CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

• Event: 2019 NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional (Hosted by West Virginia State)
• When: May 9-11
• Where: Institute, W.Va.
• Venue: Lady Jacket Field
• First Round Matchup: No. 3 West Chester vs. No. 6 Gannon
• Game Time: Thursday, May 9 at 2:30 p.m.

 
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

• Ticket Prices: Adults: $5; Students: $3; Children 3-12: $2
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TOURNAMENT COVERAGE

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• Live Stats: Click Here
• Twitter: @GUKnights

 
NCAA TOURNAMENT
Separated into two sub-regionals, West Virginia State will serve as the host for half of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional, while West Liberty will host the other half of the regional tournament. Action is scheduled from May 9-11. Lock Haven earned the PSAC automatic bid after winning the conference tournament for the first time in 10 years, while West Liberty earned the Mountain East Conference (MEC) bid and Winston-Salem State got the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) bid for winning their respective crowns. 

Joining Gannon and West Chester at the first sub-regional site will be West Virginia State and Winston-Salem State. Sixth-seeded Gannon (30-14) will face third-seeded West Chester (34-19) on Thursday at 2:30 p.m., while second-ranked West Virginia State (33-14) will take on seventh-ranked Winston-Salem State (32-11) at noon.

The second sub-regional site will be held at West LIberty. The top-seeded Hilltoppers (36-17) will take on eighth-seeded Lock Haven (31-17-1) in the first game at noon. Fourth-ranked Shepherd (38-16) will face fifth-ranked Concord (38-19) at 2:30 p.m.

NCAA TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
 
Thursday, May 9th
Game 1 – 12 p.m.             No. 2 West Virginia State vs. No. 7 Winston-Salem State
Game 2 – 2:30 p.m.          No. 3 West Chester vs. No. 6 Gannon
 
Friday, May 10th
Game 3 – 11 a.m.             Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Game 4 – 1:30 p.m.          Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 (Loser Eliminated)
Game 5 – 4 p.m.               Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3 (Loser Eliminated
 
Saturday, May 11th
Game 6 – 12 p.m.             Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5
Game 7 – 2:30 p.m.          IF NECESSARY
 
NO. 6 SEED GANNON LADY KNIGHTS

• Head Coach: Michelle Wiley (First Season)
• Overall Record: 30-14
• PSAC Record: 14-6
• NCAA Regional Ranking: Sixth
• Batting Average: .307
• ERA: 2.80

 
GANNON TEAM NOTES

• Gannon is making its second consecutive NCAA appearance and seventh in program history.
• GU made three consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament from 2005-2007. The teams went 1-2 in 2005, 2-2 in 2006 and 1-2 in 2007. The Lady Knights posted a 1-2 record at the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional in 2015.
• Most recently, the Lady Knights reached the Atlantic Super Regional for the first time in program history last spring after winning the Atlantic Regional 2 Championship, knocking off No. 23 West Virginia Wesleyan with a 9-7 walk-off home run in extra innings.
• The Lady Knights made their ninth consecutive trip to the PSAC Tournament last week, advancing to the championship game for the third time in the past five seasons.
• Gannon cleaned up with all-conference accolades as head coach Michelle Wiley (Coach of the Year), Madi Beining (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) (Pitcher of the Year) and Megan Dietrick (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) (Freshman of the Year) won three of the four major awards.
• Taylor Wilp (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) (second base), Sarah Ingerick (Middlebury Center, Pa./Wellsboro Area) (shortstop), Kristina DeMatteis (Boyers, Pa./Moniteau) (third base), Rachel Tanilli (Gibsonia, Pa./Deer Lakes) (outfield), Lisa Szajn (Maple, Ontario/St. Joan of Arc Catholic) (at-large) and Maria Taliani (Cheswick, Pa./Deer Lakes) (at-large) joined Beining (pitcher) and Dietrick (utility) on the All-PSAC team.
• Ingerick is hitting .383 with team-highs in hits (59), runs scored (31) and slugging percentage (.656), while ranking second in home runs (10) and third in RBI (28) and doubles (12).
• Ingerick became Gannon's first-ever D2CCA All-Region First Team selection on Wednesday.
• Kaity Stocker (Tipp City, Ohio/Tippecanoe) has a team-high 11 home runs and 31 RBI.
• The Lady Knights set a single-season home run record at the PSAC Tournament last week with their 50th homer of the year.
• Beining owns a 2.30 ERA and a 17-6 record. She recorded her 100th strikeout of the season last week.

 
 
NO. 2 SEED WEST VIRGINIA STATE YELLOW JACKETS

• Head Coach: Mattie Best (Second Season)
• Overall Record: 33-14
• MEC Record: 11-4
• NCAA Regional Ranking: Second
• Batting Average: .315
• ERA: 1.89

 
WEST VIRGINIA STATE TEAM NOTES

• WVSU is back in the tournament for the second consecutive year and hosting for the first time.
• The Yellow Jackets recently won their first Mountain East Conference South Division title.
• As a team, West Virginia State is hitting .315 with seven starters hitting above .300.
• Paige Scruggs is hitting .395 with a team-high 58 hits.
• Brittany Allison has 37 RBI and 10 homers.
• All four WVSU pitchers see significant action in the circle, with Kasey Murphy leading the way with a 1.42 ERA and a 9-3 record. Emily Thompson (1.94) also has racked up nine wins this year.

 
NO. 3 SEED WEST CHESTER GOLDEN RAMS

• Head Coach: Diane Lokey (16th Season)
• Overall Record: 34-19
• PSAC Record: 11-5
• NCAA Regional Ranking: Third
• Batting Average: .307
• ERA: 2.56

 
WEST CHESTER TEAM NOTES

• West Chester placed six players on the All-PSAC East team, led by Reilly Gearhart who was tabbed Pitcher of the Year. She is 16-7 with a 1.98 ERA and 93 strikeouts.
• Emily Maseth is hitting .401 with 51 RBI, while Heidi McCollester has hit 10 homers and a team-high 63 RBI.
• In her 16th season at the helm, Diane Lokey also earned Coach of the Year honors.
• The Golden Rams edged Gannon last year in the NCAA DII Super Regionals.

 
NO. 7 WINSTON-SALEM STATE RAMS

• Head Coach: LaTaya Hilliard-Gray (18th Season)
• Overall Record: 32-11
• CIAA Record: 16-2
• NCAA Regional Ranking: Seventh
• Batting Average: .358
• ERA: 3.28

 
WINSTON-SALEM STATE TEAM NOTES

• WSSU earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after capturing the CIAA last week for the first time since 2016.
• The Rams have three powerhouse hitters who are hitting well above .400 this season.
• Daijah Chambers is hitting .463 with team-highs of 57 hits, five triples and 44 RBI.
• Destiny Snipes (.443) has 54 hits on the year, while Erica Davis (.482) has 53 hits and 10 doubles.
• Davis and Tia Robinson split time in the circle, each appearing in 26 games. Davis is 14-7 with a 2.65 ERA and 93 strikeouts, while Robinson is 15-3 with a 3.73 ERA and 67 strikeouts.
• Davis, Chambers, Snipes and Shauntaja Dedecker all earned first team All-CIAA honors, while Robinson and Nyla Howard earned second team accolades.