ELON, N.C. – A home slate of 33 games, as well as contests with five 2014 NCAA postseason participants, awaits head coach Mike Kennedy’s Elon baseball squad in the 2015 season. The 56-game schedule will feature 24 league games in the Phoenix’s first year as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). The season begins with five straight home games starting on Friday, Feb. 13.
“We are very excited to be participating in our inaugural season in the CAA,” stated Kennedy. “We are familiar with the caliber of play in the CAA and know the league will be very challenging. Combine that with our competitive non-conference slate, and we have our hands full. We are fortunate to be in an area where college baseball thrives. That allows us to play some of the best programs in the country each and every year.”
Elon’s 2015 campaign will begin with a three-game set at Latham Park against Penn State. First pitch for opening day, Friday, Feb. 13, is scheduled for 4 p.m. The Phoenix will then battle the Nittany Lions at 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.
After a mid-week visit from long-time rival High Point (Feb. 18), the Phoenix will host the Elon Invitational featuring Ball State, South Dakota State and 2014 NCAA Regional participant Indiana State. The tournament will open with Ball State facing Indiana State at noon on Friday, Feb. 20, before Elon takes on South Dakota State at 4 p.m. The Phoenix will then face Ball State at 11 a.m. on Saturday and close the event against Indiana State at 4 p.m. on Sunday.
A return trip to High Point on Feb. 24 will mark the first road test of the season for the maroon and gold. The following day, Elon returns to Latham Park to take on former Southern Conference foe UNCG at 4 p.m. A weekend series at home with Wagner (Feb. 27-March 1) follows.
The next four games will take the Phoenix on the road against a pair of former SoCon rivals. Elon will visit Davidson on March 4 before heading to Charleston, S.C., for a three-game set at The Citadel that begins on March 6.
An annual home-and-home set with Wake Forest will come the following week. Elon hosts the Demon Deacons at 4 p.m. on March 10 before heading to Winston-Salem for a 6 p.m. bout the following day.
Elon will begin an eight-game homestand on March 13 with a three-game weekend series against East Carolina. Game times for the contests with the Pirates are set for 4 p.m. on Friday, 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. Two games with 2014 NCAA Regional squad Maryland come in the mid-week. The Phoenix hosts the Terps at 4 p.m. on both March 17 and 18. The homestand concludes with the program’s first-ever CAA series, as the James Madison Dukes will visit Latham Park from March 20-22. That series will get underway at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 20.
On March 24, Elon will make the short trip to battle North Carolina State in Raleigh before paying a visit to William & Mary in the squad’s first road CAA series. The set against the Tribe will begin with a 7 p.m. game on Friday, March 27.
The next five games will come back at Latham Park. On March 31, Elon will take on 2014 NCAA Regional squad North Carolina in a 6:30 p.m. game before hosting Northeastern April 3-5 in a league series. The Wolfpack of NC State comes back to Elon for a 6:30 p.m. tilt on April 7.
College of Charleston, a 2014 NCAA Super Regional program, follows on the schedule as the Phoenix heads to Mt. Pleasant, S.C., for a three-game league series that begins on April 10. Elon then comes back home for one game against Campbell on April 14. The Camels also made the 2014 NCAA tournament field.
Elon’s next five games will be played on the road. That stretch starts with a CAA series at Towson April 17-19. The Phoenix then visits UNCG (April 21) and Campbell (April 22) before returning home to battle the Seahawks of UNC Wilmington April 24-26.
After a home game with Davidson on April 28, Elon will make its longest trip of the season as the Phoenix travels to Hofstra in Hempstead, N.Y., for a CAA series May 1-3. On Wednesday, May 6, Elon heads to Chapel Hill for a 6 p.m. bout with the Tar Heels.
The final home games of the 2015 season will come May 8-10 as the Phoenix hosts Delaware in its last league series of the season. Elon will conclude the regular season with a single game at East Carolina on May 12.
The top six teams in the CAA standings will advance to the league tournament in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. The league showcase gets underway on Wednesday, May 20, and concludes on Saturday, May 23.
