JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Elon softball team will continue its spring trip in the Sunshine State as the Phoenix (11-15) travel to Jacksonville to take on the Dolphins (21-10) in a doubleheader on Tuesday, March 26. The game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at the JU Softball Complex.
Live Coverage
Fans can follow the action of the games 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 Tuesday’s meeting, the Phoenix and the Dolphins have met four times in the all-time series between the two schools. Elon holds a 3-1 advantage over Jacksonville in the all-time matchup and last met in 2007 in a doubleheader with both programs splitting its contests.
Last Time Out
Elon played at the FAU Parents Weekend Tournament on March 23-24, in Boca Raton, Fla., this past weekend versus Dartmouth, Iowa State, host Florida Atlantic and Bethune-Cookman. The maroon and gold was competitive in three of its four games during the two-day event, despite being bitten by the injury bug in the latter part of the weekend.
Senior outfielder Tomeka Watson set the program’s single-season home run record versus Bethune-Cookman with her 13th of the year. The Jackson, Ga., native broke a tie with Emerald Graham (2010-11) to sit atop of the Elon record books. Watson also tied the Elon all-time career hits record on that home run, the 229th career hit for the left fielder, and is tied with Dani Concepcion for program record.
Scouting the Phoenix
Elon fell to 11-15 after last weekend, but will look to get back on the winning path versus the Dolphins. As a team, the maroon and gold’s batting average of .286 ranks among the best in the Southern Conference along with total home runs (25), RBI (111) and slugging percentage (.444).
Watson paces the team with her 13 home runs and 26 RBI among many other offensive categories. She needs two RBI to tie Debbie Zegler’s all-time record of 122 for the most in the program’s history.
Freshman Emily Cameron led the team in hitting at the FAU Tournament this past weekend with a .385 average (5-for-13) and tied the team-lead with three RBI. The Kennesaw, Ga., native has a .319 overall average on the year.
In the circle, Chelsea White and Kayla Caruso have seen the most time for the Phoenix. White pitched 9.0 innings versus Dartmouth on Saturday, March 23, and allowed only one earned one off six hits in the loss to the Big Green.
Scouting Jacksonville
The Dolphins are a member of the MAAC Conference and have a record of 21-10 in 2013 under second-year head coach Ali Higgs. JU is coming off a pair of losses to USC Upstate on Friday, March 22, in its most recent action.
Offensively, the Dolphins are batting .283 as a team and have four players hitting .300 or better among their regulars. Sarah Simon leads the way with her .393 average along with 11 home runs and 27 RBI. Ashley Simon is second on the team in both home runs (seven) and RBI (20).
Four players have toed the rubber this season for Jacksonville. The Dolphins hold a 3.13 team ERA with Cecile Gomez leading the way with a team-low 1.91 ERA. Victoria Brown has pitched a team-high 71.0 innings of the year for JU.
On Deck
Elon will host Southern Conference foe and local rival UNCG for a three-game series beginning on Friday, March 29. The Phoenix and Spartans will square off in a single-game matchup on Friday at 4 p.m. then conclude the series with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 30, starting at 1 p.m. at Hunt Softball Park.