This time last year Elon was preparing for a possible national tournament appearance, but this year is a little different.

The Phoenix holds a respectable record of 26-21, 13-8 in the Southern Conference, but to make a significant run at the postseason a change needs to be made.

College of Charleston is the next opponent on Elon’s slate and the Cougars are at the top of the conference standings with a 15-3 record.

The Catamounts of Western Carolina University, who swept the Phoenix two weekends ago, are in second place just a game and a half ahead of Elon.

“This is a big conference weekend,” lefthanded pitcher, junior, Jesse Lewter said. “We have to take care of them. If we don’t show up, we don’t really have a shot other than the tournament.”

The season has been very inconsistent for Elon. When the pitching is on, the hitting is off and vice versa but that doesn’t change head coach Mike Kennedy’s approach.

“We try to prepare to play the best we can,” Kennedy said. “We want to prove we can beat College of Charleston and we have to use our strengths to do that.”

However, the approach hasn’t changed and the Phoenix players are determined to keep plugging away.

“We’re not going to stop one thing,” Lewter added. “We’re giving 100 percent every day. This is just how baseball works.”

After the devastating sweep at Western Carolina, Elon has rebounded well, taking a slugfest from nationally ranked Clemson, UNC-Asheville and two out of three from UNC-Greensboro.

Instead of gearing up for a midweek test the team will get a chance to relax and heal before facing Charleston.

The unusual week off may also help because the last day of class is approaching and exams loom around the corner, even though Lewter doubts it will be a problem.

“I think it will be easier since we won’t actually have to go to class,” he said. “It’s been the same for us all year long. We have to know when to block the school stuff out of our mind and when to block out the baseball stuff.”

The Cougars’ three conference losses came at the hands of three different teams, Wofford, Georgia Southern and Furman.

Sophomore Chris Dove, sophomore Pat Irvine and senior Chris Vasami have helped move the offense along since the Western Carolina series. Irvine is hitting with a .500 clip and five RBIs.

Vasami is batting .363 with four RBIs in the last week while Dove is hitting .304 and has crossed the plate six times. Freshman Mike Mellilo has also stepped up with Robert Rodebaugh battling injuries. Mellilo is batting .323 with 14 RBIs in 32 games.

Lewter has pitched well, snagging two victories in five days. He gave up just one earned run in Elon’s late comeback against UNC-Greensboro.

Editor Emeritus: Nathan Rode - 05/03/07