ELON, N.C. – The Elon University softball team treks to Virginia for its Colonial Athletic Association series at Hampton this weekend, April 1-2. The Phoenix (13-17, 7-2 CAA) and the Lady Pirates (10-15, 1-5 CAA) kickoff the series with a single game on Saturday at 3 p.m. followed by at doubleheader on Sunday beginning 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.
 
SERIES BREAKDOWN
• The Phoenix and the Lady Pirates are meeting for the first time since 2019 in their first foray as CAA opponents this weekend. In a series dating back to 1998, Elon is 7-0 all-time versus Hampton on the softball diamond.
• Both teams last squared off versus each other at the Elon February Classic in 2019. The Phoenix jumped out to a 6-0 lead after the first two innings, but Hampton battled back with a four-run top of the fifth and another run in the sixth to make it a one-run game. Elon pushed its lead back to four, 9-5, after a three-spot in the home half of the sixth, but the Lady Pirates pulled closer with a two-run top of the seventh before the Phoenix eventually pulled away with a 9-7 victory.
• This weekend will be the Phoenix's first visit to Hampton in the series since the first-ever meeting between the two schools in 1998. Elon won that game 4-3.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Elon took two out of three games in its CAA series versus Towson this past weekend. The Tigers took the opening game, 2-0, but the Phoenix won the final two contests 6-5 and 12-4 in games two and three, respectively.
• On Saturday in game one of its doubleheader, the Phoenix offense was stymied by Towson's Maddie Gardner in the circle. The junior hurler scattered three hits in her complete-game performance while shutting out the Phoenix for the fourth time this season.
• In game two, Elon fell behind 5-3 after the top of the fourth. Down to its final out in the bottom of the sixth, the Phoenix took advantage of a Towson error to score three runs in the frame to take the lead and earn a 6-5 comeback victory.
• In the rubber match on Sunday, Elon's offense attacked very early, scoring five runs in the bottom of the first against Gardner. The Phoenix continued its scoring output with three more runs in the home half of the second and scored at least one run in each frame before taking a 12-4 victory in five innings. Claudia Penny had seven RBI in the game, the most for a Phoenix player since Danielle Lafferty also had seven in 2012 versus Furman.
 
KAITLYN WELLS NAMED CAA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Sophomore Kaitlyn Wells was named the CAA Player of the Week after her performance against Towson this past weekend. It was the first career weekly accolade for the Roswell, Ga., native and the second this season for the Phoenix overall after Penny was honored on Feb. 21.
• Wells led the Phoenix at the plate versus the Tigers, batting .625 (5-of-8) and hitting safely in all three games. She also added a pair of home runs while contributing a double and five RBI to her stat line.
• In game two of the series versus Towson, Wells went 1-of-3 with a two-run homer in Elon's 6-5 win to help the maroon and gold pull even in the series. In the rubber match, Wells went 3-for-3 at the plate, falling a triple shy of the cycle. She also drove in three RBI and scored a run in Elon's 12-4 win to clinch the series.
 
SCOUTING ELON
• The Phoenix is off to its best start ever in CAA play, sitting second in the league standings with its 7-2 ledger. Hofstra is currently atop the CAA at 5-1 on the year.
• Elon's offense is hitting .246 with 191 hits in 2023, including leading the CAA in runs scored (131), doubles (40), RBI (104) and walks (94). The Phoenix offense is second in the league in home runs (16) and triples (seven).
• Penny is the lone Phoenix player hitting better than .300 on the season as she is second in the CAA with her .391 average. She is seventh in the nation in doubles with 12 and 16^th in the country in doubles per game (0.40). The Apex, N.C., native is also leading the league in slugging percentage (.667), on-base percentage (.437), OPS (1.106) and RBI (27). She is also in the top three of the league in hits (34) and fifth in on-base percentage (.439).
• During CAA play, the Phoenix as a team is hitting .284 overall, good for third in the league. Four players are hitting .300 or better with Penny's .486 average leading the way. Carley Davis (.346), Bella Devesa (.333) and Megan Grant (.306) are also hitting north of .300 during league play.
• Devesa ranks second on the team with her .292 average and is tied with Kaitlyn Wells for second on the squad with 12 RBI. The Pembroke Pines, Fla., native is second on the team behind Penny with six multi-hit games and is tied for the team-lead with the longest hitting streak with her current six-game run.
• Davis is third on the team in batting average (.278) and RBI (11) while ranking second behind Penny in doubles with nine, which is fourth in the CAA. She is also second on the team in runs scored with 17, behind Allee Seering's 19. Davis has also thrown out eight runners stealing, which is fourth in the CAA.
• The Elon pitching staff has posted a 4.53 ERA with 99 strikeouts and 120 walks in 197.2 innings. Meredith Wells leads the team in innings pitched with 59.1 and has an ERA of 3.89 with a 3-4 record and a save. Isley Duggins is next with 50.1 innings pitched with a 3.75 ERA while McKenna McCard has a team-low 2.94 ERA in 50.0 innings and is second in the CAA in opposing batting average at .211.
• During CAA play, the Phoenix's team ERA is 2.73, the fourth-best in the league. Duggins has posted an ERA of 1.31 in her four league appearances while McCard leads the team in innings pitched (29.0) and strikeouts (16) while posting a 2.41 ERA against league foes.
 
SCOUTING HAMPTON
• The Lady Pirates are 10-15 on the season with a 1-5 record in their first season in the CAA. Hampton was swept in its last series at College of Charleston last weekend to extend its losing streak to four. The Lady Pirates' lone CAA win came versus Monmouth on March 12 at home.
• Hampton is coming off a 19-36 overall record in 2022 including going 7-20 in its final season in the Big South Conference. This year, the Lady Pirates were selected to finish 10^th in the 2023 CAA Preseason Poll this year.
• Offensively, Hampton is batting .242 on the season while scoring 94 runs. The Lady Pirates have accounted for 164 hits, 22 doubles and seven triples, ranking 47^th in the nation in triples per game at 0.28.
• Kayla Domon leads Hampton with her .318 average among the regulars in the Lady Pirates lineup. She also has driven in a team-high 13 RBI while legging out three triples. Carmynn Bonner is second on the team with 11 RBI.
• In the circle, Hampton has a 4.09 cumulative ERA with four arms seeing at least 25.0 innings. Jada Evans paces the team with 65.1 innings while posting a 3.64 ERA and a 3-5 record. She has struck out 28 batters, which also leads the team. Bonner is second in 47.1 innings and has a 3.99 ERA with a shutout.
 
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
Elon hosts Liberty next Tuesday, April 4, at Hunt Softball Park. That game is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. start and will air on FloSoftball.