Kutztown University will serve as host for the 2008 NCAA Division II Mid-Atlantic Regional Softball Tournament Wednesday-Sunday, May 7-11.

         A total of 64 teams were selected to participate in the 2008 NCAA Division II Softball Championship with eight teams competing at eight regional sites in double-elimination tournaments to determine the final eight championship participants. The eight regional championship winners will advance to the Division II Championship May 14-17 at the Division II Spring Championship Festival in Houston, Texas.

         All of the games of the eight-team, double-elimination tournament will be played at Kutztown University’s North Campus Field. Lock Haven is the No. 1 seed, Bloomsburg is No. 2, followed by No. 3 Kutztown and No. 4 California (Pa.). The second half of the field is led by No. 5 West Chester, followed by No. 6 Shippensburg, No. 7 Slippery Rock and No. 8 Bowie State.

        The host Golden Bears will play the final game in Wednesday's opening round, vs. Shippensburg at 4:30 p.m. California will face West Chester at 9 a.m., followed by Lock Haven vs. Bowie State at 11:30 a.m. and Bloomsburg vs. Slippery Rock at 2 p.m. 

Action continues Thursday and Friday, beginning at 9 a.m. both days, before Saturday's final elimination game at 10 a.m., and the championship round at 12:30 p.m. If necessary, a final game will be played Sunday at 1 p.m.

       Ticket prices are $8 for adults, $4 for students/senior citizens. All-tournament passes will be sold on the first day only for $25 for adults, $10 for students/senior citizens.     

            Lock Haven (43-6) enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed, after winning the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship last weekend. Lock Haven, ranked second in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II poll, won the conference crown for the third consecutive year. Lock Haven defeated Bloomsburg 3-0 for the title. At the plate, Lock Haven is led by the trio of Sarah Norris (.369, 15 HR, 39 RBIs), Amanda Roosa (.366, 13 HR, 57 RBIs) and Erica Eisenbise (.307, 6 HR, 31 RBIs). In the circle, Kristin Erb is continuing to have a stellar season as she boasts a 37-6 record with a 0.24 ERA and 347 strikeouts. The Lady Eagles will look to make their third straight NCAA championship appearance as they have won the regional tournament in each of the last three seasons. Lock Haven is under the guidance of ninth-year head coach Kelley Green, who has a pair of Mid-Atlantic Regional championships to her credit and a career record of 286-126. A year ago, Lock Haven finished as the national runner-up. In 2006, the Lady Eagles were the NCAA Division II Champion. Lock Haven is a perfect 13-0 against the other Mid-Atlantic Regional teams (4-0 vs. Slippery Rock, 4-0 California, 3-0 Kutztown, 2-0 Bloomsburg).

            Bloomsburg (48-9) was ranked eighth in the latest NFCA poll. Bloomsburg is making its record 26th consecutive appearance in the NCAA championships, all under the guidance of long-time head coach Jan Hutchinson. Offensively, Tara Reed leads the team in hitting at .404 with a homer and 31 RBIs. As a pitcher, Reed is 8-3 on the year with a 1.02 ERA. The Huskies’ other top threats are Lacy Mauro (.373, 25 RBIs) and Nikki Shiko (.347, 2 HR, 14 RBIs). The Huskies long-ball threat is Lori Neyhard, who leads the team in homers with four and has 25 RBIs. In the circle, Ashley Lynn is the Huskies ace with a mark of 23-3 and a 0.86 ERA. Lynn leads the Huskies in strikeouts with 186, while issuing just 16 walks. She has tossed nine shutouts on the season and saved four games. Joining Lynn to form a solid one-two punch is Sheelin Fisher who is 16-3 with a 0.99 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 113 innings of work. The Huskies are 12-5 vs. the other regional teams (2-0 vs. Bowie State, 4-0 vs. Shippensburg, 3-2 vs. Kutztown, 0-2 vs. Lock Haven, 3-1 vs. West Chester)

Kutztown (45-12) was ranked No. 16 in last week’s NFCA national poll. The Golden Bears, hosting the regional for the second-straight year, make their sixth-consecutive appearance under 21st-year head coach Judy Lawes. KU features an offense led by the trio of C/SS Ashley Fitzgerald (jr. Kitchener, Ont/Resurrection), 1B Steph Denlinger (jr. Harleysville/Souderton) and 3B Krista Cameron (jr. Formosa, Ont./Sacred Heart). Fitzgerald leads the PSAC in batting average (.435) and shares the league lead in RBIs (55).  She has 15 homers and a KU single-season record 23 doubles. Denlinger is hitting .354, with a PSAC-best 16 home runs and 55 RBIs. She has been walked 40 times. Cameron is hitting .322 with five homers and 35 RBIs.  Katlin Arbogast (so. Ambler/Wissahickon) is the ace of the pitching staff. She is 23-7 with a 1.49 ERA. She has struck out 234 batters in 183.0 innings pitched. Monica Glomb (fr. Mars/Mars) and Mary Hoch (fr. Somerton/St. Hubert) have been a welcome addition to the staff. Glomb is 10-5 with a 2.11 ERA, striking out 90 in 102.2 innings. Hoch is 9-0 with a 1.61 ERA and 47 Ks in 69.2 innings. Kutztown is 10-6 vs. the rest of the Mid-Atlantic Regional field (2-3 vs. Bloomsburg, 0-3 vs. LHU,  4-0 vs. Ship, 4-0 vs. WCU).  

