University of Delaware Athletics
Blue Hens Travel to Elon for Critical CAA Series
5/7/2015 10:55:00 AM | Baseball
Live Video/Live Audio/Live Stats
ELON, N.C. – With just two series remaining in Delaware's Colonial Athletic Association schedule, the Blue Hens will square off with Elon this weekend in an important three-game series.
Delaware (19-20, 7-11 CAA) comes into this weekend's play with a 1.5 game lead over Towson for sixth place in the CAA standings. The top six teams at the end of the season qualify for the CAA Tournament in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
Jim ShermanDelaware was able to snap a five-game losing streak in its last game as the Blue Hens defeated Saint Joseph's 10-8 in their final non-conference contest.
Greg Olenski and Zach Lopes represent two of the top three batting averages in the CAA. Olesnki is currently batting .389, which is second in the conference, while Lopes is third with a .371 average.
Elon (23-24, 12-9 CAA) comes into this weekend's series having lost five of its last six games and lost two out of three games to Hofstra in its last CAA series.
The Phoenix currently sit in fourth place in the CAA standings and boast a .277 team batting average, which is fourth in the conference. The Elon pitching staff has a 6.35 ERA and have surrendered 10 or more runs in three straight games.
Ryan Cooper leads the Phoenix and is fourth in the CAA with a .367 batting average. The senior also leads the team with 40 runs scored and 65 hits.
Preseason CAA Player of the Year Ryan Cooper leads the Phoenix with 14 doubles and is second on the team with a .319 batting average, while Chris King leads Elon and the CAA with 14 home runs.
Adam Davis will start game one for the Hens, while Ron Marinaccio will take the mound in game two. Kevin Milley will replace Chad Martin in the starting rotation this weekend as the southpaw will get the nod in game three on Sunday.
HEN SCRATCHINGS
· This weekend will mark the first time Delaware and Elon with face off as CAA opponents.
· The two teams first met in 1910 and have squared off five times with Elon leading the all-time series 3-2. The Phoenix and Blue Hens last played in 1967 with Delaware winning 3-2.
· Game one will begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday, while game two is set to start at 4 p.m. Saturday. First pitch for game three is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.
· Delaware has a 1-9 conference road record this season.
· Lopes is riding a 12-game hitting streak.
· Delaware will wrap up its regular season with a three-game home series vs. Towson.
· Unless the Hens sweep Elon, the final spot in the CAA Tournament will go to the winner of the UD-Towson series next week.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Joe Wirth | jwirth@udel.edu (email) | 302-831-6519 (office) | 484-883-2804 (cell)
