ELON, N.C. – The Elon softball team will travel to the Sunshine State for its next slate of games, as the Phoenix will participate in the FAU Parents’ Weekend Tournament on March 23-24, in Boca Raton, Fla. Elon will open against Dartmouth on Saturday, March 23, at the FAU Softball Stadium with the first pitch is scheduled for 9 a.m.
The Phoenix will also play Iowa State on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. On Sunday, the maroon and gold will close out the tournament versus host FAU at 11:30 a.m. and against Bethune-Cookman at 1:30 p.m.
Live Coverage
Fans can follow the action of the tournament via live stats by going to the Elon softball schedule page at elonphoenix.com. Twitter updates will also be provided at @ElonScores.
Series History
Going into this weekend, Elon and Bethune-Cookman have faced each other twice, all coming in a doubleheader in the 2004 season. The two programs split both games, with the Phoenix pulling out a 3-2 victory over the Wildcats. The Phoenix will face Darmouth, FAU and Iowa State for the first time.
Last Time Out
Elon won its second straight game on Wednesday, March 20, in a 6-3 victory against North Carolina Central at Hunt Softball Park. Tomeka Watson hit her 11th home run of the season in the bottom of the first to give Elon an early 2-0 lead. The Lady Eagles briefly took a 3-2 advantage after the top of the third, but the Phoenix was able to retake control after plating two runs in the bottom half of the third and fourth innings.
Watson is one homer shy of tying the single-season record at Elon after going 2-for-3 with two RBI. Kayla Caruso earned the win after allowing no runs and scattering three hits over her four innings of work in relief on Wednesday.
Scouting the Phoenix
Elon improved to 11-11 on Wednesday and is 1-5 during Southern Conference play. The Phoenix as a unit has been an offensive force this season, ranking among the top-five in the SoCon in many categories, including leading the league in home runs (23) and slugging percentage (.471).
Phoenix head coach Kathy Bocock collected her 35th win at Elon on Wednesday, becoming the second-fastest coach to reach that mark during the fast-pitch era (Sue Leonard – 66 games; Bocock – 73 games; Patti Raduenz – 115 games).
Watson has 32 hits on the year and is four shy of tying the program’s all-time career record in that category. The senior outfielder also needs five RBI to tie the school-record of 122 in a career. The Jackson, Ga. native is currently batting .444 on the year and is flirting with Kelly Lloyd’s 1997 record mark of .445 in a single-season.
Equally hot at the plate recently is Johanna Spencer, who has risen her average to .370 on the year and is leads the team with 24 RBI. The junior from Halifax, Va., has stepped up her game during league play with a team-best .526 average (10-for-19) with seven RBI and a slugging percentage of .632.
Caruso (5-5) heads the pitching staff with a 2.79 overall ERA in 70.1 innings pitched during her freshman campaign. In her last nine appearances (eight starts), the Kennesaw, Ga., native has posted a 5-3 record with a save in 61.1 innings of work and has posted an ERA of 1.83.
Scouting Dartmouth
Dartmouth is 8-7 on the year and is coming off a 3-2 loss on Thursday to Florida Gulf Coast. Head coach Rachel Hanson is in her third season at the helm of the softball program.
Offensively, senior second baseman Hillary Hubert and her team-leading .395 batting average, 17 hits and 10 RBI pace the Big Green. Morgan McCalmon provides the power for Dartmouth with a team-high four home runs.
In the circle, Kristen Rumley has been the No. 1 pitcher for the Big Green this season with a team-low 1.91 ERA and a 7-3 record in her 62.1 innings.
Scouting Iowa State
The Cyclones are 12-14 this year and had a 7-6 setback to Florida Gulf Coast on Tuesday, March 19. Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler is in her eighth year leading Iowa State’s program.
Six players in Iowa State’s lineup are batting .300 or better for an overall unit average of .297. Erica Miller and Tori Terrescano are two of the biggest offensive threats for the Cyclones this season. The duo has combined for 14 home runs and 50 RBI so far in 2013.
Terrescano also heads the pitching staff in wins this season with six and 91.2 innings pitched.
Scouting FAU
The host Owls has won three straight after sweeping Middle Tennessee State in a three-game series on March 19-20. FAU has posted a 17-18 record in 2013, the 16th year for head coach Joan Joyce at the school.
The Owls are hitting .253 as a team with Carnesha Thompson leading the way individually with a .342 average. The freshman outfielder is also tied for the team-lead with three home runs.
Stephanie Call and Taylor Fawbush have seen the most time toeing the rubber for the Owls this season. Call heads the staff with a 2.46 ERA and Fawbush leads the team in wins with her 8-7 record.
Scouting Bethune-Cookman
The Wildcats are 4-24 in 2013, the seventh year under head coach Chris Cochran. Bethune-Cookman split a doubleheader with Monmouth in its last contest on Tuesday, with the Wildcats taking game one, 4-2.
As a team, Bethune-Cookman is batting .239, but Michelle Banuelos-Smith is the team’s overall leader with a .342 average. The senior also paces the squad in home runs (four) and RBI (14).
Shanel Tolbert heads the Wildcats’ pitching staff with 114.1 innings pitched and 41 strikeouts.
On Deck
Elon will continue its road swing in Florida and travel to Jacksonville to take on the Dolphins in a doubleheader on March 26. The first game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.