CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Five Longwood softball players, led by first-team selections Brooke Bennett and Sophia Knock, have been named to the 2026 All-Big South Conference Teams, the league announced on Tuesday.
Junior Maggie Hiatt earned second-team recognition, senior Maggie Chapin picked up an honorable mention citation and Ava Abromavage received All-Freshman Team accolades. Chapin was named the Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the first time a Longwood player has claimed the honor in softball.
Bennett, who earned first-team honors and a spot on the All-Freshman Team last season, batted .340 (52-for-153) with a 1.028 OPS with a team-leading nine home runs, 34 RBIs and a .595 slugging percentage. Bennett had 10 doubles, one triple, scored 22 runs, had 21 walks and posted a .433 on-base percentage.
A native of Crestwood, Ky., she tallied nine multiple-hit games and seven multiple-RBI games with Longwood's longest hitting steak of the season at seven games.
Knock, a preseason All-Big South selection, batted .322 with 48 hits in 149 at-bats. She scored 30 runs with seven doubles, one triple and six home runs while tying for the team lead in RBIs with 34. Knock posted a .909 OPS, .503 slugging percentage and a .426 on-base percentage. She hit .320 in Big South play with three doubles, one homer and 12 RBIs. She led the team with 13 multiple-hit games and 11 multiple-RBI games. The year-end honor for the Liberty, Ind., native is the fifth of her career.
Hiatt, who was named to the All-Freshman Team in 2024, led the Lancers with a .341 batting average this season, adding seven doubles, seven home runs and 27 RBIs. A Henrico, Va., product, Hiatt walked a team-best 30 times, posted a 1.047 OPS, .569 slugging percentage and a .478 slugging percentage. In 17 conference games, she batted .341 with a 1.122 OPS with three doubles, three homers and six RBIs.
Chapin was a Preseason All-Big South selection while being named Co-Big South Pitcher of the Week on March 10 and Big South Pitcher of the Week on April 13. The Shawnee, Kan., native pitched to a 13-13 record with a 3.65 ERA, leading Big South with 185 strikeouts and finished second with 172.2 innings pitched. She was also third with a .245 opposing batting average, fourth in the conference in wins and tied for third in saves with two.
She fired her first career no-hitter March 29 against USC Upstate.
Academically, Chapin, who is a 3.945 student in biology and a four-time All-Big South selection has been named Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete and to Big South Presidential Honor Roll in three straight seasons. Chapin is also a two-time honoree on the Academic All-District Softball Team®, as selected by College Sports Communicators. Finally, Chapin won Longwood's Joan of Arc Award for Excellence as a junior.
Abromavage batted .298 in Big South play with two doubles, three walks and five stolen bases without being caught. A Fairfax Station, Va., native, she posted seven multiple-hit games and three multiple-RBI games on the year. Abromavage tied for Longwood's third longest hitting steak of the year at five games.
The Lancers finished the season 21-32 overall and 7-10 in the Big South.
