Rock Hill, S.C.— Winthrop is back on the road Feb. 27-Mar. 1 as it heads to Greenville, S.C. for the Paladin Invitational hosted by Furman University.
GLANCE AT THE EAGLES
- Winthrop and Seton Hall meet for the first time while the Eagles are 2-0 all-time against West Georgia and lead the series with George Mason 11-6
- The Eagles and Paladins will meet for the 68th time as Furman leads the all-time series 35-32
- Winthrop is coming off a one-run loss to #19 South Carolina on Wednesday
- It was the fifth one run game of the season as the Eagles are now 2-3 in those games
- Winthrop has won four of its last five games
- Eagles have scored 10 or more runs in back-to-back games for the first time since February of 2020 when they scored 11 vs. N.C. A&T and then 17 against Delaware State
- In four games of the Coach Cooke Memorial Tournament, the Eagles had eight home runs
- Emmy Cardenas tossed a complete game to earn her first win in the circle this season as she allowed two unearned runs on two hits with three walks and two strikeouts vs Mount St. Mary's
- Rebecca Amos went 4-4 during the second game against Drexel and brought in three of the 16 runs earned by Winthrop
- Amos currently leads the team in batting average (.412) and runs (16)
- Peyton Bryden leads the team in RBI (16) followed closely by Tia Beckham (15) and Darrah Nickens (13)
- Bryden hit the walk-off double in the win over George Washington this past weekend
- Beckham had 11 RBI during the Coach Cooke Memorial Tournament and after a two-run bomb against South Carolina on Wednesday now has 13 RBI in her last five games
- Beckham also has a seven-game hitting streak, her longest of the season so far and has reached base safely in eight straight
- Beckham hit a double to left center to clear the bases and get the Eagles the win in the first game against Drexel on Friday
- Nickens had her first game as an Eagle with multiple home runs as she hit two out against Drexel
- Opened the home slate with the Garnet & Gold Tournament as the Eagles took 3-of-4 games
- Winthrop earned its first win in its first game of the Garnet & Gold Tournament, defeating Kent State 4-2
- Lonna Addison shined in the circle as she allowed two runs on four hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts
- It was the second time in her Winthrop career she struck out 10 or more batters in an appearance
- After going 0-for-3 in the home opener vs. Kent St., Nickens was nearly unstoppable the rest of the weekend, going 8-for-10 the final three games of the tournament
- Nickens earned Big South Co-Player of the week honors (Feb. 17) for her performance
- On the opening weekend at the Gamecock Invitational, Bryden led the team with five runs, smashed two home runs and had three RBI
- Eagles opened the season at the Gamecock Invitational, dropping all four contests
- Two of the losses on the opening weekend were by one run (Syracuse and #20 Virginia Tech)
- The Eagles opened the season with a 1-0 loss to #20 Virginia Tech, where the only run of the game was unearned
- Addison allowed the unearned run on three hits with two walks and four strikeouts
- Eagles are batting .289 as a team, which is third in the Big South and leads the conference with 16 home runs
- Returning are a total of 14 players from the 2025 roster after losing two starters Megan Powell and Emma Jackson
- In the win over Le Moyne, the Eagles trailed 4-3 when freshman Rebecca Amos tied it in the 4th with an RBI single
- Ali Bunch, who came into pitch and bat to start the 5th, earned the win in the circle thanks to her three-run walk-off home run with two outs
- It was Bunch's first career home run
- Tia Beckham, Peyton Bryden, and Grayson Buckner highlight the returning starters
- Also returning are Aspen King, Mili Watts, Ashlyn Bunn, Annelisa Winebarger, Lonna Addison, Sophia Lawson, Emma Roberson, Tabitha Perry, Madelyn Miller, and Emmy Cardenas
- Katie Beck, who tied for second on the team in home runs as a freshman with 10, will miss the 2026 season
- This is the 53rd season in the history of the Winthrop softball program
- The game vs. West Georgia on Friday will be the 2,421st game in program history as the Eagles hold an all-time record of 1,283-1,134-3
LOOKING BACK AT 2025
- Eagles season came to an end in the Big South Championship game for a second straight season in 2025
- It was the 15th time in the history of the program that the Eagles played in the championship game
- Had the first 30-win season since 2019 and finished tied for 3rd in the league standings
- The Eagles batted a team average of .247 in the 2025 season
- Beckham was the 2025 Big South Newcomer of the Year
- Beckham started in all 53 games she appeared and batted .275 with 23 runs, 44 hits, 10 home runs, and a team-high 40 RBI
- Buckner, the only senior on the roster, started all 53 games she appeared in, batting .226 with 16 runs, 35 hits, and four home runs
