VIDEO: Hayden Dye Interview
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – A mere 18 hours after earning third-team All-America honors from the NFCA, Carson-Newman senior second baseman Hayden Dye (Knoxville, Tenn.) was elevated to consensus All-America status with a first-team honor from the Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association.
Dye becomes the 24th player to earn All-America honors for the Carson-Newman softball program, the most in the history of the South Atlantic Conference. She is C-N’s first first-team All-America since Macauley Bailey was presented a first-team honor by the NFCA in 2022. Dye is Carson-Newman’s first D2CCA first-team All-American since 2015 when Elayna Siebert and Bre Lockett were both first-team honorees from the organization.
The senior is one of four players from the South Atlantic Conference to earn recognition from the D2CCA.
She joins Macauley Bailey and Emma Harris as consensus All-Americans from the last five years.
Dye becomes the program’s fifth All-American at second base, joining Emily Harris (2022), Abby Fiessinger (2017) and Hall of Famer Whitney Hickam (2007 and 2008). Macey Hughes (2024) and Elayna Siebert (2015) also earned All-America honors while playing second, but qualified under the utility/non-pitcher category.
The Knoxville, Tenn.-native hit .428 in her senior season with six bombs and 44 RBI. She socked 17 doubles – the 10th most in a season in school history.
She finished her career with 198 starts – 11th most in school history, and ranks sixth all-time in career doubles (49) and RBI (166), eighth in hits (219) and home runs (27) and ninth all-time in runs scored (149). She is also the program record holder for career sacrifice flies with 13.
This marks a fourth consecutive season Carson-Newman has produced an All-American.