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INDIANA, PA – By virtue of its season straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championship, the IUP softball team has advanced to the 2012 NCAA Division II Softball Championship where they will open up play this weekend at the Atlantic Regional 1 site in Kutztown.

The Crimson Hawks enter the tournament ranked fourth in the region as they travel to host Kutztown, ranked first in the region. Also joining IUP and the Golden Bears will be West Virginia State from the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) and Winston-Salem State, champions of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). West Virginia State is the fifth seed in the region while Winston-Salem State enters as the eighth seed.

IUP received the automatic bid into the NCAA's after winning the PSAC tournament for the second straight year this past Sunday. The Crimson Hawks went a perfect 5-0 during the tournament, including a win over then-22nd-ranked Cal and two wins over PSAC Central Division rival Bloomsburg, with the second coming in the championship game.

Shortstop Marissa Leslie (Claysburg/Claysburg-Kimmel) was named tournament MVP for her efforts, going 11-for-15 with two doubles, her first career homerun, two RBI and eight runs scored.

Including their PSAC tournament run, the Crimson Hawks enter NCAA postseason play on a nine-game winning streak, putting together an overall record of 29-12-1 on the season.

They'll be led by a four-time All-PSAC Central and three-time All-American in Megan McCormick (Evans City/Seneca Valley). She leads the team with a .392 batting average, nine doubles and 38 RBI, while racking up a .567 slugging percentage. Along with Leslie, McCormick also enters with a hot bat, going 14-for-25 (.560 average) in her last seven games, adding four doubles, two homers, and eight RBI, while slugging .960.

Leslie will pair with Monica Iachini (Claysburg/Claysburg-Kimmel) at the top of the lineup to give IUP a couple of left-handed, speedy slap hitters to lead things off. Leslie is second to McCormick with a .350 batting average on the year and is tied for first in the PSAC with four triples. She's efficient on the base paths, swiping 13 bases in 15 chances, and has scored 30 runs. Iachini is hitting .288 on the year and has gotten on base an additional 22 times via walk, as she leads IUP with 31 runs scored. The center fielder also has 12 steals, getting caught just three times.

Adding pop to the lineup is Jasa Mitchell (Snow Shoe/Bald Eagle Area), who leads the team with nine doubles and five homers this year. Tara Waldo (Pittsburgh/Baldwin) has eight doubles, four dingers and 25 RBI, all second on the team, while batting .273. Third on the team in batting with a .317 is Ashley Strack (Johnstown/Westmont Hilltop), who came up huge with a three-run homer in the PSAC championship game and has drove home 20 runs this season.

IUP boasts one of the top pitching staffs in the region, led by first team All-PSAC Central pick Kelly King (Nazareth/Bethlehem Catholic). She's put together a record of 19-6 this season with a 2.10 ERA, tossing 22 complete games including a conference-leading 10 shutouts. King has had a perfect game and a no-hitter this year and had a one-hit gem in a 1-0 extra-inning win over Bloomsburg on Saturday, which propelled IUP to the title game on Sunday.

Alexa Campbell (Manheim/Manheim Central ) has also seen time in the circle, posting a very impressive 0.94 ERA in 11 starts, compiling a 7-5 record with nine complete games and two shutouts. She entered in relief on two occasions during the PSAC tournament, giving up no earned runs in 5.2 innings and recording a pair of victories, fanning Bloomsburg's best hitter on Sunday to lock up the title.

Play in Kutztown begins on Friday when IUP squares off against West Virginia State at 1:00 p.m. The Golden Bears and Winston-Salem State will play at 3:30 p.m. with the winners to play on Saturday morning. The loser of each game will play on Saturday afternoon in the tournament's first elimination game.

Cal is the region's second seed and will host West Virginia Wesleyan (third seed), Bloomsburg (sixth seed) and Lock Haven (seventh seed).

The winners of each regional bracket will play next weekend in the Atlantic Super Regional for the right to head to the championship round in Louisville, Kentucky May 16-19.