Pepsi Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament
February 27 - March 1, 2015
Honolulu, Hawai'i • Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium (1,200)

Tournament Notes

The Matchups
Friday, Feb. 27
Longwood vs. No. 19 California – 6 p.m. ET
Longwood vs. San Jose St. – 8:30 p.m. ET

Saturday, Feb. 28
Longwood at Hawai'i – 8:30 p.m. ET

Sunday, March 1
Longwood vs. No. 19 California – 3 p.m. ET
Longwood vs. San Jose St. – 5:30 p.m. ET

Leading Off
• Following a three-week break from compe­tition after starting the season at the ECU Classic, the Longwood softball program re­sumes its campaign with a trip to Hawai'i.
• The Lancers will play the first of two tour­naments in Paradise in the Pepsi Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament. The blue and white is joined in the tournament by 19th-ranked California, Hawai'i and San Jose State.
• The Lancers have enjoyed a tremendous amount of success under head coach Kathy Riley. Under Riley's tutelage, the blue and white has had 16 winning seasons with two seasons at .500. Riley has never post­ed a season under .500 in her Longwood career.
• Following an outstanding performance in the circle at the ECU Classic, Elizabeth McCarthy was named The Crons Brand Big South Pitcher of the Week. McCarthy posted a 2.57 ERA in 16.1 innings for the Lancers in the Pirate Classic. The south­paw struck out 22 batters over the week­end and picked up a win against Oakland.
• Senior Megan Baltzell has garnered na­tional attention heading into the 2015 cam­paign. The senior was named to the USA Softball Top 50 "Watch List", named 2015 Big South Preseason Softball Player of the Year, named Big South Preseason Player of the Year and Second Team All-American by College Sports Madness.

By The Numbers
• Longwood returns its full complement of starters from a season ago, including its top eight position players and the top eight bats in the lineup. In addition, the Lancers return their top three pitchers from last season
• Longwood will play at least 24 games against teams that finished among the top 100 in the 2014 RPI rankings with nine games against teams that finished in the top 50 of the RPI rankings.
• Depth in the circle is not an issue for Longwood entering the 2015 season, as the Lancers return all three pitchers from a season ago, including two pitchers who earned all-conference accolades. If Eliz­abeth McCarthy is considered the 1A op­tion for head coach Kathy Riley, then Lib­by Morris would be considered option 1B.
• In its opening day lineup, the Lancers had more than 900 starts by eight players. Megan Baltzell leads the group with 172 career starts.
• Longwood was picked second in the Big South by the head coaches in the pre­season. The Lancers picked up two first-place votes from the nine head coaches in the league.
• Megan Baltzell is once again chasing the record book this season. The senior sits five home runs shy of the program's all-time record, while she is also chasing the record for hits and is 42 shy of the all-time mark.
• Libby Morris looks to establish her name further into Longwood's all-time record books, as she is fifth all-time in career wins with 52 and fourth in career strike­outs with 267.
• Head Coach Kathy Riley is primed to pick up win No. 600 in her head coaching ca­reer this season. If the Lancers win seven straight games, win No. 600 would come on March 5 against Utah in Hawai'i. Of her 593 wins, 545 of the victories have come while as the head coach of Longwood.
• In the fall, Longwood softball head coach Kathy Riley announced the signing of a strong recruiting class of six standout student-athletes to begin competing for the Lancers during the 2016 season. The class is comprised of four athletes from the Commonwealth of Virginia, and in­cludes one signee from Southern Califor­nia and North Carolina.
• Longwood enters its 36th season of soft­ball in 2015, as well as the 18th season under the guidance of head coach Kathy Riley. The Lancers own an all-time mark of 756-499-3, while posting a 233-132 ledger in the Division I era.
 
Scouting the Pepsi Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament
• Following a three-week break from com­petition, the Longwood softball program resumes its 2015 season in Hawai'i for the first of two tournaments in the Pepsi Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament.
• The Lancers will play their first ranked foe of the 2015 campaign Friday when the blue and white faces No. 19 California. The Lancers will face the Golden Bears two times over the weekend, playing Cal Friday, Feb. 27 and Sunday, March 1.
• Longwood will face a couple of new teams in the tournament. The Lancers will play both California and San Jose St. for the first time in the history of the softball program. Meanwhile, the Lancers and host Hawai'i will meet for the sixth time in each program's history on Saturday, Feb. 28.
• Of the teams in the field, Longwood fin­ished with the highest RPI a season ago (No. 61), while California finished No. 67 in the RPI. San Jose State also finished inside the top 100 last season in the RPI at No. 79, while Hawai'i was just outside the top 100 at No. 107.
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