ELON, N.C. – Coming off earning its third-ever victory against a top-10 ranked opponent, the Elon University softball team is back on its home diamond at Hunt Softball Park for a midweek contest versus Radford on Wednesday, March 13. That game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. start time
Follow the Phoenix
Elon’s matchup versus the Highlanders will be streamed on Phoenix All-Access and can be followed at elonphoenix.com by visiting the team’s schedule page and clicking the “Watch” link next to the game. Live stats will also be available to follow along with Twitter updates from the program’s handle, @ElonSoftball.
Inside the Series: Radford (Radford leads 18-13)
The Phoenix and the Highlanders will meet for the the 32nd time on Wednesday and the first since 2015. Radford has an 18-13 advantage all-time in the series, but Elon has won six straight.
Last Time Out
The Phoenix had a solid weekend at the UGA Classic last weekend, March 8-9. Elon went 3-1 at the tournament including defeating host and eighth-ranked Georgia on Saturday, March 9, 5-4. The win was the third-ever victory for the Phoenix against a top-10 ranked opponent with two coming at the hands of the Bulldogs in Athens, Ga. Lauryn Clarke had four RBI for the Phoenix against the Bulldogs while Elise Walton allowed two runs in 5.1 innings for her first win of the season.
Around the Horn
• The Phoenix enters the midweek contest having outscored its opponents 117-97 through the first 22 games of the season.
• As a team, Elon is hitting .275 on the year with 36 doubles, 16 home runs and 104 RBI. The Phoenix is in the top-five of the Colonial Athletic Association in batting average, slugging percentage (.431), on-base percentage (.382), runs scored, hits (159), RBI, doubles, triples (three), homeruns and has a CAA-best 91 walks.
• Three players in the Phoenix’s main lineup are hitting better than .300 on the year. Morgan Reich and Ashtyn Foddrell leads the squad with their .333 average with Foddrell leading the team with her seven multi-hit games.
• Ally Repko leads the CAA in walks with 18 while teammate Keagan Goldwait is next with 17. Repko has also hit a team-best four homeruns this season.
• Erica Serafini and Rebecca Murray are tied for the team-lead in RBI with 15 each. Overall, the Phoenix has four players with 10 or more RBI this season.
• All seven of the Phoenix’s active freshmen has seen time early in the season. Six of those players have had their number called in the lineup with three starting at least 21 out of the 22 games this season.
• In the circle, Elon has posted a 3.50 ERA in 148.0 innings of action. The Phoenix has also struck out 59 batters compared to 67 walks. The Phoenix’s ERA is second in the CAA only to James Madison’s 2.01.
• Abby Barker is 9-2 on the season with a 2.39 ERA in 73.1 innings so far in 2019. Her nine wins leads the league after the Granville, Ohio, native went 3-0 last week with a 2.67 ERA in 21.0 innings.
• Phoenix head coach Kathy Bocock sits on 196 career victories while at the helm of the Elon softball program.
• The Phoenix’s roster is balanced with seasoned leadership and a renewed depth of talent, featuring seven seniors along with eight newcomers.
• In the 2019 CAA Preseason Poll, the Phoenix was tabbed to finish sixth by the league’s head coaches.
Scouting the Radford (7-13)
The Highlanders are 7-13 on the season after competing at the War Eagle Challenge last weekend at Auburn. Last season, Radford went 36-19 overall and 13-8 overall in the Big South, losing to Liberty in the championship game in its conference tournament. This year, the Highlanders were tabbed to finish third in the 2019 Big South Preseason Poll.
On the year, Radford is hitting .266 overall and have three players batting north of .300 including .419 hitter in Sydney Fisher. Fisher has also driven in a team-high 12 RBI and is second on the squad with 10 runs scored. Pitching wise, four arms have toed the rubber this season for the Highlanders with Jesse Marvin seeing the most time with 59.2 innings of action and a 2.70 ERA while going 3-5 on the season.
On Deck
The Phoenix plays UNCG in a three-game series this weekend, March 16-17, with the teams squaring off in a doubleheader in Greensboro, N.C., on Saturday, March 16 at 1 p.m. The series concludes on Sunday, March 17, at Hunt Softball Park also at 1 p.m.