ELON, N.C. – The Elon University softball team closes out an eight-game road trip with a contest at longtime Triad rival North Carolina A&T on Wednesday, March 29. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex.
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.
Inside the Series
Wednesday’s contest will be the 50th meeting all-time between Elon and North Carolina A&T in the maroon and gold’s fastpitch era. The Phoenix holds a 39-10 advantage over the Lady Aggies including a 10-5 ledger in Greensboro. Since Phoenix head coach Kathy Bocock took over the reins of the program in 2012, Elon owns an 8-2 record against its longtime Triad rival. Last season, the two teams split its contests with N.C. A&T earning a 4-1 victory over the Phoenix at Hunt Softball Park, but Elon rebounding with a 5-0 shutout win in Greensboro.
Leading Off for Elon
• Elon went 2-2 last week with games at East Carolina and in its Colonial Athletic Association opener at College of Charleston. The Phoenix pulled out wins at ECU, 10-9, last Wednesday, and won the opening game of its series at the Cougars, but fell in the final two contests at CofC.
• The Phoenix is 4-3 on its current eight-game road trip since beginning play at fellow Triad rival UNCG on March 17. The team is hitting .292 during that span while outscoring opponents 39-24.
• Senior Alaina Hall continued her stellar play at the plate as the Suwanee, Ga., native batted a team-high .563 (9-for-16) in the Phoenix’s games last week. She extended her hit streak to a team-best nine games after the weekend and has had multi-hit performances in seven of those contests.
• Another senior from Georgia, Jenna Reilly, came on last weekend at the series at College of Charleston. Reilly batted .556 (5-for-9) against the Cougars including a career-best three hits in Elon’s 3-1 win in its opening game last Saturday.
• Elon sits on 899 victories as a program all-time since beginning collegiate competition in 1977. Bocock has 382 career victories as a head coach and 145 at Elon.
Scouting the Phoenix
Elon sits at 19-11 on the season after its weekend series at College of Charleston. Wednesday’s contest is one of five nonconference dates that is remaining on the Phoenix’s 2017 schedule including a rematch with the Aggies on April 25, at Hunt Softball Park.
The Phoenix is fifth in the CAA with its overall .286 average and is third in runs scored with 144. Elon is also in the top-five in the league in walks (96), on-base percentage (.373), total hits (217), RBI (125), doubles (34) and triples (five). The Phoenix currently have four players in its regular lineup hitting .300 or better with Hall leading the CAA with her .430 average and 40 hits overall. Carey Million still leads the league with 32 RBI and is the only player in the CAA with 30 or more runs batted in.
In the circle, the Phoenix pitching staff is third in the CAA with a team ERA of 2.97 with 131 strikeouts in 200.2 innings. Kiandra Mitchum has led the Phoenix’s three-person staff with a 10-6 record, a 2.59 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 100.0 innings of work. In her last nine starts, Mitchum has posted a 6-1 record with a 0.84 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 50.0 innings.
Scouting the Lady Aggies
N.C. A&T (8-19-1) comes into the matchup on Wednesday after earning a 7-6 victory at Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) foe South Carolina State on Sunday. The win snapped a five-game losing skid for the Lady Aggies, who were picked to finish fourth in the Southern Division of the MEAC 2017 Preseason Poll.
As a team, the Lady Aggies are batting .257 with three players in the regular lineup hitting north of .300. Sophomore Zadasia Waddell leads the team with a .404 average while driving in 10 runs while senior Kimberly Brunson is second on the squad with her .377 average and a team-best 14 RBI.
Waddell has also carried the N.C. A&T in the circle as she leads the team with her 6-9 record, 3.86 ERA and 96.0 innings pitched. Sophomore Mohagony Headen, who was a 2017 second-team preseason All-MEAC selection, leads the Lady Aggies with 66 strikeouts.
On Deck
The Phoenix hosts its first CAA series of the season when league-leader UNCW arrives to Hunt Softball Park for a three-game series on April 1-2. The series begins with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m.