April 26, 2007

JEFFERSON CITY, TN-- Carson-Newman head softball coach Vickee Hollifield has added four players for the 2008 season.

Whitney Kee and Caley Needham hail from Knoxville, Tennessee. Kee, who plays shortstop for former Lady Eagle Carol (Zachary) Mitchell at Gibbs High School, has earned All-District and All-KIL honors as well as the Best Offensive Player team award. Kee helped Gibbs High win district and region championships as the team placed 4th in the 2006 state tournament. Needham, a catcher and outfielder, led Halls High School to a third place finish in the 2006 district tournament and was named team Most Valuable Player that year. She is a member of the National Honor Society.

Pitcher Brittany Linton has become one of the best high school players in the Atlanta area. Linton is a three-time All-City honoree (2004, 2005, 2006) and earned All-State first team honors in 2005 and 2006. Linton has also been named Cobb County Pitcher of the Year twice and earned team MVP honors in 2005 and 2006. Linton led her Lassiter High School team to a Region championship in 2006. Hope Stanley, a native of Dalton, Georgia, is a three-sport athlete at Southeast High School. She competes in basketball, softball, and track and looks to play for the Lady Eagles as an outfielder.

"I'm very pleased with this class of signees," Hollifield said. "This is a good group of quality students and players. I look forward to the positive impact they'll have on our team once they arrive and continue the winning tradition here at Carson-Newman."