ELON – The Elon softball team returns to CAA play this weekend as the Phoenix (9-18, 3-0 CAA) travels to face UNCW (15-11, 3-0 CAA) for a three-game set Friday through Sunday at Boseman Field in Wilmington.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

• Friday, March 20 – 6 p.m.
• Saturday, March 21 – 4 p.m.
• Sunday, March 22 – 1 p.m.

FOLLOW THE PHOENIX

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SERIES HISTORY

• Going into the weekend, Elon and UNCW have met 46 times on the softball diamond as in-state opponents dating back to 1990. The Phoenix holds a slight 24-22 edge over the Seahawks all-time.
• Since becoming CAA opponents in 2015, Elon leads the Seahawks 18-15 in league meetings. Last season, the Phoenix took the series over UNCW at Hunt Softball Park, 2-1.
• The Phoenix has lost four straight in Wilmington, with its last series win at UNCW coming in 2022. 

LAST TIME OUT

• Elon began its current four-game road swing Tuesday with an early-week matchup at East Carolina. The Phoenix took an early 1-0 lead, but saw the Pirates score 10 unanswered runs in a 10-1 setback.
• Lani Wyrick scored the lone run of the game for the Phoenix in the top of the first inning on an ECU error. Overall, Elon's offense was held to one hit in the contest.
• ECU has won four straight over the Phoenix in Greenville, N.C., and five of the past six meetings between the teams.

AROUND THE HORN

• After being idle last weekend during CAA play, Elon is tied for first in the South Division standings with UNCW with a 3-0 record. Charleston is next at 5-1 followed by Campbell at 4-2.
• Elon is slashing .242/.329/.339 on the season with 104 runs scored, 36 extra-base hits and 84 RBI. The Phoenix is also 8-0 this season when it outhits its opponent.
• Chloe Hatzopoulos is hitting a team-high .325 among the Phoenix regulars. The redshirt senior leads the team in hits (25), total bases (34) and RBI (13). She is also seven runs away from reaching 100 in her career and two home runs shy of becoming the fourth player in program history with 30 or more career homers.
• Wyrick leads the Phoenix in stolen bases, going 11-for-11 on the year. The sophomore ranks third in the CAA in total defensive assists (60) and second in assists per game (2.22).
• Payton Swart leads the team with six extra-base hits, most coming off her team-high five doubles. The senior is hitting .384 (5-for-13) in her last six games.
• Anna Dew leads Elon in innings pitched (64.0), ERA (3.17), complete games (five) and strikeouts (64). Her strikeout total ranks third in the CAA, while the Harrisburg, N.C., native also ranks third in the league in strikeouts per seven innings (7.2).
• Elon is in its 49th season of competitive softball, the program's 37th fastpitch season and 27th at the Division I level.
• Head coach Kathy Bocock is in her 15th season leading the Phoenix. The winningest coach in program history, Bocock has 363 wins at Elon and 598 career victories across 29 seasons as a head coach. 

SCOUTING UNCW

• The Seahawks are coming off a 17-0 setback at Duke on Tuesday, snapping their four-game winning streak. UNCW is 15-11 on the season with a 9-4 record at home.
• UNCW finished the 2025 season with a 28-22 overall record, including a 14-13 mark in CAA play. The Seahawks were selected to finish third in the South Division in the 2026 CAA Preseason Poll.
• Offensively, UNCW is hitting .302 while scoring 111 runs with 97 RBI. The Seahawks also rank first in the CAA in stolen bases per game (2.15) and second in total stolen bases (56).
• Cassidy Relay leads the Seahawks with a .500 batting average. Two other players – Becca Merrick (.368) and Emily Whitwell (.349) – are also hitting above .300 this season.
• In the circle, the Seahawks carry a 3.48 cumulative ERA in 165.0 innings of action with 144 strikeouts compared to 44 walks. Freshman Camille Hamilton has put together an impressive rookie campaign, leading the team with a 2.28 ERA in 46.0 innings with 57 strikeouts. She was named the Mid-Major Freshman of the Week by D1 Softball on Tuesday. 

DEW NAMED CAA CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK

• Junior pitcher Anna Dew was named the CAA Co-Pitcher of the Week on March 10, earning her second career league weekly honor. Dew shared the award with Towson's Olivia Trombley.
• Dew helped the Phoenix to a series sweep in its CAA-opening weekend versus North Carolina A&T. The Harrisburg, N.C., native went 2-0 with a 1.14 ERA in 12.1 innings, striking out 18 batters while holding the Aggies to a .103 batting average.
• Dew tied her career high with 10 strikeouts in the series opener on Friday, earning the complete-game victory. She became the first Elon pitcher since 2018 to record two double-digit strikeout games in the same season.
• In the finale on Sunday, Dew fanned eight more batters in 5.1 innings of relief, allowing just one hit while earning her second win of the weekend.

PRESEASON PRAISE

• Elon had three players named to the 2026 Preseason All-CAA Team, as announced by the league office on Jan. 27. Chloe Hatzopoulos, Greta Hessenthaler and Kayla Wilson earned preseason recognition, while the Phoenix was also selected as the favorite to win the league's newly formed South Division.
• Hatzopoulos returns as Elon's leader in home runs (11), runs scored (41) and RBI (34). The Huntersville, N.C., native batted .295 last season, earned All-CAA Second Team honors and was named to the league's All-Tournament Team after returning from injury. The redshirt senior claimed one of four outfield spots on the preseason team.
• Hessenthaler provides another key returning offensive presence after earning All-CAA First Team honors as a sophomore. The Liberty, N.C., native batted .354 while starting at second base, scoring 38 runs and recording 56 hits, including seven doubles. She also paced the Phoenix with 32 walks, added two triples and reached base safely in 34 consecutive games.
• Wilson earned Preseason All-CAA honors as a utility/non-pitcher after being named to the league's All-Rookie Team last season. The Graham, N.C., native batted .319 in 32 games with three doubles and eight RBI, highlighted by a game-winning RBI single in Elon's 5-4 victory at Delaware.
• Coming off its first-ever CAA Tournament championship, Elon was selected as the South Division favorite with four first-place votes and 23 points. Campbell finished second with 20 points and one first-place vote, followed by UNCW (17), Charleston (15, one first-place vote), N.C. A&T (8) and Hampton (7).

ON DECK

• Elon returns home next Tuesday to host Wofford in its final nonconference game of the season. Opening pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. 

STAY POSTED

• For further coverage of Elon Softball, follow the Phoenix on X (@ElonSoftball) and Instagram (@elonsoftball).