THIS WEEKEND’S SOFTBALL ACTION
NCAA Division II Atlantic Super Regional
Location: North Campus Field, Kutztown, Pa.
Friday, May 17
Game 1 – (6) Kutztown vs. (4) West Chester, 1 p.m.
Saturday, May 18
Game 2 – (4) West Chester vs. (6) Kutztown, 1 p.m.
Game 3 – (6) Kutztown vs. (4) West Chester (if necessary), 3:30 p.m.
Tickets: $7 for Adults, and $3 for Students/Senior Citizens, $2 Children (3-12).
SETTING THE STAGE
West Chester University has reached the Super Regionals for the first time in school history by virtue of its three wins last weekend in the Atlantic Region 1 pod of the NCAA Division II Softball Tournament. Kutztown also went 3-0 last weekend to capture the Atlantic Region 2 pod for the right to defend its Atlantic Region title.
West Chester knocked off No. 8 California (Pa.) twice on the Vulcans’ home field last weekend to stamp its ticket to the Super Regionals. Kutztown traveled to Shippensburg where the Bears defeated Bloomsburg in the finals of its pod last Sunday. West Chester (37-19) received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and the No. 4 seed in the Atlantic Region, while Kutztown (32-21) used the PSAC’s automatic qualifier as conference champ to enter the field as the No. 6 seed in the Atlantic Region.
THE ROAD TO SALEM, Va.
Next weekend, eight Super Regional winners will advance to the 2013 NCAA Division II national finals at the Moyer Complex in Salem, Va. The Atlantic Region winner will play the winner of the Midwest Region on May 23 at 5 p.m. Top-ranked Indianapolis (53-6) takes on No. 9 Grand Valley State (42-6) in that Super Regional this weekend.
WEST CHESTER HEAD COACH DIANE LOKEY
Diane Lokey is in the midst of her 10th season at West Chester University having resurrected a program that had not experienced a winning season in more than a decade when she arrived on campus in 2004. Since then, Lokey has guided her charges to the NCAA Tournament three times and the PSAC Tournament in each of the past four campaigns. In 2011, West Chester played for the PSAC Championship for the first time in school history, falling to nationally ranked Indiana, Pa., in the title game. This weekend, her ladies compete in the Super Regional for the first time as they look to make history with a possible College World Series appearance next weekend.
Lokey has carved out an overall record of 263-230-1 (.533) at West Chester University entering this weekend’s Super Regional. Including her two seasons at Division III Elizabethtown, Lokey owns a career collegiate head coaching record of 312-246-1 (.559).
Tabbed with rebuilding the Golden Rams’ program 10 years ago, Lokey has turned the Golden Rams’ diamondwomen into one of the top programs in the Eastern Division. Lokey has authored a 30-win season in four of the last six seasons and was named PSAC Eastern Division coach of the year in 2008 and again in 2010.
WEST CHESTER SEASON IN REVIEW
West Chester University is in the midst of its most successful softball campaign in school history. The Golden Rams have won a single-season school record 37 contests and won more than one game in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history as well. The 2013 campaign also marks the first time that West Chester qualified for both the PSAC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament in the same season. The Golden Rams’ received the fourth seed in the Atlantic Region – its highest seeding in three trips to the big dance.
West Chester finished in a tie for second place in the PSAC Eastern Division, along with Kutztown. Each school had a 9-7 conference mark. However, Kutztown held the tie-breaker and thus earned the No. 2 seed out of the East in the PSAC Tournament while West Chester settled for the third seed. The Golden Rams defeated Lock Haven in the opening round of the PSAC Tournament, but dropped a decision to Kutztown the following day. Later that afternoon, West Chester eliminated Shippensburg from the PSAC Tournament and advanced to the conference semifinals. Cal defeated the Golden Rams the next morning, knocking WCU out of the conference tournament.
2013 ALL-PSAC EAST SELECTIONS
Jr., OF – Kelly Anderson (Wilmington, Del.)
Jr., DP/RHP – Kim Murl (Hamilton, N.J.)
Jr., OF – Megan Kelly (Horsham, Pa.)
Sr., RHP – Devon Utterback (Warrington, Pa.)
2013 NFCA ALL-ATLANTIC REGION (Coaches)
Jr., 2B – Jess Schuck (Richboro, Pa.)
2013 DAKTRONICS, INC., ALL-ATLANTIC REGION (Sports Information Dir.’s)
Jr., 2B – Jess Schuck (Richboro, Pa.)
Sr., RHP – Devon Utterback (Warrington, Pa.)
WEST CHESTER IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
West Chester University is making its third trip to the NCAA Division II Softball Championships. The Golden Rams are 4-4 all-time in the tournament, including their three wins last weekend in California, Pa. This is the furthest West Chester has ever ventured into the postseason in school history. The Rams made back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2008 and 2009.
2008 NCAA MID-ATLANTIC REGIONAL (Kutztown, Pa.)
5/07/08 vs. California (Pa.) L, 0-7
5/08/08 vs. Bowie State W, 4-0
5/10/08 vs. Kutztown L, 0-1
2009 NCAA ATLANTIC REGION-2 (Kutztown, Pa.)
5/08/09 vs. Kutztown L, 1-5
5/09/09 vs. Bloomsburg L, 0-2
2013 NCAA ATLANTIC REGION-1 (California, Pa.)
5/10/13 vs. Lock Haven W, 10-1 (6)
5/11/13 vs. California (Pa.) W, 4-3
5/12/13 vs. California (Pa.) W, 6-3
WEST CHESTER CHASING RECORDS
West Chester University senior right-hander Devon Utterback is closing in on a couple of school records as she winds down her collegiate career. Utterback broke the school’s single-season record for strikeouts earlier this spring. She now has 157 K’s on the year. Utterback is just one strikeout away from tying the all-time record of 366 career K’s. She has 365 punchouts in her career. Below is a list of where Utterback stands on several career lists
WCU Career Strikeouts
1) Shannon Padula (2006-09) 366
2) Devon Utterback (2010-13) 365
WCU Career Wins
1) Shannon Padula (2006-09) 61
2) Devon Utterback (2010-13) 55
Dana Barnabei (1996-99) 55
WCU Career Appearances
1) Shannon Padula (2006-09) 146
2) Dana Barnabei (1996-99) 132
3) Devon Utterback (2010-13) 115
WCU Career Shutouts
1) Shannon Padula (2006-09) 17
2) Dana Barnabei (1996-99) 16
3) Devon Utterback (2010-13) 11
WCU Career Innings Pitched
1) Shannon Padula (2006-09) 721.1
2) Dana Barnabei (1996-99) 695.2
3) Adina DeHainaut (2003-08) 580.1
4) Devon Utterback (2010-13) 545.0
WEST CHESTER RECORD FOR GAMES PLAYED
West Chester University will take the field for the 57th time on Friday, which is a single-season high for the Golden Rams’ softball squad. WCU surpassed the previous record of 54 games played in 2008 this past weekend in California (Pa.). Only the baseball team has played more games in a single season (61) than this year’s softball squad. West Chester’s ladies would have to reach the College World Series to challenge that all-sport single-season mark.
