The First Pitch:
• Longwood is in the midst of seven straight on the road, the team's second longest road swing of the year.
• The Lancers will take on Bethune-Cookman for a three-game series in Florida. Bethune-Cookman is the furthest that the Lancers will travel this season when they head down to Daytona Beach.
• The series with the Wildcats marks the first meeting between the two teams in Longwood's history.
• By the end of the series, the Lancers will have half of their early non-conference schedule on the road.
• The series is Longwood's first weekend series away from home though. For Bethune-Cookman, the Wildcats have played all but one game at home.
• The longest road trip of the season for the Lancers is an eight-game venture that sees the Lancers open with back-to-back conference trips on the road to Gardner-Webb and UNC Asheville with midweek trips to VCU and Richmond. The trip spans from Friday, March 17 to Tuesday, March 28.
•
Eliot Dix has a team-best .382 batting average while
Gregory Ryan leads the team with 10 RBI.
Last Series Notes:
• Longwood ran into a buzz saw at 21st ranked N.C. State on Tuesday to start the seven-game road swing. The Wolfpack powered past the Lancers 14-0 in seven innings.
• The Lancers responded with a strong effort at Liberty one day later in a losing effort, 9-7.
• Liberty struck first and scored six runs through four innings, but Longwood rallied and put the tying run on base in the late innings.
• The bottom of the Lancer lineup,
Drayven Kowalski and
Michael Dolberry, combined for three hits, four runs scored, a home run and three RBI to help the Lancers rally.
• Kowalski hit a solo homer, his first of the season, and Dolberry added a two-run single in the seventh and a rally-starting base knock in the ninth.
• However, the Flames were able to limit the damage and prevent the tying run from crossing home plate.
•
Drew Camp also hit his first home run of the season for the Lancers.
Around The Bases:
• Longwood was picked to finish sixth in the Big South Preseason Poll after finishing eighth in the final standings in 2022.
• The Lancers are tied for the Big South lead in home runs, with 12 on the season.
• Eight different players have homered for the Lancers:
Eliot Dix,
Gregory Ryan,
Hayden Harris and
James Nelson,
Dylan Wilkinson,
Luis DeLeon,
Drew Camp and
Drayven Kowalski.
• Ryan and Nelson both lead the Lancers with three home runs apiece.
• The duo are tied for second in the Big South with each other.
• Ryan is also tied for second in the Big South in RBI with 10, a mark that leads the Lancers.
• Dix has eight RBI and is tied for ninth in the Big South.
• Dix also leads the Big South with 13 hits, and he is riding a six-game hitting streak.
• Ryan is tied for second in the Big South with 12 base hits.
• Dix is also tied for fifth in the Big South with three stolen bases.
• The Lancers have also drawn 47 walks as a team, which is tied for second in league
• Longwood has hit 15 doubles, which ranks fourth in the Big South.
• On the mound,
Andrew Potojecki is fifth in the Big South with a 1.69 ERA through two starts.
Ryan Miller is ninth with a 2.45 ERA.
•
Ryan Miller is fourth in the Big South with 14 strikeouts, and
Andrew Melnyk is tied for seventh with 12.
Logan Berrier is the third pitcher in double figures for the Lancers, and he has 10 through two starts.
• Potojecki leads the Big South with six batters struck out looking.
• Melnyk has now struck out 12 batters across 5.1 innings of relief work. He has the team's lone save on the season.
• The left-hander struck out six straight to earn a save in the series opener against Delaware State. He entered with Longwood holding a 5-4 lead, and he struck out six in a row after issuing a walk to the first batter he saw.
• In his first appearance of the season, Melnyk struck out half the batters he faced. The lefthander struck out six in 3.1 innings of work on Sunday, Feb. 19 against Mount St. Mary's.
• In Head Coach
Chad Oxendine's first season last year, the Lancers posted 20 wins for the first time since 2016.
• In addition, the team had its best conference winning percentage (.471, 10-14)) since that 2016 season saw the Lancers go 14-10 in Big South play.
#GoWood #HorsePower
