Eight new freshmen, an interim head coach and a disappointing conclusion to last season. Pick a storyline. There’s plenty to talk about.

The Elon University softball team starts its season Feb. 10 in an attempt to improve upon a 2011 season that saw the Phoenix miss the NCAA Tournament.

“They want to be winners and that’s what we want,” said interim head coach Kathy Bocock.

Bocock took over the coaching duties after Patti Raduenz resigned in July to pursue other opportunities. In Bocock’s first Division I head coaching job, she inherits a team that went 30-24 last year (12-12 in Southern Conference play) and missed the NCAA Tournament after making it for the first time in program history the season before.

In order to make a run to the tournament this year, the Phoenix must take people by surprise. Elon is picked to finish in sixth place in the nine-team SoCon. But in seniors Erin O'Shea and Kaitlyn Piazzolla, junior Tomeka Watson and sophomore Carleigh Nester, the Phoenix has four players on the First and Second All-Conference teams eager to help Elon earn respect.

“We have to have a driving passion to get better every day,” O’Shea said.

The Phoenix features eight freshmen new to the program. The newcomers come from seven different states in three  regions of the country.

Elon opens the season Feb. 10 at home against Liberty University in the first game of the Elon Invitational. The Phoenix plays its first nine games at home and, for the second season in a row, opens with two on-campus tournaments.

“Since our team is so young, playing at home to start the season will be a huge confidence builder,” Bocock said.

Aside from the usual conference slate, the Phoenix must play a gauntlet of non-conference foes from bigger leagues. Elon has road trips to the University of South Carolina, Georgia Tech and North Carolina State University and hosts Georgetown University, the University of North Carolina and  the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

It’s nothing that should stun the Phoenix. Elon played a fall schedule that featured games against No. 9 ranked Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia Tech.

For Elon softball, there’s a new coach, new players and new captains. But perhaps most importantly, it’s a new season.