CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Longwood softball team has been picked to finish third in the 2026 Big South preseason poll, the league announced Wednesday.
The Lancers received one first-place vote and 30 points in the voting. Radford heads the poll with five first-place votes and 47 points, while USC Upstate is second with the remaining first-place nod and 41 points.
Seniors Maggie Chapin and Sophia Knock were also selected to the preseason all-Big South team.
Chapin went 9-13 with a 4.51 ERA in 107 innings and 26 games in the circle in 2025. Knock batted .226 in 53 games with 10 doubles, six home runs and 20 RBIs. Both have earned all-Big South honors with Knock being named preseason Player of the Year prior to the 2025 season.
Rounding out the preseason poll is Winthrop in fourth with 29 points, Charleston Southern in fifth with 23, Gardner-Webb in sixth with 14 and Presbyterian with 12.
Longwood finished 21-32 overall last season, going 11-7 in the Big South.
The Lancers open 2026 Feb. 6-8 at the NFCA DI Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla., against against Pittsburgh, Southern Louisiana, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Boston College.
