Elon Baseball to Battle East Carolina at Latham Park; Friday¹s Time Changed

ELON, N.C. – In its final non-conference weekend series, the Elon Phoenix baseball team will play host to the East Carolina Pirates for three games beginning with a 3 p.m. bout on Friday, March 13. The game was originally slated to begin at 4 p.m., but was moved up due to the chance of rain. The two will then play a 2 p.m. game on Saturday and a 1:30 p.m. tilt on Sunday.

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. All three games will have a free audio broadcast via Phoenix All-Access.

Starting Pitchers
Friday, March 13
Elon: RHP Matt Harris (2-0, 4.40 ERA, 14.1 IP, 16 K)
East Carolina: LHP Evan Kruczynski (3-1, 0.33 ERA, 27.1 IP, 21 K)

Saturday, March 14
Elon: RHP Michael Elefante (1-0, 6.46 ERA, 15.1 IP, 13 K)
East Carolina: LHP Jacob Wolfe (1-1, 2.95 ERA, 21.1 IP, 15 K)

Sunday, March 15
Elon: TBA
East Carolina: TBA

The Series
Elon and East Carolina have played a total of 71 games prior to this weekend’s three-game series. The maroon and gold is 30-40-1 all-time in those games. The two first met in 1940 with Elon claiming a 7-1 victory. East Carolina picked up an 8-5 win in the last meeting between the two sides on April 13, 2013. The Pirates have won eight straight in the series.

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).

A Strong Offense
Through games played on March 11, the Elon offense ranked among the best in the nation. The Phoenix is rated eighth nationally in batting average (.321), 13th in scoring (7.9 runs per game), sixth in on-base percentage (.417) and 26th in slugging percentage (.448).

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 4-2 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 will continue its eight-game homestand by hosting the Maryland Terrapins for 4 p.m. games on both Tuesday and Wednesday. The Terps are currently ranked as high as #23 in the nation.