Elon Softball Phoenix Hosts Virginia Tech on the Diamond on Wednesday

ELON, N.C. – After a seven-game road trip, the Elon University softball team concludes the home portion of its schedule this week beginning with its final nonconference game of the year against Virginia Tech on Wednesday, April 27. The opening pitch is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start time at Hunt Softball Park.

Follow the Phoenix

Fans can keep up with the action of the Phoenix on Wednesday 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. The game will be broadcasted live online for free through Elon’s Phoenix All-Access channel.

Versus Virginia Tech

The Phoenix and the Hokies are set to meet on the softball diamond for the sixth time in program history in the fastpitch era. Elon is winless against Virginia Tech in a series that dates back to 1999 and is coming off a 6-2 setback last season in Blacksburg, Va. The two teams last met in Elon in 2013 during the dedication ceremony of Hunt Softball Park on Feb. 28 in which Elon fell to the Hokies, 2-1.

Leading Off For Elon

• Elon has won three straight nonconference games after its 5-0 shutout at North Carolina A&T last Wednesday, April 20. On the year, Elon is 17-14 overall in non-CAA games.

• With four home games remaining on its schedule, the Phoenix will look to improve upon its current 16-5 ledger at Hunt Softball Park. Since opening the facility in 2013, Elon has won at least 16 games every season at Hunt Softball Park.

• Sophomore Kara Shutt recorded her 18th double of the season on Sunday, April 24, at UNCW, which ties Debbie Zeigler (2005-08) for the second-best single-season mark in school history.

• In her career, Shutt has hustled for 32 doubles, which is already eighth on the program’s all-time career list.

• There will be a mini family reunion when the Phoenix takes on Virginia Tech. Hokies’ assistant coach Justin Miller is the nephew of Phoenix head coach Kathy Bocock.

• Senior hurler Kayla Caruso set a new career-high with eight strikeouts on Sunday, April 24, at UNCW. That ties the season-high for a Phoenix pitcher this season with every member of Elon’s four-person pitching staff reaching that total.

• Elon tied for the longest game played this season in Division I softball in its 15-inning bout at UNCW this past Sunday. The duration of the contest was longer than any game played this season with the contest going four hours and 18 minutes.

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 (25-21, 8-7 CAA)

Elon concluded its seven-game road trip with a 3-4 ledger and fell to 5-9 overall away from its home park. The Phoenix also fell to fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association league standings with its setback 4-3 setback at UNCW on Sunday as Elon tries to position itself for the five-team field in the CAA Tournament.

As a team, Elon is hitting .291 while outhitting its opponents 369-325. The Phoenix has also scored 229 runs this season, its highest total since the 2012 campaign. The 369 hits are second in the CAA this season with Elon holding a 19-3 edge when it outhits the opponent. The maroon and gold is also one of the toughest teams to strikeout with a league-low 153 strikeouts.

Overall, Elon has three players hitting better than .300 with Shutt, Alaina Hall and Emily Roper. During the series at UNCW, Hall batted a team-best .500 (6-for-12) and while driving in three RBI including the game-winner in Elon’s 3-2 win the series opener on Saturday. Roper paces the squad with her five homers and is one of eight players with 14 or more RBI with her team-best 30.

Over the last four games, the Phoenix pitching staff has posted a 0.82 ERA while holding opponents to only a .230 average. Overall, the Phoenix is fourth in the CAA in team ERA at 3.17, its lowest mark since the 2011 season. Elon has also already surpassed its strikeout total from a year ago with a 188 fanned batters.

Scouting Virginia Tech (24-27)

The Hokies own an overall record of 24-27 on the year and are coming off being swept at eighth-ranked Florida State this past weekend. Prior to that series, Virginia Tech had won three straight in non-ACC action with a win at in-state foe Radford and at home in a twin bill versus Western Carolina.

On the season, Virginia Tech is batting .252 with two regulars hitting better than .300 in Lauren Duff (.352) and Emma Strouth (.319). Olivia Lattin has a team-high 40 hits and has been the team’s main run producer with seven home runs and 24 RBI. Teammate Caitlyn Nolan has drove in a team-best 26 runs this season.

In the circle, the Hokies has relied prominently on ace Maggie Tyler during the season. The senior has thrown 205.0 innings and has an ERA of 2.53 with her 18-17 record. She has also posted nine shutouts while striking out 220 batters. Collectively, Virginia Tech has a 3.62 ERA and has struck out 279 batters.

On Deck

Elon closes out the home portion of its schedule this weekend as the Phoenix welcomes sixth-ranked James Madison to Hunt Softball Park Saturday through Sunday, April 30-May 1. The series begins with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m.