LOUISVILLE, Ky. --- The Moravian College softball team is ranked 19th in the first regular season 2013 National Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA Division III Top 25 Poll released Wednesday. 

Moravian has 65 points in the poll, and one point less than the squad had in the preseason poll last month when the Greyhounds were ranked 17th. Moravian is one of three teams from the East Region ranked in the Top 25.

Montclair State University received five first-place votes and holds down the top spot with 197 points while Luther (Iowa) College is second with 188 points. Tufts (Mass.) University is ranked third with 180 points followed by the University of Texas-Tyler with 179 points and the other three first-place votes. Roanoke College holds down the fifth spot in the poll with 166 points. . 

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, the first of which is on the 3rd versus Emerson (Mass.) College at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday.  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.