The Moravian College softball team finished its 2005 season in the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament for the eighth consecutive year, falling to Salisbury (MD) University in the regional championship round. The Greyhounds also won the Commonwealth Conference Tournament for the fifth straight year and the Commonwealth Conference Championship for the sixth straight season.

The Greyhounds under the direction of 12-year head coach John Byrne, who as a career mark of 370-125, posted a 37-8 overall record in 2005, the 12th consecutive season that Moravian has won at least 23 games, and a 13-1 mark in Commonwealth Conference action. The Greyhounds, which have won over 30 games seven times under Byrne, including the last five years, were in the postseason for the 11th consecutive season. Moravian, which is 18-16 in NCAA games since 1999, won an NCAA regional championship in 2004 and had a national runner-up finish at the 2004 Division III World Series. Byrne was named the Commonwealth Conference Co-Coach of the Year.

One of the keys for the Greyhounds again this season was their pitching staff, which had a 0.79 ERA, 24 shutouts, 310 strikeouts, 169 hits allowed and 73 walks allowed in 302 2/3 innings.

Junior pitcher Meagan Hennessy (Freehold, NJ/Freehold HS) was 29-6 in the circle this season, a school record for wins, with a 0.64 ERA, 18 shutouts, three saves, three no-hitters, 277 strikeouts, all season school records, and just 131 hits, 44 walks and 37 runs (23 earned) allowed in a school record 250 innings of action. Hennessy continued to collect honors this season being named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association/Louisville Slugger Division III All-American Second Team, the NFCA All-East Region First Team, the NCAA Division III Salisbury Regional All-Tournament Team, and the Commonwealth Conference Pitcher of the Year, the Commonwealth All-Conference First Team and the Commonwealth Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player. Hennessy has already broken the Moravian career records for strikeouts with 609; innings pitched with 585.0, shutouts with 37, no-hitters with four and wins with 67.

Freshman pitcher Megan Ritchey (Boyertown, PA/Boyertown HS) had a 7-1 record this season with a 1.38 ERA, one shutout, 30 strikeouts and 29 hits and 27 walks allowed in 45 2/3 innings of action. Sophomore pitcher/outfielder LeeAnna Roberts (Meshoppen, PA/Elk Lake HS) had a 1-0 record with a 2.00 ERA and three strikeouts in seven innings of action. Moravian's first loss of the season was charged to the team since the winning run scored on the international tiebreaker rule.

As a team at the plate, Moravian had a .310 batting average this season with 372 hits, 44 doubles, 15 triples and 19 home runs. The Greyhounds scored 215 runs and drew 92 walks while striking out just 109 times in 1,364 plate appearances. Moravian also had a .969 fielding percentage this spring.

Senior shortstop Heather Bortz (Allentown, PA/Parkland HS) led Moravian with a .428 average with a team high 62 hits, 30 runs, six doubles, five triples and 21 RBIs. Bortz has also added two sacrifice flies, seven stolen bases and 15 walks. Bortz, a three-time All-American, is the first player in school history to reach 200 career hits and had 253 in her career, and she also set the school records for career at-bats with 567 and career batting average at .446. She led the team with 79 assists in the field and had 307 assists in her career, second all-time. Bortz was named to the NFCA/Louisville Slugger Division III All-American Second Team, the NFCA All-East Region First Team, the NCAA Division III Salisbury Regional All-Tournament Team, the Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year and the Commonwealth All-Conference First Team.

Sophomore outfielder Justina Black (Orefield, PA/Parkland HS) had 41 hits, 21 runs, 18 RBIs, six doubles, 12 walks, a home run and a .376 average and Black earned a spot on the Commonwealth All-Conference First Team and the NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team. Freshman second baseman/catcher Beth Paly (Whitehall, PA/ Whitehall HS), who was named the Commonwealth Conference Rookie of the Year, contributed 47 hits, 25 RBIs, 30 runs, 11 doubles and a .359 average while sophomore first baseman Lauren Homa (Chalfont, PA/Central Bucks West HS) had 37 hits, 28 runs, 25 RBIs, five doubles, four triples and two home runs this spring. Paly was on the Commonwealth All-Conference First Team, NFCA All-East Region Second Team and the NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team while Homa earned spots on the Commonwealth All-Conference Second Team, the NFCA All-East Region Third Team and the NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team.

Junior designated player Richelle McWilliams (Riegelsville, PA/Easton HS), who was on the Commonwealth All-Conference First Team, the NFCA All-East Region Second Team and the NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team, had a .310 average to go with 36 hits, 17 runs, 37 RBIs, seven doubles, a triple and ten home runs which tied the single season record while Roberts added 22 hits, 11 RBIs, 14 runs, a double, a triple, a home run and a .310 average. Sophomore catcher Danielle Carrione (Bloomfield, NJ/Mt. St. Dominic HS) had 32 hits, 13 RBIs, 25 runs, eight sacrifices bunts, two sacrifice flies, a double, two triples and a home run.

Senior outfielder Krissy Cianfichi (Warrington, PA/Central Bucks East HS) had 18 hits, 12 runs, 11 RBIs and three stolen bases, and Cianfichi became the 20th player in school history to reach 100 hits with 102 in her career. Freshman third baseman Kelly Santry (Hatboro, PA/Upper Moreland HS), who earned a spot on the NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team, contributed 27 hits, 13 runs, three doubles, three home runs, eight walks, ten sacrifice bunts and 12 RBIs while senior second baseman/outfielder Leah Holmes (Clarks Green, PA/Abington Heights HS) added 15 hits, five runs, a double, ten sacrifice bunts and two RBIs.

Freshmen first baseman Katie Uhas (Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts HS) contributed seven hits with a homer, a double, a run and five RBIs while senior outfielder Stephanie Eddinger (Allentown, PA/Parkland HS) had five hits, seven runs, a triple and an RBI. Sophomore first baseman Rebecca DeJulio (Vineland, NJ/ Sacred Heart HS) added nine hits, a double and four RBIs while freshmen outfielder Keri Traficante (Chalfont, PA/Central Bucks West HS) had five hits, eight runs and an RBI. Ritchey contributed six hits, three runs, a double, a triple and four RBIs while Hennessy had three this, a runs and an RBI in just 13 at-bats.

Coach Byrne loses four valuable players off the 2005 squad but with a strong recruiting class coming in for the 2006 season, the Greyhounds look to continue their dominance in the Commonwealth Conference and make a ninth straight trip to the NCAA Championships.