HARROGATE, Tenn. — Heading into the final month of the regular-season, the No. 19 Lincoln Memorial University softball team sits tied for second place in the South Atlantic Conference. The Lady Railsplitters (27-7, 5-3 SAC) have proved the conference preseason voters wrong after they selected LMU as the eighth-place team heading into the season.
 
The placement was rightfully so, considering the Lady Railsplitters hadn't made the SAC Tournament for two straight years, but head coach Ritchie Richardson, who is three wins away from 1,000, has constructed a complete turnaround of the LMU softball program. The Lady Railsplitters will look to start April strong by welcoming conference opponent Mars Hill (20-11, 4-4) for a mid-week clash before traveling to fourth-place Coker (25-9, 4-3) Saturday.
 
The Basics
Wednesday, April 3 vs. Mars Hill — 2 p.m. doubleheader
Live Stats (Game One / Game Two)
Video
 
Quick Hits
-Tied with the Lady Railsplitters in second place is Queens, who the Lady Railsplitters split with two Saturdays ago. In first place is Lenoir-Rhyne, with just one less loss than LMU and is setting up to be an anticipated matchup between the top two seeds Saturday, April 13, at Dorothy Neely Field.
 
-Sophomore Emma Webb had her first multi-hit day this past weekend in a doubleheader split at Newberry since having six total — three apiece in each game of the doubleheader — against Wingate March 16. The third baseman went 2-for-3 with an RBI in the game one, eighth-inning, 7-6, loss to the Wolves before connecting on 2-for-4 at the plate with two doubles and a pair of RBI to lead the Lady Railsplitters to a 7-5 victory.
 
-Webb's performance upped her batting average to a team-high .388 batting average, just ahead of Ty-Kella Goins' .383. The sophomore is now second in doubles with 11 — behind Goins' 13 — while Grace Cochran is third with 10 doubles.
 
-Another sophomore in Audrey Petoskey was huge for the Lady Railsplitters in her first appearance since March 13. In the designated player role, Petoskey went 2-for-4 with a double and home run, good for her most RBI (four) since her season-opening five against Walsh Feb. 9.
 
-Bailey Griffith also saw her first action Saturday after last pitching March 16 against Wingate as she relieved Justice Smith in the opening game for the loss but bounced back in the next. The freshman picked up her fourth save — to move into sole possession of second in the conference — to secure the Lady Railsplitters' 7-5 win after Petoskey's three-run home run put LMU in position to split the doubleheader.
 
-The Lady Railsplitters still lead the conference, sitting in first place in runs (243), doubles (77), extra-base hits (115), hit by pitch (33), on-base percentage (.426) and walks (127). McKenzie Henry leads LMU with 20 walks and is second in the SAC with 39 RBI. The Lady Railsplitters are also second in RBI (218), total bases (480), sacrifice hits (30), stolen bases (40), batting average (.330) and slugging percentage (.531). LMU is third in home runs (29) and hits (298).
 
Know the Opponent
 
-In all of Mars Hill's conference doubleheaders, the Lions have swept or dropped it. The squad, which is in a four-way tie for fifth place, has defeated Coker and Tusculum while losing to Wingate and most recently Lenoir-Rhyne.
 
-After facing Newberry's Hannah Davis, who homered twice off LMU, the Lady Railsplitters will face the conference's best home run slugger in Jordan Harris. The senior has a team-high 12 homers, 32 hits, 29 RBI and .723 slugging percentage. Another senior, Ragan Broome, has a second-best seven home runs and 29 hits plus a team-leading 10 doubles and 10 walks, while junior Taylor Milsson has eight stolen bases.
 
-Pitcher Casey Stanek has been the workhorse for the Lions, tossing 109.2 innings for a 2.81 ERA and 86 strikeouts. Her 12-5 record puts her in a three-way tie in the conference with 12 wins; meanwhile, the senior's 86 strikeouts has her eighth in the SAC. Fellow senior Christiana Marasa (5-2) has tossed 43 innings, good for a 4.07 ERA and 16 strikeouts.
 
-The Lions are first in home runs (43) and slugging percentage (.539), and are second in shutouts (nine) and hit-by-pitch (26). Mars Hill is fifth in runs (172), hits (271) and RBI (157), while being fourth in doubles (52) and extra-base hits (96). Through 31 games, the Lions only have one triple.
 
Head-to-Head
 
-Before Mars Hill defeated the Lady Railsplitters in a 11-9 shootout last April, LMU tamed the Lions nine straight times, dating back to 2014.
 
-Playing in this matchup since 1993, the Lady Railsplitters hold the overall 32-22 record versus Mars Hill, including a 15-9 record at home, while being 13-12 on the road and 4-1 in a neutral site.