Sports News: Winter 2002-03

Wednesday, February 12, 2003

MORAVIAN SOFTBALL SQUAD RANKED 20TH IN NFCA PRESEASON POLL

COLUMBIA, MO --- The Moravian College softball team has been ranked 20th in the 2003 USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA Division III Preseason Top 25 Poll released Wednesday.

Defending national champion Ithaca (NY) College received all eight first-place votes in the poll for 200 points. Moravian received 40 points.

Moravian, under the direction of ninth year head coach John Byrne (261-101), returns 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.

Moravian is one of four teams from the East Region ranked with the Greyhounds joining ninth ranked Bethany (WV) College, 15th-ranked Rowan University and 25th-ranked Cabrini College. The Greyhounds were ranked as high as 20th for a month last season and Moravian has been ranked as high as 19th in the last two years.

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 USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA Division III Preseason Top 25 Poll
(released February 12, 2003)

Rank School (First place votes)
2002 Ranking
Pts.
Final 2002 Ranking
1. Ithaca (N.Y) (8)
37-13
200
1
2. Lake Forest (Ill.)
34-12
187
2
3. Emory (Ga.)
43-10
181
3
4. St. Thomas (Minn)
38-9
174
5
5. Pacific Lutheran (Wash.)
36-2
161
4
6. Muskingum (Ohio)
40-8
152
8
7. Salisbury (Md.)
40-11
150
7
8. Western Connecticut
34-9
149
9
9. Bethany (W. Va.)
32-10
148
6
10. Geneseo St. (N.Y.)
36-5
126
10
11. East Texas Baptist
38-8
110
12
12. Central (Iowa)
36-5
107
14 (tie)
13. Roanoke (Va.)
38-5
92
11
14. Wheaton (Mass.)
31-9
91
20
15. Rowan (N.J.)
33-16
86
19
16. Capital (Ohio)
30-10
72
16
17. La Verne (Calif.)
37-6
63
18
18. Alma (Mich.)
28-11
59
22
19. Wisconsin-Eau Claire
18-15
47
NR
20. Moravian (Pa.)
34-8
40
NR
21. Western New England
34-9
34
NR
22. (tie) Webster (Mo.)
32-7
23
NR
  (tie) Coe (Iowa)
37-9
23
13
24. Tufts (Mass.)
29-9
20
24 (tie)
25. Cabrini (Pa.)
37-8
17
21

Others receiving votes: Methodist (N.C.) 16, Benedictine (III.) 16, Illinois Wesleyan 14, Cortland State (N.Y.) 10, Ferrum College (Va.) 7, William Paterson (N.J.) 6, McDaniel (Md.) 6, Wartburg (Iowa) 5, Endicott (Mass.) 3, Bridgewater State (Mass.) 3, Linfield (Ore.) 3, Hope College (Mich.) 1.

Others considered: Maryville (Tenn.). King’s College (Pa.), Denison (Ohio), St. Mary’s (Minn.), Hamline (Minn.), Wisconsin-Superior, St. John Fisher (N.Y.), Plattsburgh State (N.Y.), Chapman (Calif.).