Tournament Notes

Bloomsburg University begins its quest for the Huskies' 16th PSAC Championship when they take on Gannon in the opening game of the 2013 PSAC Championship Tournament on May 1 at 10 a.m. at Veterans Park in Quakertown.
 
BU enters the tournament as the third seed from the PSAC Central after going 11-5 in conference action and 27-15 overall on the season. The Golden Knights are the third seed from the Western Division.  The winner of the contest will take on Shippensburg at 5 p.m., while the loser plays either West Chester or Lock Haven, also at 5 p.m.
 
The Huskies are led by senior pitcher Cait Paine (Lebanon/Lebanon), the school's all-time strikeout leader with 740 entering the tournament.  This season, Paine rates ninth in Division II with 10.3 strikeouts per seven innings. Her 231 strikeouts on the year are 91 more than any other pitcher in the conference this season.  The senior's ability to miss bats has produced a 1.60 earned run average and Paine holds a record of 14-9 on the season. She tossed a five-inning perfect game against Bowie State on March 3 and a seven-inning no-hitter versus Goldey-Beacom on April 17.
 
When Paine does not toe the rubber for Bloomsburg, Mandi Black (Huntington Mills/Northwest Area) will.  She carries a 4.10 ERA and is 5-5 on the season with 39 strikeouts in 56.1 innings of work.  Black is also an offensive threat for the Huskies with a .328 batting average and three home runs in 67 at bats.
 
The BU offense is led by Kayla McHale (Dillsburg/Northern) and Chrissy Belko (Old Forge/Old Forge).  McHale is second in the conference with a .444 batting average.  The outfielder has team leading totals of 34 runs scored and nine stolen bases to go along with seven doubles and three triples this season.  Belko, BU's shortstop, has clubbed 14 home runs and driven in 47 runners, totals that both rank second in the PSAC. She is a .346 hitter with eight doubles, two triples and a .752 slugging percentage.
 
Rachel Fredell (Dingmans Ferry/Delaware Valley) is batting .363 and ranks among the conference leaders with 10 doubles.  The team's primary option at third base adds four homers and 33 runs batted in to her offensive line. Mandi Baer (Douglassville/Daniel Boone) adds power to the leadoff spot in the Husky lineup.  Playing second base, she has six home runs to go along with 33 runs scored and a .338 batting average.     
 
Gannon finished the season 22-11 overall (7-9 PSAC West) and took third in the PSAC West. The Golden Knights did not face the Huskies this season. A year ago, Gannon fell to Bloomsburg 7-1 in the teams' only matchup of the season in the PSAC tournament. Cait Paine (Lebanon/Lebanon) threw a nine-inning complete game and allowed one run on four hits while striking out 16 and walking none. Offensively, Mandi Baer (Douglassville/Daniel Boone) doubled and had two RBI, and Erika Yanora (Tunkhannock/Tunkhannock) had a two-hit, one RBI day. Jess Rectenwald led Gannon's offense with a solo home run.
 
On the season, Gannon have the fewest strikeouts of any PSAC team with just 92 on the year and is fourth in the conference in on-base percentage with a team OBP of .365. As a team, the Golden Knights are third in the PSAC in batting average at .314 and have hit the sixth-most home runs with 25 despite playing the third-fewest number of games of any team in the division.
 
The Golden Knights are led offensively by Samantha Scott. Scott is third in the PSAC in hitting at .441 and is top-six in the conference in both slugging percentage and OBP. She leads Gannon in home runs with eight on the year which is good for seventh in the PSAC. Scott is also the top run-producer for Gannon with team highs of 30 RBI and 30 runs scored. Alexa Archambeault is second on the team in hitting at .429, the sixth best mark in the division. Kirstie Cortazzo is second on the team in RBI with 26, while Rectenwald is the team's leading threat on the base paths with seven steals on the year.
 
The team is led in the circle by Megan Dragon. She is 12-5 on the year with a team-best 2.39 ERA, 13 complete games and 99 strikeouts in 102.2 innings pitched. Erika Bartholow is 7-2 and has a 3.72 ERA as well as three saves and 37 strikeouts in 69.2 innings pitched.
 
