CALIFORNIA (May 3) - The California University of Pennsylvania softball team will begin play in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament on Wednesday, May 4, by playing the winner of (E4) Shepherd – (W5) IUP at Veterans Park in Quakertown, Pennsylvania at 3 p.m.

Tickets: All students from PSAC institutions will be admitted free with a valid student ID. Adult tickets are priced at $15 on Wednesday and Thursday before costing $10 on Friday and Saturday. Children under 12 years of age are admitted for free. All tickets can be purchased at the gate at Veterans Park.

Live Coverage: The PSAC is scheduled to provide live coverage for all the games. For additional information about the tournament, please click HERE

Regional Rankings: Kutztown remained the top-ranked team in the latest Atlantic regional rankings with Seton Hill, Shippensburg, Bloomsburg and Cal U rounding out the top five. Mercyhurst and West Virginia Wesleyan were ranked sixth and seventh, while East Stroudsburg, Gannon and West Liberty completed the top 10 in the latest rankings. The NCAA regional rankings are scheduled to be released again on Wednesday afternoon during the opening day of the PSAC Tournament.

Scouting (W1) Cal U: The Vulcans (22-11, 12-4) claimed the No. 1 seed while earning a share of the PSAC West title for the first time since 2015. Freshman Caleigh Rister paces the team with a .436 average and a .872 slugging percentage in her first year with the program. Senior catcher Brooke Wilson leads the Vulcans with 44 hits and is tied for the team lead with four triples this season. Freshman shortstop Kaitlyn Achtermeier has posted a team-best 28 RBI while also recording a .459 slugging percentage. In the circle, Rister ranks second in the PSAC with a 1.28 ERA and leads the team with 13 victories.

Vulcans in the PSAC Tournament: Last year, Cal U was eliminated from the conference tournament after suffering a pair of losses at Gannon in a best-of-three series in the quarterfinals, suffering a 2-1 walk-off loss in Game 1 before dropping a 9-4 loss in Game 2. The Vulcans are making their 27th appearance in the PSAC Tournament under head coach Rick Bertagnolli.

Scouting (W2) Seton Hill: The Griffins (35-8, 12-4) feature two of the premier pitchers in the conference in graduate student Morgan Ryan and freshman Chloe Elliot. A transfer from Notre Dame, Ryan leads the PSAC and ranks 12th in the country with a 1.08 ERA, while sitting 13th in NCAA Division II with a 0.84 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched). Elliot is third in the conference with a 1.35 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP this season. Graduate student Jenna Osikowicz, the 2021 PSAC West Athlete of the Year, leads the Griffins and sits second in the conference with a .462 average while leading the league and ranking third in the country with eight triples.

Scouting (W3) Mercyhurst: The Lakers (29-12, 10-6) lead the conference with a .970 fielding percentage and sit third with a 2.37 ERA. Junior Allison Dejidas paces the team in multiple offensive categories, including a .547 slugging percentage, 37 RBI, 10 doubles, and six home runs. Senior Cheyenne Hindman sits second on the team with a .320 average while collecting 27 RBI, 29 runs scored and three home runs with a .477 slugging percentage. In the circle, sophomore Morgan Hilty ranks sixth in the PSAC with a 1.67 ERA in 117.1 innings. The Lakers feature one of the best relief pitchers in the country in redshirt senior Kaitlin Hoffner, who leads the league and ranks 12th in Division II with four saves.

Scouting (W4) Gannon: The Lady Knights (18-16, 10-6) feature a pair of players hitting over a .300 clip this season in graduate student Kristina DeMatteis and redshirt senior Nicole Bush. DeMatteis leads the Lady Knights with a .380 average while tallying 23 RBI, 20 runs scored, five home runs and a .602 slugging percentage. Bush sits second on the team with a .317 clip and has collected 15 runs scored while leading the team and ranking among the top 10 in the conference with 18 stolen bases. In the circle, graduate student Kennedy DeMatteis leads the team with a 2.25 ERA in 105.2 innings and paces the Lady Knights with eight victories.

Scouting (W5) IUP: The Crimson Hawks (16-19, 8-8) boast five players hitting at least .300 this season, led by senior Jenna Rhue. Rhue ranks second in the PSAC with 10 home runs behind a .340 average with 32 RBI, 21 runs, and a .689 slugging percentage. Freshman Jordan Sylvia leads the team with a .423 on-base percentage while registering 19 RBI and a .506 slugging percentage. In the circle, sophomore Amanda Fischer paces the team with nine victories and freshman Elizabeth Kasper ranks sixth in the conference in walks allowed per seven innings at 1.40.

