ELON, N.C. – The Elon University softball team plays in its third tournament of the season as the Phoenix (4-6) travels to Durham, N.C., for the Duke Invitational this weekend, Feb. 23-25. The field of Michigan State, Villanova, Boston University and host Duke awaits the maroon and gold.
 
DUKE INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE (ELON GAMES ONLY)

• Friday, February 23
  • 12:00 PM – vs. Michigan State

• Saturday, February 24
  • 9:30 AM – vs. Villanova
  • 12:00 PM – vs. Boston University
• Sunday, February 25
  • 10:30 PM – vs. Michigan State
  • 3:30 PM – at Duke

 
FOLLOW THE PHOENIX
• Live stats will be available for the tournament by going to the team's schedule page at elonphoenix.com.
• Updates will also be posted on Twitter at the team's account @ElonSoftball.
• All Elon's games at the tournament will be streamed on the ACC Network Extra via Watch ESPN or the ESPN App.
 
LAST TIME THEY MET
• Michigan State: Elon and Michigan State have met 10 times on the softball diamond going back to 2002. The Spartans hold a 6-4 all-time advantage over the Phoenix with MSU winning three straight in the series. Michigan State blanked the Phoenix 7-0 last season at Hunt Softball Park.
• Villanova: Saturday will be the first meeting between the Phoenix and the Wildcats since 2006. Elon picked up a 7-5 win over Villanova in the lone meeting between the two schools.
• Boston University: Saturday will be the first contest between the Phoenix and the Terriers on the softball diamond.
• Duke: In state foes since Duke's inaugural season in 2018, the Phoenix and the Blue Devils meet for the first of two contests this season on Sunday. Duke holds a 5-1 series advantage over the Phoenix and has won four straight over the maroon and gold. Last season, the Blue Devils blanked the Phoenix 4-0, in Durham.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Elon played Virginia Tech on Wednesday, Feb. 21 in Blacksburg, Va. The Hokies prevailed with a 9-1 win over the Phoenix in six innings.
• It was the first meeting between the two schools since the 2017 season where the Phoenix swept the Hokies in a twin bill.
• The Phoenix was held to three total hits in the contest, one of them being a Megan Grant RBI triple in the sixth inning. Kaitlyn Wells and Mauri Murray registered the other base hits for the Phoenix.
• The game was a homecoming for eight members of the Phoenix who hail from the state of Virginia. (Teagan Baulsir, Cherry, Davis, Megan Grant, Kyra Leonard, Ella Roberson, Payton Swart and Meredith Wells).
 
THIS IS ELON SOFTBALL!!
•  Elon head coach Kathy Bocock earned her 300th career win with the program with the Phoenix's victory over the North Dakota State last Saturday. Bocock, who became the Phoenix's all-time career wins leader last season, is the only coach in school history with 300 or more wins at the school.
• Among her highlights during Bocock's 12 seasons leading the Elon softball program include her taking the Phoenix to the CAA title game in two of the last four seasons, earning wins versus top-10 nation teams like Georgia (twice) and James Madison and coaching the lone two All-Americans in school history (Tomeka Watson '13 and Kara Shutt '16).
 