- Bryden leads the returning players with a batting average of .302 and started 52 of her 53 game appearances
- Addison was the number two pitcher in 2025 and turned in strong season in the circle with an 11-6 record with a 2.92 ERA
- Addison was 5th in the Big South in ERA, 6th in strikeouts and tied for 6th in wins
- She capped off her first season as an Eagle with a Big South All-Tournament selection along with Powell and Jackson
- There are nine newcomers on the roster this year with seven freshman and two juniors
- The win over Gardner-Webb in the opening game of the series gave the Eagles 20 wins on the year in their 30th game
- It was the fastest to 20 wins since the 2007 team did it in 29 games
- Since 2007 the fastest team to 20 wins was the 2010 team (31 games) and more recently the 2023 team did it in 32 games
HEAD COACH KENDALL FULLER
- Kendall Fuller is in the third season of her second stint with the Eagles
- She joined the Winthrop staff as an assistant coach in 2013, was promoted to Associate head coach in the fall of 2014 and with three games remaining in the 2015 season was promoted to Co-Head Coach with Mark Cooke
- Fuller remained Co-Head Coach for the 2016 and 2017 seasons
- In July of 2020 she was named the head softball coach at Lees-McRae and in three seasons compiled a 65-68 overall record
- Led the team to a 32-18 mark in 2023, setting the program record for victories in a single season
- That season they had a runner-up finish in the Conference Carolinas regular season
- For the team's success in 2023, Fuller was named the Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year
- In her career leading the Winthrop program she has a 105-134 (170-202) career record
- In her first season with the Eagles she led the team to within a game of a Big South title and NCAA Regional appearance
2026 SEASON HONORS
- Tia Beckham – Junior – Outfielder
- 2026 Big South Preseason All-Conference Team
- Darrah Nickens – Redshirt Junior – Utility
- Big South Co-Player of the Week (Feb. 17)
RECORD BOOK WATCH/CAREER MILESTONES
- Grayson Buckner (includes stats from Lees-McRae)
- Reached 100 career hits with a single in the first vs. Youngstown State (139)
- Reached 50 career RBI after driving in five on the opening weekend (71)
- She also made her 100th start in the game vs. St. John's
- Tia Beckham (includes stats from N.C. State)
- Reached 50th career hit after going 2-for-3 against Robert Morris (57)
- After a two-run home run vs. #19 South Carolina, now has 55 RBI as an Eagle in 65 games played
- As an Eagle she now has 13 home runs and 15 doubles
- Hit her second grand slam as an Eagle in the first inning of the 16-6 win over Drexel
TICKETS WILL BE SOLD FOR HOME TOURNAMENTS, SOUTH CAROLINA GAME FEB. 25
Tickets will be sold for the Garnet & Gold Tournament, the Mark Cooke Memorial, the Winthrop Invitational and the single-game on Wednesday, Feb. 25 against South Carolina.
Click here to purchase.
JOIN THE EAGLE CLUB
The Eagle Club is the official fundraising arm of Winthrop Athletics. Your generosity directly supports Winthrop Athletics and helps provide our student-athletes with the resources they need to succeed on and off the field. From facility upgrades and enhanced game-day experiences to scholarships, equipment, travel, and academic support, every dollar makes a difference
.
By investing in the Eagle Club, you're helping us build a stronger future for Winthrop Athletics—one that prioritizes excellence, opportunity, and a championship culture.
Click here to join or donate today.
WINTHROP IMPACT NETWORK
Winthrop Athletics is proud to announce the launch of WIN: Winthrop's Impact Network- a distinguished philanthropic giving society established to support and elevate Winthrop's 16 NCAA Division I programs and nearly 300 student-athletes.
In the new era of college athletics, it is critical now more than ever to generate revenue to provide Winthrop student-athletes with the resources and opportunities needed to compete for Big South championships and advance in the NCAA tournament. Winthrop's Impact Network members will have an elite level of direct impact on the future of Winthrop Athletics. For more information,
click here.
WATCH THE EAGLES
Select home games as well as all Big South away games are available to watch through the Big South Network on ESPN+. To watch live Big South games on ESPN+, you need a subscriber. For more information how to subscribe,
click here.
UP NEXT
Winthrop will be back in action next weekend (Mar. 6-8) as it hosts the Winthrop Invitational. The Eagles will open up on Friday, Mar. 6 at 3:30 p.m. against Georgia State and then face ETSU at 6:00 p.m.
Keep up with all the latest news and everything Winthrop softball by following us on our social accounts –
Twitter |
Facebook |
Instagram
