MORAVIAN SOFTBALL TEAM & FOUR PLAYERS RANKED IN FINAL 2007 NCAA STATISTICS RELEASE;
Greyhounds Lead Nation in Fielding Percentage for 2007 Season

INDIANAPOLIS, IN --- The Moravian College softball team is ranked in three team categories including leading the nation in fielding percentage and has four players ranked in the final 2007 NCAA Division III softball statistical ranking released Thursday.

Sophomore pitcher Maria DeBonis (Nazareth, PA/Notre Dame HS) completed the season ranked 15th in earned run average with a 1.07 ERA, 22nd in strikeouts per seven innings with an average of 8.9 strikeouts per game and tied for 34th in victories with 18. DeBonis, pictured at right, finished her first collegiate season with an 18-2, 11 shutouts, a no-hitter and 175 strikeouts in 137 innings.

Sophomore pitcher Kristie Pellicani (Sparta, NJ/Sparta HS) was tied for 46th in victories at 17. Pellicani, pictured at left, had a 17-5 mark in the circle this year with a 1.83 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 137 2/3 innings.

Senior outfielder Lauren Homa (Chalfont, PA/Chalfont HS) was sixth in the nation in sacrifice hits per game with an average of 0.46. Homa, pictured at right, had 19 sacrifices in 41 games and finished her career with 133 hits and 44 sacrifice bunts in 174 career games, which tied the school record.

Junior second baseman/shortstop Beth Paly (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall HS) was tied for 21st in the nation as the toughest to strikeout. Paly had just three strikeouts in 131 at-bats for an average of one strikeout every 43.7 at-bats. Paly, pictured at bottom left, hit .336 for the Greyhounds with 44 hits, 29 RBIs, eight doubles, two triples and a team leading five home runs.

The Greyhounds were first in the nation in fielding percentage at .974, and the squad was tied for fifth in win-loss percentage at .833 and 11th in earned run average with a 1.56 team ERA.

Moravian was 35-7 on the season and 13-1 in Commonwealth Conference action. The Greyhounds played in the 2007 NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament, winning the Montclair Regional to advance to the World Series, were the team’s season ended.