ELON, N.C. – The Elon University softball team closes out its 2021 regular season this weekend, May 1-2, at intrastate foe UNCW in a series that has postseason implications. The Phoenix and the Seahawks open the three-game set on Saturday with a doubleheader at 12 p.m. followed by the series finale on Sunday also at noon.
 
Follow the Phoenix
• Live stats will be available for the series by going to the team's schedule page at elonphoenix.com.
• Updates will also be posted on Twitter at the team's account @ElonSoftball.
• The series will be streamed on FloSoftball all three games via a paid subscription.
 
Series Breakdown
• Elon is 17-12 all-time against UNCW including winning two out of three earlier this season at home over the Seahawks.
• The Phoenix has won three straight series against the Seahawks and is 11-7 versus UNCW since becoming league foes in 2015.
• Elon took the first two games of the series against UNCW this season, earning a 5-2 victory in game one before clinching the series with a 9-1 win in the second game. The Seahawks edged by Phoenix in the series finale, 3-2.
 
Last Time Out
• The Phoenix swept College of Charleston last weekend, April 24-25, closing out the home portion of its schedule.
• Elon opened the three-game set with an 11-4 win before sweeping the Cougars in a doubleheader last Sunday, 4-0 and 3-1.
• Elon swept the Cougars on its Senior Day last Sunday as the Phoenix honored Kenna Quinn, Alexa Nemeth and Ally Repko. Quinn tossed her first shutout of the season in the Phoenix's 4-0 win while Nemeth earned the complete game 3-1 win over CofC.
 
Quick Hits
• Elon currently sits second in the Colonial Athletic Association South Division with its 9-6 ledger, behind James Madison (14-1) and ahead of UNCW (7-8). The Phoenix would need to win one game this weekend to clinch one of the two automatic berths from each division for the CAA Tournament.
• Going into the weekend, Elon is the CAA leader in walks and is in the top-five of the league in home runs (32), RBI (143), triples (four) and on-base percentage (.364).
• Sophomore Megan Grant has been on a tear in her last six games. The Vinton, Va., native has recorded a hit in each of those contests, batting 8-for-14 (.571) with two multi-hit games. She also has driven in six RBI in that span.
• Four players are hitting better than .300 in the Phoenix's lineup with Rebecca Murray's .340 average pacing Elon's offense. Repko leads the CAA in walks with 28 and is third in the league in on-base percentage at .504. The Broadway, Va., native is fourth in the CAA in home runs with eight.
• Repko also moved into a tie for third all-time in program history in career home runs with 26.
• Quinn ranks first in the CAA in innings pitched at 92.0 and carries a 3.27 ERA into the weekend. She is also fourth in the league in strikeouts with 46.
 
Scouting College of Charleston
• The Seahawks are 13-22 overall this season and 7-8 in the CAA. UNCW has lost four in a row after falling in a midweek contest to Coastal Carolina, 12-5, on Wednesday.
• UNCW is hitting .257 overall on the year with three players in its regular lineup batting better than .300. Janel Gamache has a .402 average and has driven in 30 RBI while Jada Santiago is close behind with her .385 average and leads the team with 31 RBI. Both players have combined for seven of the team's 11 total home runs.
• Four pitchers have primarily seen time toeing the rubber for the Seahawks with the team posting a 4.34 cumulative ERA. Amerlyn Pearce has seen the most time in the circle for UNCW with her team-high 77.0 innings while posting a 5-7 record.
 
On Deck
Depending on the results of this weekend, the Phoenix will look to prepare for the 2021 CAA Softball Championship Tournament, hosted at James Madison University on May 12-14.