Hempstead, NY – The Colonial Athletic Association season finally begins for the Hofstra softball team this Saturday at Elon University. The Pride will play a three-game series against the Phoenix with a doubleheader taking place on Saturday, March 26 at 12 and 2:30 p.m. before a single game on Sunday, March 27 at 1 p.m.
 
All three games will be streamed live on FloSoftball. In addition, live stats will be available all weekend long. Coverage links can be found at the top of this release and on the Hofstra softball schedule page on GoHofstra.com.
 
Hofstra (6-16) earned a win in its final test before conference action kicks off against Howard on Thursday afternoon. The Pride capitalized off on four Bison errors to take the 4-1 victory while reining CAA Rookie of the Week Haley Venturini had another great outing in the circle with her third-straight win and eight shutouts.
 
Offensively, the Pride is led by Chelsea Manto who owns a .355 batting average and team-high 27 hits. Meghan Giordano and Madison McKevitt have driven in a team-high seven runs. On the defensive side, the Hofstra pitching staff has really stepped up as of late, and all four Pride pitchers who have seen time in the circle have contributed in several ways. Venturini leads the staff with a 2.53 ERA and 46 strikeouts, and recently recorded her sixth performance of the season with at least five strikeouts. Julia Apsel has tossed a team-high 55.2 inning and sports a 2.89 ERA with 31 strikeouts. Annabella Pisapia picked up her first victory of the season and had the best pitching performance of her career against Iona last week when she  fired nine strikeouts en route to her first career complete-game win. Nikki Mullin has been solid in relief and has surrendered just two earned runs and one walk in her last three outings.
 
Elon is entering the weekend with a 16-12 record. Rebecca Murray leads the team with a .341 batting average while Gabi Schaal follows with a .310 average. Shaal also leads the squad with 30 RBI. The Phoenix has utilized a seven-player pitching staff this season, four of which have 20 or more innings. McKenzie Weber leads the staff with a 1.35 ERA and 24 strikeouts while Taylor Cherry (3.33 ERA) has pitched a team-high 54.2 innings with a team-high 53 strikeouts.
 
Since Elon joined the league in 2015, Hofstra holds a 10-5 advantage over the Phoenix. Elon has won three-straight meetings with the last meeting occurring during the 2021 CAA Championship this past spring.