Twelve games into its season, the Elon University softball team has shown signs of great potential. At the same time, there have been flashes of inconsistency.
The Phoenix went its first four games without losing, going 3-0-1 at the Charleston Southern Tournament while averaging more than eight runs per game. In the next tournament, hosted by Stetson University, the Phoenix experienced both highs — namely beating Bethune-Cookman University twice, once on a walk-off double by freshman Alaina Hall — and lows. In Elon’s other two games, it was outscored 12-0 and could only muster a combined seven hits in 12 innings of play after tallying 17 hits in its two wins.
Despite struggling offensively, head coach Kathy Bocock saw a lot of promise in her team at both tournaments, but particularly in the tournament at Stetson, where the Phoenix faced a group of highly-talented teams.
“We set up our schedule to start kind of against teams like us and then build and grow [with] better competition,” Bocock said. “I saw some really good things in where this team is going, and if we can stay on task, I think we’ll be successful.”
Freshman pitcher Alli Burdette looked back on the two early season tournaments as opportunities the team used to grow and develop in all aspects of the game.
“I thought we played well in both tournaments,” Burdette said. “It was valuable to play in those games. Our pitchers got good experience pitching against good teams, and our hitters faced tough pitching. It was good to kind of see where we were against other good teams. I thought we put up a good fight.”
Despite the dip in production, the Phoenix still has a dynamic offense when it’s clicking on all cylinders. The Phoenix has four players hitting over .300, led by sophomore Emily Cameron and freshman Alaina Hall, who are both hitting .371. Cameron is the team’s leader in home runs and runs batted in, leading a group of four Phoenix with five or more RBIs.
Unsurprisingly, with all the firepower her team has at the plate, Bocock said she is not concerned about her team’s offensive production. In fact, she’s excited to see her inexperienced starters continue to grow and develop at the plate.
“We’ve got some young kids in the lineup, and they’re just starting to build their confidence,” Bocock said. “They’re beginning to be more comfortable up there and getting some big hits for us. If they can continue that then when someone is having a bad day, it’s okay because we’re not going to fall apart.”
In the circle, the Phoenix has counted on Burdette and juniors Caitlin O’Shea and Chelsea White to log significant innings while other pitchers are continuing to grow and develop into reliable options.
Burdette and White have both had their share of ups and downs this season, particularly Burdette, a freshman who is adjusting to college softball on the fly after being used in the starting lineup from the get-go.
“I think I’ve done pretty well, especially as a freshman adjusting to this level,” Burdette said. “There’s always room for improvement. You can always do better than you are, and I’m working hard to get better every day, but I’ve been doing pretty well.”
In the Phoenix Opening Tournament, it was much of the same for Bocock’s team. The Phoenix went 3-1, but could just as easily be undefeated, or, if they were unable to get clutch hits and walk off with both of their victories, winless.
Still, Bocock said she is proud of the way her team has competed against their talented guests.
“You can only prepare for so many things at practice,” Bocock said. “Certain situations happen in a game when you’re playing talented teams, and when they do, we talk about them with the kids. These are big games for us, and I think we’re playing really good. There are still things we need to work on, but I’ve seen a lot of good things in every game.”