West Virginia Wesleyan Tournament Central
NCAA Division II Softball Championship Regional Brackets

BLOOMSBURG POSTSEASON GAME NOTES

BLOOMSBURG at NCAA Division II Softball Atlantic Regional 1 Championships (double elimination)
hosted by West Virginia Wesleyan
Thursday, May 5 - Saturday, May 7
Culpepper Field - Buckhannon, W. Va.

The Huskies, 44-7, will be the fourth seed and will face fifth-seeded California (PA) in an opening round game of the Atlantic Region tournament on Thursday at 12:00 p.m. The winner of that game will face the winner of the matchup between the top-seeded West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats and the eighth seeded Rams from Winston-Salem State University. The tournament is double elimination.

QUICK LINKS
#4 Bloomsburg (44-7, 19-1 PSAC Central) - Schedule | Roster | Statistics
#5 California (PA) (35-4, 19-1 PSAC West) - Schedule | Roster | Statistics
#1 West Virginia Wesleyan (50-8, 27-5 MEC) - Schedule | Roster | Statistics
#8 Winston-Salem State (30-21, 13-3 CIAA) - Schedule | Roster | Statistics

OPENING ROUND GAME
#4 Bloomsburg (44-7) vs #5 California (PA) (35-4)
Thursday, May 5 - 12:00 PM

GAME COVERAGE
Live Stats - CLICK HERE
Live Video - CLICK HERE (free of charge / sign-up required)

SCOUTING BLOOMSBURG (POSTSEASON GAME NOTES)
Bloomsburg earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Championships by winning the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship on Saturday taking two games from California (PA). The Huskies won the opener, 5-4, in eight innings, and then posted a 5-1 win in the deciding game. Junior Taylor Parker (Dewart, Pa./Warrior Run) was named the PSAC Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player after hitting .333 with three homers and five RBI and going 1-0 in two games as a pitcher with a 2.00 ERA.  The PSAC title was the 16th in school history and the first since 2010. Also playing a starring role for the Huskies in the PSAC tournament were freshman Taylor Winkelman (Springfield, Pa/Springfield), who hit .500 with a home run and four runs batted in and junior Sarah Bortner (Glenville, Pa./South Western), who was 2-1 with a save and a 1.29 ERA.

Storied History ...
This season marks the 40th year of softball at Bloomsburg University. In those 40 seasons, the Huskies have now reached the NCAA Tournament 33 times - including 32 consecutive seasons from 1983 to 2014. Bloomsburg won the NAIA Division III National Championship in 1982 before becoming an NCAA member in 1983. The Huskies have made it past the regional round 11 times, finishing as high as the national runners-up in 1991 and in 1995. Meanwhile, the Huskies' PSAC Championship this season was the 16th in program history - first since 2010. Bloomsburg won eight straight PSAC crowns from 1983 to 1990 and then won four straight from 1992 to 1995. The Huskies' 44 wins this season are tied for the seventh-most in program history. Bloomsburg's record for victories in a season is 53 (53-6) set during the 1995 campaign.

Postseason Honors For The Huskies (LINK TO STORY) ...
Bloomsburg collected a number of postseason awards from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) on Tuesday with six players named to the All-PSAC Central Division Team. The Huskies also garnered three of the four major honors in the division. Junior Taylor Parker (Dewart, Pa./Warrior Run) and freshman Taylor Winkelman (Springfield, Pa/Springfield) were the big winners. Parker was the Central Division Athlete of the Year and earned the Utility Pitcher spot on the All-Division Team. Winkelman was the Central Division Freshman of the Year and was selected as the Utility Non-Pitcher on the All-Division Team. Head coach Susan Kocher was named the Central Division Coach of the Year. It marked the first time that Kocher earned a postseason honor from the conference. Joining Parker and Winkelman on the All-Central Division Team were junior Anna McElroy (Jessup, Pa./Valley View) (catcher), sophomore Emily Mayhew (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) (outfield), junior Mallory Tomaschik (Catawissa, Pa./Southern Columbia) (pitcher), and junior Sarah Bortner (Glenville, Pa./South Western) (at-large).

Three-Headed Monster ...
Bloomsburg's pitching rotation has been dominant this season with all three landing a spot on the All-PSAC Central Division Team. Joining junior Taylor Parker (Dewart, Pa./Warrior Run) (Utility Pitcher), junior Mallory Tomaschik (Catawissa, Pa./Southern Columbia) was named as a pitcher and has gone 15-0 with a 1.54 earned run average. She has struck out 82 batters in 100 innings and has allowed only 80 hits (.213 opponent batting average). She has thrown eight complete games and has three shutouts. Junior Sarah Bortner (Glenville, Pa./South Western) was selected as an at-large member and has gone 16-6 with a 1.16 ERA (second in the PSAC). She has struck out 141 batters in 138.2 innings and has allowed only 93 hits (.185 opponent batting average). She also has five saves. Bortner earned both victories in relief on Saturday against California in the PSAC Championship. All told, the Huskies' pitching staff has a 1.49 ERA and has limited opponents to just a .195 batting average. Bloomsburg has also thrown 15 shutouts this season.

