EAST STROUDSBURG – After record-shattering regular season, the PSAC East No. 2 seed East Stroudsburg University softball team opens postseason play at the PSAC Tournament on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. against PSAC West No. 3 seed Slippery Rock at Quakertown’s Veteran’s Park.  

How to Follow: All games of the PSAC Tournament will be broadcasted on the PSAC Sports Digital Network and esuwarriors.com/watch. Live stats will be available here. Tickets are available to be purchased online. Day passes on Wednesday and Thursday costs $15, while Friday and Saturday cost $10. Children 12 and under are free, students with ID from member institutions also gaining free admission.

Last Time Out: The Warriors closed the regular season strong last Friday for senior day with a sweep of Lock Haven. ESU set a new wins record after the first victory, with Molly Nies pacing the bats with three RBIs, while Paige Zigmund tossed a complete game victory for her 20th win of the season.

The Series: Wednesday’s meeting will be just the fourth ever meeting between the long-time conference foes, with The Rock victorious during the previous meetings in 2012 and 1982. SRU swept ESU, 2-1, 5-1 on April 7, 2012 in a home doubleheader at ESU in the latest matchups.  

About the Warriors: The Warriors (36-14, 24-8 PSAC East) enter the postseason red hot, winners of 12 of their past 14 games against conference foes. ESU, who currently holds the top spot in the NCAA DII Atlantic Region, was selected to finish sixth in the PSAC East preseason coaches’ poll. ESU boasts a balanced team, with its team batting average of .319, which ranks third in the conference. The Warriors’ pitching staff ERA of 2.40 also ranks third. 

About The Rock: The Rock (28-22, 19-13 PSAC West) also enters the postseason with momentum, setting a new program record for wins in a season. Alexsa Hurd is a player to watch, who ranks third in the PSAC in home runs (11) and RBIs (53), while also ranking sixth in the conference in strikeouts as a pitcher. Kelsi Anderson is the other primary hurler, who ranks third in the PSAC in strikeouts.

All-PSAC: The PSAC announced on Tuesday that Paige Zigmund was named the PSAC East Pitcher of the Year and the All-PSAC East Pitcher of the Year. Jada Smallwood, Reilly Vicendese, Abigial Weirich, Molly Nies and Katherine Donaghue were all selected to the All-PSAC East Second Team. 

ESU in the PSAC Tournament: ESU looks to win its second-ever PSAC Championship, after takin home the inaugural PSAC Softball Championship in 1980. The Warriors sport a record of 7-14 all-time. Last season, ESU picked up a dramatic 4-2 win over Gannon in its first contest, before falling to Kutztown and IUP to close its season. 

What’s Next: ESU will play only one game on Wednesday regardless of result. If the Warriors win against Slippery Rock, they will play on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. against Seton Hill, Shippensburg or Gannon. If ESU falls to SRU, they will play Thursday at 12:30 p.m. in an elimination game against California (Pa.), Bloomsburg or Seton Hill.