Penn softball preparing for Series debut

For the first time in its history, Penn will play in the NCAA Division I softball College World Series.

The Quakers are scheduled to play at Texas A&M on Friday at 6 p.m. in the first round. They advanced to the double-elimination tournament after earning an automatic bid with a series victory over Dartmouth to take the Ivy League championship two weeks ago.

Coached by Lisa King, Penn had an eight-game winning streak in March and ended the regular season by winning seven of its last 10 games.

Senior second baseman Samantha Erosa leads the Quakers (30-18) with a .344 batting average and is second on the team with a .516 slugging percentage and 44 hits.

The Quakers also boast one of the Ivy's best pitchers in sophomore Alexis Borden. The 2012 Ivy League rookie of the year had the third-best ERA in the league at 2.38 and finished the regular season with a 17-10 record.

The Aggies (39-15), ranked 16th by the NCAA, are led by freshman outfielder Cali Lanphear. She has a .363 batting average, with 18 home runs and 53 RBIs, while scoring 43 runs.

The game at College Station, Texas, is set to be shown on ESPN2.