That's Offensive ...
Bloomsburg enters the tournament with a .319 batting average and boasts five regulars with at least a .300 average on the season. Freshman Taylor Winkelman (Springfield, Pa/Springfield) leads the way with a .401 batting average and has had 25 games with at least two hits this season. Junior Taylor Parker (Dewart, Pa./Warrior Run) is next at .384 with 20 multiple-hit games. Sophomore Emily Mayhew (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) sports a .372 batting average and has had 22 multiple-hit contests. She also had the team's longest hitting streak - 21 games - from March 17 to April 16. Also hitting above .300 are junior Mallory Tomaschik (Catawissa, Pa./Southern Columbia) (.317) and senior Valerie Carcasses (Barnegat, N.J./Barnegat) (.316). Junior Anna McElroy (Jessup, Pa./Valley View) is right on the cusp as she comes in with a .299 average on the season. She had the game-tying two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning of game one against California in the PSAC Championship. The Huskies also have five players that rotate in-and-out of the lineup who are above the .300-mark. Leading the way is sophomore Maggie Hall (Cooperstown, N.Y./Cooperstown) who has 14 hits in 35 at-bats this season (.400). Freshman Rachel Breuninger (Sparta, N.J./Lenape Valley Regional) (.368), freshman Emily Getz (Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown) (.353), junior Holly Peacock (Williamsport, Pa./Jersey Shore) (.321), and sophomore Bridget Casey (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) (.314) have also provided spark when called upon.

Parker leads the Huskies with 14 home runs this season - the seventh-highest single-season total in program history. Her 20 career home runs are tied for ninth in the school's annals. Parker's 52 runs batted in are tied for fifth-most in one season in school history. She has had 17 games this season in which she has driven in at least two runs. Mayhew is second on the team in both categories with nine home runs and 42 runs batted in. Mayhew has 13 multiple-RBI contests to date. Senior Erica Keen (Gordonville, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) has belted a career-high five round trippers this season. As a team, the Huskies have hit 43 home runs - tops in the PSAC.

If there is one weakness in Bloomsburg's offense, it may be the running game. The Huskies rank 15th out of 17 teams in the PSAC with eight stolen bases this season and are tied for last in stolen base attempts with ten. Winkelman has seven of the team's eight swipes this season and is 7-of-8 on the year.

Defense And Pitching ...
While the Huskies' have batted .319 as a team this season, the pitching staff leads the PSAC in opponents' batting average by holding the opposition to a .195 average. The opposition has only outhit Bloomsburg six times during the regular season - the Huskies are 4-2 in those games. The Huskies' team earned run average is 1.49 which is second in the conference. Bloomsburg pitchers have also struck out a league-high 323 batters this season. Bloomsburg's three main arms rank in the top eleven in the PSAC in ERA - junior Sarah Bortner (Glenville, Pa./South Western) (second), junior Mallory Tomaschik (Catawissa, Pa./Southern Columbia) (eighth), and junior Taylor Parker (Dewart, Pa./Warrior Run) (eleventh). The Huskies have allowed only 21 home runs this season and are 34-1 when they don't give up a jack. Defensively, the Huskies have committed 47 errors in 51 games to date and sport a .967 fielding percentage - tied for third-best in the PSAC. Bloomsburg did make eight errors in six games during the PSAC Tournament - five of which came during the Huskies' only loss against California (PA) in the PSAC Semifinals. Bloomsburg is 21-1 this season when it does not commit an error and is 23-6 in games where it makes at least one miscue.

SCOUTING CALIFORNIA (PA)
The Vulcans finished the regular season with a 32-2 record and won their first three PSAC Tournament games before losing back-to-back championship games to Bloomsburg last week. Emily Price leads the team, and is fifth in the PSAC - among qualified players - in batting average (.420) and in doubles (14). Natayla Smarra follows Price with a .355 batting average to go along with eight home runs and a team-high 44 RBI. Lindsay Reicoff leads California with nine home runs and is hitting .321 with 26 RBI on the year.

In the circle, the Vulcans' team ERA of 1.69 is third behind Bloomsburg and West Chester, while their opponents' .204 batting average is second-lowest in the PSAC. Alex Sagl leads California with 14 wins and 145 strikeouts in 117.2 innings pitched while Meghan Uher has tallied 13 wins with 50 strikeouts on the season. The Vulcans pitching and defense present a tough matchup for opponents, as they have allowed more than three runs in a game just nine times this year.

SCOUTING WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN
The Lady Bobcats enter the tournament winners of 11 of their last 12 contests including back-to-back wins over Charleston in the MEC Tournament finals. Brooklyn Waddell leads the team with a .381 batting average, 77 hits, and 53 RBI. Another key contributor to the West Virginia Wesleyan lineup is Morgan Bruce, who hs a .347 batting average, a team-high 13 home runs, and 48 RBI. The Lady Bobcats, as a team, lead the MEC in batting average (.341), home runs (53), RBI (331), and slugging percentage (.503).

In the circle, Hannah Vet has won 22 games to lead the team and her 0.78 ERA is the sixth-lowest in all of Division II. Vet has fanned 89 batters and has 20 complete games so far this year. Sayaka Foley is second on the team with 17 wins and has struck out 147 batters in 128.2 innings to go along with a 1.63 ERA. West Virginia Wesleyan leads its conference in ERA (1.24), shutouts (26), opponents' batting average (.201) and has given up the fewest earned runs of any team in the MEC (67).

SCOUTING WINSTON-SALEM STATE
The Rams have won eight straight games including a 5-4 win over Chowan to claim the CIAA Championship last week. Tiarra Delaney leads the team with a .381 batting average and is fifth with 21 RBI, while Mercedes Hargett has a team-high seven home runs to go along with a .313 batting average. Winston-Salem State is sixth in the CIAA with a .295 team batting average, but has hit .377 and scored 72 runs in its last eight games.

In the circle, Hargett has won 20 games and struck out 198 batters in 211.2 innings of work. She posted an ERA of 2.61 and threw 27 complete games for the Rams, who have given up just 14 runs during their eight-game winning streak.