Wednesday, February 11, 2004
MORAVIAN SOFTBALL SQUAD RANKED 10TH IN NFCA DIVISION III PRESEASON
POLL
STARKVILLE, MS --- The Moravian College softball team has been ranked 10th in the 2004
National Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA Division III Preseason Top 25 Poll released
Wednesday.
Salisbury (MD) University, the runner-up at last year’s NCAA Division III World
Series and the team that defeated Moravian twice in the regional championship to reach
the World Series, received two first-place votes and 194 points to hold down the top spot
in the poll. Defending national champion Central (IA) College received six first-place
votes in the poll for 192 points and the second spot. Moravian, which was ninth in the
final poll last season, received 134 points.
Moravian, under the direction of tenth year head coach John Byrne (293-111),
returns all 13 players from last year’s 32-10 squad that made its sixth consecutive
trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Greyhounds are also the four-time defending
Commonwealth Conference Champions and have added four talented freshmen to the roster.
Moravian is one of three teams from the East Region ranked with the Greyhounds joining
13th-ranked Montclair State University of New Jersey and 18th-ranked William Paterson University
(NJ). Bethany (WV) College and Cabrini College of the East Region received votes in the
poll but are not ranked in the top 25.
The Greyhounds, who begin their 2004 season at the Atlantic versus East Challenge in
Virginia Beach, Virginia on Friday and Saturday, March 5th and 6th, will play at least
three teams ranked in the NFCA Preseason Poll. Moravian will play #2 Central on Friday,
March 12th on the first day of the NFCA Division III Leadoff Classic in LaGrange, GA. The
Greyhounds will also play #21 Capital (OH) University on Saturday, March 13th in the NFCA
Leadoff Classic, and Moravian is scheduled to host #18 William Paterson in a doubleheader
in Bethlehem on Thursday, April 22nd.
The Greyhounds will likely play additional teams ranked or receiving votes in the NFCA
poll at the NFCA Leadoff Classic as 16 of 24 schools scheduled to compete were ranked or
received votes.
2004 NFCA - NCAA Division III Preseason Top 25 Poll (released
February 11, 2004)
Rank |
School (First-Place votes) |
2003 Record |
Points |
1. |
Salisbury (MD) University (2) |
45-6-1 |
194 |
2. |
Central (IA) College (6) |
31-4-1 |
192 |
3. |
Emory (GA) University |
38-6 |
171 |
4. |
Muskingum (OH) College |
42-5 |
163 |
5. |
Illinois Wesleyan University |
38-8 |
162 |
6. |
Pacific Lutheran University |
32-3 |
160 |
7. |
SUNY Cortland |
42-8-1 |
147 |
8. |
Wartburg College |
38-10 |
141 |
9. |
Wheaton (MA) College |
35-9 |
139 |
10. |
Moravian (PA) College |
32-10 |
134 |
11. |
Alma (MI) College |
32-6 |
132 |
12. |
Methodist (NC) College |
38-10 |
97 |
13. |
Montclair State (NJ) University |
36-9 |
93 |
14. |
Ithaca (NY) College |
30-10 |
88 |
15. |
California Lutheran University |
24-20 |
83 |
16. |
University of Chicago |
23-10 |
76 |
17. |
Keene State (NH) University |
27-14 |
66 |
18. |
William Paterson (NJ) University |
29-12-1 |
55 |
19. |
Western New England College |
32-7 |
47 |
20. |
Union (NY) College |
26-7 |
43 |
21. |
Capital (OH) University |
27-14 |
37 |
22. |
Simpson (IA) College |
31-4-1 |
33 |
23. |
Tufts (MA) University |
26-13 |
25 |
24. |
Coe (IA) College |
27-9 |
22 |
25. |
Western Connecticut State University |
24-9 |
21 |
Others receiving votes:
St. Thomas (MN) University 14, Linfield (OR) University 12, Bethany (WV)College 11, Louisiana College
9, California State University Hayward 8, Cabrini (PA) College 8, Chapman (CA) University 5, East
Texas Baptist University 4, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater 3, Lake Forest (IL) College 3, Wittenburg
(OH) University 2.
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