Elon Softball Begins CAA Play This Weekend at No. 19 James Madison

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University softball team begins Colonial Athletic Association play this weekend, March 23-24, as the Phoenix travels to No. 19 James Madison for a three-game series. The series starts with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 23, at 11 a.m. before concluding with the series finale Sunday, March 24, at 12 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park.

Follow the Phoenix
Live stats will be available to follow along with Twitter updates from the program’s handle, @ElonSoftball. Saturday’s doubleheader will be streamed on MadiZONE through JMU’s athletic website at jmusports.com. The twin bill will also be televised through NBC Sport Washington Plus and NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus.

Inside the Series: James Madison (JMU leads 16-6)
In all-time meetings, James Madison holds a 16-6 record over Elon including a 11-1 ledger when the two programs became league foes in 2015. The Dukes are unbeaten against the Phoenix on its home diamond, posting a 9-0 record. Elon’s lone CAA win in the series came in 2016, when the Phoenix upset the then sixth-ranked Dukes, 5-4, in 15-innings at Hunt Softball Park.

Last Time Out
Senior Hailey Jomp recorded her first career complete game shutout as the Phoenix defeated longtime Triad rival North Carolina A&T, 7-0, in a midweek contest on Wednesday, March 20, at Hunt Softball Park. Jomp blanked the Aggies, giving up four total hits with three strikeouts for her first win of the season.

Jomp was backed offensively as Elon tied its season-high with 12 hits in the contest. Keagan Goldwait went 3-of-3 with a double while Ally Repko was 2-of-4 with a RBI. Callie Horn drove in three runs on her third homerun of the season as the Phoenix won its sixth straight over North Carolina A&T.

Around the Horn
• This season marks the 30th season of Elon softball during its fastpitch era and the 20th at the Division I level.
• The first NCAA Softball RPI report was released on Monday, March 18, with the Phoenix coming in at No. 79. Elon is the second-highest team from the Colonial Athletic Association sitting behind No. 23 James Madison.
• The Phoenix enters the weekend series having outscored its opponents 133-115 through the first 27 games of the season. Most of those runs have come in the third inning with the Phoenix plating 29 runs in the frame.
• As a team, Elon is hitting .265 on the year with 42 doubles, 18 home runs and 117 RBI. The Phoenix is in the top-five of the Colonial Athletic Association in on-base percentage (.366), runs scored (133), hits (186), RBI (117), doubles (42), homeruns (18) and has a CAA-best 100 walks.
• Two players in the Phoenix’s main lineup are hitting better than .300 on the year. Morgan Reich has a team-best .309 average with Goldwait next at .302. Ashtyn Foddrell is hitting just under .300 (.296) while also leading the team with her seven multi-hit games.
• Repko leads the CAA in walks with 19 while teammate Goldwait is next with 18. Repko has also hit a team-best four homeruns this season followed by Horn with three.
• 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 23 out of the 26 games this season.
• In the circle, Elon has posted a 3.44 ERA in 172.0 innings of action. The Phoenix has also struck out 71 batters compared to 79 walks. The Phoenix’s ERA is third in the CAA only to James Madison (1.89) and UNCW (3.19).
• Abby Barker is 9-3 on the season with a 2.38 ERA in 79.1 innings so far in 2019. Her nine wins are tied for the best in the CAA.
• Phoenix head coach Kathy Bocock sits on 198 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 No. 19 James Madison (17-5)
No. 19 James Madison comes into the series at 17-5 on the season after sweeping in-state foe Longwood in a twin bill on Wednesday. The wins extended the Dukes’ win streak to nine games, whose last defeat came at No. 16/17 Arizona State on March 7. JMU has only played four games on it home field this season, sweeping the field at its home tournament on March 15-17.

The Dukes are one of the better power hitting teams in the nation, ranking second in the country in homeruns per game at 1.82. JMU is also in the top-10 of the country in slugging percentage (.610) and scoring (7.59). As a team, James Madison is hitting .336 overall with six players hitting .300 or better. Sara Jubas is second in the nation with her .520 average to lead the Dukes while Kate Gordon in fourth in homeruns per game at 0.50 as she has 11 round trippers on the season.

In the circle, JMU has a CAA-best 1.89 ERA in 137.1 while striking out 127 batters. Megan Good and Odicci Alexander have carried the Dukes primarily in the circle this season with Good posting a 7-4 record with a 2.15 ERA in 65.0 innings. Alexander has posted a 9-0 record with a 1.38 ERA in 61.0 innings.

On Deck
The Phoenix jumps out of CAA play to host Campbell next Wednesday, March 27, with the opening pitch set for 5 p.m.