HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The Railsplitters (13-5, 5-1 SAC) return to South Atlantic Conference play this weekend with a three-game set against the red-hot Wingate Bulldogs (14-7, 1-2 SAC) at Lamar Hennon Field. Here's everything you need to know:
 
Schedule/Game Day Links:
 
Friday, March 11 vs. Wingate - 4 p.m. Live Stats | Video
Saturday, March 12 vs. Wingate - Doubleheader at 1 p.m. Live Stats
 
Quick Hits:
-The Railsplitters are 1-1 on their current six-game homestand after picking up a 27-8 win over Shorter on Tuesday and falling in a back-and-forth contest to Lee 9-8 on Wednesday. Lincoln Memorial feasted on Shorter's short-handed pitching staff, drawing a program-record 19 walks and piling up 16 hits. Eric Kalman (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Mason Ewers (Kingsport, Tenn.) hit two home runs apiece and combined for 10 RBI to power that offensive assault. In Wednesday's game against Lee, the Flames peppered seven extra-base hits around the yard, including four home runs, to sneak past the Railsplitters in the first meeting between the two programs since 2003.
-Lincoln Memorial has consistently hit for power in recent years, ranking among the top three in the South Atlantic Conference in home runs in each of the past three seasons. Heading into the 2016 campaign, head coach Jeff Sziksai thought this team would have to find different ways to score, but through 18 games the Railsplitters are ranked fourth in the league with 19 home runs. LMU has hit multiple home runs in six games this season. Ewers is fronting the Railsplitters in that department with five home runs, which ranks fourth in the South Atlantic Conference.
-Freshman Ethan Elliott (Knoxville, Tenn.) is one of just three pitchers in the conference with a perfect 4-0 record, as the southpaw is sporting a 2.73 earned run average and a .211 batting average against through his first four career collegiate starts. To put Elliott's start into perspective, future MLB Hall of Famer Scot Shields holds the program's single-season record for wins with 11, but Joe Workman and Brad Reeder are tied for second with nine. No LMU pitcher has won seven games in a season since both Mitch Kramer and Josh Strawn accomplished that feat in 2009.
-Elliott isn't the only freshman making an immediate impact for the Railsplitters. Shortstop and leadoff hitter Seth Hunt (Knoxville, Tenn.)  is batting .297 with a .430 on-base clip, as he has recorded four doubles and driven in 17 runs. HD Dillard (Woodstock, Ga.) is hitting .333 with 21 RBI, seven doubles and a home run. He has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 appearances.
-The Railsplitters are off to their best start in South Atlantic Conference play since joining the league for the 2007 season. Lincoln Memorial had a similar start in 2014, though, winning seven of its first nine league games en route to a third-place SAC finish.
 
Notes on the Bulldogs:
-Wingate - the defending SAC tournament champions - dropped games one and two at Mars Hill in the SAC opening series, but has since ripped off six consecutive wins, most recently defeating UNC Pembroke 11-3 on Tuesday. The Bulldogs swept a three-game series against Bloomsburg last weekend.
-Despite graduating five of their top eight hitters off of last season's prolific offense, the Bulldogs are still a formidable bunch at the plate. Wingate is batting .323 as a team with a .466 slugging percentage, but is ranked second-to-last in the league in on-base percentage with a .382 clip. The Bulldogs have scattered 69 extra-base hits, which ranks third in the SAC.
-Junior middle infielder Shane Billings is in the midst of another tremendous season for the Bulldogs with a .453 batting average that includes nine doubles, four triples, 16 RBI and 12 stolen bases. Billings is carrying an 18-game hitting streak into the weekend, a stretch that includes 13 multi-hit games. Freshman Zach Little is hitting .349 with four doubles and 15 RBI, while Bill Krebs leads the team with five home runs and 24 RBI. Junior Colby Barnette can't be ignored, either, as the junior infielder has eight doubles and two homers in spite of a .259 batting mark.
-The Bulldogs' pitching staff has been stellar so far this season, ranking third in the SAC with a 3.79 ERA and a .266 batting average against. They will be looking to bounce back from a rough weekend at Mars Hill, though, when they were tagged with a 7.77 ERA and a .333 batting average against. Both Brandon Donahue and Jordan Newsome are 3-1 for the Bulldogs. Donahue is carrying a 3.21 ERA with 26 strikeouts through 28 innings, while Newsome has a 3.52 ERA with 22 K's over 23 frames.
-Wingate has piled up double-digit hits 14 times this season and has 33 combined hits in its last two appearances. The Bulldogs hit a season-high three home runs in that win over UNC Pembroke on Tuesday.
 
Series History:
-Wingate has historically dominated the series against Lincoln Memorial, winning 21 of the 29 all-time meetings. The Railsplitters took two of three from the Bulldogs in last season's series at Lamar Hennon, though, winning game one 8-6 before grabbing an 11-8 victory in game two.
-Lincoln Memorial has only won two series against Wingate and both have taken place in Harrogate, where the Railsplitters are 6-9 all-time against the Bulldogs. LMU is 0-10 on the road in the series.