ELON, N.C. – After a three-game stretch out of Colonial Athletic Association play, the Elon University softball team returns to league competition to host UNCW in a three-game set this weekend, April 15-16. The Phoenix (15-20, 8-3 CAA) and the Seahawks (17-20, 11-4 CAA) begin the series with a doubleheader on Saturday at noon followed by the finale on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Hunt 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.
• The series will stream on FloSoftball via a paid subscription.
 
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
• The team is hosting its Alumni Weekend versus UNCW and encourages all Elon Softball alumni to attend. The program is scheduled to host a pregame tailgate on Saturday and an alumni home run derby post game.
• The program is also giving away free bucket hats to the first 50 Elon University students on Saturday.
 
SERIES BREAKDOWN
• Intrastate foes since 1990, the Phoenix and the Seahawks have met 36 times on the softball diamond going into this weekend. Elon holds a 20-16 ledger all-time over UNCW.
• Both teams are meeting for the first time since squaring off at the 2022 CAA Championship game last May at Hunt Softball Park. The Phoenix jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but the Seahawks rallied 10 unanswered runs to take the league tournament title.
• Elon won the series last year during the regular season, taking two out of three in Wilmington, N.C. The Phoenix won the first game, 3-1, before falling in game two, 9-1 to set up the rubber match. In a pitching duel battle, both teams combined for two hits but Elon scored the lone run of the contest in the eighth inning to take a 1-0 victory in the series finale.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Phoenix defeated North Carolina Central, 8-0, in its most recent game on Tuesday, April 11. The win snapped Elon's three-game losing skid while also improving the maroon and gold to 18-0 all-time against the Eagles in the series.
• Elon scored all eight of its runs in the first two innings. The Phoenix put up a two-spot in the bottom of the first on a pair of two-out RBI doubles from Claudia Penny and Carley Davis. The maroon and gold followed with a six-run bottom of the second to give itself an 8-0 cushion, which would set as the final score as the Phoenix earned its fifth run-rule victory of the season.
• The Phoenix had nine hits in the game versus the Eagles. Davis (2-of-2), Penny (2-of-3) and Bella Devesa (2-of-3) led the Phoenix at the plate while Davis and Megan Grant drove in a pair of RBI each. Penny added her 14th double of the season while posting her team-best 12th multi-hit contest of the year.
• A combined effort in the circle helped the Phoenix to its second shutout of the season. Starter McKenna McCard tossed 2.0 hitless frames with four strikeouts while Meredith Wells (4-5) also threw 2.0 scoreless innings while being credited with the win. Kaitlin King pitched the final inning in relief to help Elon to its first shutout since blanking Hampton 9-0 on April 2.
 
SCOUTING ELON
• Elon is currently third in the CAA standings with its 8-3 ledger. Delaware (10-2) and UNCW (11-4) are first and second, respectively, in the league standings as this weekend's series has major implications on seeding for the CAA Tournament.
• Elon's offense is batting .247 with 221 hits in 2023. The Phoenix ranks in the top-five of the CAA in runs scored (2^nd – 153), doubles (2^nd – 46), triples (3^rd – seven), home runs (2^nd – 19), RBI (2^nd – 124) while being the league-leader in walks (112).
• Penny continues her great senior season as she leads the team with her .374 average. She ranks seventh in the nation in doubles with 14 and is fifth in the country in doubles per game (0.40). The Apex, N.C., native is also second in the CAA in OPS (1.062) and is in the top-five of the CAA in slugging percentage (.636), RBI (31) and doubles.
• Devesa ranks second on the team with her .295 average and is fifth on the squad with 12 RBI. The Pembroke Pines, Fla., native is second on the team behind Penny with eight multi-hit games and has posted a team-best seven-game hit streak this season.
• Over her past eight games, Kaitlyn Wells is hitting .429 (9-of-21) with 12 RBI and four home runs. The Roswell, Ga., native has recorded a hit in six of those games and is second on the team overall in RBI with 19.
• The Elon pitching staff has posted a 4.39 ERA with 112 strikeouts and 133 walks in 226.2 innings. Meredith Wells leads the team in innings pitched with 67.0 and has an ERA of 3.87 with a 4-5 record and a save. McCard has a team-low 2.58 ERA in 57.0 innings of action and a 4-3 record while leading the team with 35 strikeouts. The Ashburn, Ga., native is second in the CAA in opposing batting average at .201.
 
SCOUTING UNCW
• The Seahawks are coming off a sweep versus Hampton at home last weekend to improve to 11-4 in the CAA. After five games at home, UNCW will embark on a five-game road swing beginning this weekend at Elon.
• UNCW is coming off a 32-15 ledger in 2022 and went 11-8 overall in the CAA before earning its first-ever league championship with its victory over the Phoenix last May. This year, the Seahawks were chosen as the league's preseason favorite in the 2023 CAA Preseason poll.
• The Seahawks rank second in the CAA with a .273 batting average and a .382 slugging percentage. Janel Gamache has been one of the top offensive weapons for the Seahawks as she leads the CAA in on-base percentage (.457) and OPS (1.087) while ranking second in batting average (.390) and third in slugging percentage (.630). The graduate student is tied for the team-lead in RBI with 21.
• In the circle, UNCW has posted a 2.65 ERA, best in the league and 59^th overall in the country. Five players have seen time in the circle with sophomore Kara Hammock pacing the squad with her 82.1 innings pitched while posting a 1.70 ERA and 69 strikeouts. Gamache has also seen time toeing the rubber as she has put up a CAA-low 1.64 ERA in 51.1 innings. Opposing batters are only hitting .246 against the Seahawks in 2023, good for second in the league behind Delaware's .234 average.
 
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. Bocock now sits on 289 career victories with the Phoenix.
 
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.
 
FOLLOW THE PHOENIX ON SOCIAL MEDIA
• For updates and more information on Elon Softball, follow the Phoenix on Twitter and Instagram (@ElonSoftball) and like Elon Phoenix Softball on Facebook.
 
ON DECK
The Phoenix travels to Hofstra next weekend, April 22-23, for its next CAA series versus the Pride.