FARMVILLE, Va. --Â The Longwood softball team hosts Charlotte Tuesday for a midweek contest at Lancer Field with first pitch slated for 5 p.m. The game can be heard on WVHL 92.9 FM with Sam Hovan on the call.
SHORT HOPS
 ▪ The 49ers hold a 4-0 advantage in the all-time series, dating to the the first matchup on April 8, 1989, a 1-0 decision at the UNCG Tournament. In last season's meeting on April 19 in Charlotte, the Lancers scored two in the first and five more in the fifth, but Charlotte used a six-run bottom half of the inning to take the lead for good, winning, 9-7. Four Lancers had two hits apiece and
Maryanna Guy belted a three-run homer and added a two-run double.
â–ª Longwood has played the 59th most difficult schedule in NCAA Division I softball this season as of April 1 with a cumulative record of 881-688-4 (.561), combining both past and future opposition.
â–ª Senior right fielder
Kayley DeVivi and sophomore right-hander
Maggie Chapin were named Big South Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, the league announced Monday. DeVivi batted 8-for-9 (.889) with two home runs, two doubles and nine RBIs, while Chapin went 2-0 with a one-hit shutout and 0.00 ERA as the Lancers took two of three games from Presbyterian in Big South action at home.
BY THE NUMBERS
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Kayley DeVivi has hit two game-ending, three-run home runs this season, helping the Lancers beat Fairfield, 8-0, Feb. 17 and Presbyterian, 10-1, March 29, in five innings.
8 ▪ The Lancers were slated to play eight teams that advanced to the 2023 tournament, including Women's College World Series teams, Alabama and Tennessee.
2 ▪ LU earned a pair of victories in 2023 against teams in the top 10 of the national polls, winning at No. 4 Florida State on Feb. 11, 5-4, and versus No. 8 Duke April 26, 4-3.Â
5 ▪ A league-high five Lancers were named to the 2024 preseason All-Big South Team –
Korynna Anderson,
Er'ron Burton,
Lauren Fox,
Maryanna Guy and
Lauren Taylor.
18 ▪ Longwood has played to a 546-363 (.601) record since becoming Division I eligible for the 2007 season. The Lancers are in their 18th season in Division in 2024.
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Maggie Chapin has pitched five shutouts this season to rank 10th in the country. She owns all the Lancers' shutouts. LU is 91st nationally in the category as a team.
LANCERS TIED ATOP BIG SOUTH PRESEASON POLL
Longwood was picked in a tie for the top spot the 2024 Big South Conference Preseason Poll, released Jan. 24. The Lancers received four first-place votes and 45 points in the poll to tie with USC Upstate.
BIG SOUTH PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Right fielder
Kayley DeVivi became the fourth different Longwood player to earn a Big South weekly honor when she was named league Player of the Week Monday for the first time in her career. Right-hander
Maggie Chapin earned Big South Pitcher of the Week plaudits for the second time this season, as well.
DeVivi's .889 batting average tied for the national lead in the category for the week with Skyler Shaw of UNLV. Her three RBIs per game for the week also tied for tops in the nation with Jocelyn Erickson of Florida and Jenna Golembiewski of Miami University. She also finished second in the NCAA for the week in on-base percentage (.900) and third in slugging percentage (1.778).
Catcher
Maggie Hiatt earned Big South Freshman of the Week March 4, hitting .600 (6-for-10) with a home run, two doubles, seven RBIs with a 1.100 slugging percentage, helping Longwood to a 3-1 week with two wins over Brown and one against Stetson at the Tennessee Classic.
Sophia Knock was Player of the Week nod Feb. 27 following her three-home run game against Northern Iowa.
BIG SOUTH DOMINANCE
Since joining the Big South Conference in 2013, Longwood has emerged as the league's premier team. Under former head coach Kathy Riley, who retired after the 2020 season, the Lancers won five of seven Big South titles, doing so in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019.
Longwood's five Big South championships are the third most in league history and the most by any team in a seven-year span. Only Coastal Carolina (1992-2012) and Winthrop (1987-Present) have won more, with six titles apiece.
The Lancers have won the last two consecutive Big South regular-season titles under fourth-year head coach
Dr. Megan Brown.
LONGWOOD IN NCAA REGIONALS
Longwood has advanced to five NCAA Division I regionals and reached the regional final in 2016 and 2017. The Lancers played in the NCAA postseason in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019, tying former member Coastal Carolina for the most regional appearances in Big South history.
Longwood is 5-10 overall in NCAA Division I regional play, securing the most NCAA postseason wins by any Big South softball team. The Lancers played to a 2-4 in a pair of NCAA Division II regionals in 2002 and 2003.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK
Against Northern Iowa on Feb. 23, infielder
Sophia Knock become the fourth Longwood player in history with a three-home run game and first since Emily Murphy did it in an 8-6 Big South tournament victory over Campbell on May 11, 2013. Knock is one of 12 Division I players to hit three homers in a game this season.
CHAPIN A WORKHORSE
Sophomore right-hander
Maggie Chapin leads the Big South Conference in wins (11), which is 38th nationally. She also is tops in the league and 10th in the NCAA with five shutouts. Chapin leads the league in appearances (27), which is fourth in the nation. Additionally, the Shawnee, Kan., native has 85 strikeouts, which is fourth in the conference and 80th overall.
KEEPIN' IT 100
With the Lancers' 4-0 win in game two of the March 16 doubleheader at Gardner Webb, fourth-year head coach
Dr. Megan Brown reached 100 career coaching wins. She is now 103-93 (.526) overall and 54-20 (.730) in Big South play.
EVERYDAY TAYLOR
Graduate student shortstop
Lauren Taylor has played in 215 career games for the Lancers, a figure that ranks 48th in NCAA Division I among active players.
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