ELON, N.C. – After starting the Colonial Athletic Association slate with three straight series at home, the Elon University softball team takes its first league road trip this weekend as the Phoenix journeys to Towson for a three-game series starting with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 16, at noon. The series concludes on Sunday, April 17, at 1 p.m. at the Tiger Softball Stadium
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.
Versus Towson
Going into the weekend, the Phoenix and the Tigers have squared off against each other eight times on the softball diamond in a series that began in 2006. The series is tied at 4-4 as Elon heads to Towson for the first time as the two programs gather for their second-ever series as CAA opponents.
Last season, Towson won the season series at Elon taking two out of three over the Phoenix at Hunt Softball Park. The maroon and gold however won the most recent contest at the CAA Tournament with Elon prevailing with an 8-6 come-from-behind victory at Harrisonburg, Va. Trailing 6-4 going to the bottom of the sixth, Elon rallied to score four runs in the home half of the frame including the game-winning two RBI double from Kara Shutt as Elon eliminated the Tigers from the tournament.
Leading Off For Elon
• Speaking of doubles, Shutt moved into the top-10 in school history in that category after legging out the 27th of her career against Hofstra on Saturday, April 9.
• Shutt also extended her reached base streak to 23 games in Elon’s most recent game versus UNCG on April 13. No other Phoenix player has more than 11 with Emily Cameron currently sitting on that streak.
• This weekend begins a seven-game road swing for the Phoenix after playing 10 of its previous 11 games at home. Elon only has a 1-5 record away from the home confines of Hunt Softball Park this season with its lone win coming at NC State on April 6.
• Elon is one of four teams hitting better than .300 on the year in the CAA with its .302 average. The last time the Phoenix hit .300 or better in a season came in 2011 as the Phoenix’s average has stayed north of .300 all season.
• The Phoenix’s balanced lineup this season is contributing to its .302 average with five regulars hitting better than .300. Shutt is hitting over .400 on the year at .437, which is second in the CAA and 35th overall in the country.
• The Phoenix has registered 12 triples already this season, a new program single-season high at the Division I level. Elon’s previous season-high D-I mark was the 11 that was set last season. Elon also ranks 12th in the country in triples per game at 0.31.
• 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.
Last Time Out
Elon earned a 1-0 shutout win over Triad rival UNCG on Wednesday, April 13. The Phoenix avenged its 3-1 setback at the Spartans on March 23 after holding UNCG to its fourth shutout of the season. Senior Kayla Caruso won her fourth straight game after going the distance while striking out five in her first shutout of the season. Alaina Hall had the only RBI in the contest for the Phoenix.
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 (22-17, 6-3 CAA)
After being picked fourth in the league’s 2016 preseason poll, the Phoenix currently sits tied for second in the CAA standings with its 6-3 ledger. The Phoenix will look for its first back-to-back conference winning seasons since the 2010 and 2011 campaign.
Since Feb. 28, Shutt has been hitting better than .400 and has remained aboved .371 all season. The last time a Phoenix player hit over .400 in a season was Tomeka Watson during her 2013 All-America campaign with her .419 average. During CAA play, the Phoenix as a team are hitting .314, second only to Drexel in the league. Shutt and Hannah Olson are contributing to that average with the pair hitting .485 and .433, respectively.
The Phoenix pitching staff has a 3.34 ERA on the year and a 3.18 ERA during league play. In her last five appearances, Caruso has posted a 4-0 record with a 1.59 ERA in her 26.1 innings with 14 strikeouts. On the year, she is tied for the team-lead in wins with seven and has 31 victories in her career, tying for eighth in program history.
Scouting Towson (27-10, 4-4 CAA)
The Tigers are the top hitting team in the CAA in terms of average at .309 and is also the league leaders in runs (230), home runs (44), RBI (204), slugging percentage (.534) and on-base percentage (.390). Towson is coming off a 10-2 victory at Georgetown on Wednesday and swept Drexel in a twin bill on Sunday, April 10, to improve to 4-4 in CAA play.
Among players with at least 90 at bats this season, Towson has four players in its lineup hitting .300 or better. Sophomore Shelby Stracher has a team and CAA-best .441 average on the year and also leads the league in slugging percentage (.883), RBI (48) and home runs (13). She is also second in the CAA in runs scored with 38.
The Tigers’ pitching unit has a cumulative ERA of 3.38 in 238.0 innings with 113 strikeouts. Three players have tossed 40 or more innings for Towson with Megan Dejter being the main workhorse with 111.2 innings and an 11-6 record along with a 4.07 ERA. Freshman Blakely Thrower has a team-best 1.49 ERA in her 42.1 innings and a 7-1 record.
On Deck
The Phoenix travels to Greensboro, N.C., for a midweek matchup at North Carolina A&T on April 20. That contest is scheduled for a 4 p.m. opening pitch.