ELON, N.C. – The Elon University softball team returns to Colonial Athletic Association action this weekend as the Phoenix hosts College of Charleston in a three-game series at Hunt Softball Park Saturday and Sunday, April 2-3. The series begins with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 2, at 2 p.m. before concluding on Sunday with a single-game at 1 p.m.
Follow the Phoenix
Fans can keep up with the action of the Phoenix all this weekend 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.
Pink Game
Sunday’s contest will be the Phoenix’s annual Pink Game as Elon takes part in raising cancer awareness. Fans will be encouraged to wear pink for the contest with the Phoenix donning its pink jerseys as well. The maroon and gold will also have ceremonial first pitch for the game and will share facts about cancer throughout the contest.
Versus College of Charleston
Going into the weekend, Elon and CofC have met 42 times on the softball diamond since series play began in 1999. Longtime foes of the Southern Conference, the Cougars hold a 25-17 lead all-time over Elon as the two programs meet for the second year as CAA opponents. CofC won two out of three last season in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., and also took two out of three the last time the programs played in Elon in 2012.
Last season, Elon won game two of a doubleheader at CofC, 4-3, on March 21. Carey Million had two RBI and a double in the contest for the maroon and gold.
Leading Off For Elon
• Elon head coach Kathy Bocock won her 350th career game after the Phoenix earned a 6-5 victory over Charlotte on March 16. Elon also won its 400th game as a Division I program against the 49ers.
• The Phoenix is third in the CAA in batting average at .312 and has four regulars in the lineup hitting north of .300. Sophomore Kara Shutt is second in the league with her .459 average.
• Elon has plated a CAA-best 181 runs and also paces the league in triples (12) and is second in RBI (152). The 12 three-baggers are the most for the program in a single-season at the Division I era.
• Nationally, Elon is fifth in the country in triples per game (0.39). Individually, Shutt and Alaina Hall are ninth in the nation in total triples with four each.
• Other top performers nationally includes: Shutt – 29th in batting average, 23rd in doubles per game (0.39) and Emily Roper – 19th in sacrifice flies (three), 31st in hit-by-pitches per game (0.32).
• With its sweep of Drexel last weekend, Elon improved its mark to 13-2 at home this season. Since beginning play at Hunt Softball Park in 2013, the Phoenix has a overall record of 65-29 at its four-year facility.
• The Phoenix has scored most of its runs this season in the opening frame (39). Elon has a 13-2 record when it scores in the first inning and an 11-2 ledger when its scores first overall.
• Elon has a 14-1 mark when it outhits the opponent. The Phoenix has tallied 12 double-digit hits this season and has a 9-3 record in those games. Last season, Elon only had nine games where it reached 10 or more hits all year.
Last Time Out
Elon opened CAA play last weekend with a sweep of Drexel at home to improve to 17-14 overall on the year. The Phoenix batted .352 in the series and outscored the Dragons 32-13 while earning its second straight sweep of its CAA foe. In its twin bill against the Dragons on Saturday, Elon took game one, 8-4, before earning a 15-7 run-rule victory in the second contest in six innings. The Phoenix closed out the series with a 9-2 win on Sunday, March 27.
Shutt Receives Second CAA Weekly Honor
On Monday, March 28, Shutt was rewarded as the CAA Player of the Week for the second time this season and the third overall in her career. Last week, the Greensboro, N.C., native hit .563 (9-for-16) with seven runs, a pair of doubles, a triple and a home run last week. She also drove in a pair of runs and drew four walks with a 1.000 slugging percentage. Against Drexel this past weekend, Shutt batted .636 (7-for-11), scored seven runs while slugging at a 1.182 percent clip. She was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate in Elon’s 15-7 victory over the Dragons with a pair of RBI and a double shy of reaching the cycle. She also hustled for her CAA-best fourth triple of the year in that contest.
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.
Scouting the Phoenix (17-14, 3-0 CAA)
Shutt is the only player on the Phoenix hitting above .400 as her .459 average is the highest for a Phoenix player since Tomeka Watson batted .419 during her All-American season in 2013. The sophomore also leads the team in slugging percentage (.724), runs scored (28), hits (45), doubles (12) and is tied for the team-lead in triples (four) with Hall. She also extended her reached base streak to 15 games, the longest on the squad this season.
Hall currently has a six-game hit streak and has batted .500 (11-for-22) over that span. She’s also legged out a pair of triples and has 11 in her career, which is seventh on the program’s all-time career list. Elon also enjoyed the return of senior Emily Cameron to its lineup last weekend. The Kennesaw, Ga., native batted .444 (4-for-9) against the Dragons and belted two home runs with a team-best six RBI and a 1.111 slugging percentage.
As a pitching staff, Elon has tossed a 3.66 ERA in its 199.0 innings while having a combined 134 strikeouts. That strikeout total is on pace to pass the team’s overall total of 185 from last season with the Phoenix already tying last year’s shutout total of five in 2016. Rookie Elise Walton leads the team with her 1.91 ERA in 68.2 innings and is tied for the team-lead with six wins along with Barker.
Scouting College of Charleston (22-11, 2-1 CAA)
Tabbed to finish third in the 2016 CAA Preseason Poll, the Cougars earned a 6-1 win at crosstown rival Charleston Southern on Tuesday, March 29, in their most recent contest. Prior to that game, CofC opened league play with a series win at Delaware with the Cougars taking the final two games.
CofC is hitting .308 as a team and has five players in its normal lineup that’s hitting better than .300. Rebecca Mueller paces the squad offensively with her .413 average to go with 11 doubles and 28 RBI. Taylor Dupree is close behind with a .393 average and a team-best 27 runs scored. Carly Hansis leads the team with her three home runs as the Cougars have belted 13 as a team.
Four pitchers have seen time toeing the rubber for CofC this season with the team relying prominently on the duo of Samantha Martin and Sydney Shipley. Martin has thrown 101.0 innings and had posted a 2.36 ERA and an 11-5 record. Shipley is 8-4 on the year with a 2.54 ERA in her 80.0 innings of work. Overall, the Cougars have a 2.69 ERA as a staff with 152 strikeouts.
On Deck
Elon travels to NC State for a midweek contest in Raleigh, N.C., on Wednesday, April 6. That contest is scheduled for a 6 p.m. opening pitch.