Wednesday, May 7, 2003
MORAVIAN SOFTBALL JUMPS INTO NATIONAL POLL AT 19TH
IN NFCA/USA TODAY TOP 25 POLL
COLUMBIA, MO --- The Moravian College softball team has returned to the USA Today/National
Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA Division III Top 25 Poll released Wednesday. The Greyhounds
are ranked 19th in the nation in the fourth poll of the season.
Pacific Lutheran University received five first-place votes in the poll for 196 points
while Emory (GA) University had one first place vote and 190 points and Muskingum (OH)
College had the final two first place votes and 190 points. The Greyhounds received 57
points.
Moravian, under the direction of ninth year head coach John Byrne (290-109), is 29-8
overall, has been seeded third in the NCAA Division III Regional at Ramapo College. The
Greyhounds will play sixth seeded the United States Merchant Marine Academy at 12:00 p.m.
on Friday, May 9th in the second game of the tournament. Moravian won its third straight
Commonwealth Conference Tournament last weekend and its fourth consecutive Commonwealth
Conference Championship. The Greyhounds trip to the NCAA Regionals is the sixth straight
for the program.
Moravian is one of four teams from the East Region ranked with the Greyhounds joining
eighth-ranked Bethany (WV) College, 13th-ranked Ramapo (NJ) College and 25th-William Paterson
(NJ) University. The Greyhounds were ranked 20th in the preseason poll and moved up to
18th in the first regular season poll before falling out of the rankings for three week.
Moravian has been ranked as high as eighth in the nation since the 1998 season.
The Greyhounds have already played eighth-ranked Salisbury (MD) University this season,
falling to the Sea Gulls, 4-0. Moravian is in the same NCAA Regional with Salisbury and
Ramapo this weekend.
2003 USA Today/NFCA - NCAA Division III Top 25 Poll (released
May 7, 2003)
Rank |
School (first place votes) |
Record |
Pts. |
Previous Ranking |
1. |
Pacific Lutheran (Wash.) (5) |
30-1 |
196 |
1 |
2. |
Emory (Ga.) (1) |
33-4 |
190 |
2 |
3. |
Muskingum (Ohio) (2) |
39-3 |
189 |
3 |
4. |
SUNY Cortland (N.Y.) |
38-6-1 |
170 |
5 |
5. |
Central (Iowa) |
32-4-1 |
164 |
8 |
6. |
Illinois Wesleyan |
33-6 |
153 |
11 |
7. |
Salisbury (Md.) |
37-3-1 |
151 |
6 |
8. |
Bethany (WV) |
31-6 |
145 |
9 |
9. |
Wheaton (Mass.) |
33-7 |
142 |
7 |
10. |
Alma (Mich.) |
30-4 |
131 |
10 |
11. |
East Texas Baptist |
30-11 |
114 |
15 |
12. |
Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) |
26-9 |
97 |
NR |
13. |
Ramapo (N.J.) |
32-5 |
96 |
13 (tie) |
14. |
(tie) U. of Chicago (Ill.) |
21-8 |
85 |
20 |
|
(tie) Methodist (N.C.) |
36-8 |
85 |
13 (tie) |
16. |
Ithaca (N.Y.) |
28-9 |
76 |
18 |
17. |
Wartburg (Iowa) |
32-7 |
68 |
NR |
18. |
Tufts (Mass.) |
25-11 |
62 |
NR |
19. |
Moravian (Pa.) |
29-8 |
57 |
NR |
20. |
Chapman (Calif.) |
29-8 |
51 |
NR |
21. |
Western New England (Mass.) |
28-5 |
42 |
25 |
22. |
Washington University (Mo.) |
30-7 |
40 |
17 |
23. |
Lake Forest (Ill.) |
23-11 |
31 |
NR |
24. |
Simpson (Iowa) |
31-4-1 |
19 |
4 |
25. |
William Paterson (N.J.) |
27-10-1 |
12 |
NR |
Dropped out: Geneseo (N.Y.), Western Connecticut State, St. Thomas (Minn.), California
State-Hayward, Rutgers-Camden (N.J.), Montclair State (N.J.), Maryville (Tenn.).
Others receiving votes: Wittenberg (Ohio) 12, Keene State (N.H.) 11, St. Thomas (Minn.)
3, Maryville (Tenn.) 2, California Lutheran 1, Montclair State (N.J.) 1, Geneseo (N.Y.)
1.
Others considered:Cabrini (Pa.), King's (Pa.) LaVerne (Calif.), Linfield (Ore.), Rochester
Institute of Technology (N.J.), Norwich (Vt.), California State-Hayward, Springfield (Mass.),
Endicott (Mass.), Union (N.Y.), Oneonta (N.Y.), Webster (Mo.), Coe (Iowa), Emory and Henry
(Va.), College of Mt. St. Joseph (Ohio), Thomas More (Ky.), Wisconsin-Whitewater, Carthage
(Wis.).
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