ELON, N.C. – The Elon University softball team begins a stretch of seven of its next eight games at home on Tuesday, April 4, as the Phoenix (14-18) hosts Liberty (21-13) in a nonconference matchup at Hunt Softball Park. That game is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. start.
 
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.
• The game will stream on FloSoftball via a paid subscription.
 
SERIES BREAKDOWN
• Tuesday will be the 20^th all-time meeting between Elon and Liberty and the second of the season. The Flames hold a 13-6 advantage over the maroon and gold in a series dating back to 1998.
• The Phoenix and the Flames faced each other earlier this season at the Liberty Softball Classic on Feb. 26. Liberty took an early 5-0 lead after the first two innings, but Elon rallied with four runs between the fifth and sixth frames to trim its deficit to one, 5-4, going to the bottom of the sixth. The Flames responded with a run of their own to add some insurance before holding off the Phoenix in the final frame. Elon ended the game outhitting Liberty, 7-6, with Claudia Penny going 2-of-4 at the plate to pace the Phoenix offense. Megan Grant drove in a season-high three RBI for the maroon and gold.
• Tuesday is the first contest between the two teams in Elon since Feb. 10, 2012. Elon defeated the Flames 4-1 to kick off the season while giving Kathy Bocock career win No. 1 as the head coach of the Phoenix.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Elon played at Hampton this past weekend for its first-ever meeting as a Colonial Athletic Association foe against the Lady Pirates. The series was reduced to a doubleheader on Sunday, April 2, after threats of inclement weather forced the cancellation of the single game on Saturday, April 1.
• The Phoenix won game one of the twin bill, 9-0, on Sunday. All nine of the Phoenix's runs came in the top of the fifth inning. Kaitlyn Wells hit a pair of home runs in the frame while fellow sophomore Chloe Hatzopoulos also added a home run en route to the Phoenix's fourth run-rule victory of the season. Wells ended the game with five RBI while going 2-of-3 at the plate.
• Game two was a different story as the Lady Pirates came on the attack early to move ahead 2-0 after the top of the first. Hampton led by as many as four after putting up a three-spot in its home half of the third to take a 5-1 advantage. Elon scored three runs between the fifth and sixth inning to bring itself within one, but Hampton added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to help secure its first-ever victory over the Phoenix in the all-time series.
 
SCOUTING ELON
• Despite the split at Hampton, the Phoenix is still second in the CAA standings at 8-3 on the season. Preseason favorite Delaware is currently first with a 7-2 ledger on the year.
• Elon's offense is hitting .252 with 210 hits in 2023, including leading the CAA in doubles (44) and walks (101). The Phoenix offense is in the top-three in the league in runs scored (2^nd - 144), hits (3^rd – 210), home runs (2^nd – 19), RBI (2^nd – 116) and total bases (2^nd – 325).
• Penny continues her great senior season as she leads the team with her .385 average. She ranks in the top-10 in the nation in doubles with 13 and is in the top-20 in the country in doubles per game (0.41). The Apex, N.C., native is also leading the league in OPS (1.097) and RBI (29) while ranking second in slugging percentage (.659) and doubles while ranking fourth in batting average.
• During CAA play, the Phoenix as a team is hitting .297 overall, good for third in the league. Five players are hitting .300 or better with Penny's .455 average leading the way. Bella Devesa (.353), Drew Menscer (.324), Carley Davis (.313) and Megan Grant (.313) are also hitting north of .300 during league play.
• Devesa ranks second on the team with her .302 average and is third on the squad with 12 RBI. The Pembroke Pines, Fla., native is second on the team behind Penny with seven multi-hit games including tying her career-best mark with three hits versus Hampton in game two of the Phoenix's doubleheader on Sunday.
• Over her past five games, Kaitlyn Wells is hitting .571 (8-of-14) with 11 RBI and four home runs. The Roswell, Ga., native has recorded a hit in each of those five games and is second on the team overall in RBI with 18.
• The Elon pitching staff has posted a 4.43 ERA with 104 strikeouts and 120 walks in 208.2 innings. Meredith Wells leads the team in innings pitched with 65.0 and has an ERA of 3.98 with a 3-5 record and a save. Isley Duggins is next with 50.2 innings pitched with a 3.73 ERA and is tied for the team-lead in strikeouts with McKenna McCard with 31.
• McCard pitched the Phoenix's first shutout of the season in Elon's 9-0 win at Hampton on Sunday. The sophomore has a team-low 2.67 ERA in 55.0 innings of action and a 4-3 record.
• During CAA play, the Phoenix's team ERA is 2.70, the fourth-best in the league. Duggins has posted an ERA of 1.29 in her five league appearances while McCard leads the team in innings pitched (34.0) and strikeouts (19) while posting a 2.06 ERA against league foes.
 
SCOUTING LIBERTY
• Liberty comes into Tuesday's matchup on a three-game winning streak after sweeping Kennesaw State last weekend in its Atlantic Sun series. The Flames are 14-11 in nonconference matchups this season and 4-3 on the road.
• Liberty was 44-18 in 2022, which included a blistering 23-1 mark in the ASUN en route to the conference title and an NCAA Tournament appearance. The Flames were voted as the ASUN favorites for the fifth straight year in the league's 2023 Preseason poll.
• Offensively, Liberty is hitting .259 as a team while scoring 171 runs with 224 hits. The Flames are also 50^th in the nation in home runs per game (0.91). Sophomore Rachel Craine leads the team with her .342 average, one of three players batting north of .300. Megan Fortner (.328) and Devyn Howard (.306) are also hitting .300 or better for the Flames. Junior Caroline Hudson leads the team in homers (nine) and RBI (26) and is second to Howard in hits with 30.
• In the circle, the Flames' pitching staff has posted a 2.40 ERA with 151 strikeouts and 83 walks. Liberty has also shut out opponents eight times, which is 44^th in the country. Junior Karlie Kenney has been a workhorse for Liberty, leading the nation in innings pitched with 134.1. She has a 1.98 ERA with 91 strikeouts and five shutouts, with the latter category good for ninth in the country.
 
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 plays a home-and-home series versus Duke this Friday-Saturday, April 7-8. Elon travels to the Blue Devils on Friday at 6 p.m. followed by a home game on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Hunt Softball Park.