By CHRIS COOK
LongwoodLancers.com

VIDEO: Bond Between Two Aces Paying Dividends

FARMVILLE, Va. – If teams can designate only one true staff ace, then Longwood softball is playing with a stacked deck.
 
During another historic season for the Lancers that includes a second straight Big South Championship and a third NCAA Regional berth, junior southpaw Elizabeth McCarthy and freshman right-hander Sydney Gay have traded the role of Longwood ace as frequently as they rotate starts. But while ego has sabotaged many a fame-seeking athlete, that detracting force has found no home in Longwood's pitcher's circle, let alone any part of Lancer Field. What has transpired between the freshman Gay and junior McCarthy this season is anything but a position battle, or even a competition.
 
McCarthy entered her junior season as Longwood's de facto No. 1, coming off a sophomore campaign in which she was named Big South Pitcher of the Year and a preseason in which she was predicted by the Big South coaches to earn that award again as a junior. But when Gay's eye-opening fall carried into a dominant start to her freshman season, McCarthy willingly made room in the pitcher's circle for her soon-to-be partner-in-strikeouts.
 
"It's been easy to take her under my wing because she's so easy to get along with," said McCarthy, who repeated as Big South Pitcher of the Year in 2016. "Obviously she works hard, and she's had such a big, positive impact on our team. It's been pretty fun to have her work beside me. She's basically been my right hand, since I'm left-handed."
 
The duo has given Longwood head coach Kathy Riley the best 1-2 punch in the entire Big South, and perhaps beyond, as this weekend's NCAA showdown against a four-team regional field of No. 7 James Madison, North Carolina and Princeton may prove. For Riley, a 23-year head coaching veteran who has never finished under .500 in her 19 seasons at Longwood, the cohesive relationship Gay and McCarthy have is rare for two players in direct competition for playing time.
 
"That relationship has matured over time," she said. "At the beginning, Biz was doing it as a mentor, but now I think they're just really good friends who respect each other. They're closer now than they were even at the beginning of the season.
 
"It's not always easy to do that when two people are on the mound vying for playing time. I couldn't ask for anything different with those two."
 
The duo enters the NCAA Regional with a combined record of 37-16 and an ERA of 2.11. Individually, they both rank among the Big South's top three in ERA and opponent batting average and in the top five in wins and strikeouts. They have held their own against even the strongest competition, including a combined 3.46 ERA in five road games against SEC powerhouses LSU and Auburn.
 
Gay has had the most recent run of success, earning Big South Tournament MVP honors after tossing three consecutive shutouts and 24.2 scoreless innings in the conference tournament. That performance included a one-hit shutout in the championship game, which Longwood won 10-0 over Campbell. And even though McCarthy watched that entire win from the dugout, she was one of the first to celebrate with Gay after the final out, making a beeline toward her right-handed counterpart in the postgame scrum.
 
Therein lies the key to Gay and McCarthy's respective success on the mound. Both pitchers possess the mutually impressive ability to miss bats, induce weak contact and generally make hitters look foolish; but what makes them successful together is their desire to see the other perform well and the selflessness to hand the ball over when the need arises.
 
"She's saved me a lot this year," McCarthy said. "When I didn't have my best stuff, she's come in and shut it down."
 
Riley stresses that her pitchers impact the game beyond their ability to put the ball over the plate. Their demeanor and body language set the tone for the entire team, and likewise, Gay and McCarthy's camaraderie is a similar catalyst to Longwood's team chemistry.
 
"They're close and they're goofballs, and I love them so much. They work really hard, and they set the tone," said sophomore outfielder Glenn Walters, who homered twice in the Big South Championship game.
 
"When they're pitching a good game, that sets us up to hit well, it sets us up to be more confident on the field. We want to back them up, and we'll always be there to back them up. Their relationship really helps out the team."
 
For all the awards, strikeouts and scoreless innings Gay and McCarthy have amassed this season, their ability to pitch in conjunction and not in competition has been equally impressive. They may both be stars, but they have shined brightest when aligned in the blinding white constellation that is Longwood softball.
 
"I truly believe, without it being a fake situation, that each one of those two girls wants the other one to play well," Riley said.

Whoever gets the nod for Longwood's NCAA Regional opener against North Carolina Friday at 2 p.m. will have her biggest fan cheering from the dugout.
 
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