HICKORY, N.C. -- A date with one of the South Atlantic Conference frontrunners awaits the Lady Railsplitters (19-24, 7-9 SAC) on Saturday afternoon, when they hit the road to Hickory, North Carolina for a doubleheader against the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears (37-9, 14-2 SAC) with first pitch set for 2 p.m. Here's everything you need to know:
 
Schedule/Game Day Links:
 
Saturday, April 16 at Lenoir-Rhyne - Doubleheader at 2 p.m. Live Stats (Game One) Live Stats (Game Two) 
 
Quick Hits:
-The Lady Railsplitters split their third straight SAC twinbill on Wednesday, trading shutouts with the Carson-Newman Eagles at Dorothy Neely Field. C-N ace Allison Webster threw a three-hit shutout and the Eagles accounted for two unearned runs off of two Lincoln Memorial errors to capture a 3-0 victory in game one. But the Lady Railsplitters bounced back in game two behind a dominant show of force at the plate and a one-hit shutout from Samantha Smith (Knoxville, Tenn.), earning the split with an 8-0 win in five innings. Lincoln Memorial scattered 13 hits in that contest, while Smith struck out five and walked just one in her complete-game gem.
-Head coach Natalie Layden needs one win to collect the 100th of her career, as the fourth-year head coach ran her career record to 99-87 (all at LMU) in Wednesday's split with Carson-Newman. Layden has won 25-plus games in two of her first three seasons at the helm of the LMU softball program, including a 30-22 mark in her first year as a head coach.
-Freshmen Lindsay Cecil (Winston-Salem, N.C.) and Allie Jones (Ooltewah, Tenn.) are making a major impact for the Lady Railsplitters this season. Cecil has recorded a hit in five straight games, lifting her batting average from .319 to .349 over that stretch. Cecil went 2 for 4 in the Carson-Newman series with an RBI and two walks. Jones, meanwhile, has a hit in four of her last five games, including a 1 for 2 outing with three RBI in game two of the C-N series. Jones is batting .291 this season with four home runs and a team-leading 29 RBI.
-With three SAC series remaining on the regular-season schedule, the Lady Railsplitters can still make significant moves up (or down) the league standings. Catawba (15-1), Lenoir-Rhyne (14-2) and Carson-Newman (12-6) have clearly separated themselves at the top of the standings, but Wingate is in fourth place at 10-6, while Anderson and Queens are just a game ahead of the Lady Railsplitters at 8-8. Newberry is right behind Lincoln Memorial at 6-10, though, while Mars Hill and Brevard are just two games back of LMU at 5-11.
-Sophomore right-hander Brianna Taylor (Ooltewah, Tenn.) looks to check back into the win column for the first time since picking up a win over Tusculum on March 29. Taylor was saddled with a tough-luck loss on Wednesday against Carson-Newman, falling to 10-11 despite allowing just four hits and striking out eight over seven innings of work. She gave up just one earned run and walked only two in her 13th complete game of the season.
 
Notes on the Bears:
-Lenoir-Rhyne has unquestionably been one of the most dominant teams in the South Atlantic Conference this season, racking up a 37-9 record with a 14-2 SAC mark. Since losing four of six games from March 11-15, the Bears have won 18 of their last 20 games, a stretch that includes SAC sweeps against Wingate, Brevard, Tusculum, Newberry, Mars Hill and most recently Coker. Lenoir-Rhyne cruised past the Cobras on Wednesday, taking game one 2-0 before wrapping up the sweep with a 5-2 win in game two.
-The Bears boast some eye-popping offensive numbers, leading the SAC in runs (299), hits (446), doubles (92), RBI (260), extra-base hits (137), total bases (664), batting average (.343), on-base percentage (.400) and slugging percentage (.511). Lenoir-Rhyne has also blasted 36 home runs this season, ranking second in the conference in that category.
-Five everyday players are hitting above .360 for the Bears this season. Erin Boone leads the team in hits with 62, while sporting a .380 batting average to go along with 11 doubles, three triples, five home runs and 30 RBI. Jordin Phillips has amassed 10 doubles, five homers, a team-best 37 RBI and a .382 batting average. Madison Carter is carrying a .384/.556/.415 slash line with 15 doubles, three home runs and 35 RBI. Christina Walker leads the team in batting average with a .396 mark on 42 hits. Sydney Landreth is hitting .360 with 11 doubles and four homers, while Mackenzie Cates (36) and Sarah Kenley (32) have combined for 68 RBI.
-Lenoir-Rhyne has been solid on the mound as well, accumulating a 2.48 earned run average with a .219 batting average against. Former SAC Pitcher of the Year Maryann Hoskins leads the team in innings pitched with 109 2/3, accumulating a 13-6 record, a 2.68 ERA and 131 strikeouts over that span. Emily Kenley is 6-2 this season with a 2.56 ERA and 62 strikeouts over 76 2/3 innings of work.
-The Bears have been nearly unbeatable at home this season, racking up a 23-3 record with a current streak of 10 straight wins. Lenoir-Rhyne has put up astounding offensive numbers on its home field, batting .371 with a .570 slugging percentage, 60 doubles and 22 home runs.
 
Series History:
-The Lady Railsplitters have not fared well against Lenoir-Rhyne, which has won 20 of the 23 all-time meetings since the turn of the century. Lincoln Memorial has beaten the Bears just two times since joining the SAC prior to the 2007 season.
-Lenoir-Rhyne swept the Lady Railsplitters last season in Harrogate, winning game one 11-1 before completing the sweep with a 2-1 win in game two. In the last meeting in Hickory in 2014, the Lady Railsplitters split with the Bears by earning a 3-1 victory in game two.