Wednesday, April 12, 2006

MORAVIAN SOFTBALL SQUAD RANKED 21ST IN SECOND NFCA DIVISION III TOP 25 POLL OF THE 2006 SEASON

STARKVILLE, MS --- The Moravian College softball team, which has won 19 of its last 20 games, is ranked in a tie for 21st in the second 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 48 points and are tied with Roanoke (VA) College. The University of St. Thomas (MN), the two-time defending NCAA Division III National Champions, holds down the top spot with 199 points and seven first-place votes. To view the complete Top 25 Poll, go to http://nfca.org/top25/index.php?cat_id=3&poll_id=115.

Moravian has played two nationally ranked teams this season, falling to eight-ranked Rutgers University-Camden, 1-0 in eight innings, and losing to 12th-ranked Salisbury (MD) University, 2-0. Moravian still has one nationally ranked team on its remaining schedule this season. The Greyhounds are slated to host to #18 William Paterson (NJ) University for a non-conference doubleheader on Thursday, April 20th beginning at 3:00 p.m. at Blue & Grey Field in Bethlehem.

Moravian, under the direction of head coach John Byrne, is 24-4 overall and 7-1 in Commonwealth Conference action this season. Coach Byrne has a career record of 394-129 in his 13th season at Moravian.

The highest the Greyhound have ever been ranked in the poll was in 2004 when Moravian held the top spot in the country for four weeks before finishing the season as the NCAA Division III National Runner-Up. Moravian was ranked 17th in this year’s NFCA Preseason Poll but was not ranked in the first regular season poll on March 29th.

Moravian is slated to return to action on Friday, April 14th in a Commonwealth Conference doubleheader at Albright College beginning at 1:00 p.m. in Reading.