MORAVIAN SOFTBALL SQUAD DROPS TO 12TH IN LATEST NFCA DIVISION III POLL

STARKVILLE, MS --- The Moravian College softball team has dropped three spots to 12th in the nation in the third regular season National Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA Division III Top 25 Poll of the 2007 season released Wednesday.

The University of St. Thomas (MN) and Louisiana College are tied for the top spot with both schools receiving 191 points. St. Thomas had six first-place votes while Louisiana had one. Ithaca College received the final first-place vote and was ranked third with 187 points. Moravian received 99 points.

Moravian, under the direction of 14th-year head coach John Byrne (414-137), has already posted a7-3 record this season after competing at the Atlantic versus East Challenge and the 2007 NFCA Leadoff Classic, which was won by St. Thomas.

The Greyhounds were 15th in the preseason poll, 11th in the first regular season poll on March 7th, ninth last week after posting a 3-3 record at the NFCA Leadoff Classic before dropping to 12th this week. The highest Moravian has ever been in the poll was the top spot back in 2004.

The Greyhounds are one of three teams from the East Region ranked with the Greyhounds being joined by 13th-ranked Ramapo College of New Jersey and 25th-ranked Rowan (NJ) University.

Moravian is currently 3-3 this season against the top 25 with wins over #3 Ithaca, 1-0, #17 Roanoke (VA) College, 5-4, #18 Augustana (IL) College, 6-3, and losses to #1 Louisiana, 5-0; #8 Central (IA) College, 4-1, and #21 Muskingum (OH) College, 2-1 in eight innings. All of those games except for the Roanoke contest were played at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Panama City Beach, Florida.

The complete poll can be found at http://nfca.org/top25/index.php?cat_id=3.