ELON, N.C. – The second tournament is on deck for the Elon University softball team with the Phoenix Invitational taking place on Friday-Saturday, Feb. 14-15, at Hunt Softball Park. The Phoenix (1-4) welcomes Morgan State (1-4) and Penn (0-0) to the three-team tournament.
 
SCHEDULE (Elon games only)
• Elon vs. Morgan State, Friday, Feb. 14 at 1:30 p.m.
• Elon vs. Penn, Friday, Feb. 14 at 4 p.m.
• Elon vs. Penn, Saturday, Feb. 15 at 1 p.m.
• Elon vs. Morgan State, Saturday, Feb. 15 at 3:30 p.m.
 
FOLLOW THE PHOENIX
• Elon's home games are free admission to the public at Hunt Softball Park.
• Live stats will be available for the tournament by going to the team's schedule page at elonphoenix.com.
• All Elon games at the tournament will stream on FloCollege (FloSoftball) via a paid subscription.
• For more information on the Phoenix, follow the program's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram at @elonsoftball.
 
LAST TIME THEY MET
Morgan State: Elon and Morgan State have played each other five times on the softball diamond all-time with the Phoenix holding a 5-1 advantage in the series. The Bears however won the most recent game between the two teams with a 5-1 decision in 2023 at the Elon Softball Classic.
Penn: Going into the weekend, Elon and Penn have met only one other time in competition, which came in 2020 at the Liberty Softball Classic. The Quakers defeated the Phoenix 9-1 in the game.
 
AROUND THE HORN
• Last week, the Phoenix opened its 2025 season with its first home tournament, the Elon Softball Classic. The maroon and gold went 1-4 versus the field of Ohio, Ohio State, UConn, UNCG and North Carolina Central with Elon's lone win coming versus the Eagles.
• Offensively, senior Kaitlyn Wells had a strong showing at the tournament as the Roswell, Ga., native batted .471 with a pair of doubles, two home runs and six RBI. Allee Seering and Gabi Schaal were tied for second with their .400 batting average with Schaal adding a pair of doubles, two homers and six RBI to her stat line as well.
• With her two home runs last weekend, Schaal has reached 29 career home runs, taking sole possession of third all-time in school history.
• Seering reached 100 career hits last weekend as the senior now has 102 during her Phoenix career.
• After missing last season due to injury, Chloe Hatzopoulos was in the lineup for the Phoenix last weekend. The redshirt junior had a home run while driving in four RBI and tied Schaal and Wells with two doubles to lead the maroon and gold.
• In the circle, Lia Miller earned the win over NC Central after the sophomore pitched 4.0 innings and allowed two earned runs with four strikeouts. Senior Isley Duggins earned the save for the Phoenix and is tied for the team-lead in innings pitched at 7.2 while having a 2.74 ERA with six strikeouts.
 
PRESEASON PRAISE
• Elon had four members of its program recognized on the 2025 Preseason All-CAA Softball Team as announced by the league office on Jan. 31. Fifth-year Gabi Schaal, senior McKenna McCard and junior Mauri Murray were selected to the Preseason All-CAA Team in their respective positions. Senior Allee Seering was an honorable mention nod.
• Schaal was a Second Team All-CAA choice last season as the Lakeland, Fla, native led the CAA in home runs with 11 and finished third in the league with 38 RBI. She finished in the top 10 of the CAA in slugging percentage (.556).
• Murray was selected to the All-CAA First Team after leading the team in batting average (.361) and slugging percentage (.583). The Marvin, N.C., native notched 52 hits in 144 at-bats while scoring 32 runs with eight homers and 33 RBI while ranking in the top-10 of the CAA in several categories. She also earned NFCA Mid-Atlantic Third Team All-Region honors.
• McCard served as the Phoenix's ace in the circle, leading the Phoenix in appearances (30), starts (21), complete games (11) and innings pitched (122.0). The Ashburn, Ga., native posted a 2.52 ERA while also striking out a team-high 85 batters while posting four shutouts on the season.
• Seering was named to the All-CAA Second Team during her junior campaign last season. The Waxhaw, N.C., native led the Phoenix with 40 RBI and 15 stolen bases and was second on the squad in doubles (12) and hits (49).
 
RETURNING PHOENIX
• Outside of the four preseason All-CAA honorees, the Phoenix returns several key players in 2025, including starters Greta Hessenthaler (second base), Kaitlyn Wells (outfield) and Reagan Hartley (outfield). Hessenthaler was a CAA All-Rookie team choice last season while Wells was third on the team with six home runs. Hartley finished third on the program with 11 stolen bases.
• In the circle, Elon returns 100 percent of its pitching staff last season. Along with McCard, the Phoenix welcomes back the arms of Taylor Cherry, Meredith Wells, Isley Duggins, Michael Hobson, Kyra Leonard, Anna Dew and Lia Miller.
 
CALL HER COACH CAR
• Elon added a familiar face to its coaching staff this summer as Carley Davis begins her first season as an assistant coach on head coach Kathy Bocock's staff in 2025.
• Davis concluded her career with the Phoenix last spring, spending most of her time as a starter behind the plate. She appeared in 197 career games with 194 starts for the maroon and gold and was a two-time All-CAA Second Team selection. A native of Bridgewater, Va., Davis finished her career as Elon's all-time Division I leader in runners caught stealing with 37. This past season, Davis hit a career-best .312 with four homers and 24 RBI.
• Along with Davis, Bocock also made another staff change with the elevation of Sophia Devesa to a full-time assistant and recruiting coordinator after Devesa spent her first season as a volunteer for the Phoenix in 2024. Devesa was part of a staff that helped mentor the Phoenix batters to hit .270 last season, Elon's highest batting average since 2018. The Phoenix's offense was also second in the CAA in runs scored with 252 while its 34 home runs were a league best.
 
2024 RECAP
• Elon finished last season with a 23-29 ledger and a 17-10 mark during CAA play. The 17 league wins mark the most for the program since joining the league as the Phoenix reached the CAA Softball Championships for the fifth straight season (excluding the canceled 2020 COVID-19 season).
• Among the notable accomplishments for the Phoenix last season included Elon head coach Kathy Bocock earning her 300^th career win with the program. Bocock, who is the Phoenix's all-time career wins leader, earned the milestone versus North Dakota State at the Marucci Classic.
• The Phoenix had five players received All-CAA recognition last season. Sophomore Mauri Murray received All-CAA First Team laurels while fifth-year Carley Davis, redshirt junior Gabi Schaal and junior Allee Seering were placed on the league's Second Team. Freshman Greta Hessenthaler rounded out the All-CAA Phoenix honorees with her spot in the All-Rookie Team.
• Schaal also received some hardware for her work both on and off the field as she was named the softball recipient of the 2023-24 Coastal Athletic Association's Leadership and Sport Excellence Award.
• Megan Grant became the program's all-time career leader in walks at the Division I level. The Vinton, Va., native retired after last season with 125 career free passes to her name.
 
ON DECK
• The Phoenix welcomes NC State to Hunt Softball Park next Tuesday, Feb. 18. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m. and will stream on FloCollege (FloSoftball).