Contact: John Simms 304-766-5760
INSTITUTE, W.Va. – TheWest Virginia State University (WVSU) Lady Yellow Jackets are seeded third in this weekend’s NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Tournament at Shippensburg University, after winning the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) softball tournament championship Saturday.
The Yellow Jackets, who were ranked 25th nationally by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, finished the season with a 41-12 overall record including an 18-5 conference mark. They will face sixth seeded Kutztown (29-21) at noon Friday. Host Shippensburg (31-11), the second seed, will play seventh seeded Bloomsburg (30-17) at 3:30 p.m. with play in the double-elimination event continuing through Sunday.
This is the second consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament for WVSU and the program’s highest seeding.
The team is led by at the plate by sophomore Sabrina Schouten (.459 batting average), junior Mattie Best (.410 average, 46 runs batted in), and senior Desiree Giffin (50 RBI). Seniors Kelsey Lorraine and Sara Pelegreen handled most of the pitching duties this season but freshman Ana Eggleston came on late and was named the Most Valuable Player in the WVIAC tournament.
Sunday’s winner will advance to the super regional May 17-18 at a site to be determined. The finals will be held May 23-27 in Salem, Va.