Longwood University Athletics

Games 1-4: Longwood at Elon , Rhode Island, and Seton Hall
Site	Elon, North Carolina (Hunt Softball Park)
Time	Saturday, February 8-9
Game Notes	Longwood (PDF)
Season Statistics	Longwood | Elon | Rhode Island | Seton Hall
Live Stream	Stretch Internet (February 9 only)
Live Stats	Rhode Island | Seton Hall | Elon (Game 1) | Elon (Game 2)
Social Media	@LongwoodLancers | @LongwoodSB

Leading Off

• Longwood opens its 38th season of softball Saturday, as the Lancers play in the first of four early season tournaments at the Elon Softball Classic.
• Longwood was voted as the Big South preseason favorite for the fifth consecutive season. In addition, Sydney Backstrom was tabbed as the league's preseason Pitcher of the Year.
• The Lancers open their 2020 campaign with the hopes of claiming their sixth Big South title in eight seasons at the Elon Softball Classic. Longwood will play four games in two days at the Hunt Softball Park on the campus of Elon University.

By The Numbers

• Longwood looks to get back to the NCAA Regionals in 2020, as the Lancers look to win their sixth Big South Championship in eight seasons.
• Longwood's 2020 slate will pit the five-time Big South Champion Lancers against a stacked non-conference gauntlet that include four conference champions, six NCAA Regional qualifiers, and one opponent who participated in the Women's College World Series. On the schedule in 2020 consist of College World Series contender, the University of Florida, along with ACC power-houses, Florida State, Duke, University of North Carolina, and Virginia Tech. NCAA Regional qualifiers, North Dakota State. Florida A&M, and James Madison and South East Louisiana also appear on the docket for the Lancers.
• Longwood returns three players that earned Big South accolades in 2019, including Big South Coach of the Year Kathy Riley. Joining Riley with conference honors is Sydney Backstrom, Sydney Jacobsen, and Alexis Wayland.
• Longwood softball head coach Kathy Riley enters her 23rd season leading the program. Longwood's all-time winningest coach, Riley has accumulated 723 careers wins at Longwood and 810 wins in her illustrious career.
• Longwood has swept 25 of the three-game series it has played among conference foes, while accumulating a 122-39 (.758) regular-season record since joining the Big South.
• The Lancers have won 44 of their 52 series against Big South conference opponents since joining the league.

Scouting Elon

• Elon enters the season picked to finish second in the Colonial Athletic Association after finishing the 2019 season 33-20-1 and 13-7 in CAA play.
• Elon posted its third 30-win campaign in the last five seasons.
• Elon head coach Kathy Bocock returns for her ninth season with the Phoenix softball program. While at Elon, Bocock has amassed 215 wins for the Pheonix.

Scouting Rhode Island

• Rhode Island enters the season looking to improve on their 2019 season where the Rams finished 17-29 and 6-14 in the Atlantic 10.
• The Rams have improved their win total in every season dating back to the 2016 season.
• Ari Castillo led the Rams in batting the previous season as a freshman, hitting .392 for the season, with a team-best 56 hits, and eight home runs.

Scouting Seton Hall

• The Pirates are coming off a 24-24 record last season with 10 BIG EAST wins.
• The Pirates recently picked fifth in the conference in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Hailey Artega leads the Pirates in hitting boasting a .408 average from the plate in 2019. Artega finished her junior campaign with 62 hits and 38 RBI's.


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