WISE, Va. – UVa-Wise softball is set to host the NCAA Division II Softball Championship Atlantic 1 Regional at Cavalier Field as the No. 4 seed in the region. The four-team double-elimination NCAA Regional tournament will feature top-seeded West Chester University, No. 5 seed Shepherd University and No. 8 seed Chowan University. Play gets underway tomorrow, Thursday, May 11, and will continue through Saturday, May 13. The winner of the regional championship advances to the NCAA Super Regionals held next Thursday-Friday, May 18-19, at a host site.
 
UVa-Wise was chosen as one of 16 regional host sites by the NCAA Division II Softball Committee Monday morning, marking the first time the College has hosted a NCAA postseason event. The Cavaliers are one of 40 teams to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Softball Championship's 64-team field in just their second year of being eligible for NCAA postseason play. The softball team becomes the first UVa-Wise athletics program in school history to earn an at-large bid to a NCAA Championship. Softball joins men's golf, who is wrapping up play in the 2017 NCAA Division II Atlantic/East Regional, and men's and women's cross country as the only UVa-Wise teams to participate in NCAA postseason competition.
 
The Cavs (35-17) face the fifth-seeded Rams (38-20) in the first game of the regional championship with a 5 p.m. first pitch Thursday. UVa-Wise is 3-1 against Shepherd this season and claimed a pair of victories over the Rams last week at the Mountain East Conference Tournament. The Cavs earned a 1-0 shutout over Shepherd in the winner's bracket semifinals last Friday before defeating the Rams 3-1 in the consolation bracket final last Saturday. During the regular season in league play, UVa-Wise split a home doubleheader at Cavalier Field with a 2-0 game one win and a 4-2 game two loss. In the shutout win, junior right-handed pitcher Taylor Brandts (King George, Va.) tossed a seven-inning no-hitter. In its lone victory over the Cavs this season, Shepherd only collected four hits but scored all four of its runs on a grand slam.
 
UVa-Wise is 8-3 versus the Rams since becoming NCAA Division II members.
 
The Cavs most recently advanced to the MEC Tournament title game after going 4-2 in the league championship. UVa-Wise was defeated 3-0 in the title game by No. 7 West Virginia Wesleyan, but not before the Cavs picked up a 3-0, eight-inning shutout over the nationally-ranked Bobcats in game one of the MEC Tournament championship. Three different players were named to the MEC All-Tournament Team for their performances, including Taylor Brandts, senior second baseman Alexa Hernandez (Woodbridge, Va.) and junior third baseman Samantha Ely (Jonesville, Va.). Taylor Brandts went 3-1 inside the circle with a 0.50 ERA, while Hernandez hit a team-best .333 for the tournament and Ely batted at a .316 clip.
 
UVa-Wise will look for big performances from Taylor Brandts, Hernandez and Ely once again this week but also will get help from junior right fielder Zoe Millard (Glen Allen, Va.), senior first baseman Olivia Cleary (Riner, Va.) and junior catcher Bridget Henzel (Toano, Va.). Millard leads the Cavs at the plate with 68 hits on the season and a .368 batting average, while Cleary has a near perfect .996 fielding percentage. Henzel has connected on six home runs this season, tied for the most of any Cav, and has tallied the second-most RBI (30).
 
Earlier Wednesday, Taylor Brandts was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Atlantic Region Second Team. She owns a 22-6 record on the year with a 0.93 ERA and near nation-best 15 complete game shutouts. Taylor Brandts is currently tied with Lauren Snead (2007-10) for the most victories (60) in a career in program history.
 
UVa-Wise is receiving votes in the latest NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll, a first for the program. The Cavs have not faced West Chester or Chowan this season.
 
Co-head coach Karen Bitter has plenty of ties to two of the other three schools competing in the Atlantic 1 Regional. Karen Bitter is a 2006 graduate of Shepherd where she was a standout pitcher for the Rams. Prior to coming to the College, Coach Bitter spent three seasons serving as the assistant and pitching coach at Chowan. In fact, Bitter was on the Hawks' coaching staff in 2010 when Chowan made its first NCAA Division II Regional Championship appearance.
 
No. 1 seed West Chester (44-10) is currently ranked No. 18 in the nation and claimed the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship. The Golden Rams will face No. 8 seed Chowan (36-18), who captured the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Championship, in the first round Thursday at 7:30 p.m. West Chester is making its fifth consecutive NCAA Division II Regional appearance and seventh overall. The Golden Rams own an 11-13 overall record in NCAA Division II Championship games. The Hawks are making just their third NCAA Regional appearance and first since 2013. Chowan is still seeking its first win in a NCAA Division II Championship game.
 
Shepherd claimed its second-straight MEC North Division Championship this season with a 21-11 conference record. The Rams are competing in their third NCAA Regional and first since 2010. Shepherd owns a 1-4 record in NCAA Division II Championship contests.
 
Complete Atlantic 1 Regional championship information with results, statistics, recaps, schedule updates and team links can be found here. Tickets can be purchased at the gate and are $10 for adults and $5 for youth and students.
 
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