ELON, N.C. – The Elon University softball team will host Presbyterian in a midweek tilt on Wednesday, March 5, at Hunt Softball Park, just three days after facing each other in the finale of the Elon Phoenix Tournament. The first pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.
Live Coverage
Fans can follow the Phoenix via live stats by going to the Elon softball schedule page at elonphoenix.com. Twitter updates will also be provided the handle @ElonScores or @ElonUSoftball.
Series History
Wednesday’s meeting will be the fifth all-time in the series between the Phoenix and the Blue Hose. Elon holds a 4-0 advantage in a series that dates to 2012 with the latest meeting coming on Sunday, March 2. Elon defeated Presbyterian, 9-4, in the finale of the Elon Phoenix Tournament this past Sunday.
Last Time Out
The Phoenix went 4-0 at the Elon Phoenix Tournament this past weekend, defeating the field of Coppin State (twice), Dayton and Presbyterian. Elon batted .402 in the four games while holding its opponents to a .245 average. The maroon and gold pitching staff also posted a 3.23 ERA over the weekend compared to a 9.57 ERA from the opposition.
Elon hit 10 home runs during its four games last weekend with Emily Roper, Carleigh Nester, Grace Eng and Carey Million leading the way with two apiece. Million’s blasts were the first in her young career while fellow freshman Alaina Hall and senior Lauren Oldham also belted their first career home runs over the weekend.
Scouting the Phoenix (12-5-1)
Elon enters Wednesday’s contest batting .306 as a team with five players hitting .300 or better among players with at least 10 at bats. Hall paces the team with a .400 average and has a team-best 22 hits on the season. Sophomore Emily Cameron is not far behind with a .392 average and team-highs in home runs (six) and RBI (17).
Nester was selected as the Southern Conference’s Player of the Week on Monday, March 3. It was the third career conference weekly honor for the senior outfielder after she batted .438 (7-for-16) last week and helped the Phoenix to a 4-1 record. She also scored seven runs, had three home runs, eight RBI and three doubles to go with a stolen base.
Equally impressive last weekend was the performance of the Elon pitching staff. Junior Chelsea White had a pair of complete game wins last weekend, including tying a career-high with eight strikeouts in a shutout 2-0 victory over Dayton on Saturday, March 1. Sophomore Kayla Caruso pitched well in her first start of the season against Coppin State on Sunday, March 2, going 5.0 innings without allowing a run and earning her first win of the season in the 7-1 victory over the Lady Eagles.
Scouting Presbyterian (6-7)
A member of the Big South Conference, the Blue Hose won three out of four at Elon this past weekend with its lone loss coming to the Phoenix. Prior to its loss against Elon, head coach Kama Tucker’s program had won five straight.
The Blue Hose are led offensively by freshman infielder Hope Rogers and her .425 average on the season. She also has team-bests in home runs (three), RBI (12), hits (17), doubles (5) and runs scored (12).
In the circle, Presbyterian’s staff has a 3.90 ERA while holding opponents to a .257 average. Sydney Seigler and Katie Brown have been the one-two punch for the Blue Hose this season, with Brown posting a team-best ERA of 2.62 while Seigler leads the program in wins (four) and innings pitched (42.1).
There will be some family ties on hand when Elon plays Presbyterian with Blue Hose’s assistant Justin Miller and freshman infielder Blaire Miller being the nephew and niece of Elon head coach Kathy Bocock. Justin Miller was also a former teammate for current Elon assistant Tyler Engle when the two played baseball at Ohio State.
On Deck
Elon continues its 13-game homestand this weekend, March 8-9, hosting a three-game series against Radford. The series begins this Saturday a 1 p.m. with a doubleheader at Hunt Softball Park.