ELON, N.C. – The Elon University softball team will take a brief trek to Greensboro, N.C., to play its final Colonial Athletic Association series of the regular season against North Carolina A&T, May 5-6. The Phoenix (19-24, 12-7 CAA) and the Aggies (17-30, 10-11 CAA) begin the three-game set with a doubleheader on Friday at 3 p.m. followed by the series finale on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex.
 
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.
 
SERIES BREAKDOWN
• Longtime Piedmont Triad rivals since 1991 in Elon's fastpitch era, the Phoenix and the Aggies have met on the softball diamond 57 times going into this weekend. The maroon and gold hold a 47-10 all-time advantage over N.C. A&T as both teams head into their first foray as league opponents.
• North Carolina A&T is Elon's third-most faced opponent in program history behind UNCG (96 games) and College of Charleston (68 games).
• Elon has won nine straight in the series and 16 out of the past 17 meetings. The Phoenix is unbeaten at North Carolina A&T in that stretch, going 6-0 against the Aggies.
• The Phoenix rallied for a 3-2 win over the Aggies in the most recent meeting last season at Hunt Softball Park. North Carolina A&T held a 2-0 advantage over the maroon and gold before Elon put up a three-spot in the home half of the fifth thanks to a three-RBI double from Megan Grant.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Phoenix hosted College of Charleston in its final home series last weekend, April 29-30. Elon took the opening game of the series, 8-0, via run rule in six innings. McKenna McCard and Kaitlin King combined for a no hitter in the contest, the first non-perfect game no hitter for the Phoenix since 2011.
• The game one win also helped the Phoenix clinch a spot for the CAA tournament for the fourth consecutive "full" season.
• Charleston took the second game of the series over the maroon and gold, 9-1, with the Cougars themselves earning a run-rule win in six innings. That result aided CofC to clinch a spot for the CAA championships.
• Both teams began play in the rubber match on Sunday, but the game was paused after the third inning due to inclement weather. The game was eventually called and ruled a no contest due to continuing rainfall and unplayable field conditions.
 
SCOUTING ELON
• Elon enters the last weekend of CAA play at 12-7 overall. The Phoenix is currently fourth overall in the league standings and needs one win this weekend to clinch a top-four seed for the league tournament.
• Elon's offense is hitting .246 with 271 hits in 2023. The Phoenix ranks in the top-five of the CAA in runs scored (3^rd – 195), doubles (2^nd – 55), triples (3^rd – eight), home runs (2^nd – 22), RBI (4^th – 164) while being the league-leader in walks (142).
• Claudia Penny continues her great senior season as she leads the team with her .350 average. She ranks fifth in the nation in doubles per game (0.37) while her 16 total doubles are ninth in the country while putting her in the top-five all-time in school history for doubles in a season. The Apex, N.C., native is also second in the CAA in doubles and RBI (37) while ranking sixth in slugging percentage (.577). She is also in the top-10 of the league in batting average and OPS (.983).
• Carley Davis is third on the team with her .278 batting average and second to Penny with 11 doubles, which sits sixth in the CAA. The Bridgewater, Va., native is also third in the CAA in batters throw out with 12 from her catcher position.
• The Phoenix has two players who rank in the top-10 of the CAA in walks with Grant tying the CAA-lead with 30. The Vinton, Va., native has drawn 92 career free passes and is second in school history behind Ally Repko's 100 career walks at the Division I era.
• The Elon pitching staff has posted a 4.32 ERA with 134 strikeouts and 154 walks in 278.2 innings. McCard leads the way for the Phoenix with a 7-4 record, 2.53 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 83.0 innings of action. The Ashburn, Ga., native is also second in the CAA in opposing batting average at .203.
• Meredith Wells is second on the Phoenix in innings pitched (81.0) and ERA (4.06) while being tied with Isley Duggins for second on the squad in wins with four. Duggins has a 4.43 ERA in 66.1 innings and is second to McCard with 37 strikeouts.
 
SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA A&T
• The Aggies come into the series versus the Phoenix as one of the hottest teams in the CAA in recent weeks. N.C. A&T has won its past two CAA series versus College of Charleston and Hampton while also earning a berth to the league championships in its first season in the conference.
• Offensively, the Aggies are hitting .228 on the season with two players in its lineup hitting north of .300 in Jai Deese (.333) and Dezianna Patmon (.307). Deese is fifth in the CAA in OPS (.988) while Patmon is ninth (.879). The duo has also combined for 21 doubles while Patmon and Alyxx Estrada are in the top-five of the CAA in walks with 25 and 24, respectively.
• In the circle, North Carolina A&T's pitching staff has posted a 5.36 cumulative ERA in 302.0 innings of action. The Aggies have also struck out 122 batters while walking 151.
• Five players have seen the majority of time toeing the rubber for the Aggies with rookie Megan Ellis having a team-low ERA of 4.31 while leading the squad with five wins in 54.1 innings. Sophomore Joey Barkhimer leads the team in innings pitched with 78.1 and in strikeouts with 47 while posting a 4.83 ERA.
 
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.
 
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
Elon begins play at the 2023 CAA Softball Championships next week, May 9-13, hosted by Hofstra University at Bill Edwards Stadium.