Elon Baseball Phoenix and Blue Hens Meet for League Series

ELON, N.C. – Elon University baseball is looking for its fourth-straight CAA series win as the Phoenix (18-15, 7-2) hosts Delaware this weekend. Game One is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start on Friday. The teams then play a 4 p.m. Game Two on Saturday before closing out the series at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.

COVERAGE
Fans can listen to the games on the Elon Sports Network from Learfield/IMG College as Taylor Durham will provide play-by-play action. The pregame show begins 15 minutes prior to first pitch. The radio broadcasts can be heard at elonphoenix.com/live and on the TuneIn app. Live stats will also be available.

PITCHING MATCHUPS

Elon                                    Delaware
Jr. RH Kyle Brnovich (3-3, 3.31)        Fr. RH Joey Silan (1-2, 5.56)
Jr. RH George Kirby (5-1, 3.08)         So. RH Chris Ludman (2-4, 5.01)
So. LH Jared Wetherbee (3-3, 3.67)      R-Jr. LH Brandon Walter (3-4, 2.86)

THE SERIES
Delaware is ahead in the all-time series 10-8, to include a 9-5 mark during head coach Mike Kennedy’s tenure. The teams met in Newark, Del. last season on May 4-6. Elon took the opener 6-2 as Kyle Brnovich struck out 10 batters over 7.0 innings and Garrett Stonehouse, James Venuto, and Matt Oldham all homered. The hosts bounced back with a 3-1 final the following day and edged the Phoenix 6-5 in extras to win the finale and the series. Elon held a 5-1 advantage in the middle of the eighth, but Delaware got a run back in the home half of the frame and three more in the ninth. With runners on the corners in the 10th, a grounder up the middle allowed the hosts to plate the decisive run.

ABOUT DELAWARE
The Blue Hens (12-20, 5-4) swept William & Mary last weekend in three consecutive one-run games. Senior Kevin Mohollen was recognized as the league’s Player of the Week on Monday after going .462 (6-13) with two doubles, a homer and four RBI’s to help Delaware to four wins last week. He also walked five times and posted multi-hits in three of the four contests.

The royal blue and gold is coming off a 7-4 loss to UMBC on Wednesday. Austin Colmery is batting .333 with a team-high 12 extra-base hits. Jordan Hutchins (.254) has driven in the most runs with 24 RBIs and has swiped seven bags on as many attempts. Jack Goan (.216) leads Delaware with three home runs. As a team, the Blue Hens are batting .245 with a .329 on-base percentage.

Joey Silan (1-2), Chris Ludman (2-4), and Brandon Walter (3-4) are the expected starters for the weekend. Walter has a team-best 52 strikeouts, while Derek Wakeley (2-2) and Winston Allen (0-1) have combined for five saves. Delaware’s pitching staff owns a collective 6.00 ERA through 273.0 innings.

TWICE IS NICE
Elon picked up a pair of weekly honors on Monday afternoon as Brnovich was named the CAA’s Pitcher of the Week and Galason earned Rookie of the Week. Brnovich improved to 3-3 on the season last Friday at Towson. The right-hander didn’t allow an earned run, struck out 10, and gave up two hits across 7.0 complete innings. He retired the first eight batters he faced, with his effort helping the Phoenix to a 9-1 series-opening win. Brnovich lowered his ERA to 3.31, leads the conference with 65 strikeouts, and is holding opposing hitters to a .169 average.

Galason went 7-for-18 (.389) last week with a home run, four doubles, three RBIs, and four runs. A Colts Neck, N.J. native, the freshman hit 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored Saturday against the Tigers. He followed with another multi-hit effort in Sunday’s series finale, going 3-for-5 with a late three-run homer, two doubles, two runs, three RBIs, and a walk. It was his first career long ball while his three hits marked a season high.

GOLDEN SPIKES WATCH LIST
George Kirby was named to USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list on Wednesday afternoon. Presented in partnership with the Ron Dedeaux Foundation, the award is given to the top amateur baseball player in the country.

The Rye, N.Y. native owns a 5-1 record and a 3.08 ERA with two complete games across eight starts. In 49.2 innings pitched, he has struck out 58 opposing batters while allowing 17 earned runs on 45 hits and just three walks. He is also holding opponents to a .233 batting average. Through games played on April 9, he leads the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio (19.33), is third in walks allowed per nine innings (0.54), and seventh in complete games.

CAREER STRIKEOUTS
On Tuesday against Campbell, Mason Daniels reached 100 career strikeouts. Jared Wetherbee, who is expected to start on Sunday, is also approaching the mark. The sophomore left-hander currently has 97 in his time as a Phoenix.

CURRENT ELON STREAKS
Anthony Galason has reached safely in 31 consecutive games and Joe Satterfield 28. Satterfield is also on a seven-game hit streak and Galason a six-game hit streak.

ELON IN THE RANKINGS
As a team, Elon enters the weekend ranked 26th in the nation with 19 sacrifice flies. The maroon and gold also leads the league in fielding percentage (.976), home runs (28), and home runs per game (0.85).

Kirby is the nation’s leader in strikeout-to-walk ratio (19.33), is third in walks allowed per nine innings (0.54), and is tied for seventh in complete games (2). Cam Devanney ranks fourth with six sacrifice flies, and Daniels is seventh with nine starts. Tyler Stanley is 16th in hit by pitch (13), 22nd in hit by pitch per game (0.42), and 26th in stolen bases (18). Brnovich ranks 19th in the NCAA in strikeouts (65) and leads the CAA in strikeouts per nine innings (11.94). Satterfield is atop the CAA in batting average (.387), hits (48), and hits per game (1.45).

UP NEXT
Elon hosts East Carolina next Tuesday, April 16 for the second game in the home-and-home series with the Pirates. First pitch at Latham Park is set for 6 p.m. ECU took the first meeting 5-3 in Greenville, N.C. back on Feb. 27.