STROUDSBURG, Pa. – Kutztown softball will be making its fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament as it received the fourth seed in the Atlantic Region and will head to the top seed and host East Stroudsburg for Regionals.
 
The Golden Bears (33-22 overall) will meet the fifth seed, Shippensburg (33-19), in their first game, scheduled for Thursday, May 9, at 1:30 p.m., from Creekview Park in Stroudsburg. Regionals is set to run through Saturday, May 11, weather depending.
 
The Warriors (45-15), the runners-up in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference following last week's PSAC Tournament, will open with the eighth seed, Bowie State, out of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, in the first game Thursday at 11 a.m.
 
In the other four team regional pod, the third seed, Charleston, the winners of the Mountain East Conference, will host. Second-seeded West Chester, the PSAC champions, is the two seed. Bloomsburg, the sixth seed, and Gannon, the seventh seed, round up that pod.
 
Winners of the two pods will meet in the Super Regional round, a best-of-three game series on Wednesday, May 15, and Thursday, May 16.
 
It is the sixth meeting of the year between the Golden Bears and the Raiders, with Kutztown winning the previous five (four times during the regular season and once in the PSAC Tournament). Shippensburg last defeated KU in the 2023 regional tournament at Charleston, ending the Maroon and Gold's season.
 
The Golden Bears are led by their three All-PSAC performers in outfielders Brianna Stocklin (Deptford, N.J./Deptford Township) and Emily Henn (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley), along with first baseman Naya Darnowski (Manchester, N.J./Manchester Township). Senior leaders Brianna Hughes (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland) and Hannah Reimel (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) have also stepped up at the plate and delivered of late. Inside the circle, Haley Gravish (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg) has earned 19 victories, fifth-most in the PSAC.
 
For the complete schedule, directions to Creekview Park, ticketing information and more, visit the NCAA Atlantic Region Championship Central. The tournament is double-elimination, with the final team standing advancing to the NCAA Atlantic Region Super Regional.