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SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa.- The Slippery Rock University softball team has playoff implications on the line this weekend with three important Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division doubleheaders on the road.
 
The Rock will head north to Mercyhurst Friday afternoon to take on the Lakers at 2:30 p.m. before heading to Seton Hill Saturday at 1 p.m. and No. 10 California (Pa.) Sunday at 1 p.m. in a makeup series against the Vulcans.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The California sports information department will have live stats available for Sunday's doubleheader. The link is available at the top of this page. Updates throughout the weekend will be posted to the Official SRU Athletics Twitter (@Rock_Athletics). 
 
LOOKING AHEAD
The top three teams in the PSAC Eastern, Central and Western Divisions will qualify for the PSAC Tournament at the end of the regular season. In the Western Division, No. 10 California has all but locked up the top spot with a perfect 10-0 conference record. However, the second and third spots will be tightly contested throughout the rest of the season, as only one game separates spots 2-4 in the conference standings. Entering the weekend, Gannon is second with a 6-6 mark, while The Rock and Seton Hill have matching 5-5 conference records.
  
SCOUTING THE ROCK
Record: 16-15. 5-5 PSAC West
Last Five: 3-2
Overview: The Rock was swept in a conference doubleheader Wednesday at Gannon before bouncing back with a doubleheader sweep of Edinboro on Thursday. Slippery Rock's offense has had a solid week and moved up six sports to eighth in the PSAC batting average rankings with a .278. The Rock's pitching staff is is combining for a 2.71 ERA and a .241 batting average against, which ranks seventh and fifth in the conference rankings.
Top Bats: Megan Maloney is batting a team-best .358 (34-for-95) with 11 stolen bases, while Katie Kaiser, the reigning PSAC West Player of the Week, is batting .351 with a team-high 39 hits with six home runs and 21 runs. Kaiser has now extended her hit streak to 13 games, while Maloney is up to nine games. Stacey Herzog (.295, 23 hits) and Ashley Samluk (.293, 29 hits) round out SRU's top hitters.
Top Arms: Carly DeRose (7-4) leads the pitching rotation with a 1.89 ERA after striking out 67 across 74 innings. Brooke Dawson (6-7) has also struck out 65 in 85.2 innings of work. Both DeRose and Dawson have earned PSAC West Pitcher of the Week honors.
Head Coach: Stacey Rice is in her second year at the helm after serving three years as an assistant coach and two years as a graduate assistant with The Rock. Last season, she led SRU to a 15-23 record, just narrowly missing a spot in the PSAC Tournament. Before starting her coaching career at SRU, Rice was one of the most decorated players in program history. She holds the all-time records for runs scored, hits, doubles, total bases, walks and at-bats while ranking second all-time in home runs and RBIs. 
Up Next: The Rock will be back in action on Friday, April 22 when it hosts Gannon on Senior Day. First pitch of the doubleheader is slated for 2:30 p.m.
 
SCOUTING THE LAKERS
Record: 9-13, 2-8 PSAC West
Last Five: 1-4
Overview: The Lakers are on a four-game losing streak after being swept by The Rock last week and Gannon Tuesday in conference doubleheaders. Mercyhurst is batting .282, which ranks just above The Rock in the PSAC rankings, while the pitching staff is near the bottom in the conference with a 4.54 ERA, which tags them at 15th in the standings.
Top Bats: Rachel DiBartolomeo leads the Lakers with a .395 batting average and posts team-highs in nearly every category: hits (30), doubles (seven), home runs (five), RBI (22) and stolen bases (nine). Senior Courtney Brothers is hitting .375 with 27 hits on the year.
Top Arms: Anchoring the rotation is Anna Cochis (4-4), who posts a 4.07 ERA and has struck out 11 in nine appearances and seven starts. Portia McBride (4.50 ERA, 1-2) and Heather Nye (7.46 ERA, 3-6) also see time in the circle.
Series: Mercyhurst owns the overall series 32-30.
Head Coach: Leanne Baker is in her third season as head coach of Mercyhurst. Baker came to Mercyhurst from Southern Vermont College, where she was head coach of the Mountaineers for three seasons. She is a graduate of Edinboro, where she was an All-PSAC selection in 2006 and helped her team to the NCAA Tournament in 2007.
 
SCOUTING THE GRIFFINS
Record: 12-20, 5-5 PSAC West
Last Five: 1-4
Overview: Before hosting Slippery Rock on Saturday, Seton Hill will head to Gannon Friday afternoon with hopes of snapping its four-game losing streak. The Griffins are batting .269, which is 12th among PSAC teams, while the pitching unit combines for a 3.64 ERA, which is 10th in the conference.
Top Bats: Abby Suhoski is batting .444 (40-for-90) with a team-high 27 RBI. Paige Hertzog (.312, 29 hits) and Carlee Wickstrom (.311, 32 hits) round out Seton Hill's top batters.
Top Arms: Kaitlyn Kutchman (8-6) posts an ERA of 2.72 after striking out 68 in 25 appearances and 11 starts. Tiffany Edwards (2.50 ERA, 1-3) and Leighann Pettis (3.67 ERA, 0-5) also see time in the pitching rotation.
Series: Slippery Rock leads the series 8-7.
Head Coach: Bill Monstrola is in his second year at the helm of the Griffins. He brings 10 years of collegiate coaching experience to Seton Hill, after spending the past four seasons as head coach of the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg.
 
SCOUTING THE VULCANS
Record: 23-1, 10-0 PSAC West
Last Five: 5-0
Overview: California will meet with Edinboro and Mercyhurst this weekend before hosting The Rock on Sunday. The Vulcans moved up one spot to No. 10 in the latest NFCA rankings and extended its winning streak to 23 games on Wednesday with a doubleheader sweep of Seton Hill. California posts a team batting average of .316, which ranks fourth among PSAC competitors, while the stellar pitching staff leads the conference with a 1.23 ERA and a .189 batting average against.
Top Bats: Emily Price is batting .389 (28-for-72) to lead the Vulcans. Lindsay Reicoff (.380) has recorded 27 hits this spring with a team-high seven home runs. Hailey Wilson (.364, 24 hits) and Taylor Robblee (.355, 22 hits) round out the top offensive performers for the Vulcans.
Top Arms: Megan Uher (7-0) has a conference-best 1.11 ERA with 37 strikeouts across 56.2 innings. Alex Sagl (11-1) is just behind her in the conference rankings with a 1.23 ERA and 102 strikeouts across 74 innings of work.
Series: California leads the series with The Rock 89-26.
Head Coach: Rick Bertagnolli is in his 22nd year as head coach at California. Under his leadership, the Vulcans have reached the NCAA Tournament 19 times with back-to-back NCAA National Championships in 1997 and 1998. Bertagnolli is a 14-time PSAC-West Coach of the Year, four-time NFCA Regional Coach of the Year and a two-time NFCA National Coach of the Year in both years California won the national title. In 2013, he was inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame.