CALIFORNIA (April 26) – The No. 9 California University of Pennsylvania softball team will begin play in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament on Wednesday, April 27, by playing IUP, the No. 3 seed in the Central, at Veterans Park in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, at 12 p.m.
 
Tickets: All students from PSAC institutions will be admitted free with a valid student ID. Adult tickets are priced at $10 by the league and children under 12 years of age are admitted free. All tickets can be purchased at the gate at Veterans Park.
 
Live Coverage: The PSAC is scheduled to provide live statistics for all the games. For additional information about the tournament, please click HERE.
 
PSAC Tournament: The Vulcans enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed in the West with a 32-2 overall record behind a 19-1 mark in league play. IUP is the No. 3 seed in the Central after finishing with a 12-8 conference record. The winner will move on to face the winner of Kutztown (East No. 2)-Lock Haven (Central No. 2) on Thursday at 3 p.m. The bracket also features a match-up between the No. 1 seed in the East, West Chester, and the No. 2 seed in the West, Gannon, while the No. 3 seed in the East, Millersville, faces the No. 3 seed in the West, Slippery Rock. The winner of this game will move on to face the No. 1 seed in the Central, Bloomsburg. This marks the first time since 2013 that the conference was split into three divisions.
 
Regional Rankings: Cal U remained No. 5 in the NCAA Division II Atlantic regional rankings for a consecutive week. West Chester sits as the top-ranked team, as Charleston (W.Va.), West Virginia Wesleyan and Bloomsburg round out the top five in the rankings. Kutztown is slotted sixth, while Millersville and Lock Haven complete the top-eight in the latest regional rankings. The Vulcans did not play any of the regionally-ranked teams during the regular season.
 
Scouting the Vulcans: Cal U enters the league tournament on a five-game winning streak after previously winning 27-consecutive games earlier this season. The Vulcans rank second in the PSAC with a .330 team batting average. Sophomore shortstop Emily Price leads the team hitting at a .429 clip, which ranks fifth in the conference. Price also paces the league with a .516 on-base percentage and ranks among league leaders with 12 doubles, 37 runs scored and a .594 slugging percentage this season. Senior third baseman Natalya Smarra sits in the top 25 of the conference with a .356 batting average, while leading the team with 37 RBI and has struck out just three times in over 100 at-bats. Smarra and senior first baseman Lindsay Reicoff are tied for the team lead and sit ninth in the PSAC with seven home runs. Senior pitchers Alex Sagl and Meghan Uher both rank in the top 10 in the PSAC in multiple statistical categories. Sagl ranks with a 1.43 ERA, 14 victories, 13 complete games, 139 strikeouts and a .180 opponents' batting average. Uher is one of only two pitchers in the conference with an unblemished record (minimum 10 decisions) at 11-0 and also ranks among league leaders in ERA (1.57), fewest hits allowed (64), fewest runs allowed (21) and opponents' batting average (.220).   
 
Vulcans in the Playoffs: Last year, the Vulcans rallied to win five-straight games to defeat Gannon in the PSAC Championship and claim their second-straight conference title. Cal U has now won eight league titles, which is second-most in the conference.
 
Scouting IUP: The Crimson Hawks enter the tournament as the No. 3 seed in the Central after finishing the season 12-8 in divisional play and 27-17 overall. The IUP offense ranks ninth in the PSAC with a .275 batting average, including junior Hannah Mercer who paces the team with a .365 clip with 31 runs scored, four triples and a .566 slugging percentage. The pitching staff ranks sixth in the league with a 2.37 ERA and is led by Brooke Darling and Lauren Zola who each tallied over 10 wins this season. Both pitchers rank among the top 15 in the conference in innings pitched, complete games, strikeouts and opponents' batting average.
 
Scouting Kutztown: The Golden Bears head into the league tournament as the No. 2 seed in the East with a 10-6 conference mark. The offense sits third in the conference with a .327 clip, which is led by freshman Sara Keeny who is second in the league with a .428 average. She ranks in the top 10 in the PSAC in hits (62), runs scored (37), on-base percentage (.471) and stolen bases (26). Kutztown ranks fifth with a 2.21 team ERA with junior Savannah Nierintz holding a 1.85 ERA with 16 wins in 151.0 innings.
 
Scouting Lock Haven: After finishing the regular season with a 14-6 conference record, the Bald Eagles are the No. 2 seed in the Central. Lock Haven sits in the middle of the conference with a .275 team batting average, while being one of only four teams to score at least 200 runs this season. The Bald Eagles hold a 1.96 team ERA behind freshman Bekah Slattery, who paces the league in wins (19), strikeouts (155) and shutouts (nine). She boasts a 1.55 ERA over 171.2 innings.
 
