ELON, N.C. – The Elon University softball team travels to Chapel Hill, N.C., for a midweek matchup versus North Carolina on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Opening pitch between the Phoenix and the Tar Heels is set for 5 p.m. at Anderson Softball Field.
 
FOLLOW THE PHOENIX
• Live stats will be available for the game by going to the team's schedule page at elonphoenix.com.
• Updates will also be posted on Twitter at the team's account @ElonSoftball.
• Wednesday's game will stream live on ACCNX on Watch ESPN or the ESPN app.
 
SERIES BREAKDOWN
• Wednesday will be the 36^th all-time meeting between the two programs during Elon's fastpitch history (since 1990).
• The Tar Heels hold a 29-5-1 advantage over the maroon and gold in the series including a 17-3 ledger on its home diamond. Elon however has won four of the last five outings versus its in-state rival including two of the last three in Chapel Hill.
• Last season, the Phoenix defeated 4-3 at Hunt Softball Park for only its third home victory against its in-state rival. Kaitlyn Wells had the walk-off hit for Elon while Isley Duggins allowed just three runs in a complete-game effort in her first collegiate start.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Phoenix went 1-3 in its season-opening tournament, the Elon Softball Classic, last weekend. Elon played the field of Winthrop (twice), North Carolina Central and Morgan State.
• Elon was shutout in its season-opener against Winthrop, 4-0, but rallied for an 8-7 win over North Carolina Central. Highlights against NC Central included an inside-the-park home run for Mauri Murray and a five-run rally in the bottom of the sixth inning.
• The maroon and gold suffered setbacks against Morgan State and Winthrop on the second and final day of the tournament. The Bears defeated the Phoenix 5-1 in Elon's first game of the day before being handed an 8-7 verdict in extras to the Eagles in its rematch.
• Bella Devesa had a standout weekend at the plate during the tournament, leading the team with a .545 batting average with a pair of doubles and two RBI. The Pembroke Pines, Fla., native had a hit in each of the Phoenix's four games including tying her career-high with three hits versus Winthrop on Friday.
 
BOCOCK CHASING HISTORY
• Elon head coach Kathy Bocock became the program's longest-tenured head coach at the Division I era as she is starting her 12^th season at the helm of the program.
• Bocock is also three wins shy of becoming the program's all-time career leader in wins as she sits with 275 victories as the head coach at Elon, trailing only Patti Raduenz (2001-2011) on the team's all-time wins list.
 
SCHAAL, MCCARD NAMED TO 2023 CAA PRESEASON WATCH LIST
• Junior Gabi Schaal and sophomore McKenna McCard were selected to the inaugural Colonial Athletic Association Preseason Watch List as announced by the league office on Tuesday, Feb. 7.
• A third-team All-CAA selection last season, Schaal led the Phoenix in home runs (nine) and RBI (38) while hitting .316 overall with nine doubles. She also had 12 multi-RBI games. Despite missing the final 13 games of the year due to an injury, the Lakeland, Fla., native still finished second in the CAA in RBI, fourth in homers and eighth overall in slugging percentage (.624).
• McCard earned CAA All-Tournament team honors after helping the Phoenix clinch a spot in the league championship game for the second time in program history with her performance in the circle. The Ashburn, Ga., native went 3-3 on the season with a 3.27 ERA in 51.1 innings while only holding opposing hitters to a .182 average. She also struck out 48 batters, which finished second on the team.
 
2023 CAA PRESEASON POLL
• The Phoenix was predicted a fourth-place standing in the 2023 CAA Preseason Poll as released by the league office on Tuesday, Feb. 7.
• Reigning tournament champion UNCW was chosen as the CAA's preseason favorite, piling up 95 points and five first-place votes. Defending regular-season champion Delaware took second place with 91 points while tying UNCW with five first-place votes. Hofstra was placed third with 80 points and one first-place vote while Elon had 71 points in fourth. Fifth place was occupied by league newcomer Stony Brook, which had 69 points.
• College of Charleston (54) was rated sixth in the poll followed by Drexel (45) and Towson (33) in seventh and eighth, respectively. League newcomers Monmouth (31), Hampton (21) and North Carolina A&T (15) rounded out the 11-team poll.
 
