FARMVILLE, Va. -- Coming off winning two-of-three games against Radford Saturday and Sunday, the Longwood softball team faces a challenging pair of games Tuesday and Wednesday to close its regular season non-conference slate with contests versus Liberty and at No. 5 Duke.
Both games will be streamed on an ESPN platform, as the the Lancers' home finale opposite the Lady Flames is set for ESPN+ and the Blue Devils' game is slated for ACC Network Extra.
SHORT HOPS
▪ Longwood holds a 44-26 lead in the all-time series with Liberty, dating to the 1983 season. The Lancers went 4-0 against the Flames that year. Longwood is 3-3 against Duke, including a 4-3 victory in Farmville against the then-No. 8/9 Blue Devils on April 26, 2023.
▪ Longwood has played the 67th most difficult schedule in NCAA Division I softball in 2024 as of April 21, with a cumulative record of 1,155-889-4 (.563), combining past and future opposition.
▪ The Lancers batted .343 last week in five games in a midweek doubleheader at James Madison and while taking a Big South Conference series from Radford at home. Junior center fielder Emily Vinson led the way, hitting 5-for-8 (.625) on the week, pacing a group of six Lancers batting better than .300 in that span.
▪ Freshman left-hander Cierra Gawryluk went 1-1 with a 1.83 ERA in 15 1/3 innings on the week, pitching a 6-0 complete-game shutout in game two against Radford Saturday, also picking up her second save in the series finale Sunday.
▪ Lauren Fox (team-best .345 batting average) has hit safely in 30-of-43 games played this season. Fox and Kayley DeVivi each boast team-leading, seven-game hitting streaks.
BY THE NUMBERS
2 ▪ 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.
1 ▪ Longwood leads the Big South Conference in home runs per game at 0.66, hitting 29 home runs in 44 games. The Lancers are 106th in the NCAA in the category.
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 551-371 (.598) record since becoming Division I eligible for the 2007 season. The Lancers are in their 18th season in Division in 2024.
12 ▪
Maggie Chapin has pitched six shutouts this season to rank 12th in the country. She owns all but one of the Lancers' shutouts. LU is 83rd 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, 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 April 1 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. She claimed the honor again April 15, hits home runs in consecutive at-bats Sunday versus Winthrop. Sophia Knock was Player of the Week 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 following 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 record 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 19 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 appearances (36) which is third nationally, innings pitched (157 2/3), which is ninth, shutouts (six) which is 12th overall and wins (14), which is 49th in the NCAA.
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 108-101 (.517) overall and 59-24 (.711) in Big South play.
EVERYDAY TAYLOR
Shortstop Lauren Taylor has played in 228 career games for the Lancers, a figure that ranks 37th in NCAA Division I among active players. She is also 46th in all NCAA divisions.
