Greyhound Softball Begins 2024 Season on March 1 at NFCA DIII Leadoff Classic

The Greyhounds during the starting lineups versus No.1 Salisbury (Md.) University in the opening game of the 2023 NCAA Division III Championship Finals at East Texas Baptist University. Photo by Christine Fox

Posted: Feb 28, 2024

BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The No. 6 Moravian University softball squad begins its 2024 season on Friday, March 1 with non-conference games versus the College of St. Benedict (Minn.) and No. 23 Concordia University Wisconsin on the first day of the 2024 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Georgia.

Second-year Head Coach Josh Baltz has 18 returning players from last year's 38-12 squad that won the Landmark Conference, NCAA Division III Medford Mass. Regional and NCAA Division III Cambridge Mass. Super Regional on the way to making the Greyhounds' fourth appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship Finals. The group of student-athletes back for the Hounds includes nine that have garnered postseason accolades in their careers.

Senior pitcher Madi Cunningham returns after being selected to the Landmark All-Conference First Team and the NFCA Division III All-Region 5 First Team. Cunningham, who was the Most Outstanding Player of the Landmark Conference Tournament and the Most Outstanding Pitcher at the NCAA Division III Super Regional, was 19-7 in the circle with a 2.14 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 177 innings of action last spring, and she also had 15 hits, seven RBIs, 15 runs, three doubles and a homer in 67 at-bats. Cunningham, who was the 2022 Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year and a Landmark All-Conference First Team and NFCA Division III All-Region 5 Second Team honoree, has 35-8 career record with one save, a 2.15 ERA and 178 strikeouts in 295.2 innings over 50 appearances with 41 starts.

Sophomore pitcher/outfielder Sarah DeStefano was honored as the 2023 Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year while making the Landmark All-Conference Second Team and the NFCA Division III All-Region 5 Second Team. DeStefano, who was named the Most Outstanding Player at the NCAA Division III Regional, was 16-4 in the circle in her debut season to go with a 2.08 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 131.1 innings, and she hit .347 with 43 hits, 20 runs, three doubles and 19 RBIs.

Sophomore catcher Marcie Silberman garnered spots on the Landmark All-Conference First Team and the NFCA Division III All-Region 5 Second Team last spring after recording a .348 average, 40 hits, 18 runs, eight doubles, a triple, six home runs and 31 RBIs in her debut season.

Junior third baseman Holly Walter was named to the Landmark All-Conference First Team a year ago after leading the squad with a .389 batting average, 63 hits and 42 runs to go with eight doubles, five triples, five homers, 19 stolen bases and 25 RBIs, and she had 35 putouts and 112 assists in the field. Walter has collected 87 hits, 58 runs, 12 doubles, six triples, five home runs, 24 stolen bases and 32 RBIs in her career entering 2024.

Junior outfielder Sage Snyder was honored on the Landmark All-Conference First Team and as the Most Outstanding Player at the NCAA Division III Super Regional last year. She hit .323 with 43 hits, 31 runs, seven doubles, two triples, three homers, 29 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. Snyder has 46 hits, 38 runs, seven doubles, two triples, three home runs, 32 stolen bases and 30 RBIs in her first two seasons with the Hounds.

Senior designated player Emily Silberman was named to the Landmark All-Conference First Team last season after making the Landmark All-Conference Second Team in 2021 and 2022 as well as the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III All-Region 5 Second Team in 2022. Last spring, Silberman hit .328 with 43 hits, four runs, four homers and 35 RBIs. Silberman enters her final season with 110 hits, 93 RBIs, 16 homers and a .378 career batting average.

Senior outfielder/catcher Mya Zettlemoyer was honored on the Landmark All-Conference First Team in 2023 as a utility player after splitting the season between catcher and left field. Zettlemoyer had a .320 batting average, 32 hits, 21 runs, five doubles, a triple and 10 RBIs last spring, and she has collected 54 hits, 46 runs, nine doubles, a triple and 21 RBIs in two seasons at Moravian.

Senior shortstop Ajala Elmore made the Landmark All-Conference Second Team a year ago after hitting .315 with 40 hits, 21 runs, five doubles, a homer and 16 RBIs, and she added 82 putouts and 113 assists in the field. Elmore enters her final season with 81 hits, 56 runs, 12 doubles, four triples, five homers and 50 RBIs to go with 153 putouts and 183 assists.

Junior first baseman Lindsey Gawrys was named to the 2022 NFCA Division III All-Region 5 First Team after her first season. Last spring, Gawrys had 43 hits, 33 runs, eight doubles, three triples, a homer, 27 RBIs and 362 putouts. Heading into her third season, she has 90 hits, 61 runs, 17 doubles, four triples, seven home runs, 57 RBIs and 557 putouts.

Also returning for the Greyhounds to add depth to the roster are junior outfielder Jessica Forder, junior catcher Jenna Lenko, junior infielder Ren Herschman, sophomore outfielder Madison Berning, sophomore infielders Kendall Szor, Hailey Tanner and Emma Wariwanchik and sophomore pitchers Kayla Krausse and Natalie Otto. Forder had 36 hits, 20 runs, eight doubles, a homer and 18 RBIs in 2023 while Tanner and Berning both had five hits with Tanner adding 17 runs, a double, a triple and five RBIs and Berning contributing seven runs, a double and four RBIs. Herschman had two hits, four runs, a double and three RBIs a year ago while Wariwanchik added a hit, a run and an RBI and Szor scored six runs. Otto had 11 strikeouts in 8.2 innings while Krausse registered nine strikeouts and a save in 16.2 innings of action.