FARMVILLE, Va. – The Longwood softball team has become a power within the Big South conference, winning three tournament titles in its first four seasons in the league, but the 2017 season will see the Lancers look to capture a third straight Big South Championship on their home field.
 
Longwood is set to host the Big South Softball Championship May 10-13 at Lancer Field. The championship will be the first full postseason tournament hosted by the Lancers since becoming a Big South member prior to the 2012-13 academic year.
 
Winners of the 2013, 2015 and 2016 Big South Championships, Longwood became the first program since Radford to capture two straight conference championships and is the first team since Texas A&M Corpus Christi to win three Big South titles in a four-year span.
 
Longwood's 2013 Big South Championship run was fueled by dominant offensive performances, as the Lancers rattled off five straight wins after dropping its first contest of the tournament. The blue and white scored at least four runs in all five wins, including a three-home run and five RBI day by former Longwood star shortstop Emily Murphy.
 
The 2015 Big South Championship hosted by Campbell in Buies Creek, N.C., saw the Lancers post two run-rule victories en route to four straight wins and their second title in three seasons. Longwood turned to a dominant Libby Morris, who posted a 3-0 record with a 1.47 earned run average in 19 innings pitched, as she was named Tournament MVP. The Lancers rode the hot bats of Megan Baltzell, Chelsea Sciacca and Carly Adams, who were each placed on the All-Tournament team.
 
The blue and white captured a second straight Big South crown last season at Winthrop in Rock Hill, S.C., staving off elimination over the final four games. The Lancers were aided by a dominant pitching display from freshman Sydney Gay, as she was 4-0 and didn't give up a single run in five appearances, making three starts, while recording 24 strikeouts and allowing opponents to hit just .131. Her performance in the championship game was dominant, as she tossed a complete-game one-hitter, allowing just two runners to reach base.
 
Longwood's run the past two seasons has put the Lancer program on the map, resulting in three NCAA Tournament wins and the program's first-ever NCAA Regional Championship appearance, as the Lancers matched the longest run by a Big South program in the league's history.
 
Entering the 2017 season, Longwood returns 15 letterwinners off last season's team that posted a 40-20 record, including all four pitchers that made up a top-20 pitching staff with a 2.29 team-ERA. In addition, the Lancers return six starters from a group that ranked third in the Big South with a .294 batting average.
 
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