SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University softball team won the Atlantic 1 Sub-Regional on Saturday in the 2025 NCAA Division II Softball Championships and will now travel to No. 2 seed Kutztown (43-17) for the Atlantic Super Regionals.
 
Shippensburg (34-20) will face their Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division rival in a best-of-three series. The opening game will take place at 1 p.m. Thursday, with the second game at 1 p.m. Friday. If needed, the teams will play one more time at 3:30 p.m. Friday to determine the regional champion.
 
Overall, Shippensburg is 5-3 vs. Kutztown in the NCAA Tournament. It is the third straight year that the two teams will meet in Atlantic Regional tournament competition, but the first time in the Super Regionals. Thursday's game will mark the ninth NCAA Tournament matchup between the two teams, with the first meeting dating back to 2003.
 
Last season, the Raiders and Golden Bears faced off three times in the sub-regional final at Stroudsburg. SU forced a winner-take-all game, but Kutztown won to punch its ticket to the Super Regional.
 
It will mark the 13th meeting between the two teams in the last two seasons. The teams met four times during the 2025 regular season, with the Golden Bears claiming three of the four games.
 
This matchup features two veteran pitchers in senior Alicia Ball and Kutztown senior Haley Gravish – who have each been their respective programs' top pitcher for the last four years. Both Ball and Gravish earned a spot on the 2025 All-PSAC East Second Team.
 
SU is now 33-37 all-time in the NCAA Tournament including 9-6 under Van Scyoc. The Raiders have won two NCAA Division II Regional Championships: 2003 and 2004.
 
This is the first time that Shippensburg has made the Super Regionals since the current postseason format was adopted in 2009.
 
The winner of the Super Regional will earn a trip to Chattanooga, Tenn., and a chance to play for the NCAA Division II Softball Championship.
 
Scouting Kutztown:

• The Golden Bears won their sub-regional, which featured No. 3 Shepherd, No. 6 Bloomsburg, and No. 7 Charleston. Kutztown won its final two games against Bloomsburg on Sunday to clinch its spot in the Super Regional.
• Kutztown ended the regular season ranked No. 19 in the country, one of only two PSAC schools to be ranked.
• Kutztown has three players who earned NCFA All-Region Honors:  
  • Haley Gravish earned Second Team Pitcher after earning a spot on the All-PSAC Second Team. Gravish was the primary pitcher for the Golden Bears, posting a 2.45 ERA, a 30-8 record and totaling 180 strikeouts on the season. Gravish has pitched four shutouts this season – including two this past Sunday against Bloomsburg.
  • Emily Henn, All-Atlantic Region First Team outfielder and a selection for the All-PSAC First Team, is the top hitter on the team, posting a .408 batting average. She currently ranks second in the PSAC in batting average, fourth in hits (82) and fifth in runs scored (48). She has hit six home runs, 11 doubles, four triples and 34 RBIs.
  • Morgan Slomkowski received an All-Atlantic Second Team nod as a third baseman after earning All-PSAC Second Team honors. She ranks fourth on the team in batting average (.309). She leads the team in home runs (12) and slugging percentage (.594).

 NCAA Tournament History:

• Kutztown is making its 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance and its fifth straight.
• The Golden Bears have made two appearances to the NCAA Finals: 2012 and 2013.
• Kutztown sports a 50-47 record in the NCAA Tournament.
• Last season, Kutztown advanced to the Super Regionals but was one win short of making it to the finals.

 Overall NCAA Tournament History vs. Kutztown:
2003 NCAA East Regional                W, 10-0
2004 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional   W, 2-0
2004 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional   W, 2-1
2008 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional   L, 0-1
2023 NCAA Atlantic Sub-Regional   W, 5-4
2024 NCAA Atlantic Sub-Regional   L, 2-4
2024 NCAA Atlantic Sub-Regional   W, 9-4
2024 NCAA Atlantic Sub-Regional   L, 1-5