JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The Shippensburg University baseball team will compete in the 2011 PSAC Baseball Championships beginning Wednesday from Johnstown's Point Stadium. The Raiders earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Division and will open the tournament at 9:30 a.m. when they face California (Pa.), the No. 3 seed from the Western Division.

Shippensburg (22-26, 12-12 PSAC East) has posted a nine-win overall improvement from last season and a five-win improvement in divisional play. The Raiders have qualified for the PSAC tournament four times in five seasons under current head coach Matt Jones. SU last won the conference title in 2007 – Jones' inaugural season.

After a one-year absence, Shippensburg returns to the conference playoffs and is greeted with a matchup against Randy Sturgill, the reigning PSAC Western Division Pitcher of the Year. Sturgill is 9-2 this year with a 2.11 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 76 innings. He leads the PSAC in wins, innings and strikeouts while ranking third in ERA. In three years, Sturgill boasts a 22-4 record with 237 career strikeouts.

The Raiders and Vulcans previously met this season during Spring Break in Georgia. Shippensburg held a 6-2 lead in that contest before California rallied for seven runs in the seventh inning against various members of the Raider bullpen and went on to achieve a 10-8 victory. Last year, SU won a pair of home games over Cal by 9-6 scores.

In 2009, the Raiders and the Vulcans also opened the conference tournament - but under far different circumstances. After a day and a half of rain delays, Cal defeated Shippensburg 6-2. Because of eight postponements in a three-day stretch of play, that loss was the only game the Raiders played in the 2009 tournament after the league mandated a switch to a single-elimination format.

The winner of Wednesday's game will play either Mercyhurst or East Stroudsburg on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. The loser of Wednesday's game will play either Mercyhurst or East Stroudsburg on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. A complete tournament schedule is listed below.

Live statistics of the tournament will be provided by the PSAC sports information director and can be accessed through the link located above. The Shippensburg University sports information department will be providing live Twitter updates throughout the tournament; that information can also be accessed by clicking on the link located above.

Day passes are being sold for $7 and are only valid for the date on which they are purchased. PSAC passes and students of PSAC institutions with valid identification will be admitted for free. No complimentary tickets are available.

Tournament Schedule:

Wednesday, May 11

9:30 AM Game 1: #3 California (Pa.) vs. #2 Shippensburg (Bracket A)
12:30 PM Game 2: #4 East Stroudsburg vs. #1 Mercyhurst (Bracket A)
3:30 PM Game 3: #3 Bloomsburg vs. #2 Slippery Rock (Bracket B)
6:30 PM Game 4: #4 IUP vs. #1 Millersville (Bracket B)

Thursday, May 12

9:30 AM Game 5: Game 1 Loser v Game 2 Loser (Loser eliminated) (Bracket A)
12:30 PM Game 6: Game 3 Loser v Game 4 Loser (Loser eliminated) (Bracket B)
3:30 PM Game 7: Game 1 Winner v Game 2 Winner (Bracket A) (Loser switches brackets)
6:30 PM Game 8: Game 3 Winner v Game 4 Winner (Bracket B) (Loser switches brackets)

Friday, May 13

9:30 AM Game 9: Game 5 Winner (A) v Game 8 Loser (B) (Loser eliminated)
12:30 PM Game 10: Game 6 Winner (B) v Game 7 Loser (A) (Loser eliminated)
3:30 PM Game 11: Game 9 Winner v Game 8 Winner (B)
6:30 PM Game 12: Game 10 Winner v Game 7 Winner (A)

Saturday, May 14

If ONE Game Needed: (Both Game 7 and Game 8 winners win in Games 11 and 12)
1 PM Game 13: Championship Game

If TWO Games Needed: (If only one of Game 7 or Game 8 winners win Games 11 or 12)
Noon Game 13: IF Game
3 PM Game 14: Championship Game

If THREE Games Needed (If both Game 9 and Game 10 winner win Game 11 and Game 12)
10 AM Game 13: IF Game, Bracket A (rematch of Game 11)
1 PM Game 14: IF Game, Bracket B (rematch of Game 12)
4 PM Game 15: Championship Game

Sunday, May 15

Rain date if needed.