BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The No. 4 Moravian College softball squad has earned the top seed in the 2021 Landmark Conference Tournament and won its opening weekend pod to host second seed The University of Scranton in the best-of-three Championship series at Blue & Grey Field on Saturday and Sunday, May 15-16.
The Greyhounds, who enter the series with a 28-0 overall record and a 22-0 mark in the Landmark Conference regular season, and the Royals, who are 23-5 overall and were 20-4 in the Landmark Conference regular season, will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1:00 p.m. If the squad's split on Sunday, then the if necessary contest will begin at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 16. The winner of the series will earn the Landmark Conference's automatic berth to the 2021 NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament.
Moravian entered the Landmark Tournament as the top seed for the ninth time in the 13-year history of the conference. Moravian has won a total of eight Landmark Conference Championships and is the only program in the conference to make the tournament in each of the conference's 13 seasons.
The Greyhounds, led by 28-year head coach John Byrne, who has a career slate of 891-249, have won at least 23 games for the 27th time, only missing the mark in 2020 when the season was cancelled after 10 games due to the pandemic. The Blue & Grey, who have won a program-record 32 consecutive games dating back to 2020, are also ranked No. 4 in the nation in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III Top 25 poll.
The Hounds, who have won over 30 games 20 times under Byrne, are in the conference tournament for the 21st consecutive season and the 25th time in 27 years. Moravian posted NCAA regional championships in the 2007 and 2010 to earn berths in NCAA Division III World Series and a national runner-up finish at the 2004 Division III World Series. The Hounds have also won regional championships in 2015 and 2018 to advance to the Super Regionals.
Moravian is hitting .389 entering the tournament with 308 hits including 75 extra-base hits with 52 doubles, 10 triples and 12 home runs for a .530 slugging percentage. Moravian has outscored its opponents, 202-55, for an average of 7.21 runs per game, and the Greyhounds have a .977 fielding percentage. Moravian has posted four shutouts in 28 wins for a 1.78 ERA, and the Hounds' pitchers have recorded 112 strikeouts and just 33 walks this spring.
Senior catcher Brooke Wehr leads Moravian with a .538 batting average to go with 50 hits, 31 runs, 13 doubles, five triples, four homers and 37 RBIs while freshman designated player Emily Silberman is hitting .564 with 22 hits, two runs, two doubles, a homer and 16 RBIs. Junior outfielder Victoria Smith has a .422 average with 35 hits, 19 runs, two doubles and 14 RBIs while sophomore shortstop Alexis Agrapide is hitting .417 with 40 hits, 29 runs, seven doubles, a triple, five home runs and 28 RBIs.
Senior second baseman Shannon Brogan is hitting .416 with 37 hits, 21 runs, three doubles, a homer and 21 RBIs while senior outfielder Maura Kane has a .377 average with 29 hits, 13 runs, three doubles, a triple and 12 RBIs. Junior first baseman/pitcher Alexandria Scheeler has contributed 28 hits, 22 runs, nine doubles and 17 RBIs while senior third baseman Maddisen Bieber has 26 hits, 30 runs, five doubles, a homer and 15 RBIs. Junior outfielder Cameron Cassidy has added 20 hits, 14 runs, four doubles, a triple and eight RBIs while freshman utility player Ajala Elmore has 13 hits, 12 runs, two doubles, two triples, a homer and 14 RBIs.
Freshman outfielder Bri Lefkoski has scored two runs while junior outfielder Nicole Cassano has one run. Junior catcher Chloe Tice and freshman Paige Parisi each have one hit in the year with Parisi scoring two runs.
In the circle, sophomore Madison Hummel is 13-0 with a 0.99 ERA, four shutouts, 39 strikeouts and 12 walks allowed in 85 innings of action. Scheeler is 7-0 with 34 strikeouts and six walks in 55.1 innings while junior Meghan Bauer is 8-0 with 39 strikeouts in 44.2 innings of work.
