ELON, N.C. – After a 2-1 series win over visiting Wagner this past weekend, Elon University baseball makes the short drive to High Point, N.C. on Tuesday, March 5 to play a 4-5 Panthers team. First pitch at Coy O. Willard Stadium is scheduled for 4 p.m.
COVERAGE
Tuesday’s game will be streamed on ESPN+. High Point will also have live stats available.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Elon High Point So. LH Jared Wetherbee (0-2, 3.55 ERA) Jr. RH Muhammed Eid (1-1, 3.21 ERA)
THE SERIES
Elon leads the all-time series 126-87, including a 31-22 mark under head coach Mike Kennedy. The two teams split last year’s home-and-home series, with both clubs winning on the road. The Phoenix jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never looked back as the team defeated the Panthers by a 13-9 margin in High Point on Tuesday, April 3 a year ago. Garrett Stonehouse, Ryne Ogren and Joe Satterfield all had three-hit performances. Stonehouse scored four times and drove in a pair, while Ogren drove in three runs for the maroon and gold. Starter Owen Lorenz improved to 3-2 after allowing five runs on four hits in 2.0 innings.
After an April 24 game was postponed, High Point built an early 3-0 lead and survived a late push to escape with a 7-6 final. Tied at 4-4 through eight innings, the visitors scored twice in the top half of the ninth. Elon got back a run as Tyler Stanley scored from second on a Stonehouse single through the right side. The home team placed the winning run on third as Ogren followed with a single, but the Panthers turned a 4-6-3 double play to snuff the rally.
ABOUT HIGH POINT
William & Mary swept the Panthers over the weekend in Williamsburg, Va. The two teams also played a doubleheader on Saturday, with the Tribe earning wins of 6-2 and 4-3. The Green and Gold then took the series finale 8-6 on Sunday.
Joe Johnson is batting .333 to lead the Purple and White. The junior out of Benson, N.C. has nine hits in 27 at bats with four runs scored, one long ball, and nine RBIs. JJ Woodard follows with a .281 average and Sam Zayicek is hitting .276. Daniel Millwee is the deep threat with a .235 average and a team-high three home runs. Junior right-hander Muhammed Eid is expected to get the start for the Panthers. He owns a 1-1 record with a 3.21 ERA across two starts and three appearances. In 14.0 complete innings, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla. product had struck out seven batters.
ELON IN THE RANKINGS
Through games played on March 3, Elon ranks 12th in the nation in triples (5), 10th in hits allowed per nine innings (5.91), 15th in sacrifice flies (8), 18th in strikeouts per nine innings (11.1), and 25th in triples per game (.45). The Phoenix also leads the CAA in doubles per game (2.09), fielding percentage (.980), on base percentage (.408), runs (81), scoring (7.4), and shutouts (1). The team is second in the league in bases on balls (64), batting average (.279), doubles (23), hit by pitch (22), hits (103), and WHIP (1.29).
George Kirby is tied for first in the nation with a 27.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The junior is also 18th in strikeouts (27) and sits atop the CAA standings with 14.02 strikeouts per nine innings. Kyle Brnovich leads the league with 3.60 hits allowed per nine innings, Ty Adock is first in RBIs (15) and RBIs per game (1.36), and Cam Devanney is second in runs scored (12).
SPEEDY STANLEY
Stanley added another steal in the series finale versus Wagner to finish 7-for-7 on the weekend. He is now 10-for-10 on the season, which ranks fifth in the nation. He is also 10th with .91 steals per game.
CAREER FIRSTS
Brandon Justice picked up his first career win as a Phoenix last Saturday. Sunday’s game marked the first career start for Anthony Hennings, with his triple marking his first career hit. Jack Roberts also made his first career appearance pitching and added his first career win.
STONEY AT THE BAT
After entering the Wagner series batting .071, Stonehouse had quite the weekend, finishing 6-for-8 to raise his average to .318. A junior from Westport, Conn., he hit two doubles, scored six times, drove in seven runs, drew four walks, and swiped a bag against the Seahawks.
UP NEXT
Elon is home this weekend as the Phoenix hosts the Bryant Bulldogs (4-5) for a three-game series at Latham Park. Game One is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start this Friday, March 8. The series marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs.