Rock Hill, S.C.— Winthrop softball opens Big South Conference play Mar. 12-13 as it hosts North Carolina A&T for a three-game series.
WINTHROP vs. NORTH CAROLINA A&T
WHERE: Rock Hill, S.C. | Terry Field
WHEN: Saturday, Mar. 12, 3 p.m. (single-game) | Sunday, May 11, 11 a.m./1 p.m. (doubleheader)
RECORDS: Winthrop (6-14, 0-0 Big South) / North Carolina A&T (9-10, 0-0 Big South)
LIVE STATS: Game 1 /
Game 2 /
Game 3 |
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+ |
Game 1 /
Game 2 /
Game 3
FOLLOW: @Winthropsoftbal
GLANCE AT THE EAGLES
- Winthrop is 36-2 all-time against North Carolina A&T and won the most recent meeting 11-5 (Feb. 19, 2020 in Greensboro, N.C.)
- That was just the second meeting since 2010 between the Eagles and Aggies
- Junior outfielder Paige Rivas leads the team with a .382 average, which ranks 10th in the Big South
- Paige Rivas is in the midst of a nine-game hitting streak, the longest by any Eagle this season and tied for the 3rd longest since 2014
- Ashton Vanhouse is second at .325, third in runs (8) and stolen bases (7)
- Macy McCall is averaging .271 and has 18 runs and 13 stolen bases
- Her 18 runs are tied for second and 13 stolen bases ranks second in the Big South
- Lauren King leads the team with nine RBI while Kaitlyn Tucker is second with eight
- Freshman Sydney Boulware ranks 3rd in the Big South in strikeouts (69) while freshman Reese Basinger is 9th in the league with 38
LOOKING BACK AT 2021
- Eagles are coming off a 26-24 campaign in which the team won six out of the final eight games of 2021
- In 2021 the Eagles as a team finished with the 4th most homeruns (49) and stolen bases (88) in a single-season in program history
- The team set the program single-season mark for hit-by-pitch and the 5th best on-base percentage
- Return 12 players from last year's team while welcoming nine newcomers
- Among the departed are Big South All-Conference performers Ansley Gilreath, Ashley Westbrooks and Madyson Watson
- Westbrooks and Gilreath combined for 67 doubles, 59 homeruns, 251 RBI and 135 walks in their careers
- Watson was the ace in the pitching circle and also did damage at the plate with 17 runs, seven homeruns, and an on-base percentage of .354
- Also gone is catcher Taylor Charlton, who batted .283 with 12 homeruns and 31 RBI
- One of the top returning players is junior Macy McCall, who set the program record for stolen bases in a season with 48
- Her 48 stolen bases were also ranked 2nd in the nation (NCAA D1)
- McCall led the Big South Conference in runs with 43 and her .362 average was second-best in the league
- Other returning starters include Kaitlyn Tucker, Lauren King, and Bailey Warren
- Tucker was 1-of-3 players on the team in 2021 to appear in all 50 games (49 starts) as she made 48 starts at short
- King made 27 starts at second, 16 at third and was 1-of-5 players with 21 or more RBI (21)
- Warren spread out her 44 starts between catcher, left field, right field and the designated player
- Tucker and Warren were both named to the Big South All-Freshman Team
- Warren was second behind McCall in stolen bases with 14 (14-for-15)
- The Eagles were voted 4th in the Big South Conference Preseason Poll
HEAD COACH WINDY THEES
- Head coach Windy Thees is in her third season at Winthrop and in her 17th 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 17 seasons she's compiled an overall record of 476-410 and a record of 314-320 at the helm of a D1 program
- In her first season with the Eagles the team earned 30 wins, which are the second-most for a first-year head coach in program history
- In her first season she also guided the team to the Big South Conference Tournament Championship game, falling in the if necessary game to Longwood
- 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
- McCall's single-season record of 46 stolen bases in her first year with the Eagles puts her tied for 6th all-time in program history
- McCall now has 59 career stolen bases as an Eagle
- The program record for stolen bases is 71 by Charlene Smith (1989-92)
- If McCall can match her run total of 43 from last season, she'll pull within 25 runs of the program's all-time Top 10
UP NEXT
Eagle step away from league play with a midweek clash at #14/15 Clemson on Tuesday, Mar. 16 at 6 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.