The winner of the Bloomsburg-Gannon matchup will face the number one seed out of the PSAC East, Shippensburg. The Lady Raiders is 30-9 on the season with a 12-4 PSAC East record. Shippensburg has the top pitching staff in the conference with a team ERA of 1.32 and 279 strikeouts in 275.0 innings pitched. Offensively, the team is led by Kiersten Darhower. Darhower has a team-best .370 batting average on the season and is third in the PSAC with 21 stolen bases in 24 attempts. Tyler Thompson is hitting .362 and is second in the conference with 30 stolen bases in 32 attempts. In the circle, Emily Estep has a 15-5 record and a 1.08 ERA to go along with 140 strikeouts in 123.0 innings of work. Liz Parkins is second on the team in ERA at 1.44 and is 9-0 on the year with 62 strikeouts in 63.1 innings.
 
California (Pa.) finished this season with the best record in the conference at 32-2 (15-1 PSAC West). They enter the PSAC tournament in the midst of a six-game win streak and earlier this season had separate win streaks of 12 and nine games. The Vulcans lead the conference in hitting this season with a team batting average of .327 and have the second best team ERA at 1.65. The team is led offensively by Lindsay Reicoff, who is tied with Bloomsburg's Kayla McHale (Dillsburg/Northern) for the best batting average in the PSAC at .444. Reicoff also leads the Vulcans with 11 home runs and 37 RBI. In the circle, three members of the team's pitching staff have sub-2.00 ERAs on the year, led by Alex Sagl. Sagl is 16-1 with a 1.31 ERA, 13 complete games, three saves and 137 strikeouts in 112.1 innings of work.
 
The Vulcans will take on Mansfield University in the first round. The Mountaineers enter the tournament with as the second seed out of the PSAC Central with a record of 25-13 (11-5 PSAC Central). Mansfield hit the third most home runs in the conference this year with 30. The team is led by Kate Pratt, who is hitting .391 on the season. Pratt leads the PSAC in home runs with 16 and RBI with 48. In the circle, Caitlin Klobosits has a team-best 1.90 ERA and is 12-4 on the season with 121 strikeouts in 114.0 innings pitched, while Pratt has a 2.26 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 77.1 innings pitched.
 
Lock Haven enters the tournament as the number one team in the PSAC Central with a record of 28-12 (11-5 PSAC Central). The Lady Eagles have lost each of their last four games, dropping doubleheaders to Mansfield and IUP. On the season, Lock Haven is fifth in the conference with a team ERA of 2.07 and has the third-lowest batting average against at .228. At the plate, Bridget Clark leads the team with a .346 average and 29 runs scored, while Nicole Smith is hitting .310 and has team-highs of seven home runs and 28 RBI. Brianna Jennings leads the team in the circle with a 20-6 record and a 1.69 ERA. Jennings has struck out 125 batters in 162.0 innings of work while posting 14 complete games.
 
The Lady Eagles will face West Chester in round one of the PSAC tournament. West Chester finished the season with a 32-17 overall record (9-7 PSAC East). The Golden Rams lead the PSAC in RBI, runs scored and stolen bases this season with 229, 268 and 84, respectively. The team is led offensively by the trio of Ali Vavala, Kelly Anderson and Megan Kelly. Vavala leads the team in hitting at .373 and has 13 stolen bases. Anderson is hitting .366 with 34 RBI and 11 steals. Megan Kelly is third on the team in hitting at .359 and has a PSAC-leading 33 steals in 38 attempts. In the circle, Devon Utterback leads the Rams with an 18-7 record, a 1.66 ERA and 134 strikeouts in 181.0 innings pitched. She has also tossed 19 complete games on the year, good for second in the PSAC.
 
Mercyhurst took second in its division with a 20-28 overall record (7-9 PSAC West). The Lakers are third in the conference in walks with 124 as a team. Individually, Courtney Smith is sixth in the PSAC with a .415 batting average and leads Mercyhurst with 28 RBI. Shaina Bunker is hitting .318 and has a team-high four home runs as well as 25 RBI. In the circle, Megan Hopton has a team-best 11 wins and 3.76 ERA. She has struck out 80 batters in 141.1 innings pitched and tossed 12 complete games on the year.
 
The Lakers will take on Kutztown in the first round. The Golden Bears finished the year 25-21 (9-7 PSAC East) and took second in their division. As a team, they are second in the conference in hitting at .314 and fourth in home runs with 27. Colleen Smith leads the team in hitting with a .403 average, home runs with 11 and RBI with 42. Her home run and RBI totals are both good for third in the PSAC. Morgan Booth is second on the team in hitting with a .367 batting average and has a team-best 20 stolen bases in 24 attempts. In the circle, Dominique Ficara has 13 wins on the year as well as a 2.83 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 168.1 innings pitched. Mary Kociencki has 11 wins, a 3.08 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 118.1 innings.