Softball Returns To DuBois For USCAA World Series

The Penn State Brandywine softball team will travel to DuBois, Pa., for the fourth time this spring as the Lions begin the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Small College World Series Monday morning.

Making its sixth-straight appearance at the World Series, Brandywine is seeded fourth and will battle fifth-seeded Carlow at 11:45 am at Heindl Memorial Field.

Eight teams will compete for a USCAA national title, which will be decided in the championship game on Thursday at the conclusion of the double-elimination tournament.

Ten things to know as Brandywine returns to the USCAA World Series:

• Brandywine captured its sixth-straight Penn State University Athletic Conference championship Tuesday morning at Heindl Field, defeating Penn State Mont Alto 8-0 in five innings. The Lions outscored their three opponents 20-3 during the tournament en route to clinching the automatic bid from the PSUAC.
• Making its fourth road trip to DuBois this spring, Brandywine owns a 6-1 record at Heindl Field in 2021. The Lions went 4-1 against Penn State DuBois and earned victories over Mont Alto and Penn State New Kensington at the PSUAC Tournament.
• Brandywine enters the USCAA World Series as one of the hottest teams in the tournament, having won 11-straight games. The Lions are 18-1 following a 2-4 start to the season.
• Brandywine will be competing at the USCAA Small College World Series for the sixth time. After a ninth-place finish in 2015 during its first appearance, Brandywine has finished in the top five each of the last four seasons.
• Brandywine and Carlow have met five times, including three games at the USCAA World Series. The most recent matchup came in an elimination game at the World Series in 2018, a game won by Carlow, 11-7. Current senior Rachel Cherubini was 3-for-3 with three RBI, while classmate Haley Grossi doubled in four at-bats during the game.
• Cherubini and Rebecca Halford claimed player of the week awards from the PSUAC following their performances at the conference tournament. Cherubini had six hits, including a walk-off single against DuBois and a three-hit day in the championship game. Halford went 2-0 and did not allow an earned run in 10.0 innings, while throwing her eighth shutout in the title game.
• Thirteen of Brandywine's victories this spring have come via shutout. The Lions own the lowest team ERA in the USCAA at 1.85 and have been aided by the top defense in the USCAA with a national-best .960 fielding percentage.
• Offensively, no team has gotten on base at a higher rate than Brandywine (.462 OBP) and the Lions own the USCAA's second-rated team batting average at .364.
• Carlow won 16 games this spring, while playing a full NAIA schedule. The Celtics will be making their ninth-straight appearance at the World Series.
• Florida National earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament and will open with a game against No. 8 D'Youville. Additional first round games include No. 2 Mississippi University for Women vs. No. 7 Penn State DuBois and No. 3 St. Mary of the Woods vs. No. 6 Penn State Mont Alto.