BETHLEHEM, PA – The Moravian College softball team has had 12 players named 2013-14 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III All-America Scholar-Athlete. The award is given to any player submitted by a member coach who achieved a 3.50 grade point average or higher during the 2013-14 academic year, and the list included 1,020 players for NCAA Division III.
The 12 players honored included then seniors third baseman Rachel DeLucia, catcher/designated player Cassie Ernst, second baseman Eavan Matz, outfielder Taylor Mihalik, pitcher Elizabeth Tillou and infielder Leann Ventriglia, juniors outfielder Dior George and pitcher/designated player Lizzie Mack, sophomore pitcher Lindsay Sullivan and freshman third baseman Victoria Conner, first baseman Abby Jeffries and catcher/first baseman Alexis Wiggley.
The Greyhounds posted a 29-8 record last spring, reaching the postseason for the 20th straight season.
"We are extremely proud of our scholar athletes that continue the success of Moravian Softball both in the classroom and on the field of play," stated Head Coach John Byrne.
DeLucia was named to the Landmark All-Conference First Team and the NFCA All-East Region Second Team last spring after hitting .410 with 32 hits, 21 runs, eight doubles, six home runs, and 27 RBIs. She added a .744 slugging percentage along with 20 putouts and 49 assists in the field.
Ernst garnered a spot on the Landmark All-Conference First Team in her final campaign after hitting .351 with 26 hits, 20 runs, seven doubles, a pair of homers and 19 RBIs. Ernst had 42 putouts and six assists, and she was hit by a pitch seven times.
Matz, who was also the Landmark Senior Scholar-Athlete for softball, was named to the Landmark All-Conference First Team, and she hit .388 with 26 hits, 13 runs, five doubles, a home run and 17 RBIs while contributing 88 putouts and 57 assists.
Mihalik added a .351 average in her final season with 34 hits, 20 runs, nine doubles, three triples and 26 RBIs while Tillou hit .333 with nine hits, four runs, a double, a homer and six RBIs at the plate and a 9-2 record in the circle with a 1.81 ERA, three shutouts, one save and 39 strikeouts in 81 innings of action.
Ventriglia posted a .320 batting average with eight hits, five runs, two doubles, a homer and five RBIs to go with 34 putouts and 59 assists.
George was named to the NFCA All-East Region First Team, the ECAC Division III South All-Star First Team and the Landmark All-Conference First Team last spring while hitting .443 with 43 hits, a team-high 42 runs, 11 doubles, three triples, two home runs, 18 RBIs, 13 walks and six stolen bases. In the field, George had 42 putouts and three assists to go with a .680 slugging percentage and a .525 on-base percentage.
Mack hit .338 with 26 hits, 30 runs, six doubles, a triple, a homer and 21 RBIs, and Mack was 4-0 in the circle with 15 strikeouts in 30.2 innings of action. Sullivan hit .379 for the Greyhounds with 11 hits, nine runs, a double and seven RBIs, and she was 8-2 in the circle with two shutouts and 20 strikeouts in 51.2 innings of action.
Conner had two hits, four runs and two RBIs in her debut season while Wiggley added four hits, four runs, a double and two RBIs. Jeffries missed the season with an injury.
Ventriglia, Ernst, Matz, Tillou, Mihalik, George, Mack and Sullivan were all members of the 2014 Landmark Conference Spring Academic Honor Roll while Matz and Mack were on the Capital One Academic All-District First Team.
To view all of the 2013-14 NFCA All-America Scholar-Athletes, visit https://nfca.org/index.php/front-page-news/6150-thousands-reap-nfca-all-america-scholar-athlete-honors.
The Greyhounds will start their 2015 season on Sunday, March 8 when they play their first of ten games in Clermont, Florida.
