HARROGATE, Tenn. – Fresh off of a season-opening sweep, the Lady Railsplitters (2-0) make their Dorothy Neely Field debut when they host Lees-McRae and Virginia-Wise for a pair of nonconference doubleheaders. Lincoln Memorial welcomes the Bobcats (0-6) to town for a 1 p.m. start on Wednesday before turning around to face the Cavaliers (0-0) at 1 p.m. on Thursday.
 
Schedule/Gameday Links:
 
Wednesday, February 8 vs. Lees-McRae (DH at 1 p.m.) –
Live Stats (Game 1)
Live Stats (Game 2)
Video (Game 1)
 
Thursday, February 9 vs. Virginia-Wise (DH at 1 p.m.) –
Live Stats (Game 1)
Live Stats (Game 2)
 
Quick Hits:
 
-The Lady Railsplitters combined for 21 hits to open the 2017 campaign with a sweep over the Mount Olive Trojans on Sunday in Mount Olive, N.C. Lincoln Memorial scored five runs in the top of the seventh to power an 8-4 win in game one before completing the sweep with a 6-3 victory in game two. It marked the program's first season-opening sweep since the Lady Railsplitters swept Milligan in 2014.
 
-Sophomore Kelsie Hocutt (Wendell, N.C.) had a big day both at the plate and on the mound in the Lady Railsplitters' sweep at Mount Olive. After tallying just six hits total during her injury-riddled freshman season, Hocutt went 4-for-7 in Sunday's doubleheader with four runs scored and a double. She went 3-for-4 in the opener with three singles. In game two, Hocutt made her first career appearance on the mound and promptly spun three scoreless innings of relief to preserve LMU's win.  
 
-Freshmen Ty-Kella Goins (Ramseur, N.C.), Dakotah Fraley (Walkersville, Md.) and Justice Smith (Rockmart, Ga.) were impactful in their debuts. Goins had a pair of hits, two RBI and a double against Mount Olive, while Fraley had three hits, two RBI and a walk. Smith earned the win in her first career start, allowing just three runs with three strikeouts over four innings of work in game two.
 
-Junior right-hander Brianna Taylor (Ooltewah, Tenn.) tossed a complete game in the first game against the Trojans, allowing 10 hits – seven singles – and three earned runs with two strikeouts. She left six Mount Olive runners stranded on base to move to 1-0 and pick up her 24th career victory.
 
-The Lady Railsplitters went 9-4 at Dorothy Neely Field last season and won their last three games at home. In general, Lincoln Memorial was a much better offensive team at home than on the road, hitting .301 as opposed to a .258 mark in true road games.
 
Notes on the Bobcats:
 
-Lees-McRae ventures to Lincoln Memorial looking for its first win of the season while trying to find some spark on offense. The Bobcats have lost their first six games and scored just two combined runs over that span. In total, opponents have outscored Lees-McRae 44-2 this season.
 
-The Bobcats were most recently swept at Anderson, losing 4-1 in game one and 6-1 in game two. Prior to that, they were bludgeoned by Carson-Newman (10-0, 9-0) and Newberry (9-0, 6-0).
 
-Lees-McRae's offensive numbers aren't pretty. Through six games, the Bobcats have mustered a .136/.169/.176 slash line (all last in Conference Carolinas) with just 17 hits in 125 official at-bats. They have two doubles, one home run and a meager 22 total bases. In addition to that, Lees-McRae's pitching staff is carrying an 8.08 earned run average and a .376 batting average against, while the defense has committed nine errors.
 
-Charlie Dutton leads Lees-McRae with three hits in only five at-bats. Noel Cassidy, Kara Cunningham, Emily Merriam and Sarah Tucker have two hits apiece. Taylor Billings has the only home run by a Bobcat, while Tucker and Chelsea Digregorio each have a double on their stat ledger.
 
-On the mound, three different pitchers have tossed at least eight innings for the Bobcats. Billings leads that group with 12 innings pitched, a span during which she has allowed 18 hits, five earned runs and struck out six. Cunningham has made four appearances and allowed 14 earned runs over 10 innings of work. Dutton is carrying a 13.44 ERA with 16 runs allowed over 8.1 innings of work.
 
Series History:
 
-The Lady Railsplitters are 7-3 all-time against Lees-McRae and have won three straight in the series. All 10 games have been played in Harrogate.
 
-LMU and Lees-McRae last met in 2013, when the Lady Railsplitters breezed by the Bobcats 8-0 and 11-0 at Dorothy Neely Field. In the last three meetings, Lincoln Memorial has combined to outscore the Bobcats 22-0.
 
Notes on the Cavaliers:
 
-Thursday serves as the season opener for Virginia-Wise, who went 28-30 during the 2016 campaign and made a run deep into the Mountain East Conference Tournament. The Cavaliers won the inaugural 2014 MEC Tournament, but have yet to finish above .500 in the two subsequent seasons.
 
-The Cavaliers return 13 letter winners off of last season's team, including stud pitcher Taylor Brandts. Brandts – a junior right-hander – led Virginia-Wise in wins (16), complete games (20), shutouts (4), innings pitched (174), strikeouts (104), batting average against (.271) and earned run average (2.29) last season. The former MEC Pitcher of the Year was an All-MEC second team performer in 2016.
 
-UVA-Wise returns four of its top five hitters in terms of batting average off of last season's squad. Alexa Hernandez leads that quartet after posting a .326 batting average and a .463 slugging percentage with 57 hits, 12 doubles and four home runs in 2016. Samantha Ely returns after hitting .320 with a .523 slugging percentage and compiling 11 doubles, a team-leading 32 RBI and eight home runs a season ago. Shannon Bennett (.308, 57 hits, 10 doubles, 25 RBI) and Bridget Henzel (.307, 31 hits, two triples) are also back.
 
-The Cavaliers are still a relatively young bunch with 13 underclassmen listed on the roster, including eight freshmen. UVA-Wise has just three seniors in Hernandez, Emily Kale and Olivia Cleary. Cleary made an impact last season, hitting .268 with seven home runs in 49 appearances.
 
-Virginia-Wise ranked 43rd in the country last season in home runs per game with 0.79. Thirteen different players hit at least one homer while five had at least five dingers. The Cavaliers return their top three home run hitters in Ely, Cleary and Lucindy Lawson.
 
Series History:
 
-Lincoln Memorial and Virginia-Wise are reigniting their rivalry for the first time since 2009. The Lady Railsplitters own a 9-4 advantage in the all-time series, but the Cavaliers have won the last four games thanks to a pair of sweeps in 2009.
 
-The Lady Railsplitters are 5-2 at home against Virginia-Wise. However, the Cavaliers won 4-0 and 6-2 in the most recent home meetings on April 21, 2009.