ELON, N.C. – In the midst of a nine-game homestand, the Elon University softball team hosts in-state rival Charlotte for a single-game contest on Wednesday, March 16. The contest is scheduled for a 5 p.m. opening pitch at Hunt Softball Park.
Follow the Phoenix
Fans can keep up with the action of the Phoenix all season via live stats from the program’s schedule page at elonphoenix.com. Updates will also be provided on Twitter on @elonscores or the program’s handle, @ElonUSoftball.
Versus Charlotte
Elon has faced its in-state rival 29 times heading into Wednesday’s contest in a series dating back to 1998. Charlotte holds an 18-11 advantage all-time over Elon and has won the past three contests and seven out of the previous eight. Elon last defeated the 49ers in 2013, 5-2, in the first game of a doubleheader in Charlotte. Then-freshmen Emily Cameron and Kayla Caruso played a huge part in that win with Cameron driving in two RBI while Caruso earned the win in the circle with a complete game performance while giving up no earned runs.
Last Time Out
Elon went 4-0 at its home tournament this past weekend sweeping the field of Central Connecticut State, Niagara and Oakland. The Phoenix earned an 8-0 win over the Purple Eagles on Friday, March 11, defeated the Golden Grizzlies 8-0 in Saturday, March 12, before winning again over Niagara, 7-2, in a rematch. The maroon and gold ended the weekend with a 1-0 victory over the Blue Devils in 10 innings with Elise Walton earning the complete game shutout win as the Lawrenceville, Va., native struck out a career-best eight batters.
Perfecto
Rookie Abby Barker tossed the program’s first-ever perfect game at the Division I level in Elon’s 8-0 win over Niagara on Friday, March 11. The Granville, Ohio, native had three strikeouts in her 6.0 innings of work and only threw 74 pitches in the contest against the Purple Eagles. It’s also the first time that Elon has no-hit an opponent since 2011.
Duo Earns CAA Weekly Accolades
On Monday, March 14, Barker and junior Emily Roper were honored as the Colonial Athletic Association’s Rookie and Player of the Week, respectively. Roper batted a team-best .636 (7-for-11) during the Phoenix’s 4-1 week. She also scored and drove in six runs, had three doubles and drew six walks while having a .909 slugging percentage. Roper also reached base in each of the Phoenix’s five contests, extending her current streak to 12 games.
Along with her perfect game, Barker ended the week with a 2-0 record and a 1.68 ERA in her 8.1 innings of work. She also held opposing hitters to only a .077 average.
Leading Off For Elon
• Going into Wednesday’s contest, Elon is hitting .313 on the year, good for third in the CAA. Six regulars hitting above .300 are contributing to that average including two over the .400 mark.
• The Phoenix paces the league offensively in doubles (38) and triples (nine) and is tied for second overall in total runs (130).
• Five games into a current nine-game homestand, the Phoenix is 4-1 going into Wednesday’s game. Elon’s lone loss came against North Carolina last Wednesday, March 9. Overall this season, Elon has an 8-2 record at Hunt Softball Park.
• Roper has reached base in 12 straight games, longest streak for the team this season. She also has a current six-game hitting streak, the third longest on the squad. Kara Shutt holds the longest active hit streak with seven games.
• Elon has scored most of its runs this season in the first inning (28). The Phoenix is 9-2 when scoring in the first inning and 9-1 when scoring first.
Scouting the Phoenix
Elon’s 4-0 weekend improved the Phoenix above .500 with a 12-11 ledger this season. During the Elon Softball Tournament, the Phoenix outscored its opponents 24-2 and had 35 hits, nine extra-base hits, drew 14 walks and batted .321. Roper and Jenna Reilly tied the team-lead with a .750 average with Roper driving in six RBI.
Shutt leads the team with a .446 average and is tied for the team-lead in runs scored with 18. She leads the CAA in hits (33), doubles (10) and triples (three) after hustling for two in the Phoenix’s contest against Oakland last Saturday, March 12. Roper is second on the team with a .404 average and has a CAA-best .556 on-base percentage.
The Phoenix pitching staff has a 3.43 staff ERA with five shutouts and 102 strikeouts through its 147.0 innings. Freshman Elise Walton is coming off a phenomenal week where she posted a 0.00 ERA through her 15.1 innings including a 10.0 inning complete game shutout win over Central Connecticut State last Sunday, March 13. She also struck out a career-best eight batters in that contest and had 13 all of last week while going 2-0 with both victories coming against 2015 NCAA Tournament teams Oakland and CCSU.
Scouting Charlotte (16-7)
The 49ers are 16-7 on the season and were receiving votes in the USA Today National Coaches’ Poll from the rankings last Tuesday. Charlotte however was swept this past weekend at FIU in its Conference USA opening series. Prior to the season, the 49ers were selected to finish seventh in the 2016 C-USA Preseason Poll.
On the year, Charlotte is hitting .309 on the season and has outscored its opponents 125-54. Five players are hitting better than .300 in the lineup for the 49ers including a .568 average from Becca Shipper. Lizzy Birch is second on the squad with a .360 average and is leading C-USA in on-base percentage at .541. Haley Pace is the 49ers’ top run producer with three home runs and 25 RBI.
In the circle, Charlotte has relied primarily on the arms of Lexi Betancourt and Haley Wiseman this season. Betancourt, who had a no-hitter against the Phoenix in last year’s matchup in Charlotte, leads the team with a 10-4 record and a 1.94 ERA in her 93.2 innings. Wiseman is 6-3 with a 2.85 ERA in 54.0 innings of work. Overall, the Charlotte pitching staff has a unit ERA of 2.36 while holding opponents to a .215 average.
On Deck
Elon closes out its homestand with a three-game series against Lafayette this weekend, March 19-20.