Elon to Face High Point, Ball State on the Diamond

ELON, N.C. – After poor weather conditions forced the cancellation of the Elon Invitational, the Elon baseball squad will hit the road for three neutral site games this weekend. The Phoenix will face High Point (1:30 p.m.) and Ball State (4:30 p.m.) on Saturday before a final game with Ball State on Sunday (11 a.m.) in Aiken, S.C. All games will be played at USC Aiken’s Roberto Hernandez Stadium.

Live Coverage
Fans can follow the Phoenix via live stats by going to the Elon baseball schedule page at elonphoenix.com. Twitter updates will be posted on the @ElonScores account or fans can register to have score updates texted to their phone.

Starting Pitchers
Saturday, Feb. 21
Elon: RHP Michael Elefante (0-0, 14.75 ERA, 3.2 IP, 4 K)
High Point: RHP Scot Hoffman (No appearances in 2015)

Saturday, Feb. 21
Elon: LHP Jake Stalzer (1-0, 1.35 ERA, 6.2 IP, 7 K)
Ball State: TBA

Sunday, Feb. 22
Elon: RHP Lucas Bakker (1-0, 3.18 ERA, 5.2 IP, 3 K)
Ball State: TBA

The Series
Elon has faced both High Point and Ball State previously. In fact, Elon has met High Point more than any other opponent in its history. The two have played 206 times with the maroon and gold holding a 123-83 advantage in the series. Elon and High Point first met in 1926.

Elon has played just one game with Ball State as the Cardinals claiming a 12-11 victory at Elon in March of 1993.

Coaching Continuity
Elon skipper Mike Kennedy is in his 19th year at the helm of his alma mater, but what may be more impressive is the tenure of his staff. Associate head coach Greg Starbuck is in his 17th season at Elon and assistant coach Robbie Huffstetler is in his 12th year in the maroon and gold. That group is one of just six in Division I baseball to have been together for at least 12 seasons. The others are Minnesota (33/30/17), Lamar (38/17/15), Miami (22/16/13), Virginia (12/12/12) and Gonzaga (12/12/12).

Phoenix Receiving Votes
Following its three-game sweep of Penn State to start the year, Elon was among the teams receiving votes for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association top-30 poll.

King Honored by CAA
On Feb. 17, Elon catcher/DH Chris King was honored as the CAA Player of the Week. In Elon’s three-game sweep of Penn State, King hit .538 (7-for-13) with three doubles, a homer, three runs scored and eight RBI. He posted a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .500 OBP. He matched a career high with five RBI in the season opener.

Opening Weekend Success
The Phoenix opened the 2015 campaign with a three-game sweep of Penn State. It marks the program’s first 3-0 start since 2012. Elon’s 34 runs over the three games are the most for the team on opening weekend since scoring 42 runs in a three-game sweep of Wofford in 2005. In game one, Elon scored 16 runs, the most in a season opener since a 17-run outburst against LaSalle in 2008.

CAA Era Begins
On July 1, 2014, Elon became a member of the Colonial Athletic Association and enters its first foray into CAA play this season. The Phoenix’s first league series will come at home against James Madison from March 20-22.

On Deck
Upon returning to North Carolina, Elon is scheduled to play two mid-week games. The Phoenix and Panthers will meet again at 4 p.m. on Tuesday in High Point before Elon hosts former SoCon rival UNCG at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.