March 15, 1999

MORAVIAN SOFTBALL RANKED REGIONALLY

OVERLAND PARK, KS --- The Moravian College softball team, which opened its 1999 season with a 4-1 record at the Virginia Wesleyan College Lady Marlin Softball Tournament this past weekend, has been ranked by the NCAA in the preseason Division III Regional Poll.

The Lady Greyhounds are ranked third in the East Region behind Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth League rival Messiah College and North Carolina Wesleyan College. Susquehanna University, another MAC Commonwealth League squad, is ranked fourth in the region and Allegheny College and Christopher Newport College (VA) are tied for fifth.

Last season, Moravian made the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time in school history and finished the year with a 27-14 record.

Moravian has already played two ranked opponents this season at the Virginia Wesleyan Tournament. The Lady Greyhounds defeated North Carolina Wesleyan, 2-1 in eight innings on a bases-loaded, two-out suicide squeeze play, and lost to Salisbury State University, 3-2 in 10 innings. Salisbury State is ranked first in the Atlantic Region and competed in the NCAA Division III World Series.

In addition to MAC Commonwealth League doubleheaders with Messiah and Susquehanna, Moravian will play three other teams ranked in the preseason. The Lady Greyhounds have double headers scheduled with Rowan University, second in the Atlantic Region, and William Paterson College, fourth in the Atlantic Region, and a single game with the College of New Jersey, third in the Atlantic Region.

Moravian will compete at the Salisbury State Tournament this weekend and has games scheduled against Susquehanna, Western Maryland College and Chowan College. Western Maryland and Chowan competed in the 1998 NCAA Division III East Regional with Moravian, Messiah and North Carolina Wesleyan.