ROCK HILL, SC—Winthrop softball team has won 2-of-3 in Big South Conference play and hopes to maintain its momentum heading to Longwood for a weekend series.
 
GAME SNAPSHOT
Winthrop (12-25, 2-6 BSC) at Longwood (16-11, 4-2 BSC)
Site: Farmville, VA (Lancer Field)
Game 1: Friday, Apr. 1, 5 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, Apr. 2, 1 p.m.
Game 3: Saturday, Apr. 2, 3 p.m. (approx.)
Live Stats: Game 1 / Game 2 / Game 3
Live Audio:  Game 1
Live Video:  Game 2 & 3


SERIES HISTORY VERSUS LONGWOOD
The Eagles and Lancers have met 14 times with Longwood leading the all-time series 9-5. Since Longwood began competing in the Big South for softball in 2013, the Eagles are 3-8, having been 5-0 prior to them joining the conference. Last season the Eagles opened up their series with the Lancers with a 4-2 win before dropping the series with losses of 4-2 and 8-3. The two teams met earlier this season in Columbia, SC as the Eagles fell 7-1. The Eagles have won game one of the conference series with Longwood in each of the last two seasons, including a 14-3 win in Farmville in 2014.
 
A GLANCE AT THE EAGLES
The Eagles are coming off a midweek clash at Charlotte on Tuesday in which they dropped both games of the doubleheader 2-0 and 9-1. Winthrop used the second game of the twin bill to start six freshmen and seven total underclassmen as this young group continues to grow. The Eagles continue to rely on three freshmen to make up their pitching staff with Dallas King still out with an injury. Over the last seven games (even with the 9-1 loss) the trio has combined for an ERA of 3.13 with 26 strikeouts to 15 walks (four of which came in 2^nd game vs. Charlotte) in 44.2 innings. During that stretch, freshman Morgan Lowers has been on a tear as she's extended her hitting streak to eight games and is 12-for-25 at the plate with three runs, four doubles and two RBI in the last seven games batting leadoff. For her efforts at PC and home to Radford she was named the Big South Player of the Week. Senior Zharne Glover has also been hitting well during the last seven games at .350 with three runs, two doubles, a home run and for RBI (most on the team in that stretch). In the first meeting with Longwood this season, Paige Haley and Megan Winningham were not in the lineup. Haley is batting .278 against the Lancers in her career with hits in five of six games facing them. One of Winningham's best individual efforts at the plate in her career came against Longwood as a freshman when she was 4-for-5 with three runs and five RBI. In her career she's batting .333 against Longwood in four games and three of her five hits are for extra bases. Senior Kim Ryder has the most experience against Longwood and six career runs scored against the Lancers and her only career home run.
 
A GLANCE AT THE LANCERS
Longwood is coming off a doubleheader sweep of East Carolina during the week but is looking to get back on track in league play after dropping a home series with Charleston Southern last weekend. The Lancers, who feature the league's top pitching staff with a league-leading ERA of 2.28 (31^st nationally), captured the first game against the Bucs, but then fell 5-4 and 9-5 to drop its first conference series. Of Longwood's 11 losses on the season, five of them have come to Power 5 opponents. The Lancers are tied for second in the league with 49 stolen bases and will be facing one of the league's best in throwing out base runners from behind the plate in Haley. The team is fifth in the league with a .282 batting average and is led by Emily Murphy with a .333 average (13^th in the league). Like the Eagles, Longwood is one of the lowest ranked teams in the Big South in extra base hits with 55 (Winthrop has 60). Glenn Walters leads the Lancers with five home runs, tied for first with two triples and tied for second with five doubles. Despite losing the series at home to CSU, Longwood is 7-3 in its last 10 games and 9-2 at home this season.
 
LONGWOOD PLAYERS TO WATCH
HITTERS
Emily Murphy, Sr., SS (.333, 13 runs, 6 doubles, 17 RBI, .447 on-base percentage, 9-14 SB/SBA)
Glenn Walters, So., OF (.329, 24 runs, 5 doubles, 5 HR, 14 RBI, .446 on-base percentage, 11-11 SB/SBA)
Carly Adams, Sr., 2B (.328, 19 games, 11 runs, 5 doubles, 12 RBI)
PITCHERS
Elizabeth McCarthy, Jr., LHP (9-6, 2.22 ERA, 16 starts, 91.1 IP, 85 SO, 38 BB)
Sydney Gay, Fr., RHP (6-4, 2.27 ERA, 8 starts, 64.2 IP, 66 SO, 31 BB)
  
BIG SOUTH HOME OPENERS
Winthrop captured its first home game in league play in 2015 with a 4-2 victory over Longwood. That game was also the conference opener for the Eagles as well. Winthrop went on to drop the series 2-1 and has not won its first home series in the Big South since 2010 when it opened its home schedule against league opponents with a doubleheader sweep of PC.
 
HEAVY ROAD SLATE FOR EAGLES IN CONFERENCE PLAY
The Eagles opened its Big South Conference schedule on the road, which is where it will spend the majority of its time against league competition this season. Winthrop has a total of 24 league games scheduled and 15 of those will be played away from Terry Field. Already having played at Liberty, the Eagles will also travel to PC, Longwood, Campbell and Gardner-Webb for league series. The Eagles will finish the regular season with its final seven games on the road against league opponents.
 
LOWERS NAMED BIG SOUTH PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Lowers had a hit in all five conference games last week with multiple hits in four of five games played, and batted .556 with a slugging percentage of .722. She led the Eagles against Presbyterian and Radford to help the Eagles secure their first two conference wins of the season. She opened up the Radford series 3-for-4 with a run and RBI to help the team to a 6-3 win and was 2-for-4 with a run and RBI in a 6-3 win on Saturday to help clinch the series. She's now hit safely in six straight, which is the second six-game hit streak she has this season with a career-best seven-game hitting streak coming in the middle of March.
 
WHAT'S ON DECK FOR THE EAGLES?
The Eagles will get their first midweek break since they had no games between the two tournaments they hosted back at the end of February and early March. Winthrop returns home to take on Coastal Carolina for a three-game series that starts with Friday's game, scheduled to air live on ESPNU stating at 6:30 p.m. The first game of the series with CCU will be the beginning of six out of eight games at Terry Field before the Eagles finish the season with seven straight road games.
 
EAGLES TO HOST NATIONALLY TELEVISED GAME AGAINST COASTAL APRIL 8
Winthrop's single-game on April 8 is the series opener against Coastal Carolina and that game will air live on ESPNU at 6:30 p.m. It will be the Eagles first game on ESPNU since the 2013 Big South Championship game on Terry Field against Longwood.
 
WINTHROP HOSTING BIG SOUTH TOURNAMENT
The Winthrop Softball Complex and Terry Field will be the site of the 2016 Big South Conference Softball Championship May 11-14. It will be the 14^th time the tournament will be hosted by Winthrop and first time since 2013. Ticket sales will be located at the Terry Softball Complex main entrance and will be $20 for an All Session pass ($15 for Youth/Senior/Student with I.D.), $10 All Day pass ($7 for Youth/Senior/Student with I.D.), and the championship game will be $5 for adults, $3 for Youth/Senior or students with an I.D. For more information contact Larry McLaine, ticket manager, at (803) 323-2345 or mclainel@winthrop.edu.