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Sports News: Winter 2004-05

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

MORAVIAN SOFTBALL SQUAD FALLS TO #18 IN FIRST NFCA DIVISION III
TOP 25 POLL OF THE 2005 SEASON

STARKVILLE, MS --- The Moravian College softball team, which has won six consecutive games, fell from tied for second in the preseason poll to 18th in the nation in the first regular season National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III Top 25 Poll of the year released Wednesday.

Eight NCAA Division III head coaches representing the eight NCAA regions vote on the NFCA Division III Top 25 poll.

The Greyhounds received a total of 71 points. Moravian has played one nationally ranked team, falling to fourth-ranked Salisbury (MD) University, 3-1 in nine innings. Moravian still has one nationally ranked team on its remaining schedule this season. The Greyhounds are slated to travel to #10 William Paterson (NJ) University for a non-conference doubleheader on Thursday, April 21st beginning at 3:00 p.m.

Moravian, under the direction of head coach John Byrne, is 12-3 overall and 0-0 in Commonwealth Conference action this season. Coach Byrne has a career record of 345-120 in his 12th season at Moravian.

The highest the Greyhound have ever been ranked in the poll was last season when Moravian held the top spot in the country for four weeks before finishing the 2004 season as the NCAA Division III National Runner-Up.

Moravian is slated to return to action on Thursday, March 31st in a non-conference doubleheader at Wilkes University beginning at 2:30 p.m.

2005 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III Top 25 Poll
Records as of March 27, 2005

Rank School (First Place votes) Record Points Previous
1 Chapman 25-3 197 4
2 Washington Univ. in St. Louis 21-1 192 9
3 Muskingum 11-3 165 4
4 Augustana (Ill.) 11-3 162 8
4 Salisbury 18-2 162 2
6 St. Thomas 12-5 148 1
7 Rutgers Camden 13-1 144 16
8 Wisconsin-Eau Claire 12-3 128 NR
9 Wheaton (Mass.) 10-3 127 7
10 William Paterson 10-1 115 21
11 Cal State East Bay 11-2-1 111 19
12 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 8-1-1 109 NR
13 Linfield 16-4-1 86 10
14 Mt. Union 11-2 84 NR
15 Simpson 13-3 78 NR
16 Coe 13-1 72 NR
16 Methodist 20-7 72 20
18 Moravian 12-3 71 2
19 Keene St. 9-1 67 NR
20 Univ. of Chicago 9-1 58 15
21 Univ. of Redlands 19-6 41 NR
22 Union College 7-3 37 NR
23 Roanoke 15-6 30 13
24 Hope College 8-2 28 NR
25 College of New Jersey 13-6 25 NR

Others receiving votes:
Bowdoin 19, Central (Iowa) 15, Emory 12, Buffalo State 10, Cortland State 7, Illinois Wesleyan 7, Louisiana College 6, Olivet College 5, Montclair St. 4, Babson 3, Hardin Simmons 3.

Dropped out:
No. 6 Ithaca, No. 11 Cortland St., No. 12 Central (Iowa), No. 14 Alma, No. 17 Allegheny, No. 18 Williams, No. 22 Wartburg, No. 23 Oneonta State, No. 24 East Texas Baptist, No. 25 Smith College.