NCAA Atlantic 2 Regional Championship Central
 
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Atlantic 2 Regional | Thursday, May 5 | 2:30 p.m.
#7 Lock Haven at #2 Charleston LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

The Lock Haven University softball team is set for its return trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament. The No. 7 seed Bald Eagles open Atlantic 2 Regional play on Thursday, May 5 (2:30 p.m.) at No. 2 seed and host Charleston.
 
Countdown to first pitch:
10 – LHU's longest win streak during the regular season was 10 games.
9 – Bekah Slattery has pitched nine shutouts this season.
8 – In the last eight games, LHU is 6-2
7 – 7th inning strong: LHU has outscored opponents 25-15 in the 7^th inning this season.
6 – Rachel Mouillesseaux & Michelle Holweger are tied for team-lead with six home runs.
5 – LHU has just five losses all year in one-run games; LHU is 11-5 in one-run games.
4 – Michelle Holweger enters the tournament on a 4-game hit streak.
3 – LHU is 3-0 when scoring 10 or more runs.
2 – Two players (McKenna Garlock & Michelle Holweger) have 16 multiple hit games.
1 – Only one loss for LHU in extra innings this season; LHU is 5-1 in extras.
 
Setting the stage:
Lock Haven returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. In all, it marks LHU's 12^th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and Kelly Shannon's (177-141) fourth as head coach of the Bald Eagles. LHU is 46-20 all-time at the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Bald Eagles, the No. 7 seed in the Atlantic Region will open Atlantic 2 Regional play on Thursday, May 5 vs. Charleston.
 
The Atlantic 2 Regional is set for Thursday through Saturday, May 5-7 at Charleston, the No. 2 overall seed in the Atlantic Regional. No. 3 West Chester and No. 6 Kutztown are the other two teams playing Charleston.
 
Lock Haven is 3-0 this season vs. the teams in the Atlantic 2 Regional bracket. LHU is 1-0 this season vs. Charleston and 2-0 vs. Kutztown. Lock Haven and West Chester have not met yet this season.
 
West Virginia Wesleyan is the overall No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Region and will play host No. 8 Winston-Salem State, No. 4 Bloomsburg and No. 5 California (Pa.).
 
A look at LHU:
LHU enters the NCAA Tournament on a high note. Lock Haven went 3-2 at the last week's PSAC Tournament and the Bald Eagles have won 12 of their last 17 games. LHU is 36-17 overall and went 14-6 in PSAC Central play during the regular season. The 36 wins are the most in a single season since 2009. Lock Haven won 51 games and the NCAA Division II Championship that year.
 
Rematch:
LHU and Charleston met back on March 12 in Florida, and the Bald Eagles won 2-1. At the time, it marked the first loss of the season for Charleston pitcher Alli Burdette. Charleston finished the season at 45-9 and Burdette's loss to Lock Haven ended up being one of just three on the season (27-3).
 
All-PSAC:
On Tuesday (May 3), four Bald Eagles were named to the All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Central Team including rookie Bekah Slattery, who was named the PSAC Central Division Pitcher of the Year. Joining Slattery on the All-Conference Team was Michelle Holweger (3B), Rachel Mouillesseaux (DP) and McKenna Garlock (at-large; 1B).
 
Back in the NCAA Tournament:
Thursday marks Lock Haven's first NCAA Division II Tournament appearance since 2013 when the Bald Eagles went 1-2 in Atlantic 1 Regional play. LHU opened the tournament with a 10-1 loss to West Chester, before downing Chowan 10-2. LHU was eliminated from the tournament with a 9-1 loss to California.
 
Strong showing at PSAC Tournament:
Last week, LHU advanced to the PSAC Tournament for the first time since 2013 and the Bald Eagles had a strong showing. Lock Haven was 3-2 overall and finished third. The Bald Eagles were forced to play in three elimination games on the same day and beat Millersville and Kutztown, before falling to eventual PSAC Champion Bloomsburg on Friday (April 29).
 
LHU's ace:
Freshman Bekah Slattery has been nothing short of spectacular this season. The rookie will carry a 22-7 record into the NCAA Tournament. The 22 wins are the most of any PSAC pitcher and she leads the entire conference in strikeouts with 171. Slattery led the conference in both categories at the end of the regular season as well. On the season to date, Slattery holds a 1.52 ERA and has nine shutouts. She's held the opposition to a .212 batting average. Slattery had 12 outings where she recorded seven or more strikeouts and she threw three one-hitters.
 
Haven's offensive production:
LHU features a talented lineup from top to bottom and it's led by a pair of All-Conference performers in McKenna Garlock and Michelle Holweger.
 
Holweger (3B) is hitting .342 and leads LHU with 41 RBIs. Her 41 RBIs are the seventh-most in the PSAC. On the season, she has started 53 of 53 games has gone 55 for 161 at the plate with nine doubles and six home runs. Holweger has a .522 slugging-percentage. She's been just as impressive at third base for LHU and holds a .953 field percentage (50PO, 93A, 7E).
 
Garlock (1B) leads the Bald Eagles at the plate with a .361 average and has a team-best 57 hits. On the season she is 57 of 158 with 16 doubles, four home runs and 36 RBIs. Her .551 slugging-percentage leads the team and she has a .449 on-base percentage. Garlock's 16 doubles are tied for third in the PSAC and she is just one away from breaking the LHU all-time single-season record. She does it all and is 6 for 6 on stolen base attempts. In 53 starts at first base, she is fielding .985 (364PO, 23A, 6E).
 
Rachel Mouillesseaux (DP) has given Lock Haven another solid bat in the lineup. She hit .361 in PSAC Central play during the regular season and is hitting .291 overall. Mouillesseaux has six home runs, six doubles and 21 RBIs. On the season, she has a .464 slugging-percentage and a .350 on-base percentage.
 
Leadoff-hitter and freshman Jessica Strouse (2B) is 8 for 8 on stolen base attempts and has scored 41 runs.
 
Up next:
The winner of the Lock Haven – Charleston game will advance to meet the winner of the Kutztown – West Chester game on Friday, May 6 at 11 a.m. The loser of the Lock Haven – Charleston game will take on the loser of the Kutztown – Wester Chester at 1:30 p.m. on Friday. Click Here for full schedule.