Softball Headed To USCAA World Series

MEDIA, Pennsylvania -- Penn State Brandywine will be making a return trip to the USCAA Softball World Series when it opens play Monday morning against Penn College at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio.

10th-seeded Brandywine, which won its second-straight PSUAC championship earlier this week, placed ninth at last year's World Series under the direction of two-time PSUAC Coach of the Year Mark Caserta. The Lions begin play in Akron with a 22-16 record, one win shy of last season's victory total.

Led by a two-hit shutout from PSUAC Pitcher of the Year Olivia Encarnacion (Glenolden, Pa./Interboro), the Lions captured the PSUAC crown with an 8-0, five-inning victory over Penn State Beaver on Monday afternoon. Encarnacion was the winning pitcher in two of Brandywine's three games at the tournament, while Arianna Segich (Ocean City, N.J./Ocean City) and Ashlee Stritzinger (Wilmington, Del./Concord) combined to go 12-for-18 at the plate.

Encarnacion and Segich were both First Team All-PSUAC selections along with Robyn Gannon (Lansdowne, Pa./Archbishop Prendergast) and Steph Harvey (Berlin, N.J./Eastern Regional).

Penn College, seeded seventh in the tournament, is a former member of the PSUAC, having competed in the league from 2004-14. The Wildcats are in the midst of a five-year transition to NCAA Division III and posted a 17-18 record this spring as members of the North East Athletic Conference.

The winner of Monday's 10:00 am game will face No. 2 Carlow later in the day at 6:00 pm. Defending-champion St. Mary of the Woods is the top overall seed, while No.3 NHTI, No. 4 Maine-Presque Isle and No. 5 St. Joseph (Vt.) round out the top five seeds. Brandywine's PSUAC foes Penn State Hazleton and Penn State Beaver will be seeded sixth and eighth, respectively.

The USCAA World Series runs through Thursday's title game at Firestone Stadium, the home of the National Pro Fastpitch's Akron Racers.