ELON, N.C. – The Elon University softball team is set to open the 2022 season this weekend, Feb. 11-13, when it hosts the first of three home tournaments, the Elon Softball Classic, welcoming the trio of Appalachian State, IUPUI and Saint Francis (Pa.) to Hunt Softball Park.
 
Elon will take on IUPUI on Friday, Feb. 11, at 3 p.m. to kick off the 2022 campaign before facing the Jaguars in a rematch on Saturday, Feb. 12 at noon. The Phoenix follows that contest with a nightcap on Saturday versus Saint Francis at 2:30 p.m. before wrapping up the tournament versus Appalachian State on Sunday, Feb. 13, at 2 p.m.
 
Follow the Phoenix
• Live stats will be available for the tournament by going to the team's schedule page at elonphoenix.com.
• Updates will also be posted on Twitter at the team's account @ElonSoftball.
• All games over the weekend will be streamed on FloSoftball via a paid subscription.
 
Around the Horn
• The Phoenix finished the 2021 season with a 18-21 overall record while going 10-8 in the Colonial Athletic Association South Division. Elon earned a trip to the CAA Tournament, advancing to the quarterfinal round.
• Elon returns 15 letterwinners from last year's team including All-CAA honorees in Megan Grant, Rebecca Murray, Alexa Nemeth and Gabi Schaal. Grant also earned a spot on the CAA All-Tournament team. The Phoenix also brings back seven starters and four pitchers from the 2021 season
• Murray was a second team All-CAA choice in the outfield after leading the Phoenix with a career-best .352 average and ranked in the top-10 of the CAA in hits (43).
• Nemeth is the Phoenix's top returner in the circle after garnering second team All-CAA accolades in 2021. The Mooresville, N.C., native went 7-5 overall with a 3.55 ERA in 73.0 innings pitched and ranked second on the team in strikeouts with 39.
• Grant finished third overall on the team in hitting with a .323 average while starting 38 out of 39 games. She raised her average during CAA play, hitting .419.
• Schaal was named to the CAA All-Rookie Team after ranking second on the team in home runs (seven) and RBI (22) while batting .289 on the season.
 
Elon Hosting the 2022 CAA Softball Championships
• For the first time in program history, Elon is hosting the 2022 Colonial Athletic Association Softball Championship presented by Primis on its home diamond at Hunt Softball Park this spring. The tournament will take place on May 12-14.
• Hunt Softball Park has been the home of the Elon softball program since 2013. Named in honor of Vicky and Sam Hunt of Burlington, N.C., the couple gave lead gifts of more than $1.25 million for the facility, which was dedicated on February 28, 2013.
• This will be the fifth CAA Championship tournament at Elon University during the 2021-22 academic year. Elon also hosted the 2021 CAA women's soccer tournament this past fall and will also host the league's 2022 men's and women's tennis championships at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center and the 2022 baseball tournament at Latham Park later this spring.
 
Scouting the Opponents
IUPUI
• IUPUI is coming off a 14-31 campaign in 2021 and features 16 returners from its squad. Head coach Elisabeth Beirne is beginning her fifth overall season with the Jaguars.
• Sophomore Morgan Gilbert was IUPUI's top hitter last season, batting .320 with 49 hits and four triples. She was named second team All-Horizon League and placed on the All-Freshman team.
 
Saint Francis
• The Red Flash are coming off their fourth straight Northeast Conference (NEC) title after going 40-10 overall and 22-2 in league play. Saint Francis went on to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament, facing No. 10 Oregon and No. 11 Texas.
• Returning players are headlined by Mekenzie Saban, Grace Vesco and Rachel Marsden. Saban set a single-season record for highest batting average at .452 and on-base percentage at .508. Vesco set a new program record with 196 strikeouts last season and had the second-lowest ERA at 1.00. Marsden finished the 2021 season with the third-lowest ERA at 1.62.
 
Appalachian State
• The Mountaineers were 27-19 overall last season in head coach Shelly Hoerner's fourth season. Appalachian State would earn its first-ever victory at the Sun Belt Championships last season.
• Sophomore Kayt Houston is the top returning hitter for the Mountaineers after batting .326 during her freshman season in 2021. She also tallied 24 RBIs with a .504 slugging percentage.
• Sophomore Delani Bucker is the top returning pitcher for the Mountaineers. The Elkview, W. Va., native finished the season with a 4-4 record with 57 innings pitched and a 3.81 ERA.
 
On Deck
The Phoenix hosts North Carolina for a midweek game on Wednesday, Feb. 16. The opening pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.