KUTZTOWN, Pa. (March 21, 2012) – The Kutztown University softball team plans to take back their win on Friday in its home-opener, which features a doubleheader against Georgian Court University, beginning at 2:30 at North Campus Field.

After the release of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Top 25 poll on Wednesday morning, the Golden Bears (20-1 overall) moved up four spots and are ranked eighth in the nation, the highest ranking since 2009.

Going into this weekend with a 12-game winning streak, KU wants nothing more than to defeat Georgian Court – the only team they have lost to this season. Georgian Court slid past KU, 3-2 in the National Training Center (NTC) Spring Games in Florida two weeks ago.

Junior shortstop Brianna Knipe (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) (Bethlehem, Pa./ Liberty) stands out as one of the team's most vocal players on the field. With the ability to take the role as the loudest voice in between plays, Knipe's enthusiasm to get a win on Friday speaks volumes.

“It's a burn playing a team that makes our record 20-1, because it's just one,” Knipe said.

Knipe has contributed to her team's 20 wins this season with a .403 batting average that includes 25 hits and 22 RBIs. She's currently holding onto an 11-game hitting streak that she doesn't plan on breaking anytime soon. With 17 hits throughout 11 games, Knipe isn't quick to be cocky when she recognizes every player's role on the team.

“One through nine, there's nobody that can't hit on our team,” Knipe said. “You have somebody like Morgan Booth (Stroudsburg, PA/Stroudsburg) that can get a single and steal second and third, automatically, right away. You have people like Nicole Colineri (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood) that can bunt, and Kelly Strittmatter (Wyckoff, NJ/Indian Hills) can come in and get hits. It's everybody, there's not a weak part in our line-up.”

As a sophomore, Samantha Derr (Lititz, PA/Warwick) (Lititz, Pa./ Warwick) has stepped it up as a leading pitcher for the Golden Bears this year. She remains undefeated with ten wins and holds a 0.43 earned run average with 28 strikeouts in 65.1 innings. Offensively, Derr has a .396 batting average with 19 hits and 15 RBIs.

“Any day I can have nine Derr's on a team, I'm winning every game you throw at me,” Knipe said. “I'm very confident with our team's players and when Sam needs the help, we have an entire field to back her up when she pitches. She's going to do big things this year and I keep telling her that. She's one of the best athletes I think I've ever seen.”

As a whole, the Golden Bears have trained effortlessly to make a bigger name for their team this year. When it comes to the team's quickness, Knipe doesn't hesitate to talk about how well the base running has been. KU has 43 stolen bases out of 45 attempts, compared to their opponents, who only have eight stolen bases out of 11 attempts.

“Our base-running is unbelievable,” Knipe said. “It's fun, it's literally fun because our team is so fast. I think I'm the slowest person in our line-up and I'm not even that slow. And Morgan Booth (Stroudsburg, PA/Stroudsburg) is an automatic steal every time, she gets on because nobody can throw her out. Jackie Hetzler (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) can steal, Kelly Strittmatter (Wyckoff, NJ/Indian Hills) can steal, Nicole Colineri (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood) can steal, Heather Hannum (Horsham, PA/Hatboro-Horsham) can steal, it's like there's so many weapons that we have, that we haven't even unleashed yet.”

After spending ten days in Florida and Virginia, KU is anxious and ready to jump into the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) season, starting off with four home games. Knipe knows what her team can do; it's just a matter of showing it to others, adding runs on the board, and staying strong defensively.

“We're pumped,” Knipe said. “We sent a message during preseason that we're ready to play. We want to start playing conference games and be able to say this is Kutztown, this is how it's going to be this year.”

The Golden Bears currently lead the PSAC conference in wins this year, making them a team to watch out for. Just under them in the Eastern Division, KU leads West Chester University (13-1 overall) with a total of seven wins.

But Knipe isn't chalking up a “W” just yet for this weekend. She's aware of the strength she needs to go through this season and come out a winning team. With the help of Kutztown University head coach, Judy Lawes, big egos don't exist for the Golden Bears. Instead, every player is taught to erase their record and put it all back on the field as if it's the first and last game.

“Coach constantly tells us that it's all business,” Knipe said. “We can't just sit here and take all this. We can't take the fact that we have 20 wins into the next game. We have to start fresh, every game is fresh. No wins, we're not eighth in the nation, you play every game like it's your last and that's the mentality she's trying to get us to keep.”

The Golden Bears will host their first PSAC game of the season against West Chester this Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m. at North Campus Field.