Elon Softball Visits Charlotte in Midweek Contest

ELON, N.C. – Coming off an undefeated weekend in its opening weekend tournament, the Elon University softball team travels to Charlotte for a midweek contest on Wednesday, Feb. 13. The Phoenix and the 49ers are set for a 4 p.m. first pitch at the Sue M.Daughtridge Stadium.

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Follow the Phoenix
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, @ElonSoftball. The game will also be streamed online at conferenceusa.com through a paid subscription.

Inside the Series: Charlotte (Charlotte leads 20-12)
Intrastate foes on the softball diamond since 1998, Elon and Charlotte will meet for the 33rd time this Wednesday. The 49ers have won five out of the last six games against the Phoenix including a doubleheader sweep last year in Elon. The Phoenix’s last victory over the 49ers came in 2016 and the team’s last win in Charlotte coming in 2013.

Last Time Out
Elon opened its season with its sweep of the field last weekend, Feb. 8-10, at its opening weekend tournament. The Phoenix posted a 4-0 ledger versus Appalachian State (twice), Eastern Kentucky and Longwood and improved to 31-20 all-time in opening day games and 11-3 under Phoenix head coach Kathy Bocock.

Eith Garners CAA Rookie of Week Accolades
First-year outfielder Allie Eith was named the Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Week on Tuesday, Feb. 12. The Alpharetta, Ga., native batted .333 over the weekend and had a home run, two RBI and scored a team-high four runs over the weekend. She had the walk-off home run to give the Phoenix the 10-2 run-rule victory versus Appalachian State on Friday, Feb. 8.

Around the Horn
• The Phoenix is batting .323 on the young season with six players hitting north of .300 among players with more than five at bats this year.
• Ally Repko is hitting .429 on the year to lead the team while freshman Rebecca Murray has a team-high five hits and two doubles. Elise Walton has driven in the most runs for the maroon and gold with six RBI from the opening weekend.
• Abby Barker and Kenna Quinn both dominated in the circle for the Phoenix this past weekend. Quinn tossed 12.0 innings and held teams with a 0.58 ERA while going 2-0 in the circle. Barker threw 14.0 innings and posted a 2.00 ERA against the competition last weekend including a one-hitter in Elon’s 4-0 victory over Appalachian State on Sunday, Feb. 10.
• Elon is leading the Colonial Athletic Association in several categories on the young season including average, slugging percentage (.583), on-base percentage (.449), runs scored (26), RBI (25) and home runs (six). The Phoenix also boasts the league’s lowest team ERA at 1.35 and opposing batting average (.214).
• Elon’s victory versus Longwood was the 185th for Bocock in her career at Elon. Overall, Bocock has posted 423 career wins.
• The Phoenix’s roster balanced with seasoned leadership and a renewed depth of talent, featuring seven seniors along with eight newcomers. Five of Elon’s eight newcomers made their Phoenix debut during the opening weekend.
• In the 2019 CAA Preseason Poll, the Phoenix was tabbed to finish sixth by the league’s head coaches.

Scouting the Charlotte (1-4)
Charlotte is coming off going 1-4 at the Grand Canyon University Kickoff Tournament last weekend, Feb. 7-9. The 49ers’ lone win came against the host Lopes on Thursday, Feb. 7, by a score of 6-5. Charlotte is coming off an 18-32 campaign in 2018 including a 9-15 mark during Conference USA play and was tabbed to finish 11th overall in 2019 C-USA Preseason Poll.

Junior Spenser Gray currently leads the 49ers with her .429 average as the team is hitting .210 overall on the young season. Lizzy Birch has two of Charlotte’s four home runs this season while Imani Rochelle has driven in a team-best five RBI. In the circle, four players have seen time toeing the rubber for Charlotte so far in 2019. As a team, the staff has a 7.30 ERA in 30.2 innings with 12 strikeouts.

On Deck
The Phoenix hosts its second tournament of the season this weekend, Feb. 15-17, the Elon Softball February Classic. The maroon and golf welcomes Northern Kentucky, Virginia, Hampton and North Carolina Central to Hunt Softball Park this weekend.