Atlantic 1 Regional Tournament Central
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Lock Haven University softball team is set to make its 13
th appearance in the NCAA Division II softball tournament. The Bald Eagles are 46-22 all-time in the big dance and will open the 2018 NCAA Tournament tomorrow (Thursday, May 10) at home vs. Shepherd in Atlantic 1 Regional action.
Despite being the No. 4 overall seed in the Atlantic Region, Lock Haven will serve as the Atlantic 1 Regional host. In regional opener at LHU, top-seed West Chester will take on Chowan, the champion out of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), at 1 p.m.
Lock Haven and Shepherd will meet at 3:30 p.m.
The winner of each of tomorrow's first round games will play at 11 a.m. on Friday. The loser of each will play at 1:30 p.m. Friday afternoon.
In all, 64 teams were selected for the 2018 NCAA DII Softball Tournament. The tournament opens with four teams playing at 16 different regional sites in a double-elimination format. The winners of each of the 16 regional tournaments advance to Super Regionals – set for May 17-18 – and the College World Series is set for May 24-28 at the Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Virginia.
Lock Haven enters the NCAA Tournament having won 29 of its last 32 games. The Bald Eagles are 36-12 overall after finishing the regular season at 34-10. LHU went a perfect 20-0 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Central play and is a perfect 14-0 at home on Lawrence Field.
Last week at the PSAC Tournament, LHU went 2-2 after opening with a pair of wins. Three of four LHU opponents at the conference tournament are NCAA-tournament bound teams in West Chester (No. 1 seed), Gannon (No. 3 seed) and Seton Hill (No. 6 seed).
Leading the way for LHU at the PSAC Tournament was
Amanda Loar, who hit .600 over the four-game span. She was 6 for 10 with a home run. In the circle, 2018 PSAC Central Pitcher of the Year,
Bekah Slattery went 2-1 with 16 strikeouts (22 innings).
STORYLINES:
Familiar Face:
Lock Haven and Shepherd met back on April 17 and split a non-conference doubleheader in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. LHU won game one 5-2 in extra innings (8 inn.). Host-Shepherd edged LHU in game two, 5-4, and snapped a 15-game Lock Haven win streak. In the doubleheader,
Bree Hilty hit .500 (3 for 6) with a triple and
Casey Carpenter added two RBIs and a pair of hits. Pitcher
Bekah Slattery picked up the game-one win after going eight innings.
NCAA Tournament History:
Lock Haven is home to two NCAA DII national titles (2006 & '09) and has previously played in 12 NCAA tournaments. The Bald Eagles also have two runner-up finishes and one fourth-place finish. LHU's last NCAA tournament appearance came in 2016. LHU is 46-22 all-time in 68 games for a NCAA tournament win percentage of .676.
*Tournament appearances: 1988, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016
Record Alert:
On the season,
Becca Caputo has 15 doubles and is just one away from tying the all-time single-season school record. As a team, Lock Haven has stolen 94 bases. The single-season school record for team steals in a season is 100, set back in 2002. Speedster
Faith Ceely has 24 on the season, which is the fifth-most ever for a single-season.
Atlantic 1 Regional Schedule | Lawrence Field (Lock Haven, Pa.)
Thursday, May 10
Game 1: #1 West Chester vs. #8 Chowan, 1 p.m.
Game 2: #4 Lock Haven vs. #5 Shepherd, 3:30 p.m.
Friday, May 11
11 a.m. Game 3 (Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner)
1:30 p.m. Game 4 (Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser)
4 p.m. Game 5 (Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner)
Saturday, May 12
1:30 p.m. Game 6 (Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner)
4 p.m. Game 7, *if necessary
Atlantic Region (full NCAA selections)
1. West Chester (40-13)
2. West Virginia Wesleyan (40-12)
3. Gannon (29-12)
4. Lock Haven (36-12)
5. Shepherd (33-18)
6. Seton Hill (23-15)
7. West Virginia St. (34-20)
8. Chowan (31-14)
Atlantic 1 Region at Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
1. West Chester (40-13)
2. *Lock Haven (36-12)
3. Shepherd (33-18)
4. Chowan (31-14)
Atlantic 2 Region at Buckhannon, West Virginia
1. *West Virginia Wesleyan (40-12)
2. Gannon (29-12)
3. Seton Hill (23-15)
4. West Virginia State (34-20)
