QUAKERTOWN, Pa. – For the fourth consecutive year, the Mercyhurst University softball team will compete at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championship Tournament.  The PSAC Tournament will take place on Wednesday, May 1 at 1:00 p.m. with the Championship game concluding on Saturday, May 4.
 
Tickets for the Tournament will be available at the gate.  Admissions are $10 per day for adults, children 12 & under are free as well as students with a valid PSAC institution ID. 
 
After clinching second place in the PSAC West Division, the Lakers will face Kutztown University on Wednesday, May 1 scheduled at 1:00 p.m. Seventh-ranked California (Pa.) (32-2; 15-1) clinched first place in the Western Division and will face Mansfield.  Gannon University (22-11; 7-9) captured third in the West and will compete against Bloomsburg University. 
 
Mercyhurst completed its regular season on Sunday, hosting Indiana (Pa.).  The Lakers finished with an overall record of 20-27, and were 7-9 in the PSAC West.  Mercyhurst clinched a PSAC playoff bid after sweeping Edinboro University on Saturday by scores of 8-0 and 5-4.

Junior Courtney Smith leads the team with a .415 batting average and leads the team with 28 runs batted in this season.  Smith also leads the team with 13 doubles and is second with 3 homeruns.  Freshman Allison Yule is second on the team with a .333 batting average with 20 runs batted in and tied for second with Smith with 3 homeruns.  Bunker leads the team with four homeruns and is second with 9 doubles and has a .318 batting average. 
 
As a team, the Lakers have a team batting average of .282 with 156 total runs batted in and 357 hits this season.  Defensively the Lakers have combined for 916 putouts and 493 assists. 
 
This is the first meeting for the Lakers against Kutztown University this season.  Kutztown leads the all-time series 5-1 and  beat the Lakers in the first round of the PSAC playoffs in Drifton, Pa. last season. Kutztown was ranked fourth in the country at the time as they beat the Lakers 4-0 as Mercyhurst gave up three homeruns. 
 
This season, Kutztown is 25-21 overall and finishd 9-7 in the PSAC Eastern Division.   The Golden Bears also clinched the PSAC playoffs as the second seed, behind No. 20 Shippensburg and ahead of West Chester.  Kutztown is batting .314  as a team and has outscored its opponents 205 to 144. 
 
For all the PSAC action, including the tournament bracket, please click here.