Elon Softball Phoenix Closes Out Nonconference Slate Versus Lady Aggies

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University softball team closes out its regular-season home schedule this week starting with its final nonconference game of the season versus North Carolina A&T on Wednesday, April 25. The Phoenix and the Lady Aggies are scheduled for a 6 p.m. opening pitch at Hunt Softball Park.

LIVE STATS

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Fans can keep up with the action of the Phoenix all season via live stats from the program’s schedule page at elonphoenix.com. Updates will also be provided on Twitter at the program’s handle, @ElonUSoftball. For more on Elon softball, follow the program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Inside the Series: North Carolina A&T (Elon leads 42-10)
Wednesday’s meeting will be the second of the season between the two longtime Triad rivals and the 53rd overall in the all-time series. The Phoenix won the earlier matchup this season at N.C. A&T on March 27, with Elon earning a 7-2 victory. The win was the fourth straight over the Lady Aggies and the 11th out of the past 12 contests. North Carolina A&T’s last win over the Phoenix came in 2016 at Hunt Softball Park.

Last Time Out
In the last game between the two programs earlier this season, Elon had to overcome an early 2-0 deficit and trailed 2-1 after the fifth inning. The Phoenix scored six runs between the sixth and seventh frames to pull out with the 7-2 victory. Kristin Hoover went 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBI while Ally Repko added three RBI and a home run. Kenna Quinn earned the win in relief after pitching 4.0 innings and surrendering three hits with two strikeouts.

Around the Horn
• The Phoenix will look to snap its season-long eight-game losing streak when it faces the Lady Aggies on Wednesday. That stretch is the longest for the program since 2014, when is dropped nine straight.
• Despite the losing streak, Elon still remains in prime position for a postseason berth for the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament. The Phoenix remains a game behind the fifth and final spot for the CAA tournament with its 4-11 ledger in league play behind UNCW at 5-10.
• Elon has scored most of its runs in the third and sixth inning this season, plating 38 runs in both frames.
• The Phoenix has outhit its opponents in 19 games this season and holds a 17-2 ledger in those contests.
• Seniors Kara Shutt and Hannah Olson continue to lead the charge at the plate for the Phoenix. Shutt carries a team-best .408 average, good for fifth in the CAA, while Olson is close at.387.
• Shutt posted her team-high 17th double of the season over the weekend versus James Madison and the 59th of her career. The Greensboro, N.C., native is now one double shy of tying the CAA’s all-time career record of 60 set by JMU’s Erica Field from 2013-16.
• Shutt also currently ranks fourth in league history in career hits at 241 and is tied for fourth in the league in career triples with 13. She is third all-time in Elon history in runs scored with 135 while Olson is tied for fifth at 125.
• Elon is tied for the league-lead in triples with 11 this season. Shutt and Erica Serafini are both in the CAA’s top-five for triples this season with three each.
• The Phoenix is 16-14 this season in nonconference games. Elon has posted a 10-5 record at home versus non-CAA competition so far in 2018.

Scouting the Lady Aggies (7-32, 4-8 MEAC)
North Carolina A&T is 7-32 on the season going into its midweek matchup versus the Phoenix. The Lady Aggies were swept by Savannah State in its Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference series this past weekend. As a team, the Lady Aggies are hitting .249 on the season with 47 extra-base hits and 95 RBI.

Zadaisha Waddell leads the team with her .371 average, the only player in North Carolina A&T’s regular lineup hitting above .300. She also leads the team with 33 hits and is second on the squad with 19 RBI, one shy of team-leader Stephanie Williams, who has 20. Williams also has a team-best nine doubles on the season.

Waddell and Mohagony Headen have carried the Lady Aggies in the circle this season with Waddell leading the team with 23 appearances and Headen with 97.0 innings of action. Headen has four of the team’s seven wins in the circle and carries a 4.47 ERA with a team-high 79 strikeouts. Overall, North Carolina A&T pitchers have posted a 5.57 ERA in 253.2 innings with 139 strikeouts and 122 walks.

On Deck
The Phoenix concludes its 2018 home schedule with a three-game CAA set versus Drexel this weekend, April 28-29. Both teams open with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. before the series finale on Sunday also at one. Prior to Sunday’s contest, the program will recognize its five-person senior class of Hoover, Olson, Shutt, Madison Kadlic and Kiandra Mitchum.