ELON, N.C. – The Elon University softball team continues CAA play this weekend, March 15-17, versus UNCW. The three-game series between the Phoenix (8-15, 3-0 CAA) and the Seahawks (12-9, 3-0 CAA) begins on Friday, March 15, at 6 p.m. at Boseman Field.
 
Game two of the three-game set follows on Saturday, March 16, at 4 p.m. with the series finale concluding on Sunday, March 17, at 1 p.m.
 
FOLLOW THE PHOENIX
• Live stats will be available by going to the team's schedule page at elonphoenix.com.
• Updates will also be posted on Twitter/X at the team's account @ElonSoftball.
• The games will be streamed through FloSoftball via a paid subscription.
 
SERIES BREAKDOWN
• Elon leads the all-time series versus its in-state rival 22-17 and has won the last two regular season series meetings. Both teams have been very competitive in the last nine contests, with the Phoenix going 5-4 versus the Seahawks in that span.
• The Phoenix won last year's series at Elon with the maroon and gold taking two out of three against UNCW. Elon won the opening game, 6-1, before UNCW tied the series with a 2-1 result in the second contest. The Phoenix won the series in the rubber match, 7-5.
• The maroon and gold also captured the series, 2-1, when the two teams last played in UNCW in 2022. Elon won the first and third game of the series when the two teams last met at Boseman Field.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Phoenix hosted another in-state opponent in North Carolina at Hunt Softball Park on Tuesday. The Tar Heels used a pair of big-scoring innings to take a 12-1 verdict over Elon.
• Offensively, the Phoenix was held to three hits in the game with all of those coming in the bottom of the fourth. Two of those three hits were doubles courtesy of Allee Seering and Mauri Murray with Murray driving in Seering for the Phoenix's lone run of the day.
• The win was the first for the Tar Heels at Elon since 2016. Before Tuesday's game, the Phoenix had gone 2-0 versus UNC on its home diamond at Hunt Softball Park.
 
WALK THIS WAY
• Fifth-year Megan Grant earned her 100^th career walk versus N.C. A&T last Sunday, March 10, versus North Carolina A&T. That mark tied her with Ally Repko '21 for the most free passes in program history at the Division I level.
 
AROUND THE HORN
• Elon heads into its second weekend of the CAA as one of three teams with a 3-0 ledger in league play along with UNCW and Campbell. This is the second straight year that the Phoenix began league play with a 3-0 mark.
• The Phoenix as a team is slashing .228/.363/.314 as a team including 28 doubles, eight triples and 12 home runs with one regular in the lineup hitting better than .300. During CAA play, Elon is slashing .338/.541/.444 with eight doubles, two triples and a home run with five players batting north of .300.
• Mauri Murray paces the squad with her .350 average along with her five homers. The Marvin, N.C., native ranks in the top 10 of the CAA in batting average, slugging percentage (.667), on-base percentage (.418), OPS (1.085), hits (21), RBI (19) and home runs. She and Seering are tied for the CAA lead in RBI with 19 each.
• Seering is in the top 10 of the league in runs scored (15), RBI, doubles (six), triples (two), stolen bases (seven) and home runs (two). The Waxhaw, N.C., native leads the Phoenix with seven multi-RBI games this season including a season-best four versus N.C. A&T last Sunday.
• The Phoenix leads the CAA in triples with eight with three players – Kaitlyn Wells (3), Megan Grant (2) and Seering (2) – ranking in the top three in the league, respectively. Elon as a team ranks 24^th overall in the country in triples per game (0.35) while Wells is 13^th overall in the nation.
• Drew Menscer has stolen 10-of-11 bases on the season for the Phoenix and is tied for second in the league in bags swiped. As a team, Elon has stolen 30-of-31 bases this season, good for fourth overall in the CAA.
• McKenna McCard had a strong outing in the circle for the Phoenix last week. The junior posted a 0.60 ERA in her 11.2 innings pitched versus Duke and N.C. A&T, holding opposing batters to a .195 average. In the series finale against the Lady Aggies, McCard struck out seven batters in her 5.0 innings of work.
 
SCOUTING UNCW
• The Seahawks enter the weekend with an overall record of 12-9 and a 3-0 record in league action after sweeping Hampton in their last series. The wins over the Pirates snapped a three-game losing skid for UNCW after setbacks against No. 14 Kentucky, Charlotte and Coastal Carolina.
• UNCW is slashing .240/.286/.312 with 19 extra-base hits. During CAA action, those numbers are .302/.360/.390 with 13 RBI and.
• Three starters are hitting over .300 led by graduate student Skylar Stockton. The Woodlands, Texas, native is hitting .396 on the year with four doubles and nine RBI. The reigning CAA Player of the Week also has the Seahawks' lone homer of the season so far while stealing 9-of-10 bases.
• Cassidy Relay (.320) and Tayler Vitola (.315) are the other players in the Seahawks' lineup hitting better than .300. Relay (50.0) is one of two players on the squad in the top 20 of the country in Toughest to Strikeout along with Allison Corbin (43.0).
• In the circle, UNCW has a 2.31 team ERA limiting opponents to hit .215 with a 2.77 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The junior tandem of Emily Winstead and Kara Hammock are leading the Seahawks with Winstead posting a 1.34 ERA in 52.1 innings pitched while Hammock has a 2.01 ERA in her 59.1 frames. The duo has combined for 79 strikeouts while going 10-4 in the circle.
• UNCW is led by second-year head coach Ashley Wade, who's guided the Seahawks to an overall 36-36 record. In her first season in 2023, Wade helped UNCW produce the most All-CAA First-Teamers in school history with three players earning selections to the league's top team while another garnered a Second-Team nod.
 
THIS IS ELON SOFTBALL!!
• Elon head coach Kathy Bocock earned her 300^th career win with the program with the Phoenix's victory over North Dakota State on Saturday, Feb. 17. 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).
 
ON DECK
Following the series at UNCW, the Phoenix will have a quick turnaround when it hosts North Carolina Central on Tuesday, March 19 at 5 p.m. at Hunt Softball Park. The game will be streamed on FloSoftball.