By CHRIS COOK
LongwoodLancers.com

FARMVILLE, Va. – The last time a television crew of this magnitude came to Longwood's campus, the university was taking center stage as the host of the 2016 Vice Presidential Debate.
 
Now Longwood University is set to return to the national spotlight courtesy of the dynasty Lancer softball program, which will host a nationally televised game on ESPNU this Sunday at 5 p.m. direct from Lancer Field.
 
For approximately two hours on the world's most far-reaching national network for college sports, Longwood's powerhouse softball program will do battle with the school's biggest rival, Liberty University, in a showdown between the top two teams in the Big South. The game is one the Big South handpicked months in advance for one of its precious few national television broadcasts this year, and it will mark the first time in the school's Division I era that a Longwood team plays host to a nationally televised game from its campus.
 
Both Longwood and Liberty have done their part in building up Sunday's showdown to its national billing. Liberty enters Sunday's game atop the Big South standings, leading Longwood by a slim two-game margin. The Flames held that top spot without a conference loss until Friday when the Lancers, led by a clutch three-run homer from freshman masher Jenna Dunn and a lights-out start from freshman Sydney Backstrom, handed Liberty a 6-2 loss that split a series-opening doubleheader. Now Sunday's game will decide the winner of the series between the two Big South heavyweights, and the world will watch it happen.
 
It's a grand setup for a historic moment for Longwood, and that's not even including the heat between the two longstanding rivals. As if the matchup needed any more fuel added to its fire, the memories of Longwood's upset win over Liberty in Big South Championship game still weighs heavy in the air at Lancer Field.
 
It's one of the best games the Big South will offer all year, and Sunday in Farmville Longwood will have a lion's share of that national spotlight.
 
"I think we definitely know what rides on the line and what we have coming," said Longwood's workhorse catcher Kaylynn Batten. "But we've been there before. I think we're well prepared. We just have to go out there and play our best game."

As Batten intimated, Longwood is no stranger to the national stage. The Lancers have appeared on ESPN's networks multiple times in recent years, including a win over Radford on ESPNU last season and an ESPN2 appearance against Tennessee in the 2017 NCAA Regional.
 
But Sunday's game isn't just another television appearance for Longwood. While those TV games may never get old for the Lancers and their far-reaching fanbase, the significance of a Longwood program bringing ESPN to campus cannot be overstated. It's unprecedented exposure for Longwood athletics, and it's fitting that Longwood softball – inarguably the school's most successful program in the Division I era – is the team carrying that flag.
 
It will be up to Longwood to rise to the occasion…again, that is.
 
#GoWood