MORAVIAN SOFTBALL SQUAD MOVES UP FIVE SPOTS TO FIFTH IN LATEST NFCA DIVISION III POLL

STARKVILLE, MS --- The Moravian College softball team moved up five spots to fifth in the nation in the tenth regular season National Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA Division III Top 25 Poll of the 2007 season released Thursday.

The University of St. Thomas (MN) holds down the top spot, receiving all eight first-place votes and 200 points. Linfield College is second with 188 points while Ithaca College is third at 185 points. Moravian received 161 points.

Moravian, under the direction of 14th-year head coach John Byrne (440-139), has already posted a 33-5 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 have the top seed in the NCAA Division III Regional at Montclair State University and are in the winner’s bracket with the team’s next game on Saturday, May 12th at 10:00 a.m.

The Greyhounds were 15th in the preseason poll, 11th in the first regular season poll on March 7th, ninth in the second poll after posting a 3-3 record at the NFCA Leadoff Classic before dropping to 12th the following week. Moravian was up three spots to ninth on March 28th before moving into the eighth spot. The Greyhounds were seventh on April 11th before moving up to fifth three weeks ago. Moravian dropped to 12th on April 25th before rebounding to tenth last week. The highest Moravian has ever been in the poll was the top spot back in 2004.

The Greyhounds are one of just three teams from the East Region ranked with the Greyhounds being joined by tenth-ranked Montclair State University and 24th-ranked Ramapo College of New Jersey.

Moravian is currently 1-2 this season against the current top 25 with a win over #3 Ithaca, 1-0, and losses to #4 Louisiana, 5-0; and #7 Muskingum (OH) College, 2-1 in eight innings. All of those games 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.