Monday, May 10, 2010

GREYHOUND SOFTBALL SQUAD HEADED TO RHODE ISLAND IN 2010 NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

            BETHLEHEM, PA --- The Moravian College softball team earned an automatic berth to the 2010 NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament by capturing its third straight Landmark Conference title on Sunday, and the Greyhounds will be heading to Rhode Island to compete in the regionals beginning on Friday, May 14th.
            The Greyhounds are seeded second in the six-team regional being hosted by Rhode Island College and will play five seed Neumann University at 10:00 a.m. Moravian is currently 30-12 overall. Neumann is 26-16 this season and received an automatic berth after winning the Colonial States Athletic Conference.
            The other first-round matchups in the six-team have third seeded Kean (NJ) University (29-15, the New Jersey Athletic Conference Champion) versus fourth seed Wesleyan (CT) University (23-16-1, the New England Small College Athletic Conference Champion) at 2:00 p.m. and top seed The College of New Jersey (31-8, an at-large selection) versus sixth-seeded Baurch (NY) College (23-20, the City University of New York Athletic Conference Champion) at 10:00 a.m.  The losers of the first two games will play in the regional’s first elimination game at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.  For more information, visit http://www.goanchormen.com/ncaasoftball/ncaasb2010.html.
            The tournament will run through Sunday, Monday if necessary, with the champion earning one of eight berths in the NCAA Division III World Series being hosted by The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in Eau Clarie, Wisconsin, which begins on Friday, May 21st.  Friday and Saturday’s action will begin at 10:00 a.m. as well while Sunday will begin at 12:00 p.m.  The if necessary game is scheduled for Monday, May 17th at 10:00 a.m. if needed.
            Moravian received one of the 39 Pool A berths into the 60-team tournament.  There were also three Pool B/Independent berths and 18 Pool C/at-large berths awards.  Moravian is making its 12th NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 13 years, and the Greyhounds are 26-22 all-time in NCAA action with berths in the 2004 & 2007 World Series.
            The Greyhounds under the direction of 17-year head coach John Byrne, who as a career mark of 540-170, have posted a 30-12 overall record this spring, the 17th consecutive season that Moravian has won at least 23 games, and an 11-1 mark in Landmark Conference regular season action.  The Greyhounds, which have won over 30 games 12 times under Byrne including the last ten years, won their 11th straight conference title this past weekend with a third straight Landmark Conference Championship, and the program played in the conference tournament for the 15th time in 16 years.  Moravian’s NCAA berth is its 12th berth in the last 13 years including a regional championship and berth in the 2007 NCAA Division III World Series and a national runner-up finish at the 2004 Division III World Series.
                Moravian, which was ranked third in the East Region in the final NCAA Division III Regional Rankings released last week, is hitting .302 with 350 hits including 82 extra-base hits.  Moravian has out-scored its opponents, 234-117, and the Greyhounds have a .942 fielding percentage this season.  However, the Greyhounds are just 4-5 in one-run games this season with three of those losses in extra innings.  Moravian is 2-3 in extra innings.
            Leading Moravian at the plate is freshman shortstop Katie Gross (Allentown, PA/Parkland HS), who has a .375 average, a team high 45 hits, 36 runs, six doubles, 17 walks, 27 sacrifice bunts, 14 stolen bases and 11 RBIs.  Junior second baseman Stephanie Falzarano (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield HS) has added a .341 average, 44 hits, 33 runs, seven doubles, 13 walks and nine RBIs while freshman first baseman Amanda Dizinno (Budd Lake, NJ/Mt. Olive HS) has a .319 average, 44 hits, 26 runs, ten doubles, three homers and 35 RBIs. 
            Junior outfielder Maura Agnew (Doylestown, PA/Lansdale Catholic HS) has a .321 average, 36 hits, 16 runs, six doubles, a home run, nine walks and 21 RBIs while freshman third baseman Shannen Mohr (Slatington, PA/Parkland HS) has a .321 average and has put up 35 hits, nine doubles, 23 runs, a team leading six home runs, 34 RBIs and a team leading 23 walks.  Sophomore pitcher/designated player Jenna Carmon (Flemington, NJ/Hunterdon Central HS) has a .306 average to go along with 38 hits, 26 runs, seven doubles, a triple, three home runs, six walks, three stolen bases and 27 RBIs while freshman outfielder/designated player Samantha Mulderig (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township HS) has 29 hits to go along with 14 runs, seven doubles, three triples, 11 walks and 14 RBIs. 
            Sophomore outfielder Olivia Evanko (Nazareth, PA/Nazareth HS) has connected for 26 hits, 12 runs, three doubles, a triple and 16 RBIs so far this season while freshman outfielder/designated player Brook Kowal (Port Jervis, NY/Port Jervis HS) has contributed 18 hits, two doubles, 11 RBIs and 16 runs.  Junior outfielder Amanda Paulus (Easton, PA/Easton HS) has nine hits, a triple, eight runs, six RBIs, four walks and two stolen bases while freshman infielder Rebekah Battersby (Dingmans Ferry, PA/Delaware Valley HS) has added six hits, a double, nine runs and two RBIs. 
            Freshman catcher Tori Thomas (Poughkeepsie, NY/Roy C. Ketchem HS) has five hits, two RBIs and three runs scored while senior outfielder Katie Flood (Branchburg, NJ/Somerville HS) has one hit, an RBI and five runs scored this season.  Freshman pitcher/designated player Alyssa Fegley (Mertztown, PA/Brandywine Heights HS) has five hits, two runs, a double, a triple and two RBIs.  Freshman outfielder Marla Bianca (Reinholds, PA/Wilson West Lawn HS) has two hits to go along with a walk and a run while senior catcher Kelly Maressa (Allentown, PA/William Allen HS) has tallied a hit, a double, two RBIs, two runs and three walks. 
            In the circle for Moravian are Carmon and junior Elizabeth Python (Huntington Station, NY/Walt Whitman HS).  Carmon has a 21-9 record and two saves to go with a 1.51 ERA, 23 walks, 106 strikeouts, 18 complete games and five shutouts in 190 1/3 innings of action while Python has a 6-2 record in 65 innings pitched with a 1.51 ERA, 24 walks, 37 strikeouts, four complete games and a no-hitter.   At the plate, Python has a hit and a run in four at-bats.  Fegley has tossed 27 1/3 innings with a 2.30 ERA, five walks, ten strikeouts and a 3-0 record.