Thursday, May 13, 2004

BORTZ, BREY & HENNESSY NAMED TO ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT TEAMS

BETHLEHEM, PA --- Junior shortstop Heather Bortz (Allentown, PA/Parkland HS), senior third baseman Janelle Brey (Allentown, PA/Dieruff HS) and sophomore pitcher Meagan Hennessy (Freehold, NJ/Freehold HS) have been named to the 2004 CoSIDA Academic All-District II College Division Softball Teams selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Bortz and Brey were first team selections while Hennessy was a second team honoree.

By making the All-District First Team, Bortz and Brey are now forwarded onto the national ballot to try for CoSIDA Academic All-American® accolades, which will be announced on Thursday, June 3rd.

To be eligible for CoSIDA Academic All-America® honors, a student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.20 grade-point average, be a sophomore, junior or senior and be a starter or significant reserve.

The College Division is made up of all the NCAA Division II and III Schools in the nation as well as all NAIA schools. Student-athletes from NCAA Division I schools are named to the University Division Teams. District II is made up of schools from Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

The trio has helped the Greyhounds to a 37-4 record this season and the team’s first-ever NCAA Division III World Series appearance that begins on Friday, May 14th at 11:00 a.m. versus Chapman (CA) University. Moravian has won at least 23 games for the 11th consecutive season and broke the school record for wins in a season by any sport. Moravian was also 14-0 in the Commonwealth Conference regular season. The Greyhounds, which have won over 30 games six times under head coach John Byrne including the last four years, are in the NCAA tournament for the seventh straight year and the postseason for the tenth consecutive season. Moravian reached the World Series with a 1-0 victory over Ramapo College of New Jersey in the regional championship.

Bortz, the 2004 Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year, is leading the Greyhounds at the plate with a .483 batting average. Bortz, who drew a bases loaded walk to drive in the only run in Moravian’s regional championship win, has a single season school record 70 hits on the season and has broken the school record for career hits with 187. Bortz, who had an NCAA all-division record 44-game hitting streak from April 15, 2003 to April 17, 2004, has also contributed 45 runs scored, 17 RBIs, 18 stolen bases, ten walks, seven doubles and three triples. Bortz was the 2003 Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year and was on the 2003 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Second Team All-American, the first All-American in Moravian history.

Brey was named to Commonwealth All-Conference First Team and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-East Region First Team this spring. Brey has continued to rewrite the Moravian record books this spring and currently holds 16 Moravian game, season and career records while ranking in the top five of the career offensive categories she doesn’t own the record. Brey is hitting .398 this season with 51 hits, 45 RBIs, 33 runs scored, 12 walks, 13 doubles, a triple and seven home runs. Brey has also set the school record with 100 assists in the field this season.

Hennessy, the Commonwealth Conference Pitcher of the Year for the second straight year, has posted a 19-2 record, a school record for victories, with a school record ten shutouts and three saves. Hennessy, who started the season 15-0, has a 0.89 ERA in 150 innings of work, and she has allowed just 91 hits and 38 walks while striking out 149 batters. Hennessy became just the second pitcher in school history with 300 strikeouts in a career.

Bortz and Brey will now try to become the 26th and 27th CoSIDA Academic All-Americans in Moravian history and the 21st and 22nd in the last 11 years.