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
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