Scouting West Chester: The Golden Rams posted the best regular-season record in program history after finishing with a 47-5 overall record, including a 14-2 conference mark. West Chester enters the league tournament as the No. 1 seed in the East after winning the division for the third-consecutive season. The offense leads the league in virtually every major statistical category, including four batters who hold a batting average of at least .350 and three of the four batters in the conference who tallied at least 40 RBI this season. The PSAC East champion also paces the league with a 1.34 team ERA, while holding its opponents to a .197 batting average. Sophomore Brooke Harner boasts a 1.07 ERA with a 19-1 record and 129 strikeouts in 111.2 innings.
 
Scouting Gannon: The Lady Knights enter the PSAC Tournament as the No. 2 seed in the West after finishing the regular season with a 19-19 overall record, including a 10-10 league mark. Gannon is led by sophomore Jackie Martinez who sits among league leaders with a .383 batting average. The pitching staff holds a 3.47 team ERA, while junior Olivia Gumbita tallied 12 wins and a 2.08 ERA on the year.
 
Scouting Millersville: The Marauders wrapped up the regular season with a 26-18 overall record and 9-7 in divisional play to earn the No. 3 seed in the East. Millersville holds a .292 team batting average, which is fifth-best in the conference. Junior Mandy Hammond paces the team at a .398 clip, while classmate Brittany Smith ranks among league leaders with 35 RBI on the year. The Marauders hold a 3.05 team ERA and are led by senior Brianna Andraos who posted a 2.06 ERA in a league-high 173.1 innings this season.
 
Scouting Slippery Rock: The Rock enters the conference tournament as the No. 3 seed in the West after completing the season with a 20-21 overall record, including a 9-11 mark in league action. Slippery Rock is sixth in the PSAC with a .282 average behind a .373 clip from senior Megan Maloney. Sophomore Brooke Dawson leads the pitching staff after posting a 3.08 ERA and nine wins, including five shutouts, in 120.0 innings.
 
Scouting Bloomsburg: The Huskies claimed the No. 1 seed in the Central after winning the division with a 19-1 record in conference play and a 39-6 overall mark. Bloomsburg holds a .324 batting average, including three players who are hitting above a .350 clip. Junior Taylor Parker holds .390 average with 11 homers and 47 RBI, which both lead the conference. She also boasts a .753 slugging percentage and is tied for the league lead with teammate Taylor Winkelman with 16 doubles. The Huskies rank second in the PSAC with a 1.47 ERA, while opponents are hitting at just a .197 clip. Three pitches recorded double-digit wins during the regular season, including Mallory Tomaschik and Parker who combined to post a 15-1 record.
 
2015 Tournament Recap: The Vulcans opened the tournament with a 6-0 victory against East Stroudsburg before suffering a 5-4 loss against Gannon on the initial day. The following day in the double-elimination tournament, Cal U rallied to defeat IUP, 6-0, and Bloomsburg, 6-1, before entering the final day of the tournament. The Vulcans recorded a 6-0 win against West Chester before rallying to defeat previously-unblemished Gannon, 8-5. The two teams played again later in the day for the PSAC Championship with Cal U earning a 3-2 victory to claim its second-straight league title.
 
Looking Ahead: The winner of the PSAC Tournament will receive an automatic qualifier (AQ) into the 2016 NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Tournament. The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) and the Mountain East Conference (MEC) will also receive an AQ. This marks the first year that the MEC is eligible for an AQ to the regional tournament. The next top-five ranked teams in the final Atlantic regional rankings will receive at-large bids.

2016 PSAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wednesday, April 27
Game 1: (E3) Millersville vs. (W3) Slippery Rock, 12 p.m. I LS
Game 2: (W1) California vs. (C3) IUP, 12 p.m. I LS
Game 3: (E2) Kutztown vs. (C2) Lock Haven, 3 p.m. I LS
Game 4: (E1) West Chester vs. (W2) Gannon, 3 p.m. I LS
Game 5: (C1) Bloomsburg vs. Game 1 winner, 6 p.m. I LS
Game 6:  Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser (loser eliminated), 6 p.m. I LS
 
Thursday, April 28
Game 7:  Game 5 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 12 p.m. I LS
Game 8:  Game 3 loser vs. Game 6 winner (loser eliminated), 12 p.m. I LS
Game 9:  Game 3 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 3 p.m. I LS
Game 10:  Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 3 p.m. I LS
Game 11:  Game 9 loser vs. Game 7 winner (loser eliminated), 6 p.m. I LS
Game 12:  Game 10 loser vs. Game 8 winner (loser eliminated), 6 p.m. I LS
 
Friday, April 29
Game 13:  Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 12 p.m. I LS
Game 14:  Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner (loser eliminated), 3 p.m. I LS
Game 15:  Game 13 loser vs. Game 14 winner (loser eliminated), 6 p.m. I LS

Saturday, April 30
Game 16:  Game 13 winner vs. Game 15 winner, 12 p.m. I LS
IF necessary, Game 17:  Game 16 winner vs. Game 16 loser I LS