Sports News: Spring 2004

Wednesday, June 2, 2004

MORAVIAN SOFTBALL RANKED #2 IN FINAL NFCA DIVISION III
TOP 25 POLL OF 2004 SEASON

STARKVILLE, MS --- The Moravian College softball team, which was ranked #1 in the nation for a month during the regular season, finished off the 2004 season ranked 2nd in the country in the final National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III Top 25 Poll of the year released Wednesday.

Eight NCAA Division III head coaches representing the eight NCAA regions vote on the NFCA Division III Top 25 poll.

The Greyhounds, which were the national runner-up and had a 29-game winning streak during the regular season, received 192 points while the University of St. Thomas (MN), which defeated Moravian, 2-0 in the 2004 NCAA Division III National Championship game, received all eight first place votes for 200 points and the poll’s top spot.

Moravian finished the season with a 9-3 record against teams in the final NFCA Top 25 poll. The Greyhounds defeated #3 Salisbury (MD) University twice at the NCAA Division III World Series and #13 Ramapo College of New Jersey twice in the NCAA Regionals. Moravian also defeated #5 Chapman (CA) University at the World Series while picking up victories versus #6 Alma (MI) College, #9 Central (IA) College, #12 Roanoke (VA) College and #14 East Texas Baptist University in LaGrange, Georgia as Moravian won the 2004 NFCA Leadoff Classic in March. The Greyhounds losses were two to St. Thomas at the World Series and one to #21 Christopher Newport (VA) University in the opening game of the season for Moravian on March 5th.

Moravian, under the direction of head coach John Byrne, finished the season at 40-6 overall, a school record for victories by any sport, and 14-0 in Commonwealth Conference action this season. Coach Byrne, who has a career record of 333-117 in his 11th season at Moravian, earned the 300th victory of his career at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in the Greyhounds’ victory over then nationally ranked Methodist (NC) College.

Moravian was ranked tenth in the NFCA preseason poll back that was released on February 11th after finishing the 2003 season as the ninth ranked Division III team in the country. Prior to earning the top spot in mid-March; the highest the Greyhounds had ever been ranked in the NFCA Top 25 Poll was in 1998 when the squad spent two weeks as the eighth-ranked team in the country.

The softball team was just the second-ever program at Moravian to be ranked as the top team in the country. The other team was the 2001 women’s cross country squad that spent six weeks at the top of the rankings.

2004 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III Top 25 Poll
Records as of May 20, 2004

Rank School (First Place votes) Record Points Previous
1. University of St. Thomas (MN) (8) 46-4 200 4
2. Moravian College 40-6 192 7
3. Salisbury (MD) University 41-8 183 2
4. Muskingum (OH) College 43-7 176 8
5. Chapman (CA) University 36-11 168 13
6. Alma (MI) College 39-9 156 3
7. Wheaton (MA) College 33-12-1 155 12
8. Cortland State (NY) University 37-9 143 6
9. Central (IA) College 35-9 123 22
10. Linfield (OR) College 37-9 122 17
11. University of Chicago 29-11 111 24
12. Roanoke (VA) College 34-12 107 20
13. Ramapo College of New Jersey 35-8 105 5
14. East Texas Baptist University 41-5 104 1
15. Augustana (IL) College 36-9 77 11
16. Washington (MO) University 33-5 70 10
17. Ithaca (NY) College 27-15 66 NR
18. Smith (MA) College 34-6 65 NR
19. Emory (GA) University 37-12 63 NR
20. Williams (MA) College 32-10 50 19
21. Christopher Newport (VA) University 36-7 37 14
22. King’s (PA) College 39-10 32 NR
23. University of Wisconsin-Superior 34-10 22 NR
24. Cal State Hayward 29-8-1 19 25
25. Oneonta State (NY) University 28-17 13 NR

Others receiving votes: Allegheny (PA) College 12; Union (NY) College 9; Montclair State (NJ) University 8; Western Connecticut State University 5; Louisiana College 4; Defiance (OH) College 1; Lake Forest (IL) College 1; Maryville (MO) University 1.

Dropped out: #9 Simpson (IA) College, #15 Illinois Wesleyan University; #16 Union (NY) College; #18 Rowan (NJ) University; #21 Bluffton (OH) College; #23 Western New England College