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Elon Game Notes

ELON, N.C. – Off to a 7-1 start for the second straight season, the Elon University softball team hits the road for the first time of the year on Saturday, Feb. 26, when the Phoenix heads to Columbia, S.C. for an afternoon doubleheader against the Gamecocks of South Carolina (8-3). First pitch of game one is slated for 2 p.m. at Beckham Field.

THE SERIES: Elon and South Carolina have never met on the softball diamond prior to Saturday. The Phoenix and Gamecocks have six common opponents (Charleston Southern, Charlotte, Furman, NC State, Seton Hall and North Carolina) scheduled this season.

ELON VS. THE SEC: Elon has a 1-7 mark all-time against members of the Southeastern Conference, with its lone win coming on March 27, 1998 against Auburn. Elon has a 0-1 mark against Tennessee and the only other team Elon has faced from the SEC is Georgia. The Phoenix dropped two games to the Bulldogs last season, including a 10-4 decision in the NCAA Tournament. Elon is 0-6 all-time against Georgia.

THE RADUENZ FILE: The 2011 season marks Patti Raduenz’s 11th season as Elon’s head coach. Raduenz currently holds a 254-302-2 career record. Raduenz is 15 wins shy of passing former Elon head coach Sue Leonard for the most victories in school history.

ON DECK: Following Saturday’s doubleheader at South Carolina, Elon heads to DeLand, Fla. for the Stetson Classic, March 4-6. Elon will play Tennessee State and Binghamton on March 4 before taking on Binghamton and Stetson on a day later. The championship/consolation game is set for March 6.

TAYLOR EARNS SOCON HONOR: Elon senior pitcher Lauren Taylor was named the Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week after a pair of outstanding performances in the Elon Invitational last weekend. Taylor went 2-0 inside the circle last week in two starts, posting a 0.64 ERA in 11 innings. Against Dayton, Taylor hurled a complete-game shutout and fanned seven Flyers to lead Elon to victory. Taylor is 4-0 in four starts and five appearances for the Phoenix this season.

STOP, THIEF!: Only eight games into this season, Tomeka Watson has stolen seven bases in eight attempts. In this her second season, Watson has registered 31 stolen bases in her young career. She needs only four more stolen bases to tie Elon Hall of Famer Laura Case for 10th all-time in Elon softball history.

GOING, GOING, GONE: Kaitlyn Piazzolla has belted 18 career home runs, tying her with Jaimie Rao for third all-time in Elon softball history. Piazzolla needs eight home runs to pass Pam Brock and tie Brandi Jones for first all-time. Teammate Emerald Graham is currently tied for ninth all-time with 13 career round-trippers.

QUEENS OF THE CONFERENCE: After the second week of play, Elon and several Phoenix players sit close to or at the top of the standings in the conference. As a team, the Phoenix is currently second in batting (.337) and first in fielding (.968). Individually, Caitlin McGowan (.474), Hannah Shelton (.444) and Emerald Graham (.435) rank third, fourth, and fifth, respectively, in batting average. Graham leads the SoCon in RBI (13) and home runs (4), while Tomeka Watson is second in stolen bases (7). In the circle, Lauren Taylor is tied for the league lead in wins (4) and is second in ERA at 2.21.

GOING STREAKING: Tomeka Watson has hit safely in all eight of Elon’s games this season. Watson has tallied a team-best three multiple hit games this season and is batting .407.