Gallery: (5-17-2025) 2025 Softball vs. KU (Sup. Reg. GM2)
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Shippensburg University softball team shut out No. 19 Kutztown on Saturday morning, 4-0, to claim the 2025 NCAA Atlantic Super Regional and advance to the NCAA Division II Softball National Championships for the first time since 2004 in action at sunny North Campus Field.
Shippensburg (36-20) improved its 2025 NCAA Tournament record to 5-0 thanks to the fourth shutout of the season by senior
Alicia Ball and a quick start at the plate, as the Raiders scored twice in the bottom of the first.
SU never trailed in either game in this year's Super Regional.
Saturday's game started in a similar fashion to Thursday's. It began with junior
Caitlyn Martell hitting a single into left field on the first pitch of the game.
After a one-out walk to sophomore
Sarah Sabocsik, sophomore
Brie Wilmot ripped the first pitch she saw into the left-center field gap to score Martell and Sabocsik and give the Raiders a 2-0 lead.
Freshman
Gianna Cimino homered for the second straight game; she ripped a solo shot to left field to begin the bottom of the fourth inning.
Junior
Emilee Sullivan hit her second single in as many at-bats immediately after the Cimino home run and came around to score three batters later on a sacrifice fly by senior
Katelyn Minney.
It was more than enough run support for Ball, who for the second straight game, did not allow an extra-base hit to No. 19 Kutztown (43-19). She scattered four singles, three walks and two hit batters in her 21st complete game of the season – stranding two baserunners in the fourth, sixth and seventh to achieve the victory.
Shippensburg is advancing to the NCAA Division II Softball National Championships for the third time in school history, accompanying trips in 2003 and 2004.
The Raiders earned the No. 7 seed at nationals and will face the No. 2 seed – No. 5-ranked Tampa – at 4 p.m. Thursday.
Tennessee-Chattanooga is serving as the host site. All of the national tournament games will be played at Frost Stadium at Warner Park.
Super Regional Notes:
* Cimino was 3-for-5 at the plate in the Super Regional with two solo home runs, a walk and a sacrifice bunt while being perfect on all 15 of her defensive chances at second base.
* Sabocsik reached base four times in the Super Regional, going 2-for-5 with an RBI double, two walks and three runs scored.
* Seven Raiders finished with multiple hits in the Super Regional, including three for Martell.
* Entering this year's Super Regional, Ball was 0-2 against Kutztown this season, having allowed nine earned runs in 13 innings (two complete games). In her two complete games this week, Ball allowed just two runs in 14 innings.
2025 NCAA Tournament Notes:
In five NCAA Tournament games so far this season:
* Cimino is 9-for-17 (.529) with two home runs, five RBIs, a walk and four runs scored.
* Sabocsik is 9-for-17 (.529) with three doubles, five RBIs, three walks, a .600 on-base percentage (OBP) and five runs scored.
* Ball has thrown 34.0 innings and allowed just six earned runs (1.24 ERA), posting a 4-0 record with 23 strikeouts while limiting opposing hitters to a .192 batting average against her.
*
Rilee Ehrlacher is 7-for-17 (.412) with a sacrifice fly, three sacrifice bunts and four runs scored.
* Sullivan has six singles and two sacrifice flies. Her first single Saturday was the 100th hit of her career.
* SU is batting .353 as a team; eight of its nine lineup regulars have recorded four or more hits.
* The Raiders have totaled 53 hits, 13 walks and 11 sacrifices.
Ship's NCAA National Championships History:
* SU is now 35-37 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including 11-6 in the last three seasons under head coach
Alison Van Scyoc.
* In 2004, SU took third place at the NCAA National Championships – the team's highest finish in school history – after going 2-2, with both losses coming to eventual national champion Angelo State.
* In 2003, SU was fifth at the NCAA Championships – winning its first game before losing twice.
* Thursday will be the team's eighth career game at the NCAA Division II National Championships.
Ship vs. KU Notes:
* This year's Super Regional marked the 18th and 19th time that Shippensburg and Kutztown have faced each other over the last three seasons.
* Shippensburg is now 6-13 against Kutztown over the last three seasons (3-3 in 2025, 1-7 in 2024, 2-3 in 2023).
* The two teams have played each other 14 times in the last two seasons alone, including six times in NCAA Tournament play.
* The two teams have eliminated each other from the NCAA Tournament in the last two seasons (SU in 2025, KU in 2024 at the ESU sub-regional).
Shippensburg against Kutztown
* Entering this year's Super Regional, Ball was 2-6 with a 5.51 ERA in her career against Kutztown, having allowed 43 earned runs and 11 extra-base hits in 54.2 innings while walking 25 and striking out 26.
* In two games over the course of three days this week, Ball went 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA against KU, allowing just two earned runs and zero extra-base hits in 14 innings while walking eight and striking out eight.
* In 19 games against Kutztown over the last three seasons, Martell has gone 28-for-67 (.418) with three home runs, 13 RBIs, five doubles, four walks, three stolen bases and just three strikeouts.
Kutztown against Shippensburg
* Kutztown's Kristin Geesey and Bri Stocklin started all 21 games between the two teams during their four-year career (SU and KU split a two-game season series in 2022). Geesey finished her career 26-for-64 (.406) against SU with two doubles, 11 RBIs and eight runs scored, while Stocklin was 29-for-73 (.397) against SU with a home run, three doubles, 14 RBIs, 15 runs scored and 16 walks.
* Kutztown starting pitcher Haley Gravish made her 16th career appearance and 13th career start against Shippensburg in Saturday's game. Overall against the Raiders, Gravish was 9-5 with a 3.93 ERA and 11 complete games, allowing 49 earned runs in 87.1 innings while walking 32 and striking out 42.
* Kutztown's Morgan Slomkowski reached base in six of her seven plate appearances at this year's NCAA Super Regional. In her two seasons with KU, Slomkowski has reached base 29 times in 14 games against the Raiders (13 hits, including two homers and four doubles, six walks, and 10 hit-by-pitches).
Career School Record Watch:
* Martell is now third in school history for career total bases (354), sixth in school history for career hits (226) and runs scored (152) and eighth in school history for career RBI (124). She remains tied for fifth in school history for career doubles (42) and in sole possession of fifth in career home runs (24).
* Ball is now second in school history for career pitching starts (106), third in school history for career innings pitched (595), fourth in school history for career pitching wins (58), fifth in school history for career complete games (59), sixth in school history for career shutouts (13) and career strikeouts (526),
*
Katelyn Minney is second in school history for career stolen bases (60) and fifth in school history for career walks (76).
*
Emily Lafferty is seventh in school history for career stolen bases (43).
Single-Season School Record Watch:
* Martell is now tied for fourth in single-season history for at-bats (198; school record is 229 in 2006 by Heather Chantiles).
* Martell is fourth in single-season history for hits (80; school record is 112 in 2006 by Chantiles).
* Martell is tied for seventh in single-season history for total bases (117; school record is 154 in 2022 by current assistant coach
Hannah Marsteller)
* Sabocsik is tied for third in single-season history for doubles (17; school record is 22 in 2019 by Courtney Coy).
*
Brie Wilmot is 10th in single-season history for RBIs (48; school record is 64 in 2021 by Marsteller).
*
Aryanna Briddell has 33 walks this season, one shy of tying the single-season record (34) set by Marsteller in 2023.
* Lafferty is tied for third in single-season history for stolen bases (28; school record is 32 in 2014 by Hilary Lyons).
* Ball is now ninth in single-season history for innings pitched (180.1) and eighth in single-season history for strikeouts (184).
