CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Longwood junior infielder Sophia Knock has been named to the 2025 Big South Preseason Player of the Year and to the preseason all-conference team in softball, the league announced Wednesday.

Longwood was picked second in the preseason coaches poll, garnering 37 points and one first-place vote to finish behind 2024 regular-season and tournament champion, USC Upstate, with 48 points and the remaining six first-place votes.

Knock also landed on the preseason All-Big South team along with junior right-handed pitcher Maggie Chapin and sophomore lefty Cierra Gawryluk.

Knock had a breakout sophomore season earning All-Big South first team honors in 2024, belting a league-high 10 home runs while batting .326 with 31 RBIs, 46 hits and 24 walks. She was named Co-Big South Player of the Week on Feb. 27 after hitting three homers in a game against Northern Iowa. She added solo shots in the next two games against Brown and Stetson, as well, both Longwood victories.

Chapin was named to the All-Big South second team last season after pitching to a 14-14 record with a 4.13 ERA in 157 2/3 innings over 36 outings, including 25 starts. She struck out 102, walked 88 and posted 14 complete games (80th in the NCAA), six shutouts (24th nationally) and earned one save.

Chapin struck out a career-high nine in a 5-2 win at East Carolina on Feb. 18.

Gawryluk earned a Big South All-Freshman Team nod in 2024 while being named to the Big South All-Tournament Team. She pitched to a team-best 3.84 ERA over 30 games and 13 starts, going 4-7 overall in 89 1/3 innings with 34 strikeouts.

Gawryluk collected consecutive Big South Freshman of the Week honors on April 22 and 29. The Suffolk, Va., native pitched to a team-best 3.84 ERA over 30 games and 13 starts, going 4-7 overall in 89 1/3 innings with 34 strikeouts, two complete-game shutouts and two saves. She struck out a season-high seven in a 7-5 Big South tournament elimination-game win over Charleston Southern on May 10.

Winthrop finished third in the preseason poll with 30 points, followed by Charleston Southern and Gardner-Web (25 each), Radford (19) and Presbyterian (12).

The Lancers, who finished 19-33 overall and 11-7 in the Big South last season, open 2025 at the 39th Annual Louisiana Classics in Lafayette, La., Feb. 7-9 against George Mason, Texas, Seton Hall and the host Ragin' Cajuns.