Monday, April 18, 2005

MORAVIAN’S MEAGAN HENNESSY NAMED COMMONWEALTH CONFERENCE PITCHER OF THE WEEK FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT WEEK

ANNVILLE, PA --- Junior pitcher Meagan Hennessy (Freehold, NJ/Freehold Township HS) of the Moravian College softball team has been named the Commonwealth Conference Pitcher of the Week for the fourth consecutive week for her performance last week.

Hennessy posted a 5-0 record last week including a 4-0 mark in Commonwealth Conference action and three shutouts to help the Greyhounds post a 6-0 record last week. Moravian, ranked ninth in the nation in the 2005 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III Top 25 Poll released last week, has won 20 straight games and is now 26-3 overall and 8-0 in Commonwealth Conference action on the year.

Hennessy began the week with a 9-1 win versus Elizabethtown College that included three strikeouts. In the second game of the doubleheader, Hennessy tossed her tenth shutout of the season, an 8-0 win, allowing just two hits while striking out five batters. Hennessy allowed three hits while striking out 11 batters in a 4-1 win versus Delaware Valley College. She finished the week with two wins versus Juniata College. Hennessy limited the Eagles to two hits while striking out 14 batters in a 3-0 victory in the first game. During the game, Hennessy surpassed the 500 career strikeout mark, the first player in Moravian history to reach that plateau. She followed that with an 8-1 victory in which Hennessy allowed a walk and nine hits while striking out eight. For the week, Hennessy allowed just 19 hits and three walks in 31 innings of action. She had 41 strikeouts, a 0.45 ERA and added two putouts and eight assists in the field.

For the season, Hennessy is 20-2 with 2 saves and she has won 16 straight decisions. She has 12 shutouts, three no-hitters, four one-hitters and has allowed just 70 hits, 35 walks, 18 runs and 11 earned runs in 156 innings. Hennessy has also struck out a school record 188 batters to raised her school record total to 520. Hennessy's three shutouts this week improves her school record total to 31 in her career, and she has a 58-12 career mark with five saves. Hennessy needs just one win to tie the all-time record.

Hennessy has earned Commonwealth Conference Pitcher of the Week honors five times this season, and Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Southern Pitcher of the Week twice. Last week, Hennessy was named the Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III National Player of the week.

Moravian is slated to return to action on Tuesday, April 19th in a Commonwealth Conference doubleheader at Lebanon Valley College in Annville beginning at 3:00 p.m.