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Sports News: Spring 2011

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

MORAVIAN SOFTBALL SQUAD SLIPS TO 11TH IN LATEST NFCA DIVISION III TOP 25 POLL

STARKVILLE, MS --- The Moravian College softball team slipped two spots to 11th in the second regular season National Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA Division III Top 25 Poll for 2011 released Wednesday. 

Linfield (OR) College received eight first-place votes and holds down the top spot with 200 points while Louisiana College is second with 183 points.  Eastern Connecticut State University is third with 181 points while East Texas Baptist College is ranked fourth with 165 points followed by Luther (IA) College and Messiah College tied for fifth with 159 points. 

The Greyhounds, who were seventh in the preseason poll and tied for ninth in the first regular season poll, have 115 points.

Moravian, under the direction of 18th-year head coach John Byrne (544-173), returns 13 players and ten starters from last year’s 34-15 squad that won its third straight Landmark Conference Championship.  The program also made the NCAA Division III Tournament for the 12th time in 13 seasons last year, winning its third NCAA Regional Championship and making its third trip to the NCAA Division III World Series.  Coach Byrne has added another nine players to the roster this year.

The Greyhounds begin their 2011 season with a trip to the National Training Center in Clermont, Florida with ten total games between March 7th through 12th.  Moravian is scheduled to play 20th-ranked Emory (GA) University during the trip as well as Lebanon Valley College, which also received votes in the poll.

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