C-N welcomes King and Barton for a jam-packed home opening weekend
Michael Graves’ team has spent the first 10 games of the season away from home, but that all changes tomorrow and this weekend. Carson-Newman will welcome King (Tenn.) and Barton to the banks of Mossy Creek for doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday.
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
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0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | X | 7 | 11 | 0 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 3 |
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1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | X | 6 | 9 | 1 |
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
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4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | X | 11 | 11 | 1 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 2 |
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1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 0 |
VIDEO: On Press Row vs King (Tenn.) (Game 1)
VIDEO: On Press Row vs King (Tenn.) (Game 2)
VIDEO: On Press Row vs Barton (Game 1)
VIDEO: On Press Row vs Barton (Game 2)
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Michael Graves' team has spent the first 10 games of the season away from home, but that all changes tomorrow and this weekend. Carson-Newman will welcome King (Tenn.) and Barton to the banks of Mossy Creek for doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday.
First, the Eagles and the Tornado collide on Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m., with the twinbill against the Bulldogs set to start at noon on Sunday.
The Eagles are off to a 9-1 start, and swept Shorter last time out on Wednesday, where the offense finally came to life after an up-and-down performance through the first 10 games.
C-N and Shorter delivered an instant classic in game one, with the Eagles needing extras to outlast the Hawks' late magic, 13-12 in eight. It was the first time this season that the C-N had gone to the bonus frame. The Hawks rallied from a four-run deficit, including three in the seventh, all with two outs, to force extras. In the eighth, the Eagles pushed away by two before Anne Marie Richards (Spring Hill, Tenn.) launched a grand slam to left for her first career home run. Shorter would still have some magic left, scoring five runs in the bottom half of the eighth, but would come up short with the tying run in scoring position.
Game two was less exhilarating, but the Eagles came out with a vengeance, plating 13 runs in the first two innings, including 11 in the second, to take a commanding lead. That is all they would need as Emma Romeka (San Diego, Calif.) tossed a complete-game shutout to get the win in five innings. The freshman notched six strikeouts and recorded the first complete-game shutout in a run-rule game since Syerra Rogers did so last season against Shorter.
In the second edition of the 2026 NFCA/GoRout Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll, Carson-Newman (7-1) is receiving votes to be ranked.
The Eagles received 19 points and were one of six teams to receive votes, tied with Pittsburg State with the most points, but missed out on the top 25.
C-N spent the last two years outside the top 25, receiving zero votes. The Eagles haven't been ranked inside the top 25 since the 2023 season, and last received votes on April 3rd, 2023.
The Eagles are the only team from the South Atlantic Conference included in the poll this week and are one of three teams from the region, along with No. 6 Francis Marion (Conference Carolinas) and No. 8 North Georgia (Peach Belt).
Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.) has cemented herself as the fire starter in the C-N order. The senior leads the team in batting average, .500, on-base percentage, .576, runs scored, 14, stolen bases, 5, and is second on the team with 13 RBIs. Malyiah Smith (Knoxville, Tenn.) bats leadoff and creates a dangerous 1-2 punch with Martin. The freshman is third on the team with a .444 average, she has eight RBIS and is 5-for-5 on stolen bases.
Additionally, Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) has been sizzling hot across the last four games and hit her first long ball of the season against Shorter in an eight-RBI evening. The senior is 10-for-15 (.667) with a home run and 14 RBIs in her last four. She now leads the team in RBIs and in her tremendous career has 205, along with 49 home runs.
In the circle, freshman Atiana Stamper (Knoxville, Tenn.) keeps turning heads with her poise. The right-hander holds a 0.91 ERA across four appearances with three starts and is 2-0. She leads the team with 17 strikeouts and is coming off an inning against Beaufort, where she tallied five strikeouts in three innings, including striking out the side in the bottom of the seventh.
The aforementioned Romeka has put together three straight quality outings. In that stretch, she has gone 11 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, with a 2-0 record. As a staff, the Eagles hold a 2.72 ERA, and opponents are batting .285 against them. Despite a rocky outing against Shorter, Lorelei Spradlin (Blacksburg, Va.) and Riley Sikes (Powell, Tenn.) provide a veteran presence.
Saturday's meetings with King represent the home opener. Carson-Newman is 22-1 in home openers after collecting an 8-0 win over Kentucky State last year. King had spoiled 18 straight home opening wins in 2021 with an 8-2 win over the Eagles.
King comes into the weekend with an 8-4 record and is coming off a sweep of Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday. The Tornado shut out the Railsplitters 2-0 in game one and 3-0 in game two. Overall, this season, King is 4-2 against South Atlantic Conference opponents.
Giana Winge leads the team with a .400 batting average, while the duo of Yuleesa Kennedy and Aubrey King has spearheaded the scoring. Kennedy leads the team with three home runs and is second in RBIs with 12. While King has a team-high in RBIs, 13, and trails Kennedy by one in the home run department.
In the circle, King (Tenn.) boasts a 2.20 ERA as a staff, holding opponents to a .220 batting average, and leading the charge is Kaylee Meeks. The sophomore holds a 0.83 ERA across 33.2 innings and a 4-0 record, with 28 strikeouts.
In the all-time series, Carson-Newman is 25-7 against King and won last year's meeting, 11-2.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs hold a 5-3 mark to start 2026 and have won their last three games. Barton is 0-2 on the road with both losses coming against Wingate on February 11th, 5-4 and 4-3.
Pacing the offense for Barton is Madison Mercer, who is batting .522 through the first eight games with seven RBIs on 12 hits and is reaching base at a .552 clip. The Bulldogs have another five hitters batting above .300 in Savannah Olson (.381), Destany Blake (.364), Makenzie Cyzick (.346), Alexis Bicondova (.316) and Elana Griffin (.304).
As a staff, the Bulldogs hold a 2.42 ERA, with opposing teams batting .238 to start the year. Haley Inman has a 2.10 ERA with a 2-1 record, she has 18 strikeouts across 20 innings. While Emily Bobo is 2-2 with a 2.43 ERA in 23 innings, she has recorded 23 strikeouts.
This will be the second and third ever meeting between the two schools, with Barton winning the first last season, 6-4.
Saturday's first pitch is set for 3:00 p.m., with Sunday slated for a noon start from the Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex. The game can be heard on cneagles.com/live or watched on cneagles.com/FloSB with a FloSports subscription. Fans can also watch the radio crew at work via a press row feed on YouTube.
