SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Lady Railsplitters (3-5) have a busy six-game schedule on tap this weekend when they travel to Spartanburg, S.C. to take part in the Mid-South Classic.
Coming off of a split at Young Harris this past Sunday, Lincoln Memorial will face Tiffin and Augusta in Friday afternoon contests before turning around to take on Georgia College and Limestone on Saturday. The Lady Railsplitters will then wrap up the Mid-South Classic on Sunday morning against Mount Olive and Converse.
Schedule / Game Day Links:
Friday, February 23 vs. Tiffin (4pm)
Friday, February 23 vs. Augusta (6pm)
Saturday, February 24 vs. Georgia College (Noon) -
Live Stats
Saturday, February 24 vs. Limestone – 4pm
Sunday, February 25 vs. Mount Olive – 10am
Sunday, February 25 vs. Converse – Noon
Quick Hits:
- The Lady Railsplitters split a twinbill at Young Harris their last time on the diamond on Sunday, February 18. Lincoln Memorial was limited to just two hits and didn't push a runner past second base in a 3-0 loss in game one, but bounced back to take a 4-3 decision in game two.
- Freshman third baseman
Emma Webb had a pair of hits in both games of that doubleheader against the Mountain Lions to go along with two RBI, a double and a walk. Webb leads the team in hits (9), doubles (3), RBI (7) and total bases (12) through the first 25 at-bats of her college career.
- Lincoln Memorial will try to provide some run support for senior pitcher
Brianna Taylor, who is 1-3 on the season despite boasting a 2.15 ERA and a .208 batting average against. The Lady Railsplitters have failed to score in either of Taylor's last two starts and the Ooltewah, Tenn. native has allowed only four runs to cross over that span.
- The Lady Railsplitters have struggled to get into any kind of rhythm offensively, as they are hitting just .225 and slugging .350 through the first eight games of the 2018 campaign.
Justice Smith (.375), Webb and
Savannah Daniel (.333) are the only players currently hitting over .300.
- Lincoln Memorial is returning to the Mid-South Classic for the first time since 2016 after the 2017 iteration of that event was rained out. The Lady Railsplitters went 1-3 in 2016 with a win over UNC Pembroke and losses to Lander, Augusta and Southern Indiana.
- The Lady Railsplitters are a combined 18-20 against their opponents in this weekend's Mid-South Classic. Lincoln Memorial has been most successful against Mount Olive with a 4-0 all-time mark. On the other end of the spectrum, the Lady Railsplitters are just 5-10 against Georgia College and 1-3 against Tiffin.
Know the Opponents:
- Friday's matchup against Tiffin will serve as the 2018 opener for the Dragons, who went 21-28 last season. With 15 players that saw action last season returning, including the team's top three hitters Jamie Sevenish, Libby Crow and Sierra Besser-Paul, Tiffin was selected ninth in the GLIAC preseason coaches' poll.
- Augusta is off to a slow start with losses in seven of the team's first 10 games. The Jaguars had lost seven consecutive games before bouncing back with a doubleheader sweep at Converse on Tuesday. Augusta has been solid offensively with a .294 batting average and 20 extra-base hits, but the pitching staff is currently carrying a 4.52 ERA and a .300 batting average against. The Jaguars are 1-7 against South Atlantic Conference foes this season with doubleheader losses to Carson-Newman, Coker and Wingate as well as a split with Catawba.
- Georgia College enters the Mid-South Classic with a 5-5 mark. The Bobcats were 4-2 at one point but have lost three of their last four games, which includes a split at Anderson on Sunday. Georgia College is solid on both sides of the field with a .303 batting average and a 2.76 team ERA. Amber Coy leads the Bobcat offense with a .412 average, 14 hits, nine walks, a .535 on-base percentage and nine RBI.
- Limestone is sitting at 8-4 on the season after earning a split at No. 14 Lenoir-Rhyne on Wednesday. The Saints' offense has been relatively ineffective with a .247 batting average and a lackluster .319 slugging percentage, but that has been overcome behind a sparkling 1.34 team ERA. Josie Weber leads Limestone with a 1.26 ERA and a .207 batting average against. Courtney Smith has also been stellar with a 1.35 ERA, a 4-0 mark, 23 strikeouts and .255 batting average against.
- Mount Olive has had a rollercoaster 5-7 start to the 2018 season. The Trojans are batting .308 with a .436 slugging percentage. Junior Charlene Thompson leads the way with a .375 average, 15 hits and 10 stolen bases. The Mount Olive pitching staff has also been solid with a 2.90 ERA and a .263 batting average against. Freshman Mallory Ratcliff leads that group with a 4-1 record and 34 strikeouts over 37.2 innings of work.
- Converse is still seeking its first win of the season as the Valkyries are off to a miserable 0-12 start. Over that span, the team has been run ruled six times and been outscored 105-18. Converse is hitting only .187 with 76 strikeouts while opponents are hitting .408 with eight home runs against the Valkyrie pitching staff. Converse has also been shutout six times in 12 games.
