Elon Softball Hosts North Carolina A&T in Nonconference Tilt

ELON, N.C. – Coming off a much needed Southern Conference win on Sunday, the Elon University softball team will take a break from league action to host North Carolina A&T on Tuesday, April 1, at Hunt Softball Park. The first pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

Live Coverage
Phoenix All-Access will stream the game live free of charge to all viewers on the elonphoenix.com website. Fans can also track the game using live stats from the program’s schedule page as well as live updates on Twitter from @ElonScores or the team’s handle @ElonUSoftball.

Series History
Tuesday’s contest will be the 45th meeting all-time between the Phoenix and the Aggies in a series that began in 1991 in the fastpitch era. Elon holds a 35-9 advantage over N.C. A&T, including a sweep of the Aggies during last year’s twin bill in Elon. Chelsea White set a career high in strikeouts with eight to help the Phoenix to a 1-0 shutout win in game one.

Youth League Day
The Phoenix will also host Youth League Day with sunglasses being given to local youth league players.

Last Time Out
Elon defeated Furman, 5-4, in game two and the series finale on Sunday, March 30. The win avenged the Phoenix’s 4-2 loss to the Paladins in game one while giving Elon head coach Kathy Bocock her 299th career victory. The win also snapped a season-high nine-game losing streak for the Phoenix.

Freshman Emily Roper had two home runs and five RBI in the contest while another frosh, Alli Burdtte, picked up her third win of the year in the circle after striking out five batters.

Scouting the Phoenix (17-16-1)
Despite the its recent struggles, Elon still remains one of the top fielding teams in the SoCon with a percentage of .967 good for third overall in the league. The Phoenix also continues to provide the power at the plate with 38 home runs, tying its entire 2013 mark.

Roper also became the fourth player this season to have a multi-homer game with her performance against the Paladins on Sunday and tied a Phoenix high this year with those five RBI. Fellow frosh Alaina Hall also provided the long ball last week with home runs at NC State and again versus Furman on Sunday.

Senior Carleigh Nester jumped into sole possession of second place all-time in school history with her 47th career double against the Paladins. The outfielder is now just one shy of tying Dani Concepcion’s (2002-05) program record of 48.

Scouting N.C. A&T (11-14)
First-year head coach Kenya Peters has led the Aggie softball program to 11 wins in 2014, surpassing the team’s entire total from a year ago. N.C. A&T has won three straight after sweeping S.C. State this weekend.

The Aggies are hitting at a .247 clip on the year with 10 home runs and 88 RBI. Four players in their regular lineup are hitting .300 or better with sophomore Janika May leading the way at .333. Rookie Dasia Moore is the team’s hits leader with 25 on a .325 average. Senior Sabrina Edmonds has half of the team’s home run total as she leads the program with five on the year.

May is the team’s main workhorse in the circle as she is tied for the team in wins (five) while leading the program in innings (68.1) and ERA (3.79). As a unit, the Aggie pitching staff has an ERA of 4.34 with 64 strikeouts.

On Deck
Elon travels to Chattanooga for a SoCon road test this weekend, April 5-6. The Phoenix and the Mocs square off in a doubleheader on Saturday, April 5, beginning at 1 p.m. before concluding the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.