Despite winning 21 conference games this season — the most in Elon’s history — head coach Kathy Bocock and the Elon softball team is adopting a fresh-start mindset going into the Coastal Athletic Association Championships.
“Our mindset going into this tournament is we’re starting a new season,” Bocock said. “Now we’re 0-0, and we have a chance to try to continue to chase our goals. We don’t want to make it too big. We just want to make it just enough. … Keep things light and not overthink everything.”
Elon finished its regular season on May 3 with a series win over Campbell University, ending the regular season with a record of 29-18 and were 21-6 in conference play. Its strong conference play earned the team the No. 2 seed in the CAA Championships — the second time it earned that seeding. Elon’s seeding gives it a bye, allowing it to start play a day after the tournament starts with a May 8 matchup against the winner of No. 3 College of Charleston and No. 6 Hofstra.
Bocock credits the team’s success this year to improved chemistry. The team traveled to Italy together in the fall of 2024 as a part of a global experience trip, and Bocock said it helped the team bond. She said the team’s two fifth years and eight seniors have helped the younger players grow. Redshirt junior Chloe Hatzopoulos said the upperclassmen have helped create a positive team culture.
“We do have a lot of upperclassmen, so we have a lot of experience, but that upperclassmen leadership has also influenced the underclassmen,” Hatzopoulos said. “It’s just created a great team culture within ourselves where we’re just a bunch of resilient, determined girls. We all want the same goal, and we are all bought in.”
Elon began the season with a rocky start, losing seven of its first 10 games. However, Elon began the season with three early tournaments, matching the team up against tough non-conference opponents including the University of Connecticut, Ohio State and Clemson in order to prepare for conference play. Bocock said this schedule was created to help toughen the team up and prepare them for CAA play.
“We always try to start off with really good competition because we’re not afraid to go against anybody, because we have to get ourselves ready for conference,” Bocock said after the team’s win over North Carolina Central on Feb 8.
They kicked off the season with the Elon Softball Classic but went 1-4 at the tournament as pitching struggled early on, letting up an average of eight runs per game.
Hatzopoulos said the tough schedule helped build resilience within the team.
“We played a lot of tough opponents. So, we know that we can compete with the best of the best, and we knew that going into conference, and I think that only helped us,” Hatzopoulos said. “We’re playing together as a team so much more than I feel like I’ve ever been a part of. When somebody’s down, we’re going to pick each other up.”
Once Elon started CAA play, the team began to heat up, picking up wins easily as it went 9-1 in its first 10 conference games. Its offense has been one of the best in the CAA, ranking in the top three in the conference for both hits and home runs. Senior Kaitlyn Wells has been the engine for Elon’s red-hot offense, leading the team in home runs and hits with 15 and 62, respectively. Her home run total ranks second in all of the CAA and she is top five in hits. Her 50 runs batted in also leads the Phoenix and is second in the conference. Hatzopoulos is not far behind with 10 home runs blasted, too. She credited the team’s offensive output to the experience the upperclassmen brought.
“We have just gotten to a point where we’re not perfect in every way, but we know how to approach each and every situation,” Hatzopoulos said. “We’ve been in all these situations. We’ve been in that conference tournament when we lost. We’ve been in the close games where we’ve won. We know as hitters what the right approach is to go up in the box.”
Pitching has also been a strong aspect of Elon’s game with senior McKenna McCard leading the way with her 1.93 earned run average — which is third among all CAA pitchers — and her 80 strikeouts. Redshirt junior Taylor Cherry was also successful on the mound, earning a team-high five wins and the second-best ERA with 2.68.
Bocock praised the team’s hard work before and throughout the season.
“In the fall, when they started, they committed to something, not only did they commit to the game, but they committed to each other and I’ve been really impressed with that,” Bocock said.
Going into the tournament, Hatzopoulos said the team is prepared for the stressful environment of a conference tournament because of the pressure they put on themselves to always try and get a series sweep. She also said their effort to earn the No. 2 seed helps prepare them for the environment of the tournament. Additionally, Elon has an advantage going into the tournament because it just ended its regular season by playing at Campbell, who is hosting the tournament. Hatzopoulos said the team is now used to things such as field conditions, the bounciness of the turf and where the sun is. She said the team feels confident and is ready to take advantage of Campbell’s field.
Elon’s primary roadblock to a CAA Championship will be the No. 1 seed Delaware, who has a 23-4 record in CAA play. Delaware will be a tough opponent to get past as the Blue Hens boast the league’s top offense and pitching staff. Delaware’s offense is led by the CAA’s home run leader in Sydney Shaffer, who blasted 18 out of the park this season. Delaware also has its ace Billie Kerwood on the mound, who lead the conference in ERA and strikeouts. Her strikeout total of 238 is almost triple the number of strikeouts McCard notched this season. The Blue Hens hosted Elon earlier this year in late March, beating Elon twice and losing one game 5-4. Bocock believes Elon can get the upper hand this time, however.
“We’ll be playing at a site that’s not home for either team, so that helps,” Bocock said. “But, we played them well. I mean, even when we lost the second game, we went to extra innings. … I don’t think our team thinks that there’s anybody there that we can’t beat.”