all-league player at every position in the infield with the exception of second base.
First pitch between the Eagles and Falcons is set for 2:30 Thursday. Follow @cnathletics on Twitter for live in-game updates. The game will be broadcast on the Armstrong State Sports Network.
