ERIE, Pa. – The Mercyhurst College softball team will compete in its first PSAC Tournament, earning the No. 2 seed in the PSAC West. The Lakers will play in a three-team double-elimination tournament at West Chester Friday, April 23 and Saturday, April 24.

A total of three three-team tournaments will be contested this weekend, with West Chester, California (Pa.) and Bloomsburg serving as the host sites. The winners of each pool will meet in the PSAC final round Friday, April 30 and Saturday, May 1 at the highest remaining seed. Each round has a double-elimination format.

Mercyhurst (23-21) will play against defending national champion Lock Haven Friday at 11 a.m. at West Chester Softball Field. Lock Haven (20-19) earned the third seed in the PSAC's Central Division with a 6-10 divisional mark. 

The loser of the Mercyhurst-Lock Haven game will play against West Chester in game two at 1 p.m. Friday. The Golden Rams (29-14) finished in a tie with Kutztown for first place in the PSAC East with a 12-4 record in divisional games. West Chester will then play the game one winner at 3 p.m. Friday.

Saturday's format will be determined by the number of remaining teams. If all three teams remain, lots will be drawn to determine which teams will play in game four. If two teams remain, they will face to determine the champion. The first game Saturday will be played at 12 p.m., followed by a 2 p.m. contest, if necessary.

The Lakers earned their first PSAC Tournament berth with a 9-7 divisional record, fueled by a late-season four-game winning streak that included sweeps of Slippery Rock and Edinboro. Mercyhurst is in the conference tournament for the third time in the last four seasons. Eight current Lakers have competed in GLIAC postseason play, having made back-to-back GLIAC postseason appearances in 2007 and 2008.

Mercyhurst saw both of this weekend's opponents last season. The team dropped a pair of pitching duels at Lock Haven, 3-1 and 2-0 March 28, 2009. West Chester swept a double-header at Mercyhurst April 11, 2009, 3-0 and 7-4.

This season, the Lakers have batted .283 as a team, scoring 4.6 runs per game. Junior Michelle Schmitz leads the team at .352 with 36 RBI, hitting nine home runs and 13 doubles. Sophomore Jen Bower (.348) paces the team with 14 doubles and 11 homers, while sophomore Emily Redig bats .306 with five home runs and 16 RBI. The Laker pitching staff holds a 2.99 ERA, led by sophomore Kristi Janoske (13-13) at 2.25. Janoske has fashioned three shutouts and 94 strikeouts. Junior Amanda Norman has gone 8-7 with a 3.50 ERA.

First round pairings - Friday, April 23

(at West Chester)
Game 1 - Lock Haven vs. Mercyhurst, 11:00 a.m.
Game 2 - West Chester vs. Game 1 loser, 1:00 p.m.
Game 3 - West Chester vs. Game 1 winner, 3:00 p.m.


(at Bloomsburg)
Game 1 - Edinboro vs. Kutztown, 11:00 a.m.
Game 2 - Bloomsburg vs. Game 1 loser, 1:00 p.m.
Game 3 - Bloomsburg vs. Game 1 winner, 3:00 p.m.


(at California)
Game 1 - East Stroudsburg vs. IUP, 11:00 a.m.
Game 2 - California vs. Game 1 loser, 1:00 p.m.
Game 3 - California vs. Game 1 winner, 3:00 p.m.