By Will Stadler
The 2025 William Peace University spring athletics season has already been full of surprises, unprecedented potential, and impressive wins. With the majority of teams hovering around their halfway points, let’s take a look at how all of the spring Pacer teams have been doing so far this year.
Baseball
The “Diamond Pacers,” also known as the baseball team, was coming off of a less than ideal 2024 season. Head Coach Charlie Long and crew retooled through a promising freshman class and looked to flip the script in 2025. However, quality opponents and a young team gave way to a sluggish start for the Pacers, losing their first 10 ball games. Since the poor start, the Pacers have been playing much better, winning 5 of their last 10 games, including a win over nationally ranked Christopher Newport on the road. Peace is now in the throws of conference play and each game carries a new importance. The young Pacers will need to continue to grow quickly, as they must finish in the top six out of all eight teams in order to make the conference tournament.
Softball
(Photo by Isaiah Grady)
The spring squad that has pocketed the most wins to this point is the Pacer softball team, which got out to a tremendous start to the season with 12 wins and only six losses. Led by senior slugger Adanya Day, the Pacers have gone undefeated at home through the midway part of the season. Two notable wins came in late February as Peace defeated DII opponent Shaw University twice in one day. Conference play starts next weekend as the Pacers look to stay undefeated at home against Southern Virginia University.
Men’s Golf
A relatively young program, the WPU men’s golf team is only in its second year of revived competition after the athletic department didn’t field a team between 2020-2023. The young team that mostly leaned on its potential has grown into an experienced team full of quality talent. The Pacers have been able to finish around the middle of the pack in their tournaments this year, with standout sophomore Ian Williams pushing the team forward. Williams won the individual championship of the Pfeiffer Invitational that was held in the first week of March. The Pacers have three more regular-season tournaments before taking a stab at the USA South conference tournament.
Men’s Lacrosse
The Pacers men’s lacrosse team has been fun to watch grow over the last three years. Another program that had to be lifted out of the dangers of disappearance, the athletics department did all they could to salvage this key spring sport. Many athletes, like Peace Times’ own Aidan McNeely, were recruited by new coaches in order to build a strong lacrosse program from the ground up. Pacer fans are starting to see some of the harvest that was meticulously sown over the past couple of years, as the team currently displays a three win and two loss record. The Pacers are above .500 for the first time in a long time and the sky seems to be the limit for these newly successful Pacers. Huge wins over Randolph College and Huntingdon College over spring break have the Pacers in their first win streak of the season, giving the team and the program unprecedented momentum.
Women’s Lacrosse
The women’s lacrosse team has also provided a nice surprise to WPU spring sports, beating in-conference rival, NC Wesleyan over spring break. A team that has been pulled together by multisport and former athletes has found something in the chemistry and teamwork department in 2025. Senior Mary Langer leads her team in goals scored and in overall generalized experience. The Pacers have added first time players like Samantha Huff that have also contributed to early success. Peace faces arch-rival Meredith College on March 19, looking for a signature win for the team, program, and athletics department.
Men’s Tennis
Last, but not least, the men’s tennis team has gotten an early win in 2025, defeating Ferrum College on the first day of March. Peace is one and one, showing unseen potential and promise to be a solid competitor in the USA South. Freshman Frenchman Juliann Starland has proven to be the star of the squad for WPU, winning a singles match against Lynchburg in February.
The season is far from over as many sports continue into late April, for more information visit GoPeacePacers.com