ball.First-Year.Player.Draft...Two.players. were.chosen.as.All-Americans.by.the. American.Baseball.Coaches.Association. Kennedy’s.2008.team.claimed.its.second.Southern.Conference.regular-season. title.in.three.years.after.posting.a.19-8. league.mark.and.a.44-18.overall.record... The.team.also.won.its.first-ever.SoCon. Tournament.title,.cruising.through.the. league’s.showcase.to.earn.its.third.NCAA. Regional.bid...During.the.2008.season,. the.Phoenix.defeated.fourth-ranked. North.Carolina.by.a.2-0.score.–.the. program’s.18th.victory.over.a.top-25.foe. since.the.beginning.of.the.1999.season. With.a.good.season.came.the.expected. accolades.as.Kennedy.was.named.the. Southern.Conference’s.Coach.of.the. Year.by.both.his.peers.and.the.league’s. media...Elon.also.boasted.the.league’s. pitcher.of.the.year.in.Steven.Hensley,.the. league’s.freshman.of.the.year.in.Thomas. Girdwood.and.five.players.who.collected. all-league.accolades...Hensley.was.also. honored.as.an.All-American,.the.first.for. Elon.at.the.NCAA.Division.I.level,.while. Girdwood.was.named.a.freshman.All-
American. In.2007,.the.32-29.Phoenix.finished.third. in.the.Southern.Conference.with.a.15-12. league.mark...The.2007.campaign.saw.Elon. pick.up.three.victories.over.teams.ranked. in.the.top-25.–.#11.Miami,.#17.Clemson. and.#24.College.of.Charleston. Elon.set.a.new.attendance.mark.during.the.2007.season.as.well,.drawing. 1,811.fans.to.witness.the.Phoenix.host.the. #1-ranked.North.Carolina.Tar.Heels...It. was.the.second.time.during.the.season. that.Elon.set.a.new.attendance.mark... Earlier.in.the.year,.1,421.fans.turned.out. to.watch.the.Phoenix.take.on.top-ranked. South.Carolina.at.Latham.Park,.the.first. time.that.a.#1-ranked.team.had.ever.visited.Elon.in.any.sport.at.the.NCAA.Division.I.level...The.2007.squad.also.featured. two.players.that.earned.all-conference. accolades. In.2006,.Kennedy.led.his.team.to.its. first-ever.Southern.Conference.regularseason.title.with.a.21-6.league.record... The.team.also.collected.its.second.NCAA. Division.I.Tournament.berth.in.five. seasons,.participating.in.the.Clemson. Regional.as.the.number.two.seed...In.the. regional’s.opening.game,.the.Phoenix. knocked.off.third-seeded.Mississippi. State.by.a.5-4.margin.for.the.first.NCAA. Division.I.Tournament.victory.in.any. sport.at.Elon...Kennedy.also.led.his.team. to.its.first-ever.NCAA.Division.I.national. ranking.as.the.Phoenix.appeared.at.#25. in.Baseball America’s.poll.on.May.22...The. 2006 squad.also.earned.a.win.over.a.top25 team,.defeating.#14.South.Carolina... For.his.efforts,.Kennedy.was.honored.as. the.2006.SoCon.Coach.of.the.Year.while. five.Phoenix.players.earned.all-conference.recognition...Elon.also.boasted.the. 2006 SoCon.Freshman.of.the.Year.in. Hensley. In.2005,.the.skipper.paced.his.Phoenix. to.a.32-25.overall.record.and.an.18-12. Southern.Conference.mark,.good.enough.
to.tie.for.third.place.in.the.11-team.league... Two.members.of.that.squad.earned.AllSouthern.Conference.distinction.... The.2005.Phoenix.squad.claimed. wins.over.a.pair.of.nationally-ranked. opponents.–.#6.North.Carolina.and.#22. Coastal.Carolina.(twice).–.as.well.as.SEC. member.Auburn. In.2004,.Elon’s.first.year.in.the. Southern.Conference,.Kennedy.led.his. Phoenix.to.a.31-28.overall.record.and.a. 17-13.conference.mark.to.finish.fourth.in. the.league...Four.different.players.were. honored.with.all-conference.accolades... The.2003.campaign.was.one.for.the. record.books...On.the.heels.of.the.university’s.first-ever.at-large.bid.to.an.NCAA. Division.I.tournament.in.any.sport,. Kennedy,.a.1991.Elon.graduate,..made. his.mark.by.putting.his.name.at.the.top. of.the.list.of.Elon’s.all-time.winningest. coaches...With.a.19-4.victory.over.Liberty,. Kennedy.set.the.record.for.most.wins. by.an.Elon.baseball.coach,.claiming.his. 197th.victory.at.the.helm.of.the.program... Making.that.feat.even.more.impressive. is.that.it.was.accomplished.while.Elon. completed.the.transition.from.the.NCAA. Division.II.ranks.to.its.current.NCAA. Division.I.classification. With.an.overall.record.of.34-23-2.(12-7. in.the.Big.South,.tying.for.second.place),. Kennedy’s.2003.club.matched.its.34.wins. from.the.previous.season.in.which.the. Phoenix.advanced.to.the.Clemson.Regional.of.the.NCAA.Tournament...For.the. fifth.consecutive.year,.Kennedy.guided. his.squad.to.a.triumph.over.a.nationallyranked.top-20.opponent...With.victories. over.#7.Wake.Forest,.#14.Clemson.and. #22.North.Carolina,.the.Phoenix.defeated. three.top-25.teams.for.the.second.consecutive.season.. In.Elon’s.historic.100th.season.of.baseball.celebrated.in.2002,.Kennedy’s.squad. compiled.a.record.of.34-23,.including.a. 13-8.mark.in.the.Big.South.Conference,. good.enough.for.second.place.in.the.
KENNEDY VS. CURRENT SOUTHERN CONFERENCE MEMBERS (1997-PRESENT) School Appalachian.St.. The.Citadel. Col..of.Charleston. Davidson. Furman. Georgia.Southern. UNC.Greensboro. Samford. Western.Carolina. Wofford. Totals
28
1997 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0
1998 0-0. 0-0. 1-2. 1-0. 0-1. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 2-3
1999 1-1. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 0-1. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 1-2
2000 1-1. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 0-2. 0-0. 2-1. 0-0. 3-4
2001 1-0. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 0-1. 0-0. 1-1. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 2-2
2002 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 0-1. 1-1. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 1-2
2003 2-0. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 1-1. 0-0. 0-0. 0-0. 3-1
2004 3-0. 1-2. 1-3. 2-1. 1-2. 1-3. 3-1. 0-0. 2-2. 3-0. 17-14
2005 3-0. 2-2. 0-3. 2-1. 3-1. 1-2. 4-0. 0-0. 0-3. 3-0. 18-12
2006 4-0. 4-1. 1-3. 2-1. 3-0. 2-1. 2-1. 0-0. 2-1. 3-0. 23-8
2007 3-1. 2-3. 1-2. 3-0. 2-1. 3-1. 3-1. 0-0. 0-3. 1-2. 18-14
2008 1-2. 2-1. 2-2. 3-0. 3-0. 4-0. 3-1. 0-0. 2-1. 3-1. 23-8
2009 2-0. 2-3. 3-0. 0-1. 4-0. 2-2. 3-0. 3-0. 4-0. 3-0. 26-6
Total 21-5 13-12 9-15 13-4 16-6 13-10 21-10 3-0 12-11 16-3 137-76
2010 Phoenix Baseball