Longwood University Athletics

FARMVILLE, Va. - Softball season is among us and the Lancers prepare for a difficult weekend ahead, taking on four different teams with Top 25 dreams. The team prepares for five games in the span of three days. 
 
LONGWOOD LANCER GAME NOTES
GAME LIVE STATS
ESPN+ STREAM (Longwood at UCF Saturday night)
 
The First Pitch:

• This tournament will mark the first time in history the Lancers will face both Fresno State and Minnesota. Longwood earned its first win against top competitor Georgia last season, pushing the overall record to 3-4 against the Bulldogs.
• Since joining the Big South in 2013, Longwood has never lost back-to-back games in the conference tournament, including the 2013 Big South Championship run in which they rattled off five straight wins after falling in the first round.
• Longwood has won five of the past eight Big South Championship tournaments since joining the conference in 2013 (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019).
• Longwood won six of its seven Big South regular-season series last season, including three-game sets against fellow tournament participants USC Upstate and Radford. Longwood's lone Big South series loss in 2021 was to league champion Campbell, who pulled off a 3-0 sweep on April 2-3.
• Looking on Longwood's watch list, they have returning wealth, and Big South Pitcher of the Year Sydney Backstrom, First Team selections Sydney Jacobsen, Lauren Taylor, and Second Team selection Mason Basdikis. 

 
By The Numbers:

• After seeing an upset in the 2021 Big South Tournament, Longwood returns in the 2022 season with a wealth of experience returning, and ranked third in the Big South Preseason Poll. 
• Sydney Backstrom is one of several returning arms for the Lancers, and was also picked as the Preseason Pitcher of the Year in the conference. Backstrom flourished in the previous season writing her name in the Longwood record books. The 2021 Big South Pitcher of the Year struck out nine batters in one of the last games for the Lancers, which ties for the second-most punch-out's by a Lancer in a Big South tournament game. The performance matched Big South Tournament MVP Libby Morris and two-time Big South Pitcher of the Year Elizabeth McCarthy, who struck out nine in a game, and trails only former Big South Tournament MVP Sydney Gay who fanned 10 against Presbyterian on May 13, 2016.
• With 130 steals last season, Longwood is only the second team in program history to surpass the century mark in that category. Only the 1999 Lancer squad stole more bases in the program's history, swiping 136 in 53 games.
• Sydney Jacobson is bringing back her hot hands and First Team Big South status, following a season finishing second in double-doubles in the Big South (12), and first in extra-base hits. Jacobson led the Lancers in batting average (.254), hits (44), doubles (13), triples (4), and slugging percentage (.462).
• Junior shortstop Lauren Taylor returns for the Lancers after starting and appearing in 54 games for the team in 2021. She is also a strong presence at the plate finishing the year with seven home runs, 26 RBI's, 34 hits, and eight doubles.
• After receiving second team honor in the Big South following a break out season Mason Basdikis also appeared in all 54 games for the Lancers, hitting in the top five for the team (.262) with 30 stolen bases, jumping to the top of he NCAA record book. Basdikis added 20 RBI's to the resume, as well as 32 hits, five doubles, and 85 assists which led the team.

Quoteables:

"We talk a lot about being a 'top 25 team' and what that means, and what it will take to be one. We want to be able to play with the best in the country so we have to think, act, and play with that top 25 mindset. We want to play fast, and set the pace of the game for other teams so we can catch teams off guard. If we have the mindset of 'top 25,' and we play hard and fast, we will be prepared to compete with teams that are in the top 25." -Head Coach Megan Brown 

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