            California (Pa.) (26-16) received its second NCAA regional tournament bid in the last three years, and its 13th in the last 15 seasons under head coach Rick Bertagnolli. After a disappointing showing at the PSAC tournament, the Vulcans look to rebound against a PSAC-heavy regional tournament. The Vulcans are currently 26-16 overall and 3-5 against the rest of the regional field (0-4 vs. Lock Haven, 3-1 vs. Slippery Rock). Offensively, Cal is led by Julie Mackenzie (.350 BA, 3 Hr, 24 RBIs) and Nicole Bellevance (.343 BA, 17 RBIs). On the hill, the Vulcans will look to Sonia Petrosoniak (11-9, 1.59 ERA) and Katie Francart (7-6 3.92 ERA).

            West Chester (31-20) has had a 2008 season that is one for its record books. The Golden Rams set a school record for wins in a single season (31) under fifth-year head coach Diane Lokey. Junior left-handed hurler Shannon Padula became the school's first 20-game winner in a single season. She is 23-11, with a 2.37 ERA and 125 strikeouts. West Chester is making its first postseason appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Rams put together a school-record 16-game winning streak earlier this season. West Chester is 6-8 versus the rest of the Mid-Atlantic Regional field in 2008 (2-0 vs. Bowie State, 1-3 vs. Bloomsburg, 3-1 vs. Shippensburg, 0-4 vs. Kutztown). The Golden Rams are led by first baseman Megan Harbaugh (.396, 12 2B, 7 HR). Freshman Erin MacNamee and sophomore Stefani Kerbacher provide speed at the top of the order, along with senior Tara Colantuono. 

            Shippensburg (27-25) features a talented blend of youth and experience, under the guidance of Bob Brookens, who has coach the Lady Raiders to at least 27 victories in each of his eight seasons as head coach. After earning 10 victories in the extremely competitive PSAC East, the Lady Raiders will make their seventh consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division II National Championships, a run that includes Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships in 2003 and 2004. The team’s offensive leaders are junior utility player Lori Knopf (.360, 4 HR, 35 RBIs) and freshman shortstop Hope Cornell (.340, 32 runs, 8 HR, 38 RBIs). Cornell joins senior Sarah Stengl as the only two players to start in all 52 games this season and leads Shippensburg in home runs, RBIs and runs. Dani Shields joins Knopf as the team's primary contributors from the pitcher’s circle. In her senior season, Shields has been the No. 1 starter and thrown 14 complete games, including three shutouts, while striking out 105 batters in 125.2 innings. Knopf has thrown four shutouts and 13 complete games in 118.2 innings. Shippensburg 1-11 vs. the rest of the regional (0-4 vs. Bloomsburg, 0-4 vs. Kutztown, 1-3 vs. West Chester). 

            Slippery Rock (27-15) is making its first appearance in NCAA postseason competition and its first postseason appearance of any kind since 1984, when Slippery Rock competed in the PSAC playoffs. The Rock’s last trip to regional competition was in 1982, when the Green and White won the EAIAW regional title and earned a berth in the AIAW national tournament. The Rock set a school record for wins this spring with 27, as this is the fourth consecutive season in which Slippery Rock has won 20 or more games and only six Rock teams have reached that milestone since softball became an intercollegiate varsity sport at Slippery Rock in 1977. The Rock is 4-7 against this year's regional field (4-0 vs. Bowie State, 1-3 vs. California, 0-4 vs. Lock Haven). Fifth-year Rock head coach Vashion Johnson owns a 112-107 career record and ranks second on Slippery Rock's all-time wins chart.

            Bowie State (25-12) captured its second consecutive Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference crown and will make its second straight NCAA Division II Mid-Atlantic Region appearance. After starting the year 4-6, the Lady Bulldogs rattled off 12 consecutive victories. Offensively, the Bulldogs are led by Heather Enders (.581, 6 HR, 52 RBIs) and Tiffany Toney (.479, 13 3B, 45 RBIs). Enders also doubles as the teams ace (13-6, 2.42 ERA) while Jillian Willey (12-6, 3.14 ERA) also looks to make an impact in the circle. Bowie State is led by sixth-year head coach Fred Burroughs, who carries a 101-72 career record. Bowie State is 0-8 against the other teams in the regional (0-2 vs. Bloomsburg, 0-4 vs. Slippery Rock, 0-2 vs. West Chester).