Elon Softball Phoenix Set for Gamecock Invitational

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University softball team treks to the Gamecock Invitational this weekend, Feb. 21-23, hosted by the University of South Carolina. The Phoenix opens the tournament on Friday versus Iowa State at 12:30 p.m. at the Carolina Softball Stadium.

Tournament Central Page

The Schedule
• The Phoenix is scheduled to play four games at the three-day tournament. After facing Iowa State on Friday, the maroon and gold returns to the diamond on the second day, Saturday, Feb. 22, for a matchup versus Boston College at 5:30 p.m.
• Elon concludes the tournament with a pair of games on Sunday, Feb. 23, against Liberty at 3 p.m. before closing out the weekend against host No. 22 South Carolina at 5:30 p.m.

Follow the Phoenix
• Live stats will be available for every game at the tournament.
• Updates of the Phoenix’s games will also be posted on Twitter at the team’s account @ElonSoftball.
• Fans can watch Elon’s game versus South Carolina on Sunday on the SEC Network + on WatchESPN or the Watch ESPN app. The contest will also be broadcasted on the radio.

Last Time Out
• Elon saw its six-game win streak snapped at NC State on Wednesday, Feb. 19. The Phoenix fell to the Wolfpack by a score of 12-4.
• With its loss, the Phoenix’s all-time series against the Wolfpack moves to 9-13 all-time and 4-5 since 2012.
• Megan White added her fourth home run of the season against the Wolfpack and is tied for the team-lead with junior Ally Repko.

Quinn’s Strong Start
• Senior Kenna Quinn has had an impressive start to her 2020 campaign. On the season, she is 4-0 with a 0.27 ERA in 26.0 innings of action.
• The Boiling Springs, S.C., native was named the Colonial Athletic Association’s Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11 for her performance in the circle at the Elon Softball Classic. Quinn went 2-0 that weekend with a pair of complete game victories. She posted a 0.00 ERA and struck out 13 batters compared to four walks. It was the first career CAA weekly accolade for Quinn.
• Quinn has twice tied her career-high in strikeouts this season. She fanned eight batters in the Phoenix’s 5-0 win over Rhode Island then duplicated that number versus Morgan State.
• She currently leads the CAA with her four wins and is second in strikeouts (25) and ERA (0.27). Quinn is also in the top-five of the league in opposing batting average (.173).

White Hot
• Coming off a season in which she was named the CAA Co-Rookie of the Year, White has gotten off to a fast start for her sophomore campaign, posting a .478 average with 12 RBI, a two doubles and four homers.
• She currently ranks in the top five of the CAA in average, slugging percentage (1.087), on-base percentage (.600), RBI, home runs and total bases (25).

Series Breakdown
• vs. Iowa State – The Phoenix and the Cyclones have met only one other time on the softball diamond, back in 2013. Elon fell to Iowa State, 12-1, in Boca Raton, Fla.
• vs. Boston College – Elon and Boston College are meeting for the first time this weekend. The Eagles will be one of four teams that the Phoenix will face from the ACC this season.
• vs. Liberty – Former Big South opponents, the Flames and the Phoenix are facing each other for the first time since 2012. Liberty leads the all-time series, 10-6, but the Phoenix took the most recent contest, 4-1, in 2012.
• vs. South Carolina – Elon and South Carolina will square off for the third time this weekend. Both teams have split the previous two contests with the Phoenix taking a 8-1 victory over the Gamecocks in the second game of a doubleheader in 2011.

Scouting Iowa State
• The Cyclones come into the tournament with a 5-5 record on the year after going 1-4 at the Knight’s Classic last weekend in Orlando, Fla.
• Coming off a 37-25 campaign in 2019 including a 7-11 mark in the Big 12, Iowa State was tabbed to finish sixth in the conference’s 2020 Preseason Poll.
• As a team, Iowa State is hitting .238 on the year with four regulars in the lineup hitting better than .300. Sami Williams leads the team with her .324 average along with four homers and 15 RBI. She also is tied for the team-lead with three doubles.
• In the circle, three arms have rotated for the Cyclones so far in 2020 with each of them pitching 20.0 innings or more. Ellie Spelhaug has a team-best 2.16 ERA while Karlie Charles has pitched the most innings (27.2) with a 2.28 ERA. Janessa Jasso has a team-best 17 strikeouts.

Scouting Boston College
• The Eagles are 3-6 on the year after competing last at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge last weekend in Atlanta, Ga. Boston College went 1-3 against Iowa and Nebraska, defeating Nebraska 2-0 in its finale.
• Boston College went 18-35 in 2019 with a 4-20 mark in the ACC. The Eagles were selected to finish 13th in the league’s preseason poll.
• Offensively, the Eagles are hitting .167 on the season with Ellie Mataya the lone player hitting better than .300 with her .370 average in the regular lineup.
• Susannah Anderson has led the Eagles in the circle with her 1.16 ERA in 36.1 innings. She also has 39 strikeouts.

Scouting Liberty
• The Flames head into the weekend at 1-9 on the season after playing in the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational last weekend, falling to five teams who appeared in the Top 10 in at least one poll last week.
• Liberty went 40-22 last year, finishing second in the Atlantic Sun North with a 16-5 record in its first season in the conference. The Lady Flames competed in the NISC for the second time in the last three seasons, shutting out all three opponents to win the NISC Lynchburg Regional.
• 2019 ASUN All-Freshman Team member Kara Canetto leads the team with a .345 batting average and is tied for the team lead with Blake Gibson with two doubles.
• In the circle, freshman Karlie Keeney is 1-2 with a 3.90 ERA while junior Megan Johnson, freshman Kastin Belogorska and junior Emily Kirby have all started multiple games in the circle this season.

Scouting No. 22 South Carolina
• The Gamecocks are currently ranked No. 22 in the latest NFCA Top-25 poll and are 6-3 on the season. South Carolina defeated North Carolina Central, 19-1, in its most recent contest on Wednesday.
• South Carolina is hitting .307 on the year with six players hitting better that .300 and two north of .400 in Kenzi Maguire (.409) and Madison Owens (.400). Katie Prebbie has team-highs in home runs (three) and RBI (11).
• Junior Kelsey Oh has been the workhorse in the circle for the Gamecocks with 32.0 innings of action and a 2.19 ERA. She is 4-2 on the season and has 50 strikeouts.

On Deck
• Elon continues its road swing with a visit to intrastate foe North Carolina on Wednesday, Feb. 26. That contest is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start.