While the Longwood softball program has seen success in previous seasons, they are looking to improve and accomplish feats they haven’t this year.
After coming up short in the conference tournament last season, the team looks to recapture conference supremacy and has an ultimate goal of winning an National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) regional this season.
Two players received conference preseason accolades; senior pitcher Sydney Gay was named the Big South preseason co-pitcher of the year, and senior catcher Kaylynn “Bug” Batten was pegged as the league’s preseason co-player of the year.
“Definitely for my senior year it is very exciting to be named co-pitcher of the year, definitely gives me a confidence boost knowing people are thinking of me as being higher up there,” Gay said.
Gay, who serves as captain alongside Batten in their final seasons, serves as the first pitcher in their rotation.
Batten was tabbed as the number one batter in the early-season Lancer lineup. She said the team has to play with consistency in order to contend when the Big South tournament comes around in May.
“Consistency is very important when you come out here and play for any player, (and) it is very important to have a group that can be consistent and carry the team. It is something that we aim for,” said Batten.
Being picked as league favorites comes with a great deal of pressure, and for long-time Head Coach Kathy Riley who has come to be familiar with this position, pressure won’t be a focal point.
“It can cause pressure. The one thing we have really done is not talk about it,” Riley said. “We come out and we talk about how good we can practice that day or week.”
The team understands this season won’t be easy with other Big South powerhouses challenging for a championship, including newcomer USC Upstate, who were picked second in the preseason poll.
Riley explained how this might change their rivalry, saying former Big South program Liberty leaving would alter the dynamic of the conference.
“Liberty is right in our backyard and we have a natural rivalry with them, so now our rivalry might switch to Upstate and Radford a little bit more.”
This year's schedule is headlined by notable out of conference opponents including: Big 12 foes Texas A&M and Texas on the road, and ACC oppositions UNC (Chapel Hill) and UVA at home. The regular season ends on May 4 as the Lancers will take on cross-town rival Liberty, now a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference.
The team currently sits at 5-2 early in the season after sweeping the “Lancer Launch” tournament they hosted, featuring two wins over Robert Morris and a 6-4 victory over Norfolk State University. The team will be back in action on Friday, Feb. 22, as a participant in the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Invitational in North Carolina.
Senior Kaylynn "Bug" Batten looks to make contact to generate run support for the Lancers.
Senior Jordan Clark crosses the plate during a recent doubleheader against Robert Morris. Clark currently leads the team with a .353 batting average.
