Elon Baseball Visits CAA Leader for Weekend Series

ELON, N.C. – A key Colonial Athletic Association series at league-leading College of Charleston awaits the Elon baseball team this weekend. The series will begin with a 6 p.m. tilt on Friday, April 10 at Patriots Point. Game two is set for 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 11, while the finale will be contested on Sunday, April 12 at 1 p.m.

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
Friday, April 10
Elon: RHP Matt Harris (4-1, 3.89 ERA, 41.2 IP, 41 K)
CofC: RHP Taylor Clarke (6-1, 1.69 ERA, 53.1 IP, 72 K)

Saturday, April 11
Elon: RHP Michael Elefante (2-0, 4.60 ERA, 43.0 IP, 33 K)
CofC: RHP Brandon Glazer (6-0, 3.09 ERA, 32.0 IP, 18 K)

Sunday, April 12
Elon: RHP Lucas Bakker (3-3, 5.74 ERA, 47.0 IP, 34 K)
CofC: LHP Wade Arduini (0-1, 5.28 ERA, 29.0 IP, 25 K)

The Series
Elon and College of Charleston will renew a rivalry that formed when both were members of the Southern Conference. The Phoenix and Cougars have played a total of 39 times, with Elon owning a 17-22 record. The teams first met on March 21, 1998 with Elon defeating Charleston 14-4. The last time the two tangled was Charleston’s final SoCon event – an 18-8 Phoenix victory that eliminated the Cougars from the 2013 SoCon Tournament in Greenville, S.C. CofC holds an 11-7 edge in 18 meetings at Patriots Point.

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).

Slammed
Senior Chris King belted his second grand slam of the season in Elon’s 6-2 win over Northeastern on April 3. In his three seasons in a Phoenix uniform, King has hit four career grand slams.

A Strong Offense
Through games played on April 7, the Elon offense ranked among the best in the nation. The Phoenix is rated 30th in scoring (6.9 runs per game), 50th in on-base percentage (.378), 48th in walks drawn (138) and 50th in home runs (23).

Power Surge
A year after hitting just 31 home runs as a team, Elon has belted 23 long balls this season. The Phoenix power is led by senior Chris King who has eight dingers and is among the nation’s leaders in homers. King hit a total of seven home runs in 2014.

On Deck
Elon will play its final midweek home game on Tuesday, April 14, as the Campbell Fighting Camels visit Latham Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.