ELON, N.C. — The final home game of the 2014 season for the Elon Phoenix baseball squad will come on Wednesday evening as the maroon and gold hosts the North Carolina Tar Heels in a 6:30 p.m. contest.
The game will be carried live on WPCM 95.1 FM and 920 AM as well as on elonphoenix.com. A free video stream will be available through Phoenix All-Access.
Probable Starting Pitchers
Wednesday
Elon – RH John Antonelli (0-0, 3.86 ERA)
UNC – RH Taylore Cherry (0-2, 3.16 ERA)
Inside the Series
Elon and North Carolina have met 41 times prior to Wednesday’s game. The maroon and gold is 9-32 in those 41 contests. The first game of the series was played on March 26, 1909 with UNC claiming a 6-5 win.
Overall: Elon trails 9-32
At Elon: Elon trails 2-6
At UNC: Elon trails 4-16
At Neutral Site: None
Last 10 Meetings: Elon trails 2-8
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 603 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 .659 (205-106) 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.
Chasing .400
With five regular season games remaining, Elon’s Casey Jones is trying to become the third Phoenix player to hit .400 or better on the year during the program’s Division I tenure. Jones is currently leading the Southern Conference with a .407 batting average (70-172) through 47 games. The only other Elon players to finish the year with an average over .400 were Cory Harrilchak (.410 in 2008) and Pat Irvine (.402 in 2009).
He’s a Smart One
Elon junior outfielder Quinn Bower was one of 11 players selected to the Capital One Academic All-District 3 baseball team which was announced on May 1. Bower, who sports a 3.86 GPA as a finance major, was Elon’s first pick to the team since catcher Mike Melillo in 2010. He is now eligible for Academic All-America honors.
Extra Base Machine
In 33 games this season, junior Tyler McVicar has gone 25-for-88 (.284) at the plate. Of his 25 hits, 16 have gone for extra bases. McVicar has nine doubles, one triple and is tied for the team lead with six homers. So far this year, he has posted a .614 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.