Elon Phoenix Baseball Heads to Towson for CAA Series

ELON, N.C. – For the first time ever, the Elon Phoenix baseball team will venture to Towson, Md., to take on the Towson Tigers for a Colonial Athletic Association series. The two are scheduled to begin the set at 3 p.m. on Friday, then play at 2 p.m. on Saturday and at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Schuerholz 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.

Starting Pitchers
Friday, April 17
Elon: RHP Matt Harris (4-2, 5.32 ERA, 45.2 IP, 44 K)
Towson: RHP Nick Cioffi (0-1, 5.54 ERA, 26.0 IP, 20 K)

Saturday, April 18
Elon: TBA
Towson: RHP Kevin Ross (1-4, 4.97 ERA, 41.2 IP, 23 K)

Sunday, April 19
Elon: RHP Lucas Bakker (3-4, 5.64 ERA, 52.2 IP, 35 K)
Towson: RHP Lee Lawler (2-4, 5.82 ERA, 38.2 IP, 27 K)

The Series
All six previous meetings between the Phoenix and Tigers took place at Elon’s Latham Park. Elon has been victorious in five of those contests. The two first met on March 22, 2001 with the Phoenix claiming a 5-4 victory in 10 innings. The last time the pair faced off was April 15, 2012. Elon won that game 6-2.

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).

Venuto Closing on Freshman HR Mark
James Venuto hit his fifth home run of the season in game one at College of Charleston. That ties him for second on the program’s NCAA Division I freshman record chart. He is one shy of matching the record of six homers hit by Chris Price in 2003.

Elon Snaps Charleston’s Streak
The Phoenix defeated #26 College of Charleston 4-1 in game two of a league series to snap a 10-game CAA winning streak. It also put a halt to the Cougars’ season-long nine-game winning streak.

Elon Baseball Live Radio Show
The Elon Baseball Live Radio Show will aired its second edition on Monday, April 13. There will be three more 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 20, May 4 and May 18.

On Deck
The Phoenix will play a pair of midweek games upon returning from Towson. On Tuesday, April 21, Elon will make the short trip to face UNCG at 6 p.m. The following day, Elon heads to Campbell for a 6 p.m. contest.