Elliot, Shoemake close out home careers as Eagles jockey for position in SAC standings

Carson-Newman (27-15, 9-7 South Atlantic Conference) will battle for positioning heading into the SAC tourney and pay homage to its two seniors when Brevard (15-29, 3-13 SAC) rolls into the Lady Eagle Softball Complex Saturday at 1 p.m.

The Eagles have clinched a spot in the league tournament, but what seeding the Eagles garner is very much up in the air. There are 30 different tiebreak scenarios, including one five-way tiebreak scenario that could come into play following Saturday’s games.

“We can’t be asleep because there’s so much parity in this league,” Carson-Newman head coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield said. “Whoever is hot could literally win the tournament. Everyone has beat up on everybody this year.”

The Eagles will pay tribute to their two seniors Cassie Elliot (Johnson City, Tenn.) and Bri Shoemake (Ooltewah, Tenn.) between games of the doubleheader.

Shoemake is a four-year starter for Carson-Newman. She has started all 204 games she has played in an orange and blue jersey – missing just two due to injury. An All-American in 2011, she has batted .371 for her career with 19 homeruns and 155 RBI. Shoemake has thrown out 56 of the 124 runners who tried to steal on her throughout her career.

“I can’t remember a game Bri didn’t play in,” Kazee-Hollifield said. “She’s meant so much to our program offensively and defensively. This year, she’s been a true leader for us.”

Elliot transferred to Carson-Newman her junior season. She’s started 70 of the 88 games she’s played. The Johnson City, Tenn.-native has stepped up her game following a shoulder injury for her senior season. Elliot has cranked six homeruns this year, including two tape measure shots that disrupted soccer practice at nearby McCown Field.

“Cassie has developed into an all-around ball player,” Kazee-Hollifield said. “She worked so hard over the summer and in the fall after shoulder surgery. She’s given everything that she’s got to her teammates.”

This Carson-Newman senior class is 139-66-1; they account for the only tie in Kazee-Hollifield’s 28-year coaching career.

First pitch for the Eagles’ senior day contest is slated for 1 p.m. Saturday. Coverage is available on the Coca-Cola Eagle Sports Network at cneagles.com/live.