ELON, N.C. ? Among its 56 games for the 2009 campaign, the Elon Phoenix squad will play 30 Southern Conference games and host a total of 27 games from Latham Park. The Phoenix, under the leadership of 13th-year head coach Mike Kennedy, will play seven games against teams which were a part of NCAA post-season play in 2008. WPCM 920 AM will carry 15 regular season contests plus the Southern Conference Tournament live in 2009. Elon has also introduced season ticket prices and packages for the upcoming season.
The 2009 season gets underway on Feb. 20 when Elon visits Auburn for a three-game weekend series. The first home game will be held on Feb. 25 as the Phoenix plays host to 2008 Super Regional participant North Carolina State at 4 p.m.
“We will face another challenging schedule in 2009,” said Kennedy. “We believe that if we play well against this schedule we will put ourselves in position to participate in postseason play. With the likes of North Carolina, East Carolina, Auburn and Clemson, we will challenge our players, but they understand those challenges. We look forward to getting started in February.”
In other non-league play, Elon will play host to Duke, NCAA Regional participant East Carolina, High Point, LaSalle (two games), Old Dominion, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central (two games), NCAA Regional participant UNC Wilmington and Wake Forest. The Phoenix will pay visits to Clemson (two games), Duke, East Carolina (two games), High Point, College World Series program North Carolina, North Carolina State, UNC Wilmington, Old Dominion and Wake Forest in road non-conference games.
Elon will begin defense of its 2008 SoCon title on the road at Appalachian State on Feb. 27 with a three-game series in Boone, N.C. The first home SoCon series will be held Mar. 13-15 against Davidson. In league play, the Phoenix also visits The Citadel, Georgia Southern, Samford and Western Carolina while playing host to College of Charleston, Furman, UNC Greensboro and Wofford.
The 2009 Southern Conference Tournament will be held from May 20-24 in Greenville, S.C.
WPCM’s broadcasts, with Byron Tucker calling the play-by-play, will begin on Mar. 14 with Elon’s 1 p.m. SoCon tilt against Davidson from Latham Park. WPCM will also carry the following games: Mar. 15 vs. Davidson, Mar. 21-22 vs. Furman, Mar. 31 at East Carolina, Apr. 3-5 vs. UNC Greensboro, Apr. 10-12 vs. College of Charleston, Apr. 28 vs. East Carolina, May 2-3 vs. Wofford and May 5 at North Carolina.
For the 2009 season, Elon is offering multiple ticket options for fans. Fans have the option of purchasing a “Season Pass” for all 27 home games for $55 for adults and $30 for children 12 and under. A “Weekend Pass” will allow admission to all 18 Friday, Saturday and Sunday Latham Park dates for just $40 for adults and $20 for children 12 and under. Another option would be to purchase a “Series Pass” for a weekend for $10 for adults and $6 for children 12 and under. Group rates are also available through the Elon ticket office.
Single game tickets will cost $5 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under. That price does not include the home games with North Carolina State, Wake Forest, Duke or East Carolina. Individual game tickets for those contests will cost $7 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under.
To purchase tickets, fans should contact the Elon ticket office at 336-278-6750.