Sports News: Spring 2005

Thursday, June 2, 2005

MORAVIAN’S HEATHER BORTZ NAMED TO ACADEMIC
ALL-AMERICA FIRST TEAM

BETHLEHEM, PA --- Senior shortstop Heather Bortz (Allentown, PA/Parkland HS) of the Moravian College softball team has been named to the 2005 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America College Division Softball First Team selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America and announced Thursday.

To be eligible for ESPN The Magazine 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, who was a Third Team Academic All-American last year, helped the Greyhounds to a 37-8 record this season and the team’s eight straight trip to the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament including a third straight berth in the regional championship game. Moravian won at least 23 games for the 12th consecutive season and 30 games for the fifth straight year, and the Greyhounds were 13-1 in the Commonwealth Conference regular season. Bortz, who was on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association/Louisville Slugger All-American Second Team this year after being on the First Team in 2004 and the Second Team in 2003, also helped the Greyhounds win their fifth straight Commonwealth Conference Tournament title and sixth consecutive Commonwealth Conference Championship.

Bortz, who was the Commonwealth Conference Rookie of the Year in 2002 and the Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year in 2003, 2004 and 2005, earned a spot on the All-Commonwealth Conference First Team for the fourth straight year, and she led Moravian in hitting this spring with a .428 batting average. Bortz, who was on the NFCA All-Region First Team for three consecutive years, had a team high of 62 hits to go with 30 runs scored, six doubles, five triples and 21 RBIs. Bortz also added two sacrifice flies, seven stolen bases and 15 walks. She led the 2005 team with 79 assists in the field. Bortz was the first player in school history to reach 200 career hits and finished with 253 hits in her career. Bortz also owns the school career records for at-bats with 567, runs scored at 137 and batting average at .446.

Bortz is the 29th ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American in Moravian history and the 24th in the last 12 years.