Elon Phoenix Softball Trek to Appalachian State For Three-Game Series

ELON, N.C. – The Elon softball team will return to Southern Conference play this weekend as the Phoenix (12-21, 2-7 SoCon) travels to Appalachian State (15-13, 9-3 SoCon) to face the Mountaineers in a three-game series. Both teams will square off in a doubleheader on Saturday, April 6, at 1 p.m. before concluding the series on Sunday, April 7, at 1 p.m. at the Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium.

Live Coverage
Fans can follow the action of the series via live stats by going to the Elon softball schedule page at elonphoenix.com. Twitter updates will also be provided at @ElonScores.

Series History
Heading into the weekend, Elon and Appalachian State have faced each other 36 times in the all-time meeting between the two schools. The Phoenix holds a 23-13 advantage over the Mountaineers in their head-to-head battles that date to 2001. The maroon and gold won two out of three in its matchup last season with ASU in Elon.

Last Time Out
The Phoenix fell at the hands of Longwood in an early week doubleheader on Tuesday, April 2. The Lancers took the first game, 8-1, but Elon battled throughout the finale before losing 6-4 at Hunt Softball Park.

Tomeka Watson set another program career milestone on Tuesday with her 123rd career RBI to move past Debbie Zeigler (2005-08) for the most RBI’s in school-history. Watson set the mark in the second game against the Lancers during the third inning. In the two games versus the Lancers, Watson went 5-for-6 (.833) with a double and three total RBI, raising her season average to .450.

Scouting the Phoenix
Watson’s play at the plate has helped the Phoenix continue to be one of the potent offenses in the league with Elon ranking among the top-five in a number of categories, including a league-best 25 homers.

Watson’s continues to flirt with Kelly Lloyd’s .445 average in 1997 as the single-season best in program history. The senior from Jackson, Ga., has been a tough out for opposing pitchers this season and has been very selective as a hitter with only five strikeouts versus 20 walks. Along with the RBI mark, Watson has set career and single-season records this season in home runs (career and single season), career hits and career runs scored.

Carleigh Nester also continues to show why she was a 2013 Preseason All-SoCon selection. The junior center fielder has been equally impressive with her bat and glove, hitting .349 with a team-best nine doubles while sporting a clean 1.000 fielding percentage in her 46 chances.

Scouting Appalachian State
The Mountaineers are 15-13 on the year with a 9-3 mark in conference play. ASU has lost two straight to North Carolina and South Carolina on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, in a pair of early week matchups.

Senior Allie Cashion, picked as the SoCon’s Preseason Player of the Year, is leading the Mountaineers with a .385 average along with seven home runs and 61 total bases. ASU has four players hitting .300 or better and has posted a .274 average as a unit on the season.

Three pitchers have toed the rubber this season for Appalachian State. Shivaun Landeros (6-5, 4.14 ERA, 88.0 IP) and Alissa Schoelkopf (9-7, 4.07 IP, 94.2 IP) have seen the most time in the circle for the Mountaineers this season.

On Deck
Elon continues its road swing with a trip to Chapel Hill, N.C., to take on in-state rival North Carolina on Tuesday, April 10, in a single-game matchup. The game is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.