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KUTZTOWN, Pa. - The Shippensburg University softball team will continue its season after being selected as the No. 6 seed on Sunday for next week's NCAA Division II Mid-Atlantic Region Softball Championship. It is the 12th tournament appearance in school history.

The Lady Raiders will take on the host team, third-seeded Kutztown, in Game 4 of the tournament at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. No. 2-ranked Lock Haven, who won its third consecutive PSAC Tournament on Saturday, is the top seed in the region, while No. 8 Bloomsburg is the second seed.

Wednesday's game will be broadcast live by Shippensburg University student radio station WSYC 88.7 FM as well as on the internet through www.shipraiders.com. Live stats of the game will be available here through the Shippensburg sports information office - these live statistics however are not the official statistics being kept for the tournament.

Ticket prices are $8 for adults and $4 for students and senior citizens. All-tournament passes will be sold on the first day only for $25 for adults and $10 for students and senior citizens.

A total of 64 teams were selected to participate in the 2008 NCAA Division II Softball Championship with eight teams competing at eight regional sites in double-elimination tournaments to determine the final eight championship participants.

The winners of the eight regional tournaments will travel to Houston from May 14-17 for this year's Division II Spring Championships Festival, hosted by Rice University and the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority

With a talented blend of youth and experience, Shippensburg (27-25) will look to make an impact in the 2008 Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament under the guidance of Bob Brookens, who has guided the Lady Raiders to at least 27 victories in each of his eight seasons as head coach.

After earning 10 victories in the extremely competitive Eastern Division of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, the Lady Raiders will be making their seventh consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division II National Championships, a run that includes Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships in 2003 and 2004.

The team's offensive leaders are junior utility player Lori Knopf and freshman shortstop Hope Cornell. Knopf leads the Lady Raiders with a .360 batting average and is fourth in the PSAC in hits with 58 this season, while Cornell joins senior Sarah Stengl as the only two players to start in all 52 games this season and leads Shippensburg in home runs, RBIs and runs.

Senior Dani Shields joins Knopf and the duo has been the team's primary contributors from the circle. In her senior season, Shields has been the No. 1 starter and thrown 14 complete games, including three shutouts, while striking out 105 batters in 125.2 innings. Knopf has thrown four shutouts and 13 complete games in 118.2 innings.

2008 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament Schedule

Wednesday, May 7
 
Game 1:  California (Pa.) (4) vs. West Chester (5) – 9:00 am
Game 2:  Lock Haven (1) vs. Bowie State (8) – 11:30 am
Game 3:  Bloomsburg (2) vs. Slippery Rock (7) – 2:00 pm
Game 4:  Kutztown (3) vs. Shippensburg (6) – 4:30 pm
 
Thursday, May 8
 
Game 5:  (Game 1 loser) vs. (Game 2 loser) – 9:00 am
Game 6:  (Game 3 loser) vs. (Game 4 loser) – 11:30 am
Game 7:  (Game 1 winner) vs. (Game 2 winner) – 2:00 pm
Game 8:  (Game 3 winner) vs. (Game 4 winner) – 4:30 pm
 
Friday, May 9
 
Game 9: (Game 6 winner) vs. (Game 7 loser) – 9:00 am
Game 10: (Game 5 winner) vs. (Game 8 loser) – 11:30 am
Game 11: (Game 7 winner) vs. (Game 8 winner) – 2:00 pm
Game 12: (Game 10 winner) vs. (Game 9 winner) – 4:30 pm
 
Saturday, May 10
 
Game 13: (Game 11 loser) vs. (Game 12 winner) – 10:00 am
Game 14: (Game 11 winner) vs. (Game 13 winner) - 12:30 pm
 
Sunday, May 11
 
Game 15: (Game 14 winner) vs. (Game 14 loser) – 1:00 pm
 *** (if necessary)

Tickets
$8 – Adult
$4 – Students/Senior Citizens
$25 – Adult All-Tournament Pass (sold only on Wednesday)
$10 – Student/Senior Citizen All-Tournament Pass (sold only on Wednesday)