Sports News: Spring 2004

Thursday, June 3, 2004

MORAVIAN’S HEATHER BORTZNAMED TO ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA THIRD TEAM

BETHLEHEM, PA --- Junior shortstop Heather Bortz (Allentown, PA/Parkland HS) of the Moravian college softball team has been named to the 2004 CoSIDA Academic All-America College Division Softball Third Team selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America and announced Thursday

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.

Bortz helped the Greyhounds to a 40-6 record this season and the team’s first-ever NCAA Division III World Series appearance as Moravian finished as the national runners-up. Moravian has won at least 23 games in each of the last 11 seasons and broke the school record for wins in a season by any sport this year. 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, were 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, lead the Greyhounds at the plate with a .448 batting average. Bortz, who drew a bases loaded walk to drive in the only run in Moravian’s regional championship win, had a single season school record 74 hits on the season and tied the school record for career hits with 191. Bortz, who had an NCAA all-division record 44-game hitting streak from April 15, 2003 to April 17, 2004, also contributed 46 runs scored, 19 RBIs, 18 stolen bases, 11 walks, eight doubles and three triples. Bortz was also a First Team Louisville Slugger/NFCA First Team All-American, a First Team NFCA All-Region and a First Team Commonwealth All-Conference player.

Bortz is the 27th CoSIDA Academic All-American in Moravian history and the 22nd in the last 11 years.