10 Hounds Earn Softball All-Conference Honors; Novak, Spilman & Byrne Garner Major Awards
TOWSON, Md. --- The Moravian College softball team has had a record 10 student-athletes earn Landmark All-Conference honors including seven First Team selections with sophomore pitcher Josie Novak named the Pitcher of the Year, freshman center fielder Kat Spilman honored as Rookie of the Year and Head Coach John Byrne selected as the Coach of the Year.
TOWSON, Md. --- The Moravian College softball team has had a record 10 student-athletes earn Landmark All-Conference honors including seven First Team selections with sophomore pitcher Josie Novak named the Pitcher of the Year, freshman center fielder Kat Spilman honored as Rookie of the Year and Head Coach John Byrne selected as the Coach of the Year.
Novak also earned a spot on the All-Conference First Team, and she was joined by sophomore catcher Janae Matos, freshman second baseman Julia DeMarco, junior outfielder Julie Siragusa, senior outfielder Mary Schlosbon, junior designated player Victoria Conner and sophomore pitcher Amanda Carisone. Spilman garnered All-Conference Second Team accolades along with fellow freshmen third baseman Madison Shaneberger and shortstop Kaela Kane.
"It truly says a lot about the quality of the team and program when nearly all of your everyday starters and pitchers are named to the All-Conference teams," stated Byrne. "Each and every one of them have had very good seasons at the plate, in the field and in the circle. We wouldn't be heading to the postseason again without each one of them contributing game in and game out."
Moravian also had 10 Landmark All-Conference selections in 2009 from eight student-athletes with two being selected at multiple positions. The seven First Team honorees tie the 2008 and 2012 squads for the most in conference history.
Byrne has been named the Landmark Conference Coach of the Year for the third time in his career, and it is his seventh conference Coach of the Year selection. Byrne is in his 23rd season at Moravian with a career record of 745-225 while leading the Greyhounds to 22 straight postseason appearances including 15 NCAA Division III Tournament berths.
"We are extremely proud of Coach John Byrne and his coaching staff, and honor him for being named the Landmark Conference Softball's Coach of the Year," stated Director of Athletics and Recreation George L. Bright. "JB is a legendary coach, known for his inspirational professionalism and exemplary work ethic. To have 10 different players selected for post-season awards is a certainly a terrific accomplishment. Congratulations to a great coach and an amazing team."
The Greyhounds are currently ranked No. 19 in the nation in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III Top 25 Poll, seventh in the latest NCAA Division III Atlantic Regional Rankings and 32-4 on the year. Moravian is the top seed in the 2016 Landmark Conference Tournament after an 11-1 regular season mark in conference action, and the Hounds will be hosting the tournament at Blue & Grey Field on Friday and Saturday, May 6-7.
Novak, who was the 2015 Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year, earned a spot on the All-Conference First Team for a second consecutive season. This spring, Novak is 17-2 heading into the conference tournament, and she has a 1.80 ERA, six shutouts, 39 walks and a conference-leading 152 strikeouts in 128.2 innings in the circle. Novak, who was also on the NFCA All-Atlantic Region Third Team last year, has a career total of 314 strikeouts, the fifth player in school history to reach 300 career strikeouts, and her 36 career victories are tenth in the Moravian record books.
"Josie has given us quality outings all season long, keeping us in every game, and she is a valuable part of our success this season," Byrne said. "Josie has really turned into a strikeout pitcher that we haven't had in a few years, and her command of a number of pitches that keeps opposing hitters off balance is very good as well. We're happy to have her for the postseason run this spring and for two more years after that."
Spilman has enjoyed an outstanding debut season at Moravian. She is hitting .392 with 40 hits, 24 runs and five doubles. Spilman leads the squad with seven home runs, 30 RBIs and 12 walks this spring.
"Kat has continued to improve as the season has gone along as she has adjusted to the college game," stated Byrne. "She's shown some pop at the plate while leading us in home runs, and Kat has some nice range tracking down balls in the outfield."
Matos, one of the Greyhounds' captains this year, is hitting .354 with 28 hits, 18 runs, eight doubles, five homers and 24 RBIs while earning her first postseason award. Behind the plate, Matos has recorded a team-high 182 putouts, and she also has also picked off four runners and thrown out two attempted base stealers.
DeMarco has become the Hounds' starting second baseman and has posted a .333 average with 21 hits, 17 runs, four doubles and eight RBIs on the year. She also has 40 assists in the field.
Siragusa earns her first All-Conference honor in 2016, and she leads Moravian with a .398 average that includes a team-high 45 hits and a single season school record of 20 doubles. Siragusa also has 24 runs, two triples, two homers, 24 RBIs and 10 walks on the year for a .664 slugging percentage and a .440 on-base percentage. Siragusa became the 43rd member of Moravian's 100-hit club in the regular season finale.
Schlosbon, Moravian's other captain, earned a spot on the Landmark All-Conference First Team for the second straight season after being on the Second Team as a sophomore in 2014. Schlosbon has a .345 average this spring with 39 hits, 19 runs, three doubles, three triples, five RBIs and five stolen bases. Schlosbon has 146 hits in her career.
Conner earns her first All-Conference selection as the designated player. Conner has posted a .367 batting average in 2016 with 29 hits, 10 runs, four doubles, four home runs and 24 RBIs.
Carisone was on the All-Conference Second Team a year ago, and she has a 15-2 record, one save, a 1.61 ERA, five shutouts, 22 walks and 99 strikeouts in 113.1 innings of action this spring. Carisone has 204 career strikeouts to become the tenth player in school history to record the milestone, and she has a career record of 34-4.
Shaneberger moved into the lineup as Moravian's starting third baseman, and she has a .325 average with 27 hits, 24 runs, five doubles, three homers, 11 walks and 14 RBIs in her debut season. Shaneberger has contributed 29 assists in the field.
Kane has been the Greyhounds' starting shortstop this spring, and she has posted a .314 average with 32 hits, 21 runs, two doubles, two home runs, 13 RBIs, a team-high 12 sacrifice bunts and five stolen bases. Kane also leads Moravian with 74 assists in the field to go with 56 putouts.
The Hounds are scheduled to return to action on Friday, May 6 when the squad hosts fourth seed The University of Scranton in the opening game of the 2016 Landmark Conference Tournament at Blue & Grey Field in Bethlehem with action slated to begin at 11:00 a.m.
