Elon Baseball To Visit Former League Rival The Citadel for Weekend Series

ELON, N.C. – A weekend in Charleston, S.C., awaits the Elon baseball team, as the Phoenix will pay a visit to former Southern Conference rival The Citadel for a three-game series that is set to begin at 4 p.m. on Friday, March 6. The series will continue with a 2 p.m. game on Saturday and a 1 p.m. bout on Sunday at Joseph P. Riley Park.

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. Video for all three games will be available via The Citadel’s streaming platform.

Starting Pitchers
Friday, March 6
Elon: RHP Matt Harris (1-0, 7.36 ERA, 7.1 IP, 9 K)
Citadel: LHP JP Sears (2-1, 2.08 ERA, 13.0 IP, 9 K)

Saturday, March 7
Elon: TBA
Citadel: TBA

Sunday, March 8
Elon: TBA
Citadel: LHP James Reeves (1-0, 4.09 ERA, 11.0 IP, 20 K)

The Series
The Phoenix and Bulldogs have met a total of 45 times prior to this weekend’s series. Elon owns a 26-19 all-time edge in the series that began on March 12, 2004, Elon’s first year as a member of the SoCon. The two met four times last year as Elon swept the three-game series at Latham Park before The Citadel eliminated the Phoenix from the SoCon Tournament in Charleston.

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).

You Look Familiar
In its first season as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, Elon will be seeing some of familiar faces as the Phoenix is scheduled to play seven games against its former Southern Conference brethren. Elon will play two games against both UNCG and Davidson and three at The Citadel.

In the State
With 18 NCAA Division I baseball programs in the state of North Carolina, Elon rarely has to venture far for games. This year, the Phoenix will play 20 games against in-state foes. So far, the maroon and gold is 3-1 against teams from North Carolina.

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
Elon returns to North Carolina for a mid-week home-and-home set with Wake Forest. The Phoenix will host the Demon Deacons on Tuesday, March 10 at 6 p.m. before heading to Winston-Salem for a 6 p.m. game the next night.