Rock Hill, S.C.— Winthrop softball is back in action Tuesday, Feb. 25 as it travels to Cullowhee, N.C. for a noon doubleheader at Western Carolina.
 
Game Info: Winthrop at Western Carolina | Cullowhee, N.C. | Feb. 25, 2020 | 12 p.m./2 p.m. | Catamount Softball Complex (map)
Watch: N/A
Live Stats: Sidearm
Stats: Winthrop | Western Carolina
Social: @Winthropsoftbal | #ROCKtheHILL | #EverStand

WINTHROP EAGLES
Record: 8-7
Coach: Windy Thees
Career Record/Years: 442-369/16^th season
 
WESTERN CAROLINA CATAMOUNTS
Record: 1-1
Coach: Jim Clift
Career Record/Years: 174-299/9^th season
 
SCOUTING WESTERN CAROLINA

• Catamounts have just two games under their belt this season with a doubleheader split at Clemson to open 2020
• Catamounts spoiled the inaugural Clemson softball game with a 2-0 win before the Tigers bounced back for an 8-0 victory in five in game two of the twin bill
• Freshman Savannah Rice tossed a complete game shutout allowing seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts in the 2-0 win
• Rice was named to the SoCON Pitcher of the Week for her performance
• Return three of the team's Top 5 hitters from a year ago
• Welcome eight freshman to the roster this season and have a total of 11 underclassmen

GLANCE AT THE EAGLES

• Eagles and Catamounts meet for the 19^th and 20^th time on Tuesday
• Winthrop leads the all-time series 11-7 as it fell 9-4 at home to the Catamounts in 2019
• With last year's loss the Eagles have now dropped three straight to Western Carolina
• After winning three straight and six of seven the Eagles have dropped two in a row
• Batting .285 as a team led by senior Ansley Gilreath (.425) and junior Taylor Charlton (.400)
• Gilreath is tied with Tori Walker for the most extra base hits (5)
• Charlton leads the team in RBI (12) as she's one of four players with 10 or more RBI
• Sabrina Shroades has made five straight starts and has multiple hits in four of the five games
• Shroades now has eight starts in 12 games she's appeared and is batting .400
• Madyson Watson is 4-3 in the circle while freshman Aisha Weixlmann is 3-1
• Watson has a 3.15 ERA with 40 strikeouts to eight walks in 40 innings and is tied for 13th nationally in shutouts (2)
• Weixlmann has a 2.68 ERA with 37 strikeouts to nine walks in 31.1 innings
• Eagles have performed well with runners in scoring position through 15 games, batting .378
• Charlton is an impressive 6-for-8 (.750) with RISP and Shroades is 7-for-9 (.778)
• Lead the Big South in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.16) and are second in doubles with 20

HEAD COACH WINDY THEES

• Head coach Windy Thees is in her second at Winthrop and in her 16^th season as head coach of a collegiate softball program
• Spent five seasons at Georgia State & College compiling a 163-92 record followed by six years at Memphis (172-151) and three seasons at Ole Miss (69-94)
• In her 16 seasons she's compiled an overall record of 442-369 and a record of 279-277 at the helm of a D1 program
• Led Ole Miss to five wins over nationally-ranked opponents that included a 2-0 victory at #1 Florida in 2014
• In 2003 she led Georgia State & College to a runner-up finish in the Division II National Championship
• Thees was a four-year starter at Florida State as both a catcher and second baseman

RECORD BOOK WATCH

• Senior Ashley Westbrooks is inking her name into several All-Time Top 10 categories in program history
• After Sunday's two RBI, Westbrooks now has 104 in her career which ranks 9^th all-time
• She is just one RBI away from 8^th place and six away from 7^th
• Westbrooks also moved into 15^th on the all-time hit list with 166
• At the Green & White Classic she reached 30 career doubles and now has 32, ranking her tied for 9^th all-time
• She is also tied for 10^th in career home runs with 18
• Ansley Gilreath is moving up the all-time RBI list and reached 100 career hits recently (106)
• Gilreath has 73 RBI in her career and looks to become the 19^th Winthrop player to reach 80 in a career

SCHEDULE

• Winthrop has played the most games away from home than any other team in the Big South so far this season (10)
• Eagles are tied with Gardner-Webb for the most road wins in the league
• Eagles have seven opponents on the schedule this season that finished in the Top 100 RPI in 2019
• There are four opponents this season that played in the NCAA Regionals last year
• Eight teams the Eagles face finished in the Top 3 of their respective leagues last year and five of them played for a conference championship
• Winthrop has 22 non-conference opponents schedule with just three matchups against teams for the first time (Clemson/Georgetown/Army)
• South Carolina, who the Eagles meet on Mar. 11, is ranked 22^nd in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and 17^th in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll

BIG SOUTH PRESEASON POLL
Winthrop was picked 4^th in the Big South Conference preseason poll, three votes behind Campbell in third. Longwood received eight of nine first-place votes followed by USC Upstate which received one first-place vote. Following the Eagles in the poll were Radford, Charleston Southern, Gardner-Webb, Hampton, and Presbyterian College. Winthrop finished fourth last season at 14-10 while Campbell finished a half-game ahead at 14-9.
 
UP NEXT
Following the game against the Catamounts the Eagles will have a week off and be back on the field Wednesday, Mar. 4 at home in a single-game against Coastal Carolina at 4 p.m.
For everything Winthrop softball visit www.winthropeagles.com or follow us on social media @Winthropsoftbal, winthropsoftball (Instagram) or www.facebook.com/Winthrop-Softball.