The Lady Jacks will begin their bid for a second softball national crown in 10 years this afternoon, when they open the NCAA Division-II National Championships in Houston.

But it won’t be easy for Humboldt State, which plays one of the national powerhouses in recent years, the Mid-Atlantic Region champion Lock Haven out of Pennsylvania.

The Lady Eagles are looking for their third consecutive national championship game appearance after winning the title in 2006 and placing second a year ago.

They come into today’s game ranked third in the nation in the most recent coaches’ poll, with HSU at No.6.

The game, scheduled for 1 p.m. Pacific Coast time, will be broadcast live on KATA 1340 AM, as well as via the school Web site at www.hsujacks.com, and will be video streamlined through the NCAA Web site at ncaasports.com.

The showdown could be a classic pitchers’ duel with plenty of strikeouts, with HSU All-American Lizzy Prescott matching up against Lock Haven ace Kristin Erb.

Like Prescott, Erb (41-6) has been the workhorse for the Eagles this season, and has a very impressive 386 strikeouts in 315 innings pitched, with a miniscule ERA of just 0.24.

Prescott, meanwhile, set a school record with 44 wins this season (11 losses) and has a staggering 400 strikeouts in 369 innings work, with an ERA of 1.20.

Prescott also posted back-to-back shutouts against Western Oregon over the weekend as the Jacks capped the greatest comeback in West Region playoff history with six consecutive wins, all of them by Prescott.

The senior All-American also has not allowed an earned run in four of her past six games.

But if the Jacks can claim plenty of momentum going into today’s game, so too can the Eagles, who have won 18 straight games and 35 of their past 36, on the way to claiming a third sconsecutive conference and region crown.

For HSU, the key could be at the plate, and if the Jacks can keep their bats swinging, they should have a chance to move on in the winners’ bracket.

In Sunday’s region championship game, the Jacks racked up 11 hits against one of the top pitchers in the region – WOU’s Katie Fleer – to end the game early on the mercy rule, so confidence at the plate should not be a problem.

“Everybody’s hitting right now,” HSU head coach Frank Cheek said.

HSU juniors Ashley Oltjenbruns, Natalie Galletly and Marissa Slattery all had impressive region tournaments at the plate and were each named to the all-tourney team, along with freshman teammate Nikki Ketteringham, who finished 10-for-24 in her first postseason appearance.

For HSU, the trip to the nationals is the fifth in 15 years but the first since 2001.

The Jacks placed third in their most recent trip to nationals, and were crowned champions in 1999.

Both HSU and Lock Haven have a youthful look to their lineup, with the Jacks not featuring a single senior in their offensive lineup and the Eagles starting just one.

At the plate for Lock Haven, junior third baseman Sarah Norris leads the way and is batting .359 with a team-high 16 home runs.

As a team, the Eagles pack plenty of punch on offense, with a massive 58 home runs on the year, 22 more than the Jacks.

The Eagles are also batting .304 collectively, compared to the Jacks’ .303.