CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Charleston Southern softball team is back in action for the first time in two weeks, as they welcome the Winthrop Eagles to CSU Softball Complex for a three-game series starting this Friday.
This is a big series for the Bucs (19-25, 8-9 in conference), as they cling to the fourth and final spot of the Big South Tournament heading into this weekend's matchup. They are just .5 games ahead of the Eagles, who own an 8-10 record in conference play. The winner of this series will head to Radford, VA for the conference tournament.
Both teams have struggled to hit the baseball this season, as each school is at the bottom of the conference in batting average. Winthrop is hitting .240 as a team, while Charleston Southern is hitting .220. In conference play, CSU is hitting .242, while Winthrop is hitting just .213.
On the other hand, pitching has been the strength for both the Eagles and Bucs. Overall, Winthrop is fourth in the Big South with a 2.75 combined ERA. Charleston Southern has a 4.03 team ERA, but are at a 3.05 in conference play.
The Bucs are led by
Annah Junge, who has an ERA of 2.43, which is eighth best in the conference. She is tied for second in the conference with 17 wins, second in innings pitched (176.0), fourth in strikeouts (143) has seven shutouts (most in the conference) and has just 26 walks, which is second lowest in the conference. Opponents are hitting just .219 off of her.
Meanwhile for Winthrop, they are led by Reese Basinger, who owns a 2.05 ERA and a 15-11 record. Coming into this weekend, she has 200 strikeouts to her credit in 170.2 innings pitched.
The Bucs will honor five upperclassmen who will be playing in their final home games of the season this weekend. They will do so with a ceremony at the conclusion of the final game on Saturday. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+.
Series Details
- Game One:
- When: Friday, May 5th
- Time: 5 p.m.
- How to Stream: ESPN+
- Games Two and Three:
- When: Saturday, May 6th
- Times: 1 and 3 p.m.
- How to Stream:
