ELON, N.C. – Riding a four-game winning streak, the Elon University baseball team returns to Latham Park this weekend to host the annual Elon Invitational. The Phoenix will welcome in Bowling Green, Stony Brook and Appalachian State for games this weekend. The tournament will get underway at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, March 4.
Live Coverage
Fans can follow the Phoenix via live stats by going to the Elon baseball schedule page at elonphoenix.com. Twitter updates will be posted on the @ElonScores account throughout the game.
Tournament Schedule
Friday, March 4
• Stony Brook vs. Appalachian State – 12:30 p.m.
• Bowling Green vs. Elon – 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 5
• Stony Brook vs. Elon – 12:30 p.m.
• Appalachian State vs. Bowling Green – 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 6
• Bowling Green vs. Stony Brook – 12:30 p.m.
• Appalachian State vs. Elon – 4:30 p.m.
The Series
Of the three teams visiting Latham Park, Elon has only faced Appalachian State previously. The maroon and gold owns a 64-16 record all-time against the Mountaineers.
About Bowling Green
The Bowling Green Falcons enter the weekend with a 1-5 overall record. BG downed East Tennessee State 7-1 in its season opener, but has snice dropped games to ETSU and Seattle. The Falcons are hitting .181 as a team, but are paced offensively by infielder Nick Glanzman who is hitting .409 with three runs scored and two RBI. The pitching staff owns a 6.32 ERA and has struck out 35 hitters in 47.0 innings.
About Stony Brook
The Stony Brook Seawolves sit at 2-5 overall on the year with wins over Dayton and NYIT. Stony Brook has dropped games to Wofford, USC Upstate and Baylor. Infielder Jeremy Giles leads the team with a .400 average, has scored seven runs and has three doubles. As a team, the Seawolves are hitting .268. The pitching staff has an 8.38 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 58.0 innings of work.
About Appalachian State
The Appalachian State Mountaineers own a 1-8 record with a win over Quinnipiac. ASU has also falled to #23 Coastal Carolina, #4 Virginia, Old Dominion, #24 South Carolina, Quinnipiac and North Carolina Central. The team sports a .230 batting average, but outfielder Tanner Mann-Fix is hitting .452 with four runs scored, two doubles, two triples and a homer to lead the offense. The pitching staff enters the weekend with a 6.39 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 76.0 innings.
Top-25 Win Snaps Streak
With its 8-7, 10-inning victory at #16 East Carolina, Elon picked up its 27th win against a top-25 foe. The decision also snapped a 12-game skid against the Pirates by the maroon and gold. The last Elon victory over ECU had come on April 28, 2009 in Elon. The last time a Phoenix team had won in Greenville was May 15, 2007.
Daniels Picks Up CAA Honor
Mason Daniels became the first Elon player to earn a weekly CAA honor this year by sharing Rookie of the Week accolades on March 1. Daniels threw 5.0 innings and recordied nine strikeouts to earn the first win of his career on Feb. 28. He surrendered just one unearned run on one hit and fanned two hitters in four of his five innings.
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In the Feb. 28 victory over La Salle, Elon pitchers combined to strike out 18 Explorer hitters. Starter Mason Daniels fanned a career-high nine batters in 5.0 innings and Elon struck out at least one hitter in each inning. The last time an Elon team had posted at least 15 strikeouts in a game was May 7, 2013 when the maroon and gold fanned 16 against North Carolina A&T. The last time Elon had 18 strikeouts in a 9-inning game was March 30, 2007 against Davidson.
Picked Off
Thorugh nine games, Elon pitchers have picked off seven base runners, matching last years total that included two by a catcher. Lefty Jordan Barrett leads the way with three, while Matt Harris, Dimitri Lettas, Derek Pike and Robbie Welhaf each have one.
On Deck
Elon will continue its seven-game homestand on Tuesday, March 8, by welcoming the Liberty Flames to Latham Park. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.