NCAA ATLANTIC REGIONAL PREVIEW: Reflection in mirror for Kutztown softball is Shepherd

KUTZTOWN, PA (May 12, 2010) - The Kutztown University softball team will be making its eighth consecutive NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional appearance and will meet Shepherd University in the opening round on Friday, May 14 at California University of Pennsylvania's Lilly Field at 2:30 p.m. (Regional Central Page)

Sixth-seeded Shepherd is making its second regional appearance and first since 2007. The Rams lost to Seton Hill and Charleston in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament (WVIAC) and enter Friday's contest with a record of 35-13.

The winner of Friday's contest will take on the winner of the other first round matchup between seventh-seeded Fairmont State and second seeded California. That game starts the action beginning at noon. The other half of the regional is hosted by Bloomsburg. The top-seeded Huskies meet eighth-seeded Chowan of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association and fourth seeded West Virginia Wesleyan battles fifth seeded Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

The third-seeded Golden Bears enter the tournament with a 41-16 record overall. In the PSAC tournament, KU went 2-2 with both losses coming to eventual champion and Atlantic Region No. 1 Bloomsburg.

The teams are practically mirror images of each other from a statistical standpoint. Each have at least four everyday players batting .300 or better and each boast a pair of starting pitchers that can shut down opposing offenses.

For the Rams, Nichole Pitcock is as much a threat with the bat as she is in the pitching arm. She leads the team in batting average (.347), hits (51) and RBIs (35). Pitcock ties for the team lead with five home runs and her 30 runs scored are two off the leader. In the pitcher's circle, she has 15 wins and a 1.76 ERA in 24 games started. In 131 innings, she has 13 complete games and struck out 129 batters.

Tricia Bettura has a microscopic 1.26 earned run average with a 19-7 record. She has pitched 172.1 innings, striking out 172 and firing 17 complete games. Bettura is also thriving at the plate, hitting .328 with 21 RBIS and 23 runs scored.

Kris Durham (.333, 33 RBIs), Biana Biondillo (.306, 25 runs scored) and Chelsi Oals (.301, 18 RBIs) have provided pop to a lineup that has scored 237 runs this season.

The Golden Bears will counter with senior sensation Katlin Arbogast (Ambler, PA/Wissahickon) and junior standout Monica Glomb (Mars, PA/Mars).

Arbogast has gone the distance in 27 of her 31 starts, compiling a 2.10 ERA and 24 wins. She has worked 240 innings, striking out 243 and holding opponents to just a .214 batting average against. Glomb has picked up 15 wins and posts a 2.59 ERA. She has struck out 91 batters in 128.2 innings and has thrown nine complete games. She has 97 wins and has 1,001 strikeouts in her remarkable career.

Nicole Colineri (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood) leads the Golden Bears with a .363 batting average and 13 stolen bases. Freshman catcher Katie Lynch (Willow Street, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) has been stellar with a .342 batting average, 17 doubles, five home runs and 39 RBIs.

Maria Schiavo (Old Forge, PA/Old Forge) has ignited the offense from the leadoff spot. She is hitting .337 with 16 doubles and a team-best 41 runs scored.

The winner and losers of Friday's contest will square off on Saturday. The winner of this pod will advance to the NCAA Super Regional tournament on May 20-21 and face the regional winner from the Bloomsburg site.

--KU--

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