ROCK HILL, SC—Looking to extend a three-game winning streak, Winthrop softball will have doubleheaders on back-to-back days when it takes on Gardner-Webb Wednesday on the road and will host Western Carolina on Thursday.
 
GAME SNAPSHOT
Winthrop (14-14, 3-0 BSC) at Gardner-Webb (7-17, 0-0 BSC)/vs. Western Carolina (5-11)
at Gardner-Webb: Wednesday, Mar. 22, 4/6 p.m.
Live Stats: Game 1 / Game 2
Live Video: (Big South Network) Game 1 / Game 2
vs. Western Carolina: Thursday, Mar. 23, 3/5 p.m.
Live Stats: Game 1 / Game 2
Live Video: none

SERIES HISTORY VERSUS GARDNER-WEBB
Winthrop and Gardner-Webb have faced each other 38 times and the Eagles hold a 27-11 advantage in the all-time series. The Eagles had won nine straight over the Runnin' Bulldogs before being swept in the regular season series last year in Boiling Springs, NC. Winthrop has won six of the eight three-game series in Big South action since Gardner-Webb joined the Big South in 2008-09. After getting swept by Gardner-Webb in the regular season last year, the Eagles bounced back to defeat the Runnin' Bulldogs 9-5 in the single-elimination game of the Big South Tournament.  

SERIES HISTORY VERSUS WESTERN CAROLINA
This will mark the 14^th and 15^th meetings between the Eagles and Catamounts as Winthrop leads the all-time series 9-4. Western Carolina didn't start softball as a collegiate sport until 2006 and in the last six meetings each team has won three. The last time these two teams met was 2015 with the Eagles winning 4-2.

A GLANCE AT THE EAGLES
The Eagles ended their six-game losing streak in a big way with a sweep of Presbyterian College in their league opening series. The Eagles outscored the Blue Hose 22-6 as the team received several different contributions. There were seven different players with an RBI and 10 different players crossed the plate. The team batted .476 (10-for-21) with runners in scoring position and had 13 two-out RBI. Through 28 games the Eagles are batting .264 as a team and hold an ERA of 3.13. The batting average ranks third among Big South schools and the ERA is tops in the league. The pitching staff is led by the sophomore duo of Keleigh Romine and Kiley Majette. Romine is 3-4 on the year with a 2.78 ERA in 11 starts (14 appearances) and leads the team with two saves. Majette is 6-7 on the year with a 3.42 ERA in 11 starts (15 appearances). Junior Maddie Antone's .419 average is second in the Big South and she's fourth in the league in RBI with 24. Freshman Ashley Westbrooks is second on the team with a .328 average while Brook Ellison (.314) and Paige Haley (.301) are also batting .300 or better. The last time the Eagles faced Western Carolina Antone and Haley each had two hits in the game. Haley didn't start the game but delivered a two-run go-ahead double in the 5^th and Antone provided some insurance with an RBI single.

A GLANCE AT THE RUNNIN' BULLDOGS
Gardner-Webb is 7-18 on the year and will be on the road at South Carolina Tuesday night before hosting the Eagles on Wednesday. It's been a week since Gardner-Webb was last in action on Mar. 14 when it hosted Syracuse in a doubleheader and fell 5-2, 6-2. On the year Gardner-Webb is 5-8 at home with home victories over Alabama A&M, East Tennessee State, Holy Cross and two over North Carolina Central. The team is batting .231 (6^th in the BSC) while posting a team ERA of 3.77 (4^th in the BSC).
 
GWU PLAYERS TO WATCH
HITTERS
Callie Thornton, So., 3B (.288 avg, 11 runs, 8 RBI, .397 on-base percentage)
Alia Booth, Fr., 1B (.268 avg., 7 runs, 3 triples, 11 RBI, .342 on-base percentage)
PITCHERS
Mackenzie Thompson, Sr., RHP (2-8, 3.55 ERA, 2 CG, 16 strikeouts, 26 walks, 51.1 IP)
Ashley Wark, Jr., RHP (3-5, 4.75 ERA, 21 strikeouts, 17 walks, 38.1 IP)
  
A GLANCE AT THE CATAMOUNTS
Western Carolina will be in action on Wednesday at Presbyterian College in a doubleheader before traveling to Rock Hill for a doubleheader on Thursday. The Catamounts have dropped six straight heading to PC with four of the losses coming by two runs or less. The team is batting .269 while averaging 4.3 runs per game and holds a team ERA of 3.91 while allowing 4.2 runs per game.   
 
WESTERN CAROLINA PLAYERS TO WATCH
HITTERS
Hunter Gibbons, So., OF (.333, 10 runs, 6 2B, 2 HR, 14 RBI, .583 slugging percentage)
Courtney Price, Sr., OF (.313, 11 runs, 4 HR, 8 RBI, .646 slugging percentage)
PITCHERS
Courtney Buchanan, Sr., RHP (1-5, 2.80 ERA, 28 strikeouts, 22 walks, 40.0 IP)

WHAT'S ON DECK FOR THE EAGLES?
Following back-to-back days of doubleheaders the Eagles will actually have the weekend off and won't be back into action until Tuesday, Mar. 28 when they head to Conway, SC to take on their former Big South rival Coastal Carolina. The two teams will play a doubleheader start at 1 p.m.
 
MAJETTE NAMED BIG SOUTH PITCHER OF THE WEEK (2^nd TIME THIS SEASON)
Kiley Majette was named the Big South Conference Pitcher of the Week on Mar. 20 It is the second time this season Majette has garnered the weekly honor. She went 2-0 on the week in four relief appearances as she posted a 0.54 ERA with no walks and 12 strikeouts in 13 innings. She allowed six hits on the week with just one going for extra bases. Majette threw 2.0 innings, allowed a hit, one unearned run with no walks and two strikeouts at Jacksonville State. In game one of the series against Presbyterian, Majette tossed the final two innings as she gave up one hit (no runs) and tallied five strikeouts. She earned the win in game two vs. PC as she tossed 5.1 innings. She allowed one hit (no runs) with no walks and tallied three strikeouts. She then tossed the final 3.2 innings of game three to earn another win as she allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits with no walks and two strikeouts.

BIG SOUTH PRESEASON POLL
Winthrop is picked to finish seventh in the Big South Conference preseason poll, but has expectations of being toward the top of the league. With the addition of Antone and the consistency of Paige Haley through her career at the plate along with the emergence of Leah Young, Morgan Lowers and Blake Wallert the Eagles expect to have a lot more firepower up and down the lineup than the last few years.