ELON, N.C. – Fresh off of a three-game sweep of James Madison in its first-ever Colonial Athletic Association series, the Elon baseball team will look for its fourth consecutive victory by heading to Raleigh, N.C., for a 6 p.m. game with the North Carolina State Wolfpack on Tuesday, March 24.
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. Fans can listen to the game on WSML 104.5 FM and 1200 AM as Taylor Durham and Matt Krause will call the game. The radio feed will also be available at elonphoenix.com.
Starting Pitchers
Tuesday, March 17
Elon: LHP Jake Stalzer (1-3, 9.28 ERA, 21.1 IP, 13 K)
NC State: RHP Johnny Piedmonte (1-1, 1.72 ERA, 15.2 IP, 14 K)
The Series
Tuesday will mark the 52nd all-time meeting on the baseball diamond between Elon and North Carolina State. The maroon and gold is 12-39 in the previous contests. The two first met in 1908 with Elon claiming a 4-2 victory. The Wolfpack has won the last two in the series, including a 12-7 victory in Elon last year when State was ranked sixth in the country.
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 22, the Elon offense ranked among the best in the nation. The Phoenix is rated 30th nationally in batting average (.303), 20th in scoring (7.4 runs per game), 20th in on-base percentage (.397) and 48th in slugging percentage (.428).
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 4-5 against teams from North Carolina.
CAA Sweep to Begin League Tenure
The Phoenix began conference play in its first season as a member of the CAA with a three-game sweep of James Madison. Elon claimed decisions of 5-4 (10 innings), 17-3 and 8-7 (13 innings) in sweeping the Dukes. It is the first 3-0 league start for Elon since beginning SoCon play 3-0 after a sweep of Appalachian State in 2011.
Elon Baseball Live Radio Show
The Elon Baseball Live Radio Show will return on Monday, March 30. There will be five shows this spring, each being broadcast live from Mellow Mushroom on Huffman Mill Road in Burlington from 7-8 p.m. Fans are encouraged to come out to the show to hear from Phoenix head coach Mike Kennedy and select players. The other dates, all Mondays, will be April 13, April 20, May 4 and May 11.
On Deck
The Phoenix will play its first road CAA series this weekend as it will travel to Williamsburg, Va., for three games at William & Mary. Elon will begin the set with the Tribe at 7 p.m. on Friday and then play at 4 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday. All three games will be carried live on WSML 104.5 FM and 1200 AM.