ELON, N.C. – The Elon University softball team travels north to New Jersey for a three-game Colonial Athletic Association series at Monmouth this weekend, March 18-19. The three-game set between the Phoenix (9-15, 3-0 CAA) and Hawks (2-13, 2-1 CAA) begins with a twin bill on Saturday at 12 p.m. followed by the finale on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. at the MU Softball Park.
 
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.
 
SERIES BREAKDOWN
• Both teams are meeting on the softball diamond for the first time this weekend. The Hawks are one of four CAA newcomers that are on the Phoenix's league schedule this season along with Stony Brook, Hampton and North Carolina A&T. Of the four, Monmouth is the only team that Elon has not played in previous years.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Elon hosted Notre Dame at Hunt Softball Park on Tuesday, March 14, for its first-ever meeting with the Fighting Irish. The Phoenix would fall by a score of 16-3 in five innings.
• Notre Dame jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the top of the first on a grand slam. Elon settled and held the Fighting Irish offense scoreless over the next two frames, but a nine-run fourth inning put the game out of reach for the Phoenix.
• Megan Grant, Drew Menscer and Reagan Hartley each recorded a base knock for Elon. Grant also scored a run and drew a walk while Payton Swart drew a pair of walks and had the Phoenix's lone RBI of the game.
 
SCOUTING ELON
• Elon's offense is hitting .238 with 147 hits in 2023, including leading the CAA in doubles (30), home runs (13), RBI (78), triples (seven), walks (82) and runs scored (99) through 24 games. The Phoenix is also second in the league in total hits.
• Senior Claudia Penny is the lone Phoenix player hitting better than .300 on the season with her .358 batting average, which is seventh in the league. She is also in the top 10 of the CAA in slugging percentage (.612), on-base percentage (.421), OPS (1.033), hits (24), RBI (16) and doubles (eight). She also ranks 27^th in the country in total doubles.
• Carley Davis ranks in the top 20 of the country in caught stealing from her catcher position, throwing out seven runners so far in 2023. The Bridgewater, Va., native is also in the top 10 of the CAA in runs scored (13) and doubles (seven).
• Three Elon players also set in the top six of the CAA in walks including the top two. Allee Seering and Grant are tied for the league lead with 15 walks each. Menscer is also in the top six of the CAA with 11 free passes.
• After only registering 19 hits in 107 at bats in 2022, senior Bella Devesa has already tied that total in just 71 at bats this year. The Pembroke Pines, Fla., native is second on the team with her .268 average and is in the top 10 of the CAA in triples (two). Hartley is tied for the CAA lead in triples with four.
• The Elon pitching staff has posted a 4.94 ERA with 81 strikeouts and 105 walks in 158.2 innings. Meredith Wells leads the team in innings pitched with 56.1 and has an ERA of 3.60 with a save. Isley Duggins is next with 36.1 innings pitched with a 4.62 ERA while leading the team with 23 strikeouts. McKenna McCard is first in the CAA in opposing batting average at .167 while Duggins is seventh at .245.
 
SCOUTING MONMOUTH
• After starting 2023 with an 0-12 ledger, Monmouth picked up its first two wins of the season in its inaugural CAA series last weekend at Hampton. The Hawks won the first two games of the weekend over the Pirates before dropping the series finale on Sunday.
• Monmouth was predicted to finish ninth in the 2023 CAA Preseason poll after coming off an 11-38 record in 2022. The Hawks also went 6-14 in their final season in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).
• Offensively, the Hawks are batting .184 on the season with 63 hits, including 13 doubles, three home runs and 17 walks. Junior Abby Warner is the leading hitter for Monmouth with 12 hits while tying for the team-lead with four RBI. Freshman Mackenzie Bloss paced the Hawks' offense in its CAA series at Hampton, hitting .500 (5-of-10) with a pair of doubles.
• In the circle, Monmouth has posted a 4.37 ERA with 67 strikeouts compared to 38 walks in 91.1 innings of work. Opposing batters are hitting .303 against the Hawks' pitching staff. Sophomore Billie Kerwood has a team-low 2.65 ERA while striking out 39 batters in 31.2 innings pitched. Senior hurler Kylie Gletow has posted a 4.31 ERA in a team-best 37.1 innings of work.
 
BO'S ON TOP
• Elon head coach Kathy Bocock became the program's all-time wins leader with the Phoenix's 8-2 win on Sunday, Feb. 19, versus James Madison. The victory was the 278^th for Bocock in her 12 seasons at Elon, surpassing Patti Raduenz's mark of 277 that was set from 2001-11.
 
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.
 
ON DECK
The Phoenix will be idle for a week before hosting Towson in its second CAA home series on March 25-26 at Hunt Softball Park.