CHARLESTON, S.C. – Charleston Southern softball will hit the road for the first time in 2022 when it hits the Commonwealth of Virginia for the Liberty Softball Classic in Lynchburg. The two-day event will begin with four games Friday and another four Saturday and features the Buccaneers in four contests: versus Maine at Noon Friday, at host Liberty at 4 p.m. Friday and a doubleheader versus George Washington beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday.

LAST WEEKEND RECAP
The Blue and Gold is coming off playing host to the CSU Buc Up Tournament, the second-straight weekend in which it saw time at the CSU Softball Complex to begin the campaign. Charleston Southern split its four games against Sacred Heart and Virginia, taking Friday's game against the Pioneers before earning a triumph over the Cavaliers Saturday to improve to 3-6. The Buccaneers' victory over Virginia was the first since 2017 against a Power 5 Conference opponent, also against UVA.

THREE ABOVE .300
Three members of the lineup are batting over .300 through the first-nine games, led by Lilly Bishop's .360. She has connected on nine hits in 25 at-bats, totaling 12 bases and three doubles. She's scored a pair of runs and reached base on a walk once.

Gracie Prince has handled the behind-the-plate duties in every game since joining the program, this spring, and also been a key factor with her bat, sporting a .355 batting average. Her 1.032 OPS and .677 slugging percentage are also tops on the squad among the regulars. She shares the team lead with SeaEnna Satcher with two home runs apiece, while also driving in five RBI, tied for second with Madison Koger.

The final member of the trio is Ashley Meckley, who leads the team's regulars with a .438 on-base percentage in addition to her .308 batting average. She has eight hits in 26 at-bats to go along with a team-best five walks. Once on base, she has proven to be an asset with a perfect 5-of-5 on stolen bases through the first-nine games.

IN THE CIRCLE
Four pitchers have made appearances with Baylee Eaton's 2.10 ERA tops on the squad. She has tossed 16.2 innings, scattering 23 hits and striking out eight in her five appearances in the circle. Annah Junge has picked up two of the team's three victories and has struck out a team-best nine opposing batters in 22.1 innings pitched. She also has a complete game on her resume.

Blake Holtorf garnered the first win of her career by beating Virginia, a complete-game effort, helping to lower her ERA to 3.68. She joins Junge with double-digit strikeouts with 10 in her four appearances, which include two complete games. Maggie Carpenter is the other hurler to see action so far this spring.

ABOUT MAINE
Maine, guided by head coach Jordan Fitzpatrick, is off to a 1-4 start in 2022 after playing last weekend at the GATA Challenge in Statesboro, Georgia. The Black Bears' lone triumph was a 14-4 decision over the host Eagles, as Georgia Southern served as the host for the weekend event.

The Black Bears and Buccaneers have met two times previously with CSU capturing victories both times, most recently in 2020.

ABOUT LIBERTY
The Flames are 5-5 through their start of the season but have won five-in-a-row, including victories over Power 5 opponents Maryland and Ohio State during play at THE Spring Games last weekend in Leesburg, Florida. Head coach Dot Richardson's squad faced four nationally-ranked opponents during its first-five games.

The two longtime rivals in the Big South will renew the series, which started in 1994, and last met in 2018. The last CSU win came in 2014 as the Bucs picked up two-of-three in the weekend set.

ABOUT GEORGE WASHINGTON
Head coach Chrissy Schoonmaker's Colonials are 2-6 entering the weekend after tallying wins against Lipscomb in the season-opening Gamecock Invitational and then against Rider in last week's Spiro Classic in Greensboro, North Carolina.

The doubleheader Saturday will mark the first time Charleston Southern and George Washington will meet on the softball diamond.

COVERAGE
The entire weekend will be able to be followed on live stats, provided by Liberty through the StatBroadcast platform. Links are available for each game on CSUSports.com.