With four teams that participated in the 2013 NCAA Tournament on the 2014 Elon University softball schedule, the Phoenix will face an uphill battle trying to rebound from a down year last season.

Finishing with a record of 21-31 in 2013 and a 8-14 mark in Southern Conference play, the Phoenix struggled to maintain consistency throughout the season, winning just two weekend series’ in SoCon play and dropping out of the conference tournament in the play-in game against Samford University to end the season.

This year, the Phoenix will compete in four weekend tournaments, including two hosted at Hunt Softball Park.

Elon opens the season in the Charleston Southern Tournament in Charleston, S.C., Saturday, Feb. 8, against future Colonial Athletic Association rival University of North Carolina at Wilmington. The Seahawks are one of three CAA teams the Phoenix will match up against in 2015 after jumping to the conference.

Elon will take on the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore in a double header on opening day before starting Feb. 9 against the Hawks. The Phoenix close out the tournament later in the day against host Charleston Southern University.

On Wednesday, Feb. 12, Elon travels to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to take on the Tar Heels. North Carolina lost in the Oregon Regional of the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

Following its matchup with the Tar Heels, Elon moves on to the Hatter Invitational, hosted by Stetson University. In the tournament on Feb. 14, Elon takes on the University of Delaware, another future CAA opponent. Other opponents in the tournament are Campbell University, Bethune-Cookman University and Stetson.

The following weekend, the Phoenix host its first of two tournaments in back-to-back weekends when four teams come to BB&T Field for the Phoenix Opening Tournament. On the weekend, Elon will face Niagara University on Friday, Feb. 21, St. Joseph’s University and the University of Maryland-Baltimore County Saturday, Feb. 22, and Iona College on Sunday, Feb. 23.

Sandwiched between the two tournaments is a matchup at home against the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Wednesday, Feb. 26. The second tournament at home will feature matchups with Coppin State University and the University of Dayton Saturday, March 1, then will take on Coppin State again the following day before closing out the tournament against Presbyterian College.

The Blue Hose will return to Elon three days later to take on the Phoenix again Wednesday, March 5, before taking on Radford University in its first weekend series of the year against one team March 8-9.

Following a mid-week matchup with Syracuse University Tuesday, March 11, Elon travels to Cullowhee, N.C. for a its first SoCon series of the year against Western Carolina University.

Before taking on defending SoCon champion Georgia Southern University on the road March 22-23, Elon hosts Towson University, the final CAA team on the regular season schedule Wednesday, March 19.

The third NCAA Tournament team on Elon’s schedule is North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C. on Wednesday, Nov. 26. The Phoenix then come home for its first home SoCon series when they host Furman University.

Opening the month of April, Elon plays host to North Carolina A&T State University on April 2 before going to Tennessee to take on the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga April 5-6.

Elon will complete the home-and-home with North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C. April 9 before hosting Appalachian State on April 12-13.

The final NCAA Tournament team on the schedule is a double header against Longwood University on April 15 in Farmville, Va. It’s the last time Elon will have to travel out of the state of North Carolina for a regular season matchup.

Following the trip to Virginia, the Phoenix will then step out of conference play for a weekend with a trip to Greenville, N.C. to take on East Carolina University April 18-19 before coming home the following weekend for its final home SoCon series of the year against Samford University April 26-27.

The Phoenix close out the non-conference slate against North Carolina Central University at home April 30 before traveling to Greensboro to take on the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Elon’s final SoCon series in program history May 3-4.

The Southern Conference Tournament will be held in Greensboro May 7-10. Seeding from the regular season will determine the time and opponents of the matchups.

Full Elon Softball Schedule

Charleston Southern Tournament

Feb. 8 – UNC-Wilmington^, Maryland Eastern Shore^ | 9, 11 a.m.

Feb. 9 – Maryland Eastern Shore^, @ Charleston Southern | 1, 3 p.m.

Feb. 12 – @ North Carolina | 4 p.m.

Hatter Invitational

Feb. 14 – Campbell^, Delaware^ | 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m.

Feb. 15 – Bethune-Cookman^, @ Stetson | 11 a.m., 6:30 p.m.

Phoenix Opening Tournament

Feb. 21 – vs. Niagara | 3:30 p.m.

Feb. 22 – vs. St. Joseph’s, vs. UMBC | 12:15, 2:30 p.m.

Feb. 23 – vs. Iona | 1:45 p.m.

Feb. 26 – vs. UNC-Charlotte | 4 p.m.

Elon Phoenix Tournament

March 1 – vs. Coppin State, vs. Dayton | 12:15, 2:30 p.m.

March 2 – vs. Coppin State, vs. Presbyterian | 2, 4:15 p.m.

March 5 – vs. Presbyterian | 5 p.m.

March 8 – vs. Radford | 5 p.m.

March 9 – vs. Radford (DH) | 1, 3 p.m.

March 11 – vs. Syracuse | 5:30 p.m.

March 15 – @ Western Carolina* (DH) | 1, 3 p.m.

March 16 – @ Western Carolina* | 1 p.m.

March 19 – vs. Towson | 6 p.m.

March 22 – @ Georgia Southern* (DH) | 1,3 p.m.

March 23 – @ Georgia Southern* | 1 p.m.

March 26 – @ N.C. State | 6 p.m.

March 29 – vs. Furman* (DH) | 1, 3 p.m.

March 30 – vs. Furman* | 1 p.m.

April 2 – vs. North Carolina A&T | 5:30 p.m.

April 5 – @ Chattanooga* (DH) | 1, 3 p.m.

April 6 – @ Chattanooga* | 1 p.m.

April 9 – @ North Carolina A&T | 4:30 p.m.

April 12 – vs. Appalachian State* (DH) | 1, 3 p.m.

April 13 – vs. Appalachian State* | 1 p.m.

April 15 – @ Longwood (DH) | 4:30, 6:30 p.m.

April 18 – @ East Carolina | 5 p.m.

April 19 – @ East Carolina (DH) | 1, 3 p.m.

April 26 – vs. Samford* (DH) | 1,3 p.m.

April 27 – vs. Samford* | 1 p.m.

April 30 – vs. North Carolina Central | 6 p.m.

May 3 – @ UNC-Greensboro* (DH) | 1, 3 p.m.

May 4 – @ UNC-Greensboro* | 1 p.m.

May 7-10 – Southern Conference Tournament | TBA

^ denotes neutral location

* denotes conference matchup