CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Longwood University softball team will begin Big South Conference play with its first three-game series of 2014 at Charleston Southern University on Saturday-Sunday, March 15-16. The squads will square off in a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. before playing a single game on Sunday, also set for 1 p.m. Live stats for all three contests will be available at www.csusports.com.

Looking at Longwood
Longwood has won five of its last six games to improve to 11-5 overall in 2014. After hosting its final tournament of the year last weekend, the Lancers swept in-state opponent George Mason in a doubleheader on March 11. The squad earned a 5-0 shutout victory in game one before securing a hard-fought, 4-3 win in game two. Through 16 games, junior Megan Baltzell/Stafford leads the Lancers with a .457 batting average, 19 hits and an .804 slugging percentage. Sophomore Emily Murphy/Virginia Beach is hitting .395, adding a team-best 11 walks, while junior Chelsea Sciacca/Whittier, Calif. has eight doubles and 10 RBI. Sophomore Carly Adams/Colonial Heights has added to the offensive effort, as well, with a team-high 13 RBI and three home runs. In the circle, the Lancers are paced by freshman Elizabeth McCarthy/Dunnsville, who has 35 strikeouts and one shutout.

Scouting Charleston Southern
The Buccaneers own a 13-14-1 overall record so far this season, including a 2-1 mark in Big South games after their first conference series of the year against Winthrop. In that three-game series, CSU swept a doubleheader on March 12 with 4-2 and 5-1 decisions before falling, 9-0, in five innings on March 13 in the series finale. Charleston Southern, under the direction of sixth-year head coach Shane Winkler, is led by Marci Christian with a .341 average and four home runs. Jessica Brock, who has logged a team-best 16 RBI and 28 hits so far, is averaging .326, while Lizzy Olmstead is batting an even .300. In the circle, Cheyenne Gandara has registered 68 strikeouts en route to a 2.41 ERA and a 6-4 record.

Series History
Longwood currently leads the all-time series against Charleston Southern, 9-3. Last season, the Lancers swept all four games between the squads, including an 8-2 decision in an elimination game at the 2013 Big South Conference Championship in Rock Hill, S.C. on May 10.

NCAA Rankings
Through games as of March 9, Longwood is nationally ranked in the top 70 for five statistical categories. The Lancers are 18th in triples per game (0.36), 32nd in doubles per game (1.57), 60th in ERA (2.57), 67th in scoring (5.29) and 68th in slugging percentage (.444). Individually, Chelsea Sciacca is ranked third in the nation with 0.67 doubles per game and freshman pitcher Jenna Carnes/Six Mile, S.C. is sixth with a 0.36 ERA.

Big South Stats
Longwood currently leads the Big South with a .293 team batting average and a .389 on-base percentage. Megan Baltzell sits second in the league in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage (.569) and walks (11).

Dominating Defense
The Lancers' three-person pitching staff has helped the team get off to a strong start in 2014. Jenna Carnes has a 0.36 ERA and a perfect 3-0 record in five appearances so far this season to lead the team. Classmate Elizabeth McCarthy, who paces the squad with 35 strikeouts, recorded her first career shutout in a 5-0 win against George Mason on March 11 to improve to 4-2 on the year. Junior Libby Morris/Dillwyn has seen a team-high 43 innings pitched, earning a 4-3 record with a pair of saves. Together the trio owns a 2.29 ERA and has held opponents to just a .224 batting average.

On the Road
In 2013, the Lancers dominated on the road, compiling a 22-8 overall record away from Farmville, with an 11-2 mark in Big South road games. Longwood will look to notch its first road wins this weekend after falling to then-No. 10 Arizona (8-0) and then-No. 7 Arizona Sate (1-0) in its only two true road games so far this season. Including neutral-site contests, the Lancers are currently 3-3 in 2014 when playing outside of Farmville.