ELON – After sweeping its opening CAA series this past weekend, the Elon softball team takes a break from league play to host No. 11 Virginia Tech on Wednesday. Opening pitch between the Phoenix (7-15) and the Hokies (21-2) is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Hunt Softball Park.
 
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SERIES HISTORY

• Going into Wednesday, Elon and Virginia Tech have met eight times previously on the softball diamond, dating back to 1999. The Hokies hold the all-time advantage with a 6-2 ledger.
• The two programs last met in 2024 in Blacksburg, with the Hokies earning a 9-1 victory over the Phoenix.
• Elon last hosted the Hokies during the 2016 campaign in a 5-3 setback. Overall, Elon has hosted Virginia Tech three total times on its home field.
• The Phoenix's two wins in the series came in 2017 as Elon swept the Hokies in a doubleheader in Blacksburg.

 
LAST TIME OUT

• The Phoenix began CAA play this past weekend, hosting fellow Piedmont Triad rival North Carolina A&T. Elon swept the Aggies in the three-game set, posting its fourth straight year of opening league play with a sweep.
• Anna Dew was dominant in the circle, going 2-0 with a 1.14 ERA in 12.1 innings. She tied her career high with 10 strikeouts versus the Aggies in the series opener and fanned eight more in the finale.
• Offensively, the Phoenix batted .243 overall with Chloe Hatzopoulos (.444) and Lani Wyrick (.375) being the lone hitters north of .300. Wyrick drove in a team-best three RBI with two stolen bases.
• Elon improved to 58-10 all-time versus its longtime I-40 rival, including a 12-0 mark since the programs became league opponents.

 
NONCONFERENCE EXCELLENCE

• Virginia Tech will be the fourth ranked team the Phoenix has faced in nonconference play this season. The Hokies are also the seventh team from a Power 4 conference that Elon will play.
• Going into this week, Elon's 20 nonconference opponents have posted a winning percentage of .625, with seven opponents posting a winning percentage of .700 or higher.

 
AROUND THE HORN

• Elon is slashing .236/.329/.339 on the season, totaling 82 runs scored with 31 extra-base hits and 66 RBI.
• Hatzopoulos is hitting a team-high .339 among the Phoenix regulars. The Huntersville, N.C., native has 21 hits on the year, including multi-hit performances in three of the past four games. She also leads Elon with 11 RBI.
• Teagan Baulsir is second to Hatzopoulos in batting average (.263) and RBI (nine). She has also drawn a team-high 12 walks, while Lani Wyrick is next with 10 walks.
• Wyrick leads the Phoenix in stolen bases, going 8-for-8 on the year. The sophomore ranks second in the CAA in total defensive assists (47) and assists per game (2.35).
• Dew leads Elon in innings pitched (53.0), ERA (3.30), complete games (four) and strikeouts (58). Her strikeout total ranks second in the CAA, while the Harrisburg, N.C., native is third in the league in strikeouts per seven innings (7.7).
• 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 361 wins at Elon and 596 career victories across 29 seasons as a head coach.

 
SCOUTING NO. 11 VIRGINIA TECH

• Virginia Tech is 21-2 on the season after going unbeaten at its home tournament, the Hokie Invite, last weekend. The Hokies defeated Michigan, James Madison, Penn State, Radford and Bryant to extend their win streak to 14 games.
• The Hokies went 43-13 last season, posting an 18-6 ledger in ACC play and earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament. It marked Tech's third 40-win season in the past four years.
• Offensively, Virginia Tech is slashing .369/.444/.658 while scoring 180 runs with 42 home runs and 175 RBI. Eight players are hitting .300 or better for the Hokies, including four players — Jordan Lynch (.474), Zoe Yaeger (.406), Michelle Chatfield (.400) and Addison Foster (.400) — batting north of .400.
• In the circle, the Hokies have relied mostly on a three-person staff that has posted a 2.60 ERA in 148.0 innings with 171 strikeouts. Bree Carrico owns a 1.82 ERA in 42.1 innings while going 5-0 on the season. Teammate Emma Mazzarone is 5-1 with a 2.42 ERA in 43.1 innings and a team-high 60 strikeouts.
• Elon softball alum Megan White is in her third season on the Virginia Tech softball staff, serving as the program's Director of Player Development and Technology. White played for the Phoenix from 2019-22, earning CAA Co-Rookie of the Year honors in 2019 and helping the Maroon and Gold to a pair of championship game appearances in the CAA Tournament.

 
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 welcomes Tarleton State and Lehigh this weekend for three games. The Phoenix will face the Texans on Friday and Sunday and host the Mountain Hawks on Saturday.

 
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