By CHRIS COOK
LongwoodLancers.com

Just in time for the 2017 Big South Softball Championship, Longwood softball's home field got a facelift.
 
Thanks to a generous contribution from longtime supporter of Longwood athletics Gene Watson, Lancer Field now sports new padding that rings the entire playing surface in Longwood blue with bold Longwood softball branding.
 
The project was completed this past week and will be officially unveiled in the first round of next week's Big South Softball Championship, which Longwood will host for the first time on May 10-13. The Lancers, who are in pursuit of their historic third straight Big South title, will play in front of their new backdrop for the first time in either the noon or 2:30 p.m. game of that first round Wednesday.
 
"It's so awesome," senior ace and two-time Big South Pitcher of the Year Elizabeth McCarthy said of her home field's new upgrades. "Something I've always valued since I got here is we take care of what we have, and we cherish what we have.
 
"I remember putting the windscreen on the outfield wall my freshman year and I thought, 'Man, this is awesome,' because we didn't used to have anything there at all. I thought our field looked really good even then, and now we have that padding and it's just changed the game."
 
The driving force behind the project was Watson, a Farmville native and president of Farmville-based W.A. Watson & Sons Insurance Agency, who set up a contribution in excess of $30,000 to the softball program. The funds included both a personal donation from Watson and a sponsorship agreement from his business, which borders Longwood's campus on Main Street and is less than a mile from Lancer Field.
 
Sports have been a lifelong passion for Watson, who regularly contributes to several Lancer teams, including the golf and soccer teams. Over the past several decades, his personal donations and corporate sponsorships have funded student-athlete scholarships, capital projects and operating expenses benefiting Longwood student-athletes and the athletic programs.
 
"First off, I was raised in a family that believed in giving back," said Watson, a 1975 Virginia Tech graduate who has long been an annual donor to Longwood athletics. "My dad was a letterwinner on the golf team at Virginia Tech, so we understand the importance of giving to the student-athletes. Longwood is our home team, and Farmville being as close-knit of a community as it is, I've come to know a lot of the coaches and student-athletes. Longwood being Division I has been great for Farmville, and I take a lot of pride in supporting what they do."
 
Far from a bandwagon fan, Watson's ties to Longwood softball extend to the beginning of what has become a hall-of-fame-caliber career at Longwood for Riley. The two first met when Riley came to Farmville 20 years ago and have seen their friendship grow over those two decades, with Riley even coaching Watson's daughter, Casey.
 
"She is just a great coach," Watson said. "A fundamental, sound coach, and every one of her teams get better from March 1st to May 1st. She coaches up whatever talent she recruits, and she takes the time to coach her players one-on-one. I don't know too many head coaches that do that. I ride by the field often on my way to and from work, and it's rare that someone is not out there with her or [assistant coach Kayla Miller]."
 
Watson and the rest of Farmville have watched Longwood softball grow into a Big South powerhouse during Riley's tenure. Even before hosting the 2016 Vice Presidential Debate on campus, the Lancers put the university on the map by advancing to three NCAA Regionals, including last season when they beat North Carolina and Princeton en route to the program's first NCAA Regional Championship appearance.
 
That success has provided a ripple effect for the university in terms of exposure and pride, which Watson identifies as a key byproduct of Longwood's Division I affiliation.
 
"The easiest way to promote the school is through athletics and performing arts," Watson said. "That's news for the newspaper, and it's games on TV where they talk about the school and they talk about the students. It's a major way to get Longwood's name out there.
 
"The debate was a prime example, because one of the main benefits of hosting such a huge event was to get Longwood's name out there so people everywhere could learn what the school is all about. Athletics has done that, and it goes a long way in building school pride for students and alumni."
 
The Lancers will be looking to further expand Longwood's name recognition and school pride by securing a fourth trip to an NCAA Regional, which they would earn by hoisting the Big South Championship trophy at the conclusion of this year's tournament. Longwood will enter the tournament as the No. 3 seed and will kick off the four-day, double-elimination tournament against the No. 6 seed at 2:30 p.m. in Wednesday's first round.
 
This year they will make that push for the first time on their home field, and – thanks to Watson – they'll be able to do it in style.
 
"I didn't think our field could look that much better, but it does," McCarthy said. "It looks legit. We love it."
 
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