Longwood University Athletics

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The miracle run finally came to an end for Longwood baseball on Sunday night.
 
A persistent and gritty Lancer (34-27) team had its tournament run for the ages stymied by No. 3 USC Upstate in the final possible game of the Big South Championship.
 
Longwood played the maximum number of games—seven in five days—but the team always played with its trademark joy and connectednes. The Lancers never wavered in belief and never backed down from any challenge that the was thrown their way.

"What an absolutely epic run at this thing," said Longwood Head Coach Ray Noe. "I couldn't be prouder of this team and these players. They competed and battled with everything they had and have nothing to hang their heads for."
 
However, Upstate (33-28) took an early lead and was able to shut down a Longwood team that just ran out of steam after forcing the "if necessary" game earlier in the day, taking down the Lancers 8-1.

Even so, the Lancer run will go down in the team's record books. The team advanced to the Big South Championship game for the first time and finished Big South Runners-Up for the first time as well. The team's 34 wins tie the team's highest mark in the past two decades, and the team passed the 30-win plateau for the third time in the past two decades.

"Belief and willpower is a powerful thing, and that's what fueled us this week," Noe added. "They refused to go home and wanted one last game with each other. To make it through five elimination games to get to the winner-take-all final game is nothing short of incredible."
 
In addition, the team's 20-win improvement from last season matches the best mark in team history, which was set in the 1991 season when the team went to the Division II World Series.
 
In the process, Longwood became the first team in the Big South to beat the other five teams in the six-team version of the Big South Tournament. And they did it with their trademark chaos on the bases and attacking mindset that have become staples under Noe. 

"This select group of 50 individuals rewrote the history of Longwood baseball while setting the foundation for things to come," Noe said. "We're here, and we aren't turning back."

Following the conclusion of the tournament, Jon Howard, Ben Pulliam, Jae'dan Carter and JR Fordham all were named to the Big South All-Tournament Team. It is the first time Longwood has had four players selected for All-Tournament honors.

Big South All-Tournament Team

INF - Wylie Waters, USC Upstate (MVP)
INF – Jon Howard, Longwood
INF – Nathan Martinez, Charleston Southern
INF – Landen Johnson, High Point
OF – Ben Pulliam, Longwood
OF – Trey Bentley, USC Upstate
OF – Henry Zenor, USC Upstate
DH – Tyler Wright, Charleston Southern
C – Tyler Lang, USC Upstate
UTL – Jae'dan Carter, Longwood
P – Brent Stukes, USC Upstate
P – JR Fordham, Longwood

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• Howard had 11 RBI in the Big South Tournament and homered in four of the seven games. He also scored eight runs.
• Pulliam scored eight runs and tallied 10 RBI. He had four doubles and two home runs.
• Carter had 10 RBI in the tournament.
• Tre Keels drew his 46^th walk of the season in this final game, which broke the single-season record set by Justin Mitchell in 2018.
• In hte game, Joe Castrichini went 5.2 innings, his deepest outing since February for the Lancers.

UP NEXT:
 
The season is complete for the Lancers.
 
#GoWood #HorsePower