Scouting (E1) Kutztown: The Golden Bears (33-13, 12-4) captured the PSAC East title for the second-straight year. Kutztown features one of the most balanced offenses in the PSAC this year, as it is second in the league with 37 home runs, third with 256 runs and a .311 batting average. Senior Kate Ostaszewski paces the Golden Bears with a .355 average and 31 RBI, while sophomore Brianna Hughes - the 2021 PSAC East Freshman of the Year - leads the team with a .646 slugging percentage, nine home runs and a .475 on-base percentage. In the circle, senior Bridget Bailey leads the conference and sits seventh in NCAA Division II with 22 complete games this season. She sits second in the PSAC with 149 strikeouts while leading the conference with 19 victories this season.

Scouting (E2) Shippensburg: The Raiders (30-16, 11-5) feature one of the top hitters in the country in junior Hannah Marsteller, the 2021 PSAC East Athlete of the Year. She ranks among the top 10 in NCAA Division II in multiple offensive categories, including a .497 average, 17 home runs, 1.503 OPS (on-base plus slugging) and 137 total bases. Freshman Katelyn Minney sits second on the team with a .370 average while recording 27 stolen bases, which is third-best in the conference. Shippensburg pitchers Alicia Ball and Emma Flattery have both earned 12 victories this year while both have also totaled over 100.0 innings pitched. Ball has tossed 11 complete games and Flattery has recorded five.

Scouting (E3) Bloomsburg: The Huskies (25-16, 10-6) pace the 10-team field in multiple offensive categories, including a .329 average, 1.95 doubles per game, 5.88 runs per game and a .468 slugging percentage. Bloomsburg features seven players batting over .315 this season led by graduate student Nicolette Ray. Ray ranks fourth in the conference with a .441 average while recording a team-leading 39 RBI, nine home runs and a .743 slugging percentage. Danielle Barnes and Alex Iseminger sit first and second in the PSAC with a combined 26 hit by pitches. Bloomsburg freshman pitcher Callie Sowers ranks third in the conference with 16 complete games and 146 strikeouts in 146.1 innings pitched.

Scouting (E4) Shepherd: The Rams (16-18, 9-7) feature one of the toughest players in the conference to strikeout this year in graduate student Lean Brown, as she has struck out just four times in 100 at-bats this season. Senior Nicole Purtell paces the Rams with a .396 average and a .464 on-base percentage while ranking second in the PSAC with five triples. Junior Cameron Davis leads the team with a 1.119 OPS, 24 RBI and eight home runs. In the circle, junior Katie Laing leads Shepherd with eight wins this season while tossing six complete games in 84.2 innings.

Scouting (E5) East Stroudsburg: The Warriors (33-9, 8-8) as a team lead the conference and rank ninth in the country with a 1.01 WHIP, plus pace the PSAC with 13 shutouts this season. The Warriors feature a trio of standout pitchers led by freshman Katie Zaun, who paces the league with 150 strikeouts in 110.0 innings while sitting sixth in NCAA Division II with a 10.0 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Freshman Brooke McKeown leads the team with a .354 average, while graduate student Sofia Cecchin, sophomore Reilly Vicendese and McKeown have combined for 74 stolen bases this season.

Looking Ahead: The winner of the PSAC Tournament will receive an automatic qualifier (AQ) into the 2022 NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Tournament. The champions of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) and the Mountain East Conference (MEC) will also receive an AQ. The next top-five ranked teams in the final Atlantic regional rankings will receive at-large bids.

2022 PSAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wednesday, May 4
Game 1: (W4) Gannon vs. (E5) East Stroudsburg, 10 a.m.
Game 2: (E4) Shepherd vs. (W5) IUP, 10 a.m.
Game 3: (W2) Seton Hill vs. (E3) Bloomsburg, 12:30 p.m.
Game 4: (E2) Shippensburg vs. (W3) Mercyhurst, 12:30 p.m.
Game 5: (E1) Kutztown vs. Winner of Game 1, 3 p.m.
Game 6: (W1) Cal U vs. Winner of Game 2, 3 p.m.
Game 7: Loser of Game 2 vs. Loser of Game 5, 5:30 p.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 8: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 6, 5:30 p.m. (loser eliminated)

Thursday, May 5
Game 9: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5, 10 a.m.
Game 10: Winner of Game 6 vs. Winner of Game 4, 10 a.m.
Game 11: Winner of Game 7 vs. Loser of Game 3, 12:30 p.m.
Game 12: Loser of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 8, 12:30 p.m.
Game 13: Loser of Game 10 vs. Winner of Game 11, 3 p.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 14: Winner of Game 12 vs. Loser of Game 9, 3 p.m. (loser eliminated)
 
Friday, May 6
Game 15: Winner of Game 9 vs. Winner of Game 10, 10 a.m.
Game 16: Winner of Game 13 vs. Winner of Game 14, 12:30 p.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 17: Loser of Game 15 vs. Winner of Game 16, 3 p.m. (loser eliminated)
 
Saturday, May 7
Game 18: Winner of Game 15 vs. Winner of Game 17, 11 a.m.
IF necessary, Game 19 Game 18 winner vs. Game 18 loser, 1 p.m.