April 1, 2026

Macauley Bailey named to NFCA Division II Player and Pitcher of the Year Watchlist

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Carson-Newman senior first baseman Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) has been named to the watchlist for the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II Player and Pitcher of the Year, the NFCA office announced Wednesday afternoon.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Carson-Newman senior first baseman Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) has been named to the watchlist for the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II Player and Pitcher of the Year, the NFCA office announced Wednesday afternoon.

It is the third time that Bailey has received this honor, she was also put on it in 2023 and 2024. Last season, SieAnna Cameron and Hayden Dye were on the list. This marks the fifth consecutive year that there is an Eagle represented.

Bailey is one of six players from the South Atlantic Conference to be posted on the list.

One hundred and eighteen student-athletes from across the country were revealed as part of the 2026 NFCA Division II Player and Pitcher of the Year watchlist.

The list is broken down into the eight NCAA Regions (Atlantic, Central, East, Midwest, South, South Central, Southeast and West) with up to 15 student-athletes represented in each region. The list is compiled by the elected members of the NFCA Division II All-American Committee with one head coach representing each of the eight NCAA regions. To be eligible, a student-athlete's head coach must be a member.

Voted on by the NFCA's Division II All-American Committee, the 2026 NFCA Player of the Year and NFCA/Portolite Pitcher of the Year will be announced on May 27, a day prior to the start of the NCAA Division II National Championships. All student-athletes are eligible for the end-of-the-season award and do not have to be on this list to be considered.

Bailey is Carson-Newman's all-time leader in home runs, 53, and runs batted in, 240. She is fourth all-time with 249 hits in her career, and is sixth with a .431 batting average.

She recently broke the SAC's all-time RBI record on March 26^th against Milligan. Bailey surpassed Anderson's Kayson Boatner's mark of 239 with her 240^th career RBI with a sixth-inning double, driving in fellow senior Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.).

On the season, the Cross Plains native is batting .479 with five home runs and 50 RBIs. She leads the South Atlantic Conference in batting average and RBIs. Currently, her average in the seventh-best single season mark in school history and her .549 on-base percentage is the third-best.

"I never wanted to transfer. They asked me a long time ago, 'Why didn't you go D1?' and all that stuff? Because this was home," Bailey said. "I knew that I loved my teachers. I love my professors, I love the program, and I wanted to make a difference here, and I feel like I've done that. My dad taught me to stick with something. You don't just give up or quit or leave when you think you're better than something, because you're not. The program is the way it is because people stay, and they get better."

The senior is the only player in school history with three straight seasons with 15 or more home runs, as well as the only one with three consecutive seasons with 60 or more RBIs.

As a freshman, she was named the Tucci/NFCA National Freshman of the Year, in addition to SAC Player of the Year, SAC Freshman of the Year, NFCA All-America First Team, All-Region First Team and All-SAC First Team.

NFCA Division II Player and Pitcher of the Year Southeast Watchlist:

Kamryn Akins, Pitcher, Mars Hill

Macauley Bailey, 1B, Carson-Newman

Emily Blackwell, SS, North Greenville

Sadie Cecil, 2B, Mars Hill

Taelor Chang, DP, USC Beaufort

Brianna Gallagher, IF/OF, Catawba

Carson Hobbs, P/DP, Anderson

Emma King, IF, Mount Olive

Julia Moore, P, Young Harris

Chloe Poss, P, North Georgia

Sydnee Reeves, OF, North Georgia