Elon Makes Short Trip to UNCG for SoCon Baseball Series

ELON, N.C. –With only three Southern Conference series remaining on the schedule, the Elon baseball squad will look to improve its standing in the league this weekend when it visits nearby UNCG for a three-game SoCon set. The series gets underway on Friday at 6 p.m., continues on Saturday at 2 p.m. and wraps up on Sunday at 1 p.m. at UNCG Baseball Stadium.

All three contests will be carried live on WPCM 95.1 FM and 920 AM as well as on elonphoenix.com.

In a special ticket promotion, fans can purchase tickets to Elon’s five remaining home games (vs. Coastal Carolina on April 29, vs. North Carolina on May 7 and all three games of the May 2-4 series against Davidson) for just $20. Call the ticket office at 336-278-6750 to purchase your tickets.

Probable Starting Pitchers
Friday
Elon – RH Lucas Bakker (5-1, 2.54 ERA)
UNCG – RH Ryan Clark (2-4, 2.89 ERA)

Saturday
Elon – TBA
UNCG – RH Max Povse (4-3, 5.66 ERA)

Sunday
Elon – LH Jake Stalzer (5-2, 2.91 ERA)
UNCG – RH Dylan Thompson (1-3, 4.50 ERA)

Inside the Series
Elon and UNCG have played a total of 44 games all-time on the baseball diamond dating to the 1991 season. The maroon and gold is 32-12 in those previous 44 meetings and has won the last six in the series, including a sweep in Greensboro in 2013.

Overall: Elon trails 32-12
At Elon: Elon leads 13-3
At UNCG: Elon leads 15-9
At Neutral Site: Elon leads 4-0
Last 10 Meetings: Elon leads 8-2

That Sounds Familiar
The UNCG roster sports a name that will sound very familiar to Elon baseball fans. UNCG freshman pitcher Adam Swim is the younger brother of Elon’s all-time hits leader Alex Swim. Alex concluded his career in the maroon and gold a year ago with 296 career hits.

Top Two
This weekend will match up the top two hitters in the Southern Conference. Elon junior Casey Jones currently leads the SoCon with a .404 batting average, .616 slugging percentage, .492 on-base percentage, 61 hits and 17 doubles. UNCG senior Sean Guite is second in the league with a .400 batting average, .467 OBP and 58 hits.

600 Club
Already Elon’s all-time winningest coach, skipper Mike Kennedy achieved a milestone by winning his 600th career game with a 12-2 victory at Wofford on April 12. Kennedy currently has 602 wins to his credit, all in the maroon and gold.

All-Time in the SoCon
In its 11th season in the SoCon, Elon has posted a .669 (204-101) winning percentage in league games. That ranks as the third-best winning percentage by any of the 22 teams that have ever played baseball in the SoCon.

The Streaker
Junior Casey Jones saw his 26-game hitting streak come to a close with an 0-for-4 against UNC Wilmington on April 22. During the streak, which began on March 9 at Coastal Carolina, Jones went 44-for-93 (.473) with 11 doubles, three triples and two homers. He drove in 22 runs in that span. Jones recorded two or more hits in 16 of the 26 games.

Extra Base Machine
In 28 games this season, junior Tyler McVicar has gone 21-for-70 (.300) at the plate. Of his 21 hits, 14 have gone for extra bases. McVicar has eight doubles, one triple and is tied for the team lead with five homers. So far this year, he has posted a .657 slugging percentage.

The Stopper
On Wednesday, April 23, the NCBWA announced the 50 players on the mid-season watch list for the Stopper of the Year Award. Among those on the list was Elon senior Ryan Pennell who, at the time of the announcement, led the team, was tied for first in the league and ranked fifth nationally with 11 saves. The award is presented annually to the top relief pitcher in Division I baseball.

Elon vs. Cancer
In its third season participating in a head-shaving event to raise funds for cancer research, the Elon baseball team has raised over $17,500 for The Vs. Cancer Foundation this year. It is the highest total raised by the squad in the three-year span and brings the total raised to over $41,500.