C-N Tabbed as Four-Seed for SAC Championship, Set to Host In-state Rival Tusculum on Friday and Saturday
ROCK HILL, S.C. – Carson-Newman (26-18, 13-11 SAC) will have a chance to defend its home turf, earning the No. 4 seed in the 2025 SAC Softball Championship and will await a rematch with No. 5-seeded Tusculum (35-15, 13-11 SAC) in the opening round on Friday and Saturday, the league office announced on Saturday evening.
ROCK HILL, S.C. – Carson-Newman (26-18, 13-11 SAC) will have a chance to defend its home turf, earning the No. 4 seed in the 2025 SAC Softball Championship and will await a rematch with No. 5-seeded Tusculum (35-15, 13-11 SAC) in the opening round on Friday and Saturday, the league office announced on Saturday evening.
It was a waiting game for C-N after a pair of losses at Lenoir-Rhyne, as the result left the door open for Emory & Henry or Mars Hill to claim the No. 4 spot, owning the tiebreaker over C-N.
Entering Saturday, E&H had a 12-10 conference record and needed one win over Anderson to claim the four-seed, while Mars Hill needed a sweep over UVA Wise to contend for the hosting spot. The Wasps dropped both contests to the Trojans, and the Mountain Lions split with the Highland Cavaliers, as the Eagles claimed the final hosting slot.
The Eagles and the Pioneers hold the same conference record, but Carson-Newman's two wins over Tusculum on March 18th were the deciding factors.
Carson-Newman outscored Tusculum 17-5 in the two games, handing the then No. 17 Pioneers just their second and third losses of the season. Since then, Tusculum went 6-12 down the stretch, falling to the fifth seed.
The Eagles hit three home runs in the opener with Tusculum, as Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) and Santana Anderson (Fairmont, N.C.) helped open up a seven-run lead with a pair of long balls before Kennady Warder (Harrodsburg, Ky.) walked it off with a solo shot. It was a complimentary effort, as Syerra Rogers (Graysville, Tenn.) dealt five scoreless frames while striking out eight Pioneers.
It was a similar story in game two, as a trio of bombs Hayden Dye (Knoxville, Tenn.), Syerra Rogers, and Macauley Bailey helped build a sizable lead, and Addie Saunders (Radford, Va.) ripped a two-RBI single to make it 8-0 after three. Tusculum scored five unanswered to close the gap, but C-N added insurance on a Bailey RBI single. Lorelei Spradlin (Blacksburg, Va.) entered for Rogers after the fourth and recorded a three-inning save, allowing just one hit.
It will be the first time since 2014 that Carson-Newman and Tusculum meet in the South Atlantic Conference Championship. The Eagles won 6-3 before falling to Wingate in the next round.
The contests will be broadcast live at cneagles.com/FloSB, with an audio-only stream at cneagles.com/live.
For updates throughout the 2025 Carson-Newman softball postseason, visit cneagles.com and follow us on social media @cn_eagles.
