Monday, March 3, 2003

GREYHOUNDS SELECTED TO REPEAST AS CHAMPIONS IN COMMONWEALTH CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL

ANNVILLE, PA --- The Moravian College softball team was a unanimous selection to win its fourth straight Commonwealth Conference title in a preseason poll of the conference’s coaches.

The Greyhounds received 48 points and all six first place votes in the poll. Messiah College was selected second and the Falcons were followed by Elizabethtown College, Susquehanna University, Albright College, Lebanon Valley College, Widener University and Juniata College.

Moravian College was ranked 20th in the 2003 USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA Division III Preseason Top 25 Poll released in February. The Greyhounds, under the direction of ninth year head coach John Byrne (261-101), return 11 players from last year’s 34-8 squad that made its fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Greyhounds are also the three-time defending Commonwealth Conference Champions.

Leading the Greyhounds on the field will be junior third baseman Janelle Brey (Allentown, PA/ Dieruff HS), who was the Commonwealth Player of the Year, and sophomore shortstop Heather Bortz (Allentown, PA/Parkland HS), the Commonwealth Rookie of the Year. Brey spread her name throughout the Moravian record books last spring, setting single season marks of 52 RBIs, 92 total bases and 10 home runs. Brey, who also set the career homer mark with 15 dingers, also had 45 hits, 32 runs scored, 15 doubles, 13 walks and a .366 batting average last season. Brey was 15th in all of NCAA Division III last season in RBIs per game and she was 16th in the nation in homers per contest. Bortz made an immediate impact on the Greyhounds, starting in 36 games and leading the squad with 89 assists in the field. At the plate, Bortz led the team with a .410 batting average while collecting 50 hits, 32 runs scored, 13 RBIs, ten walks and 12 stolen bases.

The Greyhounds, who begin their 2003 season at the Atlantic versus East Challenge in Virginia Beach, Virginia on Friday and Saturday, March 7th and 8th, will play at least three teams ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Preseason Poll. Moravian will play #13 Roanoke (VA) College on Friday, March 7th, seventh-ranked Salisbury University on Friday, March 14th and #15 Rowan (NJ) University on Thursday, April 3rd. The Greyhounds have a chance to play #25 Cabrini College on Saturday, March 18th and the squad will play two teams that received votes in the poll, Ferrum (VA) College on Saturday, March 8th and William Paterson (NJ) University on Thursday, April 23rd.

2003 Commonwealth Conference Softball Preseason Poll