Moravian Set To Host 2025 Landmark Conference Tournament at Blue & Grey Field on May 10-11 after Friday's Action Postponed by Expected Rain
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University softball team is set for its 30th straight postseason appearance as the Greyhounds earned the top seed for the 2025 Landmark Conference Tournament that begins on Saturday, May 10 at Blue & Grey Field in Bethlehem.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University softball team is set for its 30th straight postseason appearance as the Greyhounds earned the top seed for the 2025 Landmark Conference Tournament that begins on Saturday, May 10 at Blue & Grey Field in Bethlehem.
Due to heavy rain forecasted for Friday, May 9, the original opening day of the tournament, no games will be played on Friday. The tentative schedule follows with a final determination to be made on Friday by 1:00 p.m.
As of now at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 8, the action starts with second seed The Catholic University of America playing third seed Susquehanna University at 9:00 a.m. The Greyhounds will face fourth seed Wilkes University at 11:00 a.m. with the Colonels posting a 3-0 victory over fifth seed Drew University on Wednesday in the First Round. The Rangers will face the loser of the first game Saturday in an elimination game at 1:00 p.m. The winners of the first two games would play Saturday at 3:00 p.m., with the winner of that game earning a berth in the championship round on Sunday. The loser of Saturday's second game and the winner of the third game will play at 5:00 p.m. Saturday to finish the day. The final elimination game starts at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 11 with the championship round beginning at 1:00 p.m. first pitch.
Admission to each day of the tournament is $10 for adults and $5 for minors ages 10-17 and seniors 62 and older. 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. Tickets already purchased for Friday's games will be valid for Saturday.
Follow the tournament at https://landmarkconference.org/tournaments/?id=184 or at https://moraviansports.com/sports/sball/2024-25/landmark/index.
Moravian enters the Landmark Tournament as the top seed for the 11th time in the 17-year history of the tournament with the 2020 tournament cancelled by the pandemic. Moravian has won a total of 11 Landmark Conference Championships and is the only program in the conference to make the tournament in each of the conference tournament's 17 years.
The No. 18 Greyhounds are led by third-year head coach Josh Baltz, who has guided the Blue & Grey to a 33-7 overall record this spring including a 13-3 mark to earn the top seed in the tournament. Moravian is also ranked No. 22 in the NPI (National Power Index) that will be used to select the at-large teams to the 2025 NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament.
Moravian is hitting .363 entering the tournament with 395 hits including 105 extra-base hits with 64 doubles, 18 triples and 23 home runs for a .518 slugging percentage. Moravian has outscored its opponents, 274-76, for an average of 6.85 runs per game, and the Greyhounds have a .979 fielding percentage. Moravian has posted 17 shutouts in 33 wins for a 1.63 ERA, and the Hounds' pitchers have recorded 201 strikeouts and just 69 walks in 257 innings this spring. Moravian has set program records with 92 stolen bases and 18 triples this season.
Junior pitcher/right fielder Sarah DeStefano leads the Hounds with a .410 average, 25 hits, nine runs, four doubles and 18 RBIs at the plate while junior third baseman Sydney Andrews is hitting .398 with 43 hits, 23 runs, four doubles, a triple and 29 RBIs. Senior right fielder Jessica Forder has a .392 average, 20 hits, eight runs, three doubles, a homer and nine RBIs while junior catcher Marcie Silberman has posted a .389 average to go with 49 hits, 20 runs, six doubles, 13 homers and 43 RBIs.
Senior shortstop Holly Walter has registered a .385 average, 50 hits, 40 runs, eight doubles, five triples to become the all-time school record holder with 17 triples, 21 RBIs, 13 walks and 19 stolen bases to give her a school record 56 in her career, and Walter has 114 assists, just four shy of the single season record to give her a school career mark of 346 assists. Sophomore center fielder Shayla Morgan has a .375 average with 33 hits, 21 runs, two triples, seven RBIs and 15 stolen bases while senior left fielder Sage Snyder has a .364 average with 39 hits, 36 runs, 10 doubles, 25 RBIs, 21 walks and 18 stolen bases.
Graduate student second baseman Ajala Elmore is hitting .363 with 45 hits, 30 runs, nine doubles, four triples, a homer, 26 RBIs and 13 stolen bases while breaking the school record in games played in a career, now with 175. Senior first baseman Lindsey Gawrys has a .345 average with 40 hits, 30 runs, 11 doubles, two triples, a homer, 19 walks and 30 RBIs while sophomore designated player/pitcher Kyra Holtje has contributed a .306 average, 30 hits, 25 runs, six doubles, four homers, 34 RBIs and nine walks.
Freshman first baseman Kaley Hoffman has 11 hits, four runs, a triple, two homers and eight RBIs while junior outfielder Madison Berning has added five hits, three runs, a pair of doubles and three RBIs. Sophomore outfielder Leah Chladny has collected four hits, two runs & four RBIs while sophomore first baseman Gillian Slowinski has one hit. Sophomore outfielder Madelin Cooper has crossed the plate 13 times while sophomore infielder Cassandra Farrell has scored nine runs and five stolen bases and sophomore infielder Emma Grace Pachkowski has scored a run.
DeStefano is 18-2 in the circle with a 0.86 ERA, nine shutouts and 116 strikeouts in 130 innings while Holtje is 10-2 with a 2.14 ERA, three shutouts and 38 strikeouts in 72 innings. Junior Natalie Otto is 3-1 with 38 strikeouts and two shutouts in 35.2 innings while Andrews has tossed 18.1 innings with a 2-2 mark and eight strikeouts. Freshman Riley Robinson has one strikeout in her only inning of action while combining on a shutout with Otto. Holtje and Otto and DeStefano and Otto have also combined on shutouts.
