STARKVILLE, MS --- The Moravian College softball team moved up two spots to 18th in the first regular season National Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA Division III Top 25 Poll for 2012 released Wednesday.
Linfield (OR) College received eight first-place votes and holds down the top spot with 200 points while University of Texas-Tyler is second with 190 points. Luther (Ia.) College is third with 178 points while Eastern Connecticut State University is ranked fourth with 175 points followed by Emory (Ga.) University in fifth with 162 points.
The Greyhounds, who were 20th in the preseason poll, have 65 points.
Moravian, under the direction of 19th-year head coach John Byrne (581-182), returns 15 players and six starters from last year's 37-9 squad that won its fourth straight Landmark Conference Championship. The program also made the NCAA Division III Tournament for the 13th time in 14 seasons last year. Coach Byrne has added another six players to the roster this year.
The Greyhounds begin their 2012 season with a trip to the National Training Center in Clermont, Florida with ten total games between March 4th through 9th.
The complete poll can be found at http://nfca.org/top25/index.php?cat_id=3.