AROUND THE HORN
• Offensively, Elon is hitting .231 overall with seven home runs and 45 RBI so far in 2024. Murray leads the Phoenix with her .429 batting average while also ranking in the top-10 of the CAA in slugging percentage (2^nd, .857), hits (3^rd, 12), runs scored (8^th, seven), OPS (4^th, 1.324), RBI (1^st, 12) and home runs (1^st, four).
• The 2024 season is the 47^th overall year of the Elon softball program and the 34^th season during the fastpitch era (since 1990). The program will celebrate its 47^th year of collegiate competition by using the hashtag #Team47 all season.
• Elon is coming off a 22-26 campaign a year ago, but went 15-7 during CAA play, tying its highest league win total ever. The Phoenix earned the fourth seed for the league tournament, advancing to the CAA postseason for the fourth straight, non-COVID year.
• The Phoenix returns 16 letterwinners from its roster last season including seven starters and five pitchers. Along with Davis and Kaitlyn Wells, some notable returners for the Phoenix include fifth-year Megan Grant and graduate student Drew Menscer and juniors Chloe Hatzopoulos, Reagan Hartley and Allee Seering.
• Hatzopoulos led the team in homers last season with 11 while Grant, Menscer and Seering combined for 77 walks. Hartley was the team's leader in stolen bases with eight.
• In the circle, the Phoenix brings back its top three pitchers in innings pitched in junior McKenna McCard, senior Meredith Wells and junior Isley Duggins. McCard served as the staff ace for the Phoenix last season, pacing the squad in innings (95.0), ERA (2.36), wins (nine) and strikeouts (50).
• Elon will also look forward to having redshirt junior Gabi Schaal and redshirt sophomore Taylor Cherry back on the diamond in 2024 after both players missed time last season due to injuries. Schaal was a Third Team All-CAA choice in 2022 after leading the team in homers (nine) and RBI (39) while Cherry received CAA All-Rookie honors after her freshman season in which she led the Phoenix with 88.2 innings pitched along with 87 strikeouts while becoming the third Elon pitcher at the Division I level to toss a perfect game.
• Bocock added three new members to her coaching staff over the summer in Jonathan Lynch, Bailey Thomas and Sophia Devesa. Lynch joins the Phoenix after spending time as an assistant coach at NAIA program Central Methodist since 2020. Lynch worked with the pitchers and outfielders at Central Methodist, helping coach several First Team All-Conference pitchers in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.
• Thomas joins the Elon staff after spending the last five seasons as an assistant coach at Utah State. While with the Aggies, Thomas worked with the outfielders while also having responsibility for all defensive instruction, game planning and in game adjustments along with assisting in hitting. Thomas also served as the travel, camp and compliance coordinator.
• Devesa arrives after serving as an assistant coach at Mars Hill since 2021. Prior to joining Mars Hill, she was a graduate assistant coach with Florida National University for two seasons.  She helped lead the Conquistadors to become the 2021 United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) National Champions as the team compiled a 28-13 overall record.  While at FNU, Devesa was responsible for coordinating and running practices, scouting opposing teams, and administrative work such as planning schedules, advising student-athletes, and game day preparations. Her younger sister Bella was a member of the Phoenix softball team from 2020-23.
 
PRESEASON PRAISE
• Fifth-year Carley Davis and junior Kaitlyn Wells were named to the 2024 CAA Preseason Watch List as announced by the CAA on Tuesday, Feb. 6.
• Davis earned All-CAA accolades last season at catcher after the Bridgewater, Va., native ranked fourth in the CAA in doubles (13) and was second in the league runners caught stealing. She is also the Phoenix's returning leader in batting average (.301) and hits (41) while also ranking in the program's top three in slugging percentage (.463) and total bases.
• Wells received Second Team All-CAA recognition as a designated player/utility in 2023. The Roswell, Ga., native is Elon's returning leader in RBI (27) while ranking second on the squad in home runs (five) a year ago. The junior also earned CAA Player of the Week honors last season during a Phoenix series win over Towson.
 
2024 CAA PRESEASON POLL
• Elon was tabbed to finish sixth overall in the 2024 CAA Preseason Poll as predicted by the league's 12 head coaches as announced on Tuesday, Feb. 6.
• Delaware was tabbed as a narrow favorite to win the CAA Softball title in a tight predicted order of finish, according to a vote of the league's 12 head coaches. The Blue Hens tallied three first-place votes and 112 points to sit atop the preseason poll, ahead of newcomer Campbell, who totaled a league-best six first-place votes despite trailing with 109 points. The defending CAA Champion, Hofstra, also received three first-place votes, totaling 101 points to edge UNCW (96) by five points in fourth.
• Towson (82) and Elon (73), separated by nine points, rounded out the top half of the poll in fifth and sixth, respectively. Stony Brook (56), Charleston (55) and North Carolina A&T (39) followed, with Monmouth (36), Drexel (20) and Hampton (13) concluding the predicted order of finish.
 
ON DECK
The Phoenix returns home for a three-game series versus Piedmont Triad rival UNCG next weekend, March 1-3. Elon hosts the Spartans at Hunt Softball Park for two games on Friday and Saturday before traveling to Greensboro, N.C., for the finale on Sunday.