ROCK HILL, SC—Winthrop softball just spend seven days on the road in Florida and just over 24 hours from returning to Rock Hill it will be back on the road for a three game series at Liberty this weekend.
 
GAME SNAPSHOT
Winthrop (10-17) at Liberty (11-13)
Site: Lynchburg, VA (Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium)
Game 1: Friday, Mar. 18, 2016, 5 p.m. (ESPN3)
Game 2: Saturday, Mar. 19, 2016, 2 p.m.
Game 3: Saturday, Mar. 19, 2016, 4 p.m. (approx.)
Live Stats: Game 1 / Game 2 / Game 3
Live Video: Game 1 only (ESPN3)
Live Audio: Game 2 & 3 Only
 
BIG SOUTH OPENERS/SERIES HISTORY
Since 2002 the Eagles are 9-4 in Big South openers. Since the league moved to three-game series in 2007, Winthrop has taken 6-of-9 three-game sets with the Flames. Last season the Eagles swept Liberty at home and have captured the last two series away in Lynchburg. Winthrop leads the all-time series 39-30 and has won 10 of the last 12.
 
A GLANCE AT THE EAGLES
Eagles have dropped four straight heading into league play. Over the last three seasons the Eagles have finished .500 or better in conference play and have won 38 total league games. Last season the Eagles captured 14 league wins, which are tied for the second most in the program's history.
 
WHAT'S LIBERTY BEEN UP TO?
The Flames enter league play having lost two of the last three games, but coming off a 9-0 win over LaSalle. Like the Eagles, Liberty has been involved in a lot of tournament action having competed in Clermont and Orlando, FL as well as Waco, TX, Ruston and Baton Rouge, LA. The Flames have averaged 4.6 runs while allowing 4.0. As of Mar. 13, the Flames are second in the Big South in stolen bases with 39. Liberty has a situation similar to the Eagles as a key player (Megan Winningham) has recently started play this season and made an immediate impact.  Mickey Loveridge missed the start to the season but has played in 10 games recently and has 10 runs, two doubles and nine RBI in that span while batting .533. Ryle Reynolds leads the team officially in batting with a .339 average. Jaclyn Amader and Alexia Taylor lead the Flames with 13 RBI each. Amader has 13 runs, a team-high eight doubles and is 8-for-10 stealing bases while batting .329. Taylor is batting .321 with 14 runs and five doubles. Chase Cassady, who was recently named the Big South Pitcher of the Week, has the most innings pitched on the roster with 63 and is 6-5 with a 3.56 ERA. Cassady has struck out 68 batters while walking 43. Julie DiMartino is 3-5 on the year with a team-best 2.46 ERA with 59 strikeouts to 22 walks in 54 innings. Cassady has 13 starts and 14 appearances while DiMartino has started nine games and appeared in 14. Chandler Ball has seen action in 13 games with one start as she sports a 2-3 mark with a 3.50 ERA and 23 strikeouts to 31 walks in 34 innings.
 
FRESHMEN WATCH
Most of the team's in the nation depend on veteran players to fill their starting lineups and will have a freshman here or there but this year's Winthrop team depended on all of its freshmen heavily. The majority of the pitching staff is made up of freshmen as the trio of Kiley Majette, Keleigh Romine and Chace Helms have combined for 124.1 of the team's 167.1 innings thrown this season. Majette is tied for the most starts in the circle with 10 and has the most appearances with 19. Romine has 13 appearances, four starts and has also excelled in her three at-bats with two base hits and most recently a walk against top-ranked Florida. Helms made her third start of the season against #1 Florida on Wednesday and threw four innings before Majette came in to finish the game. Morgan Lowers has made the majority of her 23 starts in left field. She's batting .268 with eight runs, has a team-best five doubles and ranks tied for fourth on the team with nine RBI. Blake Wallert was the main starter at short in the first 14 games of the season before suffering a minor injury against Canisius that forced her to miss a couple of games. She's since played four games (twice vs. UNCW, vs. Fairfield and at Florida). Waller is batting .250 (.294 at the time of the injury) with nine runs and four RBI. Toni Pancione has made nine starts this season and appeared in 20 games as she has five runs and four RBI. Brooke Ellison has played in 15 games with nine starts and has four runs and is 4-for-4 stealing bases.
 
YOUNG, HALEY AMONG TOP HITTERS IN BIG SOUTH
Leah Young has hit more home runs this season than her first two seasons combined. The redshirt junior first baseman has seven on the year, which is tied for third in the Big South and tied for 26^th nationally. Young played in 23 games with five starts as a freshman with no home runs and hit three out of the park last season as she started all 51 games she played. Her slugging percentage of .667 is 8^th best in the league. She's also tied for second in the Big South with two triples, fourth in the league in RBI and is 7^th with 44 total bases. Haley's .338 average is 11th best in the Big South. one run out of the Top 8 and 9th in on-base percentage (.421). On a defensive not for Haley, she's 2^nd in the league in runners caught stealing with seven. 
 
EAGLES TESTED HEADING INTO CONFERENCE PLAY
The Eagles have gone through a tough schedule both against competition and travel so far this year. The Eagles have faced #12 Georgia twice, #15 Kentucky twice, and most recently top-ranked Florida. The three of them are a combined 73-7. There are seven of Winthrop's opponents this season ranked in the Top 50 of win-loss percentage. Eight of them are in the Top 50 of batting average, seven for earned run average and six of them in scoring. Of Winthrop's 20 NCAA D1 opponents this season, 14 of them have a winning record as of Mar. 17.