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BLOOMSBURG—The Bloomsburg (PA) University softball team will begin its quest for an NCAA Division II national championship on Thursday when it takes on Valdosta State in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Softball College World Series. The Huskies, 49-6, will face the Blazers of Valdosta, 48-8, at 3:30 p.m. eastern in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Bloomsburg won the Atlantic Region title in convincing fashion blanking California, PA by scores of 9-0 and 7-0 over the weekend. Pitcher Shavaun Fisher (Coplay, Allentown Central Catholic) threw back-to-back shutouts for the Huskies and helped herself with the bat in game one hitting a solo homer.

The Huskies are led on offense by senior third baseman Nikki Shiko (Shamokin, Southern Columbia) who is batting .415 with four homers and 42 RBI. Shiko is just two runs shy of breaking the record of 65 runs scored in a season. Second on the team in hitting is Danielle Lazorka (Williamsport, Jersey Shore) at .387 with 31 RBI, whileLacy Mauro (Jersey Shore, Jersey Shore) third at .383 with a homer and a team-high 43 RBI. First baseman Sam Pientack (Archbald, Valley View), who is hitting .450 in the post-season, is fourth in average at .368 with a team-high eight homers and 42 RBI, despite missing the first few weeks of the season with an injury.

In the circle, Fisher leads the Huskies with a mark of 34-5 and a 1.00 ERA. Fisher has been dominant the last three games throwing three straight shutouts in NCAA regional competition. Her 34 wins are second most all-time in a single season at Bloomsburg as are her 282 strikeouts in 259 innings of work.

Valdosta, the winner of the South Region, had to rally from a 1-0 deficit in its series with Arkansas-Monticello to advance to the Elite Eight round. The Blazers posted two, one-run victories on Saturday, including a 2-1 win in the deciding game.

The Blazers, who play in the Gulf South Conference, are led offensively by Alyssa Shirey who is batting .416 with 20 homers and 58 RBI, while Amber Shaw is second at .364 with six RBI, but is 19-22 in stolen bases. Marti Littlefield is third in batting at .345 with 16 homers and 48 RBI.

In the circle for the Blazers Margaret Carter is 23-5 with a 1.15 ERA, while Holly Satterfield is 25-3 with a 1.40 ERA. Carter has 153 strikeouts in 176 innings, while Satterfield has 154 K's in 199 innings of work.

This will be the first-ever meeting between the teams.

Bloomsburg will be attempting to send retiring coach Jan Hutchinson out in grand style. The coaching legend, the all-time leader in career wins in NCAA Division II softball history with 1,214, also coached field hockey for the Huskies. She ended her field hockey career with an NCAA D-II national title in the fall of 2009 (the team's fourth straight title and 15th overall). Hutchinson is trying to accomplish the rarest of coaching feats, two national titles in two completely different sports in the same season.