BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University softball team is set for its 29th straight postseason appearance as the Greyhounds earned the top seed for the 2024 Landmark Conference Tournament that begins on Friday, May 10 at Blue & Grey Field in Bethlehem.
The action starts with the Greyhounds playing fifth seed Lycoming College at 1:00 p.m. after the Warriors won the play-in game over fourth seed Susquehanna University, 3-0, on Tuesday. Second seed The Catholic University of America and third seed Juniata College will battle at 3:00 p.m. Contests on Saturday begin with the winners of the first two games playing at 10:00 a.m., with the winner of that game earning a berth in the championship round on Sunday. The losers of Friday's two games will play at 12:00 p.m. Saturday with the final elimination game to start at 2:00 p.m. Saturday. Sunday's championship round has an 11:00 a.m. first pitch.
Admission to each day of the tournament is $10 for adults (18+) and $5 for minors ages 10-17. Children ages nine and under are admitted free of charge, as are all Landmark Conference students, faculty and staff with their school ID. All ticketing will be done online at https://landmarkconference.org/sports/2022/4/25/championships-tickets.aspx?path=champs, and there will be no cash accepted on site.
Follow the tournament at https://landmarkconference.org/tournaments/?id=129 or at https://www.moraviansports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/landmark/index.
Moravian enters the Landmark Tournament as the top seed for the tenth time in the 16-year history of the tournament with the 2020 tournament cancelled by the pandemic. Moravian has won a total of ten Landmark Conference Championships and is the only program in the conference to make the tournament in each of the conference tournament's 16 years.
The Greyhounds are led by second-year head coach Josh Baltz, who has guided the Blue & Grey to a 27-8 overall record this spring including a 13-3 mark to earn the top seed in the tournament.
Moravian is hitting .347 entering the tournament with 342 hits including 96 extra-base hits with 52 doubles and 32 home runs for a .522 slugging percentage. Moravian has outscored its opponents, 242-82, for an average of 6.91 runs per game, and the Greyhounds have a .970 fielding percentage. Moravian has posted nine shutouts in 27 wins for a 2.24 ERA, and the Hounds' pitchers have recorded 157 strikeouts and just 35 walks in 219 innings this spring. Moravian has set a program record with 67 stolen bases this season.
Sophomore right fielder Sarah DeStefano leads Moravian with a .449 average to go with 31 hits, nine runs, a double, two triples and 16 RBIs while senior second baseman Ajala Elmore is hitting .444 to go with 32 hits, 21 runs, four doubles, four homers and 22 RBIs. Freshman center fielder Shayla Morgan is hitting .429 with 21 hits, 19 runs, two RBIs and 19 stolen bases while senior designated player Emily Silberman has contributed a .375 average with 34 hits, four runs, a double, four homers and 30 RBIs.
Junior left fielder Sage Snyder is hitting .369 with 38 hits, 34 runs, eight doubles, a triple, four homers, 16 stolen bases and 20 RBIs while junior first baseman Lindsey Gawrys has a .368 average, 42 hits, 35 runs, seven doubles, two triples, four homers and 18 RBIs. Sophomore catcher Marcie Silberman has recorded a .364 average, 44 hits, 29 runs, 15 doubles, a school and Landmark Conference record 14 home runs and 50 RBIs this spring.
Junior shortstop Holly Walter has 37 hits, 35 runs, five doubles, six triples, a homer, ten stolen bases and 17 RBIs while sophomore third baseman Sydney Andrews has 23 hits, 12 runs, four doubles, a triple and 17 RBIs. Junior outfielder Jessica Forder has added ten hits, three runs, a double and four RBIs. Senior pitcher Madi Cunningham has ten hits, 11 runs, two doubles, homer and four RBIs while sophomore pitcher Natalie Otto has four hits, a run, a double and three RBIs.
Junior Ren Herschman has contributed four hits, two doubles, a run and two RBIs while sophomore Madison Berning has three hits and an RBI. Senior Mya Zettlemoyer has five runs, a hit, a double and an RBI while freshman Emma Grace Pachkowski has two hits, four runs and an RBI. Sophomore Hailey Tanner has four runs, two hits and an RBI while freshman Leah Chladny has registered four runs, a hit and an RBI and junior Jenna Lenko has a hit, a run and 2 RBIs. Freshman Madelin Cooper has scored five runs while sophomore Emma Wariwanchik and freshman Cassandra Farrell have each crossed the plate once.
In the circle, Cunningham is 15-2 with 60 strikeouts, five shutouts and a 1.87 ERA in 101 innings of action while Otto has a 10-3 slate with 73 strikeouts, two shutouts and a 2.21 ERA in 82.1 inning. DeStefano has a 2-1 mark with 15 strikeouts and a 2.86 ERA in 22 innings while Andrews is 0-2 with two strikeouts in 5.1 innings. Kyra Holtje has seven strikeouts in 8.1 innings of action, as she has scored three runs and two hits at the plate.
