Leading Off
•Longwood enters the week off of a tough pair of weekends to open conference play. The Lancers took on High Point in the opening weekend in Farmville, followed by three games at Winthrop.
•High Point was picked to finish third in the league, while defending regular season champion Winthrop was the preseason favorite in the Big South.
Winthrop and High Point each won their first two weekend series.
•The game at Virginia will be the first of 15 games for the Lancers against in-state competitors. Longwood was scheduled to host Norfolk State last Tuesday, but the game was canceled due to precipitation and cold temperatures.
•The Lancers will return to conference play at Charleston Southern this weekend before beginning a streak of 18 straight games in the Commonwealth. Longwood will play 12 of 17 games in April at home.
Last Time Out
•Longwood fell in all three games at Winthrop, dropping the first, 4-3, and second, 8-0, in a doubleheader Friday. In the final game of the series the Lancers trailed, 12-1, before battling back in the final innings, scoring six runs in the last three innings, including four in the ninth, before falling, 15-7.
By The Numbers
•In just his second career start junior right-hander Cody Boydstun put together a gem, tossing 7.2 innings against Niagara on February 24. Boydstun struck out eight batters with two earned runs allowed, setting career highs in punchouts and innings pitched.
•In the first game of a doubleheader March 10 against Iona Cody Boydstun tossed his first career complete game with 9.0 innings of two-run ball. Boydstun struck out six in his first win as a starter.
• Junior right-handed relief pitcher Eric Harp picked up his first-career Big South Relief Pitcher of the Week award for his dominance at USC Upstate on March 4.
•Harp, a 6-foot-9 relief ace, tossed 4.0 shutout innings with one hit and one walk with 11 strikeouts. In the final game of the series Harp tossed 3.2 perfect innings, striking out nine of 11 batters faced.
•Steven Farkas put together his first quality start of the season with 6.0 scoreless innings March 9 against Iona. Farkas struck out 12 batters with three walks and five hits allowed, but received no decision.
•Michael Catlin, who has gone between the bullpen and starting rotation throughout his career, has made his mark as a starting pitcher in 2018.
•Catlin finished just shy of his first career quality start twice before finally breaking through with 6.0 innings of one-run ball in his second win of the season March 10 against Iona, the second game of a doubleheader.
•Catlin moved back to the bullpen during the series against High Point, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings and collecting a save in the first game of the series.
•Redshirt-junior Eric Crain has received more playing time in March, making eight starts in the month, all as the DH. Crain is second on the team with 8 RBI.
•Longwood has posted four quality starts on the season with Cody Boydstun posting two in his first season as a starter.
•All three starting pitchers - Steven Farkas, Boydstun, and Michael Catlin - each picked up quality starts in the weekend series against Iona that began March 9. The three starting pitchers averaged 7.0 innings, one run, and seven strikeouts for the series.
•Eric Harp picked up the Big South Relief Pitcher of the Week award on March 5, becoming the ninth Lancer to win a weekly award.
Big South Player of the Week
Date Player
3/10/14 Alex Owens
4/27/15 Kyri Washington
Big South Pitcher of the Week
Date Player
3/10/14 Aaron Myers
3/7/16 Cody Boydstun
3/20/17 Cody Wager
4/17/17 Cody Wager
Big South Relief Pitcher of the Week
Date Player
3/5/18 Eric Harp
Big South Freshman of the Week
Date Player
4/24/17 Antwaun Tucker
5/15/17 Antwaun Tucker
Scouting Virginia
•Longwood and Virginia last met at Davenport Field April 18, 2017, with UVA taking the game, 13-2. The Lancers and Cavaliers are set to play for a fifth straight season.
•UVA enters the weekend off a sweep at the hands of Miami (FL) in Coral Gables. The Cavaliers dropped the first game in 11 innings, 3-2, and the second game of the series, 1-0, before Miami took the finale, 8-1, on getaway day.
•The Cavaliers are led in hitting by Andy Weber, who leads the team in batting average (.340), runs (17), hits (32), extra-base hits (7), RBI (18), total bases (33), and slugging percentage (.468).
•Nate Eickhoff is second on the squad in average (.288), doubles (4), home runs (2), RBI (17), total bases (33), and slugging percentage (.413).
•Despite a .250 average, Caleb Knight has the team high in on-base percentage (.447) thanks to 14 walks drawn and being hit by pitch 13 times, tied for the most in the NCAA.
•The starting rotation for UVA is led by Evan Sperling, who has a 3.04 ERA, backed by Daniel Lynch, who has a 3.18 ERA, and Derek Casey has a 3.83 ERA.
•Out of the bullpen Blake Rohm has made six appearances and has not allowed a run in 6.1 innings. Bobby Nicholson has posted a 1.93 ERA in 18.2 innings, while Bennett Sousa has tossed 21.0 innings, the most of any UVA reliever.
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