FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood opens up a five-game road swing with a three-game series at Radford on Saturday and Sunday, April 12-13.
SHORT HOPS
â–ª Longwood heads on the road for a three-game series at Radford, with the matchup featuring the top two teams in the Big South.
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â–ª Longwood leads the all-time series with the Blue Hose 41-26. The Lancers havewon eight of the last 10 games against Radford, and the team took two of three at Radford in 2023, their last trip to Radford Softball Stadium.
▪ The Lancers have won six straight game, the team's longest winning streak since the 2023 season when it also won six games in a row. The last time the Lancers won seven straight games was in 2022, when Longwood won the final six games of the regular season followed by a first round win in the Big South Tournament.
â–ª Avery Drake has now played 205 Division I softball games. She appeared in 121 at Houston Christian from 2020-23 and has played 81 in two seasons at Longwood. Drake is currently 48th in NCAA Division I in career games played.
â–ª Longwood leads the Big South Conference and is 64th in the NCAA in strikeouts per seven innings with its pitching staff fanning a solid 5.79 batters per seven innings. Individually,
Maggie Chapin also ranks 58th in the country in the category at 7.7 strikeouts per seven innings.
â–ª Maggie Chapin has struck out at least seven batters in six different games this season, including in her two starts against Presbyterian.
BY THE NUMBERS
10 â–ª
Longwood will play 10 teams in the top 56 of the final 2024 RPI, including Women's College World Series finalist No. 1 Texas and super regional qualifier No. 11 Georgia.
56 â–ª
Avery Drake is 43rd in Division I among active players in career stolen bases with 56. She played at Houston Christian (2020-23), where she swiped 39 bags.
71 â–ª
Longwood played the 71st toughest schedule in 2024 with its opposition amassing a 1,448-1,185-4 record for a .550 winning percentage.
5 â–ª
Head coach
Dr. Megan Brown has five wins over Power 4 schools in her time at Longwood. No other Big South institution has more than two since her arrival in 2021.
19 â–ª Longwood has played to a 566-397 (.588) record since becoming Division I eligible for the 2007 season. The Lancers are in their 19th season in Division I in 2025.
BIG SOUTH UPSWING
Longwood has won six straight games following a bye after opening Big South play. The Lancers lead the Big South with a .315 batting average in nine conference contests.
Five Lancers are hitting better than .350 in Big South play, with
Kate Westmiller leading the team with a .421 batting average in those nine conference games.
Brooke Bennett (.389),
Maryanna Guy (.368),
Avery Drake (.360) and
Sophia Knock (.357) are also in the top 15 in the league.
Maggie Hiatt and Guy, meanwhile, lead the conference with 12 RBI apiece in Big South action.
Hiatt, Guy and Knock all lead the Big South with three home runs apiece as well.
POWER PLAY
Longwood has hit 12 home runs as a team in nine Big South games, a mark that leads the Big South.
No other team in the league has more than nine home runs in conference play.
Maggie Hiatt,
Maryanna Guy and
Sophia Knock have hit three home runs apiece in Big South play.
KNOCK NAMED PRESEASON BIG SOUTH PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Junior first baseman
Sophia Knock was tabbed Preseason Big South Player of the Year on Jan. 22. 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.
Knock is the third Longwood player to earn the honor, joining Megan Baltzell in 2014 and 2015 and Bug Batten in 2019.
CHAPIN, GAWRYLUK ALSO PRESEASON ALL-BIG SOUTH
Junior right-handed pitcher
Maggie Chapin and sophomore lefty
Cierra Gawryluk were named to the preseason all-Big South team, along with
Sophia Knock.
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.
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.
DR. BROWN NAMED TO NFCA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Head coach
Dr. Megan Brown was selected to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Board of Directors, announced on Oct. 21. Brown, who signed a five-year contract extension in the summer to stay in Farmville through 2029, is serving a three-year term as the organization's Vice President for Education, which began on Jan. 1, and is one of three first-time board members. Brown joins California junior college representative Marian "Speedy" Mendoza of Fullerton College and travel ball representative Suzy Willemssen from Virginia Glory.
THERE ARE ONLY FOUR
Longwood is one of only four teams in NCAA Division I softball which has returned all of its pitching staff from the 2024 season. The others are Jacksonville State, Notre Dame and North Dakota State.
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, 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 two of the last four Big South regular-season titles under fifth-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.
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