AROUND THE HORN
• Elon is coming off a 30-22 ledger in 2022 and went 10-8 in the CAA. Highlight victories from last season include wins over Power 5 opponents North Carolina and Michigan State while also earning its second-ever trip to the CAA championship game.
• The Phoenix returns 13 players from last year's team, including six starters and four pitchers. Among the notable returners outside of Schaal and McCard include CAA All-Rookie selection Taylor Cherry and CAA All-Tournament choices in catcher senior Carley Davis and sophomore Chloe Hatzopoulos.
• The 2023 schedule for the maroon and gold will feature eight teams that made the postseason last season and 28 games on its home diamond at Hunt Softball Park. The slate is also scheduled to feature five teams from Power 5 conferences, 14 that posted winning records in 2022 and three teams that finished in the top 35 in 2022 RPI including two teams in the top 25 that will play at Hunt Softball Park.
• Six fresh faces will make their debut this season in an Elon uniform including a pair of transfers. Sophomore outfielder Reagan Hartley and junior pitcher Meredith Wells join the Phoenix after beginning their collegiate careers at Chattanooga State and James Madison, respectively. Hartley batted .346 in 179 at bats and ranked 11th in the nation in stolen bases with 51. She also drove in 27 RBI and scored 55 runs in 60 games last season. Wells is coming off making 12 appearances in the circle with the Dukes including going 3-1 this past spring with an ERA of 4.59 in 29.0 innings of action.
• Both Hartley and Wells will join first-year players Michaela Hobson (RHP), Mauri Murray (UT), Payton Swart (IN) and Mary Moss Wirt (C/UT) as the newcomers for the Phoenix.
• Last season, Elon's pitching staff was one of the more formidable units in the CAA. The Phoenix finished third in the league in ERA at 2.98, which was the team's best since 2017. Elon also tied for the league lead in shutouts with 10 and was second in strikeouts (238) and opposing batting average (.246).
• Among one of the top hurlers returning for the Phoenix is Cherry, who led the Phoenix in innings pitched (88.2), strikeouts (87) and saves (two) while going 7-7 with a 3.39 ERA. The Suffolk, Va., native became the third pitcher in school history to toss a perfect game with her outing versus ECU last season.
• Another sophomore, Isley Duggins, also looks to build off her rookie campaign. The Burlington, N.C., native finished second on the team last year in ERA (2.61) in her 64.1 innings pitched and earned a complete-game win versus North Carolina. She finished second in the CAA in opposing batting average at .193.
 
SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA
• The Tar Heels are 2-2 on the young season after competing at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge last weekend. North Carolina opened the tournament with wins over Cal Baptist and BYU before falling to ranked opponents No. 25 Ole Miss and No. 3 Oklahoma State in its latter two games.
• UNC is coming off a 23-28 campaign in 2022 including going 6-18 overall in ACC play. The Tar Heels were selected to finish 11^th in the 2023 ACC Preseason poll.
• North Carolina returns three of their top-four hitters from 2022: Bri Stubbs (.355), Skyler Brooks (.328) and Kiannah Pierce (.306). Currently, the Tar Heels have three players in their lineup batting over .300 including Brooks with her .333 average. Destiny Middleton has a team-best six hits to go along with her .500 average.
• In the circle, the Tar Heels return three pitchers: Lilli Backes and Carlie Myrtle and Talia Hannappel, while welcoming freshman MaKenna Raye Dark and Tennessee transfer Bailey McCachren. Backes has led UNC in innings pitched so far this season at 13.1 while also posting a 2.10 ERA. McCachren is next at 7.2 innings and a 0.00 ERA as the North Carolina staff overall has a cumulative ERA of 2.25 with 17 strikeouts and 10 walks.
 
ON DECK
Elon hosts its second tournament of the year, the Phoenix Invitational, this weekend, Feb. 17-19. The maroon and gold welcomes the field of Fordham, Michigan State, Saint Francis (Pa.) and James Madison to Hunt Softball Park.