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ELON, N.C. -- Riding a five-game winning streak, the Elon baseball team will look to remain hot when it makes the short trek over to Chapel Hill to take on the third-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels at 6 p.m. on Wednesday evening.  This will be the second of two meetings between the Phoenix and Tar Heels this season.  The game will be carried live on WPCM 920 AM and on elonphoenix.com.

Probable Starting Pitchers:
Wednesday
   EU - RH Jim Stokes (1-2, 3.51 ERA) vs. UNC - RH Cody Penny (0-0, 6.23 ERA)

In-Game Chat
If you can not be at any of the Phoenix’s road games, join in with Elon’s free interactive live online chat.  Just click on the link on the Elon baseball home page.

Elon Baseball Live
This year, WPCM 920 AM will broadcast three editions of Elon Baseball Live featuring Phoenix head coach Mike Kennedy.  Hosted by Taylor Durham, the final show will be May 15 at 7 p.m. at The Fat Frogg.

Phoenix BaseBLOG
Fans of Elon baseball can get an inside look at the team this year thanks to a blog being written by junior outfielder Niko Fraser.  The blog can be found at www.elonbaseball.wordpress.com or by clicking the link at the top of the Elon baseball home page at elonphoenix.com.

Scouting North Carolina
After taking two games from Wake Forest over the weekend, North Carolina enters Wednesday’s game with a 22-6 overall record.  The Tar Heels are now 9-3 in ACC play.

With infielder Colin Moran out with an injury, UNC’s top batting average belongs to Jacob Stallings.  Stallings is hitting .340 with 22 runs scored, 14 doubles, two homers and 23 RBI.  As a team, the Tar Heels sport a .289 batting average and have scored 183 runs.  UNC has 66 doubles, 11 triples and nine homes and is 30-for-38 in stolen base attempts.

On the mound UNC boasts a 2.54 ERA and is holding opponents to a .239 batting average.  Tar Heel pitchers have fanned 237 hitters while walking on 88 batters.

Head coach Mike Fox is in his 14th season at UNC and 29th overall as a collegiate skipper.  Fox owns a career record of 1,151-393-5 and is 611-252-1 at UNC.

Elon Skipper Mike Kennedy
Elon head coach Mike Kennedy is in his 16th season at the helm of the Phoenix program.  The 1991 Elon graduate is the program’s all-time winningest coach and has compiled a career record of 528-363-3 (.592).

Series Notes
Elon and North Carolina have met on the diamond 37 times prior to Wednesday’s tilt.  The maroon and gold is 9-28 all-time against the Tar Heels.  UNC won the first meeting this year by a 3-0 score in Elon.  The first match-up came on March 26, 1909 with UNC winning 6-5.

Watch This
Elon junior catcher Alex Swim was named as one of the 43 catchers on the official watch list for the 2012 Johnny Bench Award.  The Johnny Bench Award is presented by BaseballSavings.com and is handed out by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission.

Those on the list were nominated by their coaches and is presented annually to the top catcher at the NCAA Division I ranks.  The list will be updated until May 7, 2012.  Nominees must serve as a team’s starting catcher in at least 75 percent of the squad’s games.

Winning Late
A year ago the Phoenix had a lot of late-inning drama.  In fact, Elon won 11 games in its final at bat during the 2011 season.

The Phoenix won its first game in its final at bat in game two of a doubleheader against George Mason on Feb. 18, rallying for four eighth-inning runs in a 4-3 victory.  Elon has five wins in its final at bat this year.

A Tough Road
Elon always plays a tough schedule and 2012 is no different.  The Phoenix will play 14 games against teams that participated in NCAA postseason play in 2011 including a three-game set at two-time defending national champion South Carolina.

Of Elon’s first 25 games in 2012, 13 were against opponents ranked in the top 30 at the time.  According to WarrenNolan.com, Elon’s strength of schedule ranks 13th in the nation on April 3.  Furman has the second-toughest schedule in the SoCon at 40th according to the rankings.

Can We Just Play 9?
Elon has played six extra inning games in 2012.  Four of have gone 11 innings and one went 18 innings.  The maroon and gold is 4-2 in those six games.  In both 2010 and 2011 Elon played six extra inning bouts.

Swim Collects SoCon Accolades
Junior catcher Alex Swim was key in a four-win week for the Phoenix as hit hit .591 (13-for-22) with a double and four runs scored to earn SoCon Player of the Week honors.  He also drove in two runs.  Swim was 5-for-5 against Samford in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader as the maroon and gold opened the series with a 7-4 victory.  In game two, he went 5-for-9 in the two-day, 18-inning marathon that resulted in a 5-3 Elon win.  He then concluded the series with a two-hit outing.

Going Yard in Three Straight
Senior infielder Garrett Koster recently homered in three consecutive games for the Phoenix.  Koster connected on a grand slam in a win over Appalachian State before hitting a solo shot in a mid-week victory over UNC Wilmington.  He then belted a three-run blast in a game one win at Samford.  It was the first time that an Elon player homered in three straight games since Mike Melillo did so in 2010.

Tough to K
Last year catcher Alex Swim was one of the toughest hitters in the nation to strike out.  Swim fanned just 11 times in 236 at bats as a sophomore.  He ranked 12th nationally with one K in every 21.5 at bats.

This season, Swim has struck out seven times in 122 at bats, or one K every 17.4 at bats.

Nail-biters
Under skipper Mike Kennedy, Elon has played 201 one-run games.  The maroon and gold has gone 105-96 (.522) in those contests.

Closing it Out
Since 2007 Elon has been very good at closing out games.  The Phoenix has gone a combined 174-13 (.930) when leading after seven innings and 179-13 (.932) when holding a lead following the eighth inning.

The State of North Carolina Baseball
Records Since 2000 (Elon’s 1st DI Year)
North Carolina 570-234-1
East Carolina 509-263-2
North Carolina St. 454-300
ELON 448-290-2
UNC Wilmington 414-266-1
Charlotte 403-291-2
Western Carolina 401-320-2
Wake Forest 382-329-2
UNCG 379-322
Duke 304-395-1
Campbell 303-378-1
Appalachian St. 303-380-3
High Point 282-416-1
North Carolina A&T 274-404
UNC Asheville 254-440
Davidson 244-386
Gardner-Webb* 239-239-1
N.C. Central^ 7-22
* Moved to DI in 2003
^ Moved to DI in 2012