BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College softball team is set for its 18th appearance in the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament as the Greyhounds play Farmingdale State (N.Y.) College in the opening round of the Virginia Beach, Virginia Regional being hosted by Virginia Wesleyan University on Friday, May 21 at 2:00 p.m.
The third seed Greyhounds will be the home team against the Rams, who they have faced once before in the NCAA Tournament with Farmingdale State winning an elimination game, 3-1 in eight innings, back in 2009. Friday's other first round game has host and Regional top seed VA Wesleyan playing sixth seed Penn College at 10:00 a.m. and second seed The College of New Jersey facing off with fourth seed Gettysburg College at 12:00 p.m. Regional Bracket
Information from Virginia Wesleyan about the Regional is available at https://vwuathletics.com/
Moravian, led by 28-year head coach John Byrne who has a career slate of 893-248, have posted a 30-1 overall record this spring, the 27th year that Moravian has won at least 23 games, only missing the mark in 2020 when the season was cancelled after 10 games due to the pandemic, and a 22-0 mark in Landmark Conference action to earn the top seed in the Landmark Conference Tournament where the Greyhounds won their ninth Landmark Conference title and 17th overall conference championship last weekend.
The Blue & Grey, who had won a program-record 32 consecutive games dating back to 2020 before falling in the opening game of the 2021 Landmark Conference Championship series to The University of Scranton, are also ranked No. 4 in the nation in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III Top 25 poll.
The Greyhounds, who have won over 30 games 20 times under Byrne, are in the NCAA Division III Tournament for the 18th season, and the program is 45-37 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. Moravian posted NCAA regional championships and berths in the 2007 and 2010 NCAA Division III World Series and a national runner-up finish at the 2004 Division III World Series. The Hounds also won regional championships in 2015 and 2018 to advance to the Super Regionals. Last week, Byrne earned his seventh Landmark Conference Coach of the Year honor and the 11th conference Coach of the Year accolade of his career.
Moravian is hitting .379 entering the tournament with 332 hits including 83 extra-base hits with 54 doubles, 11 triples and 18 home runs for a .527 slugging percentage. Moravian has outscored its opponents, 223-77, for an average of 7.19 runs per game, and the Greyhounds have a .975 fielding percentage. Moravian has posted four shutouts in 30 wins for a 2.17 ERA, and the Hounds' pitchers have recorded 123 strikeouts and just 45 walks this spring.
Senior catcher Brooke Wehr, the 2021 Landmark Conference Player of the Year and All-Conference First Team honoree, leads Moravian with a .535 batting average to go with 54 hits, 35 runs, 13 doubles, five triples, six homers and 41 RBIs while freshman designated player Emily Silberman, who was named to the Landmark All-Conference Second Team, is hitting .521 with 25 hits, four runs, two doubles, three homers and 21 RBIs. Wehr was also selected as the Landmark Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player. Senior second baseman Shannon Brogan, who was named to the Landmark All-Conference First Team, is hitting .412 with 40 hits, 22 runs, three doubles, a homer and 22 RBIs while junior outfielder Victoria Smith, who made the Landmark All-Conference First Team, has a .389 average with 37 hits, 21 runs, two doubles, a team-high 14 sacrifice bunts and 14 RBIs.
Sophomore shortstop Alexis Agrapides, an All-Conference First Team honoree, is hitting .380 with 4` hits, 31 runs, seven doubles, a triple, five home runs and 28 RBIs while senior outfielder Maura Kane, who made the All-Conference Second Team, has a .360 average with 31 hits, 15 runs, three doubles, two triples and 13 RBIs. Junior first baseman/pitcher Alexandria Scheeler, who made the Landmark All-Conference Second Team as a utility player, is also hitting .360 and has contributed 31 hits, 24 runs, 10 doubles and 21 RBIs while senior third baseman Maddisen Bieber, who was named to the Landmark All-Conference First Team, has 28 hits, 33 runs, five doubles, two homers and 17 RBIs. Junior outfielder Cameron Cassidy has added 24 hits, 16 runs, five doubles, a triple and eight nine 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, who was honored as the 2021 Landmark Conference Pitcher of the Year and a member of the All-Conference First Team, is 14-1 with a 1.63 ERA, four shutouts, 43 strikeouts and 21 walks allowed in 94.1 innings of action. Scheeler is 7-0 with 36 strikeouts and seven walks in 57.1 innings while junior Meghan Bauer is 9-0 with a save, 44 strikeouts in 54.1 innings of work.
