ELON, N.C. – After having a rare idle weekend, the Elon University softball team begins this week with a pair of games versus in-state opponents No. 11 Duke and North Carolina Central. The Phoenix (14-19) travels to the Blue Devils (30-8) on Monday, April 10 for a matchup at 3:30 p.m. followed by hosting the Eagles (12-23) at Hunt Softball Park on Tuesday, April 11, at 5 p.m.
 
FOLLOW THE PHOENIX
• Live stats will be available for the games by going to the team's schedule page at elonphoenix.com.
• Updates will also be posted on Twitter at the team's account @ElonSoftball.
• Monday's game at Duke will air on the ACC Network Extra through WatchESPN or the ESPN app. The Phoenix's contest versus NC Central will stream on FloSoftball via a paid subscription.
 
SERIES BREAKDOWN
• Duke: The Phoenix and the Blue Devils are meeting for the sixth time in their series histories on Monday. This is also the second time that Elon is facing a ranked Duke team after last year's contest at the then-13^th-ranked Blue Devils. Duke holds a 4-1 all-time advantage over the maroon and gold and has won three in a row in the series. In its last meeting, Elon held an early 4-0 lead, but saw the Blue Devils score five unanswered to earn the 5-4 win last season in Durham.
• North Carolina Central: Tuesday will be the second contest of the season between the Phoenix and the Eagles and the 18^th overall in the all-time series. Elon holds a 17-0 advantage over its intrastate foe since beginning series play in 2011. N.C. Central nearly took its first game of the series earlier this year when the two programs played at the Elon Softball Classic on Feb. 10. The Eagles held a 7-3 lead after five innings before Elon rallied with five runs in the bottom of the sixth to earn the 8-7 victory.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Elon hosted Liberty last Tuesday, April 4 in a nonconference slate. It was the second matchup of the season between the Phoenix and the Flames and the first game for Liberty in Elon since 2012.
• The Flames scored five runs in the first three innings and took an 8-0 advantage after the top of the fifth for a commanding advantage over the Phoenix. Elon managed to score a run in the home half of the fifth on a sac fly by Claudia Penny, but it would be its lone run of the game as Liberty cruised to a 10-1 win.
 
RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY
• Elon's early-week games versus Duke and NC Central are the latest schedule adjustments that the Phoenix has had to make this season due to threats of inclement weather. The Phoenix was slated to play the Blue Devils in and home-and-home series last Friday and Saturday before the series was reduced to a single game on Monday.
• The result of scheduling Duke on Monday forced the Phoenix to reduce its contest versus N.C. Central on Tuesday from a doubleheader to a single game.
• Elon saw its last Colonial Athletic Association series at Hampton also condensed to a twin bill last Sunday, April 2 due to rain canceling play on Saturday, April 1. The Phoenix ended up with a split against the Lady Pirates in the twin bill.
 
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 10-2 ledger on the year.
• Elon's offense is hitting .248 with 212 hits in 2023. The Phoenix ranks in the top-five of the CAA in runs scored (2^nd – 145), doubles (3^rd – 44), triples (3^rd – seven), home runs (2^nd – 19) and RBI (2^nd – 117) while being the league-leader in walks (107).
• Penny continues her great senior season as she leads the team with her .376 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 (0.39). The Apex, N.C., native is also leading the league in OPS (1.076) and is in the top-five of the CAA in batting average, slugging percentage (.645), RBI (30) and doubles.
• Bella Devesa ranks second on the team with her .293 average and is fourth 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 last Sunday.
• Over her past six games, Kaitlyn Wells is hitting .500 (8-of-16) with 11 RBI and four home runs. The Roswell, Ga., native has recorded a hit in five of those games and is second on the team overall in RBI with 18.
• The Elon pitching staff has posted a 4.54 ERA with 106 strikeouts and 127 walks in 215.2 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 52.2 innings pitched with a 4.12 ERA and is leading the team in strikeouts with 32.
• McKenna McCard pitched the Phoenix's first shutout of the season in Elon's 9-0 win at Hampton last Sunday. The sophomore has a team-low 2.67 ERA in 55.0 innings of action and a 4-3 record while ranking second on the squad with 31 strikeouts.
 
SCOUTING NO. 11 DUKE
• The Blue Devils were off this past weekend after playing a doubleheader at CAA foe UNCW last Wednesday. Duke swept the Seahawks in the twin bill and has won four of its past five games.
• Duke went 44-11 overall in 2022 including a 19-3 mark in ACC play. The Blue Devils would go on to advance to the NCAA Super Regional for the first time in school history and were tabbed No. 16 in the USA Today/NFCA Top-25 Preseason poll this year.
• Offensively, Duke is hitting .316 overall with seven members of its lineup hitting .300 or better. Freshman D'Auna Jennings has a team-high .402 average with 41 hits. Sophomore Ana Gold is third in the nation in home runs with 14 while being the program's top run producer with 43 RBI. Two other players – Aminah Vega and Gisele Tapia – have 25 or more RBI with 32 and 27, respectively.
• In the circle, the Blue Devils have a staff ERA of 2.14 with 242 strikeouts and 90 walks in 252.1 innings. Junior Jala Wright leads Duke with 87.2 innings of action with a 2.32 ERA and an 8-4 record. She has also struck out 98 batters this season.
 
SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL
• The Eagles are coming off a series win at Howard this past weekend after taking two out of three over the Bison. The victories improved North Carolina Central to 10-1 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
• N.C. Central has already matched its win total from last season while surpassing its conference win total from 2022. The Eagles were tabbed to finish fourth out of eight teams in the 2023 MEAC Preseason poll.
• As a team, the Eagles carry a .256 batting average and have scored 168 runs with 32 home runs and 152 RBI. Three players in N.C. Central's lineup are hitting north of .300 in Makiya Graves (.358), Takia Nichols (.341) and Imara Harrell (.313). Nichols is second on the team in RBI with 26 and home runs (six) while Ivory Jones and Maegan Garrison are tied for the team-lead with seven round trippers this season. Garrison has also driven in a team-high 29 RBI.
• The Eagles' pitching staff has posted a 5.20 ERA on the season with 132 strikeouts and 145 walks in 219.1 innings. Staff ace Jaden Davis is 7-10 in the circle with a 3.53 ERA in 103.0 innings. The sophomore has also struck out 62 batters on the year.
 
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 UNCW this upcoming weekend, April 15-16, to return to CAA play. It will be the first matchup against the Seahawks since both teams last met at the CAA Championship game last spring at Hunt Softball Park.