Carson-Newman Softball Position Preview: Outfielders
In the final installment of the Carson-Newman position previews, senior Abbi Martin dives into an outfield that brings a lot of pieces back.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – In the final installment of the Carson-Newman position previews, senior Abbi Martin dives into an outfield that brings a lot of pieces back.
There is one void that will need to be filled as SieAnna Cameron is gone. Even after having her senior season cut short due to injury, Cameron was named a Second Team All-South Atlantic Conference outfielder. She finished the year with a .488 average to lead the team. She had career-bests with 10 doubles, five triples, one home run and 27 RBIs. The Alcoa native accumulated a .420 average with 71 RBIs on 186 hits, including 38 extra-base hits.
Despite the loss, Martin feels confident that the upcoming campaign can be even better, especially on the defensive side.
"Just movement-wise, we've been doing a lot more drills during the fall and getting back in January here," Martin said. "I think our footwork looks a lot better, and I think we're going to be able to track down a lot more balls than we did."
Last year, Martin continued to be a steady piece in the lineup, starting all 48 games for the Eagles. She produced a pair of career-highs with a .332 average and 47 hits, with eight doubles and one triple, while driving in 19 runs. She totaled 13 multi-hit games in 2025.
Additionally, she had a new career-best .442 OBP, drawing 17 walks and striking out just five times. The Gadsden, Alabama native, continued her success on the base paths, scoring 32 times with a team-high 12 stolen bases. Martin ended the year tied for ninth in program history in career steals with 39.
Outside of Cameron, this is an outfield unit that remains largely unchanged with a lot of continuity.
"We know how each other plays, our arm strengths out there, our capabilities and how to communicate with each other," Martin said. "We feel comfortable that if we're going to go for a ball at the wall, we're going to be talked to."
Among the other returners are Santana Anderson and Addie Saunders.
Anderson made an immediate impact in her first season at Carson-Newman after transferring from Limestone, starting in 42 games before missing the end of the year with an injury. The Fairmount, North Carolina native hit .323 with eight doubles, eight home runs and drove in 33 runs, while racking up nine multi-RBI games. She scored 32 runs and went 2-for-2 on stolen bases and had a .385 on-base percentage with a .569 slugging percentage.
Saunders comes into her sophomore year after starting in 24 of the 34 games she played, splitting primarily between the outfield and second base. She hit .337 on the year with 29 hits, 4 doubles and drove in 18 runs. She worked a .406 on-base percentage and scored 22 runs. Saunders had seven multi-hit games, four multi-RBI games and finished the year with hits in 9 of her last 10, including an eight-game hitting streak from Apr. 5-26.
Swiss army-knife, Katey Mathena, will also see time in the outfield, in addition to potential time at catcher or infield.
As Anderson works her way back from injury, newcomers Shelby Armstrong and Grace Gregory will have their number called as well.
Armstrong comes by way of Roane State Community College, where she spent two seasons. In 2025, she hit .306 with 27 RBIs on 12 doubles, a triple and four home runs. The Knoxville native led the team in runs scored, 47, and stolen bases, going a perfect 18-for-18 on the year. As a freshman, she hit .374 with four home runs and 28 RBIs, adding another 49 runs scored and swiping 17 bags in 49 games.
Gregory, a North Alabama transfer, did not appear in any games in 2025 for the Lions. In her last season in 2024, she played in 17 games with 12 starts, hitting .176 with 4 RBIs. Before her time in Florence, Alabama, the White House native spent two years at Vol State Community College in Gallatin.
She earned first-team all-conference honors for hitting and fielding in 2022 and first-team all-conference honors for fielding in 2023. Batted .396 as a freshman with 20 homers, 11 doubles, two triples, 65 hits, 21 walks, 69 RBI and eight stolen bases. As a sophomore, she batted .429 with 20 homers, 11 doubles, one triple, 78 hits, 13 walks, 62 RBI and 13 stolen bases.
In the outfield, Martin preaches the message of "don't let anything hit the ground."
"I think that's something that everyone else in the outfield built off of," Martin said. "We just see each other, and if one person's out there diving, then it's just something that relates to everyone else."
If you enjoyed the high-octane offense from a year ago, Martin says be prepared for more in 2026.
"I think it's going to be the same thing, a lot of offense, a lot of home runs," Martin said. "We got a lot of girls that have some power to them. A few of us in the lineup, our job is to get on base and let them work."
Carson-Newman kicks off the season in six days on January 31st with the Carson-Newman Classic against Concord and Kentucky State. The opening game will be at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday against Concord from The Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex. Every home game can be heard on cneagles.com/live with live video available on the Eagle Sports Network.
