Wednesday, May 12, 2010

FOUR GREYHOUNDS NAMED TO LANDMARK SOFTBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS;
Carmon Named Pitcher of the Year & Gross Honored as Rookie of the Year

            MADISON, NJ --- The Moravian College softball team placed two players on the 2010 Landmark Softball All-Conference First Team and two on the Second Team while sophomore pitcher/designated player Jenna Carmon (Flemington, NJ/Hunterdon Central HS) earned Landmark Conference Pitcher of the Year honors for a second straight year and freshman shortstop Katie Gross (Allentown, PA/Parkland HS) was named the Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year as released by the conference office.
            Carmon, pictured at left, and freshman first baseman Amanda Dizinno (Budd Lake, NJ/Mount Olive HS) were named to the Landmark All-Conference First Team.  Gross and junior outfielder Maura Agnew (Doylestown, PA/Lansdale Catholic HS) earned spots on the Landmark All-Conference Second Team.
            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 11 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 also received an automatic berth to the 2010 NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament, 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.
            Carmon, who was on the Landmark All-Conference First Team as a pitcher and Second Team as a designated player in 2009, leads Moravian this spring with 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.  At the plate, Carmon 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.
            Dizinno, pictured at left, has a .319 average, 44 hits, 26 runs, ten doubles, three homers and 35 RBIs in her debut season with the Greyhounds.  In the field, Dizinno has 320 putouts and ten assists in 336 chances, and she has played in all 42 contests, starting 41.
            Gross, pictured at right, has a .375 average, a team high 45 hits, 36 runs, six doubles, 17 walks, 27 sacrifice bunts, which leads the nation, 14 stolen bases and 11 RBIs.  She also has 56 putouts and 92 assists in the field after starting the season in center field before moving to shortstop after 12 games.  Gross is the only Moravian player to have started all 42 games this season and joins Dizinno as the only two players to see action in every game.
            Agnew, who was on the Landmark All-Conference Second Team a year ago as a third baseman, has a .321 average, 36 hits, 16 runs, six doubles, a home run, nine walks and 21 RBIs.  Agnew, pictured at left, has played in 41 games with 39 starts, and she has 54 putouts and 21 assists.
            Moravian received an automatic berth to the 2010 NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament with action beginning on Friday, May 14th.  The Greyhounds are the second seed in a six-team regional being played at Rhode Island College in Providence, Rhode Island.  Moravian will take on fifth seed Neumann University at 12:00 p.m. Friday in the second game of the regional that runs through Sunday, May 16th.  The winner of the regional will advance to the 2010 NCAA Division III Works Series being hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in Eau Claire, Wisconsin beginning on Friday, May 21st.