ESPN3 Link for Game One
Live Stats

FARMVILLE, Va. – The Longwood University softball team will square of against Big South Conference opponent Campbell University in a three-game series at Lancer Field in Farmville this weekend. The squads will first play a doubleheader on Saturday, April 12 beginning at 1 p.m. with game one being streamed live on ESPN3. The Lancers and the Fighting Camels will then wrap up with a single game on Sunday, April 13 at 1 p.m. Live stats for all three contests will be available at www.longwoodlancers.com.
 
Looking at Longwood
The Lancers have won 10 of their last 11 games to improve to 28-8 overall and 12-2 in the Big South. The team has already played four games this week heading into its conference series against Campbell. Longwood fell at James Madison, 4-2, in game one of a doubleheader on April 9 before battling back to earn a 5-1 victory in game two and sweeping a twin bill against Hampton on April 10 with 8-1 and 16-1 wins. Through 36 games, junior Megan Baltzell/Stafford paces Longwood with a .491 average, 54 hits, 36 RBI, 16 doubles and an .864 slugging percentage. Sophomore Emily Murphy/Virginia Beach, who is hitting .340, leads the squad with 37 runs scored and 19 walks. Junior Casey Lifsey/Portsmouth is hitting .357 with four home runs, while junior Chlesea Sciacca/Whittier, Calif. totals 27 RBI to add to the offense. In the circle this season, Libby Morris/Dillwyn owns a 13-5 record with a pair of saves and three shutouts. Freshman Elizabeth McCarthy/Dunnsvile, who is 12-3 so far, is first on the team with a 1.85 ERA and 81 strikeouts.
 
Scouting Campbell
The Fighting Camels are 23-21 overall in 2014 with a 9-6 record in Big South games. The team is in the midst of a three-game skid, including a 2-0 setback at South Carolina on April 8. Campbell, under the direction of head coach Michael Pelegrino, is paced by Ericka Nesbitt with a .347 average and 15 stolen bases. Milly Martinet adds to the Fighting Camels' offense, batting .331 with a team-high 42 RBI and 14 home runs. In the circle, CU will look to Katie Baker, who holds a 9-9 record this season with a 3.15 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 106.2 innings pitched.
 
Series History
The Lancers hold a 9-6 edge over the Fighting Camels in the all-time series after taking four out of five of the squads' meetings last year. Longwood took two out of three games during the regular season in Buies Creek, N.C. in 2013 with 6-5 and 7-2 wins. The Lancers then defeated Campbell twice in the semifinals of 2013 Big South Tournament to advance to the title game.
 
Streaks of Note
Megan Baltzell has reached base safely in 30 consecutive games, while also logging at least one hit in the last 19 games. Katie Shinrock/Fountain Valley, Calif. put together a seven-game hit streak from March 30 to April 9 for the squad's second longest of the season. Casey Lifsey has also turned things on as of late, using an eight-game hit streak from March 22 to April 2 to boost her batting average by 0.52.
 
Big South Stats
As of April 11, Longwood is first in the Big South with a .320 team batting average, a .470 slugging percentage and a .400 on-base percentage. The Lancers also lead the league in runs (211), triples (8) and RBI (186). Megan Baltzell paces the Big South individually in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, doubles and RBI. Freshman Elizabeth McCarthy/Dunnsville is second in the Big South in ERA and third in strikeouts.
 
NCAA Rankings
Megan Baltzell currently ranks fifth in the nation in career slugging percentage (.829). Through games as of April 6, Longwood is nationally ranked in the top 50 for five statistical categories. The Lancers are 19th in win/loss percentage (.781), 37th stolen bases (1.59), 39th in batting average, 47th in scoring (5.63) and 48th in earned run average (2.47). Individually, Megan Baltzell is ranked as the 37th toughest batter to strikeout in the nation. She is also 13th in on-base percentage and slugging percentage, 21st in doubles per game (0.38) and 29th in batting average. Emily Murphy is ranked 20th in runs per game (1.09).
 
Record Watch
Megan Baltzell is currently ranked third on Longwood's all-time record list with 16 doubles this season. She needs just three more this year to take over the top spot. In addition, her current hit steak of 19 games ranks fifth all-time, putting her just five games out of first place. In the career rankings, Baltzell moved into first all-time with her 44th double against Hampton on April 10. With 185 career hits, she is two away from taking sole possession of fourth all-time at Longwood. Baltzell is also second on the school's record list for career RBI, runs and home runs.
 
In the Circle
The Lancers' three-person pitching staff has helped the team perform well in 2014. Veteran Libby Morris has pitched a team-high 110.1 innings with 62 strikeouts and a 2.54 ERA en route to a 13-5 record. She set a new career-high with 10 strikeouts in a 3-0 win against Winthrop on March 22. McCarthy, who paces the squad with her 1.85 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 98.1 innings, has a 12-3 record this year. She fanned a personal-best eight batters in a 5-1 win at James Madison on April 9. Freshman Jenna Carnes/Six Mile, S.C. remains an undefeated 3-0 on the year with a 3.74 ERA in eight appearances. Together the trio has five shutouts and a 2.37 ERA. The Lancers' pitching staff has held opponents to just a .247 batting average in 2014.
 
Player of the Week Honors
Megan Baltzell was named the Big South Conference Choice Hotels Player of the Week on March 31. In the previous week, Libby Morris earned her first career Big South/The Crons Brand Pitcher of the Week recognition on March 24. Emily Murphy was also named Player of the Week earlier this season on February 24.
 
Home Sweet Home
Heading into 2014, head coach Kathy Riley pinpointed performing better at home as one of the team's early goals for the season. After finishing just 10-7 in Farmville last year in 2013, the Lancers have already made a strong showing on their home turf this season with an 17-3 mark at Lancer Field so far.