C-N makes its longest road trip of the season for the Low Country Classic
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman softball takes its 4-0 start and heads back out on the road. This weekend, the Eagles will tangle with Erskine and host USC Beaufort in the Low Country Classic on Friday and Saturday.
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VIDEO: On Press Row vs Erskine (Friday)
VIDEO: On Press Row vs USC Beaufort (Friday)
VIDEO: On Press Row vs Erskine (Saturday)
VIDEO: On Press Row vs USC Beaufort (Saturday)
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman softball takes its 4-0 start and heads back out on the road. This weekend, the Eagles will tangle with Erskine and host USC Beaufort in the Low Country Classic on Friday and Saturday.
C-N opened 2026 in Johnson City and was the lone team to go unbeaten at the Big Region Preseason Preview. Starting on Sunday with one-run wins over the 2025 Mountain East champions, Glenville State, 2-1, and Concord, 6-5. The next day, they outscored their opponents 11-1 with an early morning win over Davis & Elkins, 5-1, before notching the first shutout of the year against Converse, 6-0.
Outfielders Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.) and Addie Saunders (Radford, Va.) lead the way for C-N, both leading the way with a .556 batting average. Martin leads the team with six runs batted in, as well as four stolen bases. Saunders has a hit in every game so far and is reaching base at a .636 clip.
All eight members of the dynamic freshman class for the Eagles made their debuts, and they left their mark, to say the least. Four of them batting above .300 to start the campaign in Sarah Walker (Mills River, N.C.), .429, Reese Winchester (San Diego, Calif.), .364, Anne Marie Richards (Spring Hill, Tenn.), .333, and Malyiah Smith (Knoxville, Tenn.), .308.
Walker has been impressive with her two-way ability. She made her first career start in the circle on Monday, going five and a third innings to get the win, and in the same game, launched her first career home run, in addition to an RBI against Concord.
In the circle, Atiana Stamper (Knoxville, Tenn.) was lights out in her debut against Concord, striking out nine in five innings en route to her first career win. She got the ball the next day against Davis & Elkins, adding three more shutout innings. Sophomore Lorelei Spradlin has also been strong, holding a 1.40 ERA through two appearances, including starting the first game against a 2025 NCAA Tournament team and Mountain East Champions, Glenville State.
Erskine (Conference Carolinas) comes into the weekend winless at 0-4 following a midweek sweep at the hands of USC-Aiken. The other two losses came at SAC-counterpart Coker, which included a high-scoring 15-14 loss in the season opener.
The Flying Fleet has seven hitters with an average above .300, led by Hannah Lewis and Emily Johnson, who are both batting at .500. Additionally, they have three hitters tied for the team-high three runs batted in, Lewis, Kara West and Gabby Burroughs. In the circle, Zalee Brown has been the top pitcher, holding a 2.55 ERA, allowing four earned runs in 11 innings and six strikeouts.
This weekend marks the 64th and 65th times that C-N and Erskine have come together. The Eagles are 50-13 all-time against the Flying Fleet and have won the last five meetings. They last faced off in 2022 with C-N winning 11-9.
The hosts USC Beaufort (Peach Belt) are 3-1 to start the season, most recently taking down North Greenville on the road this past Saturday, 11-9 and 8-0. It has a common opponent with C-N in Converse, after opening the year with a 14-2 win in five innings over the Valkyries.
The Sand Sharks boast an explosive offense, batting .407 with three home runs and 35 RBIs through the first four games. Topping the charts is Chloe Turner, who is batting .600 with a hit in every game and a team-high 10 RBIs. The senior started the year with a home run and seven RBIs against Converse. Behind her, four players are hitting above .400, including Tamiyah Whitlock, .583, and Catherine Conway, .563. Junior Emma Brinkman, who leads the team with a pair of home runs, both against North Greenville.
Madison Murphy has been the ace in the circle, sitting at a 2.33 ERA and 2-1 record. The senior has struck out 14 in her three appearances, including a season-high seven punchouts in a 6-5 loss to King. Against NGU, she tossed seven innings across the two contests, allowing zero runs on six hits with seven strikeouts.
The Eagles and USC Beaufort will be meeting for the second and third time. C-N won the lone contest between the two teams in 2023, 11-2.
This trip to South Carolina marks the second of three early-season jamborees that C-N will participate in. First, it opened the season at the Big Region Preseason Preview in Johnson City, Tennessee, before closing out February and opening up March with a three-day affair in Raleigh, North Carolina, with the Triangle Classic.
First pitch is set for 11:00 a.m. from the Richard Grey Complex. The game can be heard on cneagles.com/live. Fans can also watch the radio crew at work via a press row feed on YouTube.
