The recent accomplishments and snags with Elon baseball have been yin and yang. Losing streaks are complimented by winning streaks. The potential damage to the lineup from senior Donny Jobes injury was minimized with the rise of freshman Chase Austin.

The good and bad are balancing, leaving anticipation of which way the scales will tip. Through 19 games in 2006 the Phoenix was 13-6 and had only surrendered double-digit runs twice.

One year later Elon holds a 10-9 record, only a three game difference, but opponents have scored double-digits seven times.

Head coach Mike Kennedy remains confident, a feeling he thinks his squad still needs to grasp.

I believe they can do it, Kennedy said. Something has to happen for them to gain that confidence. Until that happens we may struggle a little bit.

Elon took the first two contests against the North Carolina A&T Aggies in convincing fashion, 19-8 and 15-10. The Aggies then bombarded the Phoenix relievers for eight runs, five earned, in the final two innings to take the Sunday contest 14-9.

Elon then dropped Tuesdays match-up to No. 1 North Carolina, 5-1, in Chapel Hill. Austin became the team leader in RBIs with 21 after belting a second inning solo home run into the left field trees, but the Phoenix bats couldnt muster anything more. Tar Heel pitching cruised for the whole game scattering five hits.

Offensively, things are coming together for us, Kennedy added, and its about time.

There were signs of life in the Elon bullpen as Brian Ebert pitched four solid innings, only surrendering two earned runs. Starter Ryan Basham was lifted after only 2 2/3 three innings when a line drive struck him on the lower body and another just missed his head. He was shaken but uninjured on the play.

While there is a positive outlook on the upcoming schedule, it wont be easy. Tuesdays game versus UNC-Chapel Hill was the first of an eight-game road trip that includes another trip to Coastal Carolina who climbed the rankings again this week, landing at No. 15. Also, conference play begins with Elon facing Appalachian State and The Citadel. Kennedy said it is a good place to start.

Everybody is 0-0 with a zero ERA, he said. Thats the way we have to approach it.

The offense is coming around which can be helpful to the pitchers. The Princeton and N.C. A&T series helped boost the teams average nine points from .283 to .292. UNC-Chapel Hill pitching limited the Phoenix to just five hits but had to snag several hard-hit balls to record outs.

Also, three Elon runners were picked off the basepaths neutralizing threatening situations.

The road trip will span Elons spring break. The next home game is against No. 3 South Carolina on March 27. Last year, the Phoenix took one game out of a three-game series when the Gamecocks were ranked 14th in the nation.

Editor Emeritus: Nathan Rode - 03/15/07