ELON, N.C. – The Elon University softball team concludes its nonconference slate this Wednesday, April 26, with a single-game versus longtime Triad rival North Carolina A&T. The contest is scheduled for a 4 p.m. opening pitch at Hunt Softball Park.
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
During Elon’s fastpitch era (since 1990), the maroon and gold and North Carolina A&T have met 50 times on the softball diamond. The Phoenix holds a 40-10 all-time record against the Lady Aggies and has won eight of the past nine meetings. Both teams faced each other earlier in the season in Greensboro, N.C., on March 29, with Elon prevailing with a 1-0 victory. Junior Kiandra Mitchum tossed a complete game gem in the circle, allowing just one hit with eight strikeouts.
Leading Off for Elon
• The Phoenix is 22-10 this season in nonconference play and has won six of its past seven non-league games. Last year, Elon was 17-17 during nonconference games.
• Elon will be looking for its second 30-win campaign under head coach Kathy Bocock this week as the maroon and gold sits at 29-17 this season. The Phoenix’s current .630 winning percentage is also the highest for the program since 2010.
• The maroon and gold has posted a 19-7 ledger this season at Hunt Softball Park. The Phoenix will look to tie its best win total of 20 at its five-year facility on Wednesday, which the program set in 2015.
• Senior Alaina Hall tallied her 229th career hit on Sunday, April 23, at Hofstra, moving her into a tie for second on the program’s all-time career list with Dani Concepcion (2002-05).
• Mitchum moved into sole possession of second all-time in school history for strikeouts in a single-season at Hofstra over the weekend. The lefty has struck out 159 batters this season – the most for an Elon pitcher in a single-season at the Division I level.
• Hannah Olson is coming off a productive performance at the plate last week. The junior hit .667 (4-for-6) while scoring a run with three doubles in the Phoenix’s three games.
Scouting the Phoenix
Coming off being swept in a doubleheader at the hands of league foe Hofstra this past Sunday, the Phoenix is looking to get back on the winning track on Wednesday. The losses dropped the maroon and gold to 29-17 on the year and 7-7 during Colonial Athletic Association play, which is fifth in the league. Elon’s current .630 winning percentage is the highest for the program since the 2010 season.
Offensively, Elon is batting .275 and is in the top-five of the CAA in hits (330), runs scored (207), RBI (179), doubles (57), triples (11) and walks (124). At home this season, the Phoenix is batting .290 and outscoring the opponents, 121-79. Overall, Elon has scored most of its runs in the third inning, 47. Individually, the maroon and gold has four players that are hitting over .300 in Hall (.388), Carey Million (.336), Kara Shutt (.324) and Olson (.301). Hall remains among the top-five in the league in total hits with a team-high 57. Olson is second in the CAA in runs scored (38) while Million is also second in the league with 44 RBI, which is three shy of the program’s single-season school record of 47 by Emerald Graham (2010-11), set in 2011.
The Elon pitching staff has posted the third-best ERA in the CAA at 2.77, its best team ERA since 2004. The Phoenix’s 211 batters struck out is second in the league along with its four saves. Mitchum ranks among the top-two in many categories in the CAA including being the league-leader in innings pitched (174.2). The Mechanicsville, Va., native ranks second in the league with 159 strikeouts and is third in ERA at 2.16.
Scouting the Lady Aggies
North Carolina A&T comes into Wednesday’s contest at 14-26-1 this season, but has won a season-high four straight games including a sweep versus fellow Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) foe Savannah State this past weekend.
The Lady Aggies have a .258 batting average this season and three players hitting better than .300. Kimberly Brunson has the highest average among players with more than 100 at-bats at her .331 average while driving in a team-high 20 RBI.
Zadaisha Waddell heads the Lady Aggies’ pitching staff with her 23 starts and 151.2 innings pitched. She has an 8-12 record this season with a 3.65 ERA while fanning 88 batters. As a team, North Carolina A&T has a 4.48 ERA in 273.2 innings of action with 172 strikeouts compared to 105 walks.
On Deck
The Phoenix host its final series this weekend, April 29-30, with a three-game CAA series against Delaware. The series opens with a twin bill on Saturday, April 29, at 1 p.m.