About The Warriors: ESU (45-15) finished as the runner-up in the PSAC Tournament after falling to West Chester 11-7 on PSAC Championship Sunday. ESU opened the tournament with a 5-4 win over Bloomsburg, before falling to West Chester, 5-3. The Warriors staved off elimination with wins over California Pa. (6-4), Seton Hill (5-1) and Kutztown (9-1), before dropping the first of two potential games to the Golden Rams. ESU's pitching has shined, led by PSAC East Pitcher and Freshman of the Year Sarah Davenport and the Warriors' all-time wins leader in Paige Zigmund combining for a record of 44-14 record. Davenport became the first Warrior to reach 200 and 300 strikeouts in a single season, entering the NCAA Tournament ranking first in strikeouts and strikeouts-per-7-innings, fourth in strikeout-to-walk ratio, fifth in victories, ninth in saves, 14th in WHIP and 25th in ERA as one of the best pitchers in the sport. Reilly Vicendese is one of the Warriors' most accomplished hitters in program history, holding career records in hits, runs, RBIs and is currently tied for the career stolen-base record. Joining Davenport and Vicendese on All-PSAC East teams were Delaney Ridgell (First Team, UTIL/Non-Pitcher) and Taylor Lipkins (2nd Team, OF).
Familiar Foes: ESU welcomes PSAC East rivals Kutztown and Shippensburg to Creekview Park, along with 2023 NCAA DII Atlantic Region participant Bowie State in Atlantic Region Pod 1. The Warriors hold a record of 2-3 against Kutztown, and 1-3 against Shippensburg this season. In its Atlantic Regional opener last season, the Warriors defeated Bowie State, 6-2.
A Look at Bowie State: The Bulldogs (20-21) earned the eight-seed in the Atlantic Regional after earning the CIAA earned-access wins over Fayetteville State, Virginia State and Claflin (2x) to capture the CIAA Championship. Despite a below .500 record, Bowie State enters the NCAA Tournament on an eight-game winning streak. The Bulldogs have speed, ranking 18th nationally in stolen bases per game and fifth in triples among 268 NCAA DII teams. Jayla Hill ranks 19th in the country in batting average (.453), while Corenna Dunham is fourth in the nation in stolen bases with 49.
A Look at Kutztown: The Golden Bears (33-22) were bounced from the PSAC Tournament with a 9-1 loss to ESU last Friday. Kutztown shows balance in its lineup with six batters recording at least 24 RBIs, with Emily Henn’s 49 RBIs leading the way. Three different Golden Bears have smacked at least eight home runs. In the circle, Haley Gravish holds a 19-10 record with 123 strikeouts in 175.1 innings. Naya Darnowski (1B), Henn (LF) and Brianna Stocklin (OF) were all honored on the All-PSAC East Second Team.
A Look at Shippensburg: After picking up wins over IUP and Gannon, the Raiders (33-19) were eliminated from the PSAC Tournament with losses to Kutztown and Seton Hill. SU struggled in its final regular season contests, with a 4-9 record over its past 13 contests. At the plate, SU is led by All-PSAC East Selections Taylor Meyers, Caitlyn Martell, Katelyn Minney and Morgan Lindsay. Meyers holds a .435 batting average with 87 hits and 39 RBIs. Minney paces the squad with 45 RBIs, while Lindsay’s 17 home runs rank 18th nationally and led the PSAC. Allison Ball (19-5) is the top pitcher for the Raiders, who earned All-PSAC East Second Team honors. She holds a 2.57 ERA with 153 strikeouts in 168.2 innings pitched.
No Place Like Home: The Warriors have been nearly unbeatable at Creekview Park this season, tallying a record of 26-2 entering the regional. Since 2021, the Warriors hold a record of 86-14 at its off-campus turf field, including a 5-1 record in NCAA Tournament contests.
ESU NCAA Tournament History: The Warriors will be making its fifth trip to the NCAA Tournament after previous selections in 2006, 2007, 2021, 2023 and now 2024. ESU holds a record of 13-9 in NCAA Tournament games, including a 6-3 record a season ago. ESU earned three consecutive victories in the Atlantic Region Pod 1, before falling to Charleston in the first game of the Super Region. The Warriors bounced back with two shutout wins to advance to their first NCAA Softball Championship appearance in program history. In Chattanooga, ESU fell to eventual national champion North Georgia in its first contest, before picking up the program’s first win in program history at the finals site against Nova Southeastern. ESU bowed out of the tournament with a 6-2 loss to UT Tyler.
Up Next: The Warriors look to advance to the Super Regional for the second consecutive season. If ESU wins the Atlantic Regional, they will have the right to host the Super Regional next week (Tues., May 14th, Wed., May 15) against the Atlantic pod two winner (No. 2 West Chester, No. 3 Charleston, No. 6 Bloomsburg, No. 7 Gannon).
