LOUISVILLE, Ky. --- The Moravian College softball team has been ranked 17th in the 2013 National Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA Division III Preseason Top 25 Poll released Wednesday.

Pacific Lutheran University received all eight first-place votes and holds down the top spot with 200 points while Montclair State University is second with 185 points.  Luther (Iowa) College is third with 179 points while Tufts (Mass.) University is ranked fourth with 177 points followed by Linfield (Ore.) College with 162 points. 

Moravian has 66 points in the poll, and is one of three teams for the East Region ranked with Montclair State in second and Rowan (N.J.) University in 14th.

Moravian, under the direction of 20th-year head coach John Byrne (616-193), returns 15 players and nine starters from last year's 35-11 squad that won its fifth straight Landmark Conference Championship.  The program also made the NCAA Division III Tournament for the 14th time in 15 seasons last year, and has captured 12 consecutive conference titles.  Coach Byrne has added another three players to the roster this year.

The Greyhounds begin their 2013 season with a trip to the National Training Center in Clermont, Florida with ten total games between March 3rd through 8th.  Moravian will open its 2013 home schedule and Landmark Conference season with a doubleheader versus Susquehanna University on Saturday, March 16th starting at 1:00 p.m. at Blue & Grey Field in Bethlehem.

The complete poll can be found at https://nfca.org/index.php/component/nfca/?top25=1&list=1&year=2013&pdiv=div3.