DuBOIS, Pa. — The Penn State DuBois softball team has been selected to participate in the 2024 United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Small College World Series. The national championship tournament will be played May 12-17 at Heindl Field in DuBois.

The Lady Lions will enter the championship tournament as the number 10 seed. They will play their first game on Monday, May 13, at noon against the number seven seeded team, Salem. If DuBois defeats Salem, they will advance to face Penn State Mont Alto on Monday, May 13, at 6 p.m. If Salem wins, the Lady Lions will play on Tuesday, May 15 at noon against the losing team of the Penn State Schuylkill versus Lyon matchup.

The USCAA Small College World Series uses a double elimination format so every team involved in the tournament is scheduled to play at least two games before they would be eliminated.

The Lady Lions, who come into the world series with a record of 12-20, have not played a game since their final games of the regular season on April 20 when they split a doubleheader with Penn State Hazleton.

The team is led offensively by freshman Natalie Bowser, who is hitting for a .495 average on the season, has 22 extra base hits including four homeruns, leads the team with 52 RBIs and has 52 hits overall. Junior Chelsea Bussatto and sophomore Caitlyn Watson are also hitting for over a .400 average for the Lady Lions. Senior Paige Pleta ranks second on the team with 26 RBIs and freshman Audrey Walker ranks third with 22 RBIs.

Sophomore pitcher Megan Hyde has seen the most action in the circle for the Lady Lions this season. She has appeared in 22 games, securing four wins in 82 innings pitched. She will enter the world series with a 4.01 earned run average and is averaging nearly four strikeouts per game. Junior Aleigha Geer has also featured in the circle often this season, appearing in 16 games thus far. In 49.2 innings pitched, Geer is averaging just over two strikeouts a game while only walking 12 batters all season.

The overall field for the world series will have a very familiar feel for several teams within the Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC). Of the 10 teams that were selected for the tournament, half of the teams are from the PSUAC. Five teams from the PSUAC, Penn State Brandywine, Penn State Mont Alto, Penn State Schuylkill, Penn State New Kensington and Penn State DuBois, are part of the 10 teams for the upcoming world series.

Full details about the USCAA Small College World Series can be found on the USCAA website.

For complete athletic schedules, including any weather-related changes, visit the Penn State DuBois athletic website.