Thursday, February 11, 2010

MORAVIAN SOFTBALL SQUAD RECEIVES VOTES IN 2010 NFCA DIVISION III PRESEASON POLL

STARKVILLE, MS --- The Moravian College softball team received votes and is just outside of the Top 25 in the 2010 National Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA Division III Preseason Top 25 Poll released Wednesday. 

Messiah College, last year’s national championship team, received all eight first-place votes and 200 points to hold down the top spot in the poll while East Texas Baptist University and Ohio Northern University are tied for second with 162 points.  Moravian received 15 points in the preseason poll as did Defiance (OH) College.

Moravian, under the direction of 17th-year head coach John Byrne (510-158), returns 12 players and six starters from last year’s 35-11 squad that won its second straight Landmark Conference Championship.  The program also made the NCAA Division III Tournament for the 11th time in 12 seasons last year and has added 11 new players.

The Greyhounds begin their 2010 season at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Panama City, Florida with ten total games between March 9th through 14th. A total of eight teams in the top 25 and three others receiving votes join Moravian as part of the 24-team field.

The complete poll can be found at http://nfca.org/top25/index.php?cat_id=3.