Softball Schedule Begins With Challenging Spring Break Test
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The 2013 season marked the first time in 13 years the Moravian College softball team did not hoist a conference championship trophy, which has the returning Greyhounds eager to start a new streak when the 2014 season begins in earnest on Monday, March 3.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The 2013 season marked the first time in 13 years the Moravian College softball team did not hoist a conference championship trophy, which has the returning Greyhounds eager to start a new streak when the 2014 season begins in earnest on Monday, March 3.
The Greyhounds' quest to take back the Landmark Conference crown will commence on Saturday, March 22 at Susquehanna University, the school that ended Moravian's six-year reign as conference champions last spring.
Head coach John Byrne will begin his 21st year at the helm of the Greyhounds with a grueling Spring Break trip in Clermont, Florida. The eight-game stretch will feature three games against 30-win clubs from 2013, including Lebanon Valley College, ranked No. 16 by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) in the 2014 preseason poll.
Moravian's Spring Break opponents have a combined record of 174-126-1 from one season ago.
The Greyhounds have an 11-day layoff after returning North before hosting The College of New Jersey in a 2014 home opening doubleheader at Blue & Grey Field.
Drew University visits Bethlehem for a doubleheader on Saturday, March 29 in the Hounds' Landmark Conference home opener at Blue & Grey.
The following home double-dip on Thursday, April 3 will pit the Hounds against Kean University, which received votes in the NFCA preseason poll.
Moravian will face the Landmark Conference's newest member, Elizabethtown College, for the first time as conference foes when they play two on Saturday, April 12. The Blue Jays have joined the conference in softball and women's lacrosse for this spring before transitioning full-time in the fall of 2014.
The 2014 Matte Award battle against archrival Muhlenberg College will be contested during a Thursday, April 10 doubleheader in Allentown.
The Greyhounds face key non-conference road tests at Albright College (March 25), at Centenary (N.J.) College (April 1) and at Delaware Valley College (April 8). Blue & Grey Field will play host to Ursinus College (April 27), Hunter College (April 5), Ramapo College of New Jersey (April 6) and DeSales University (April 15) in non-conference action this season.
Moravian can make or break the season during a crucial conference stretch in late April. The Greyhounds have The Catholic University of America at home on the 17th before traveling to the University of Scranton on the 22nd. The regular season concludes with a home date against Juniata College on the 26th.
The Landmark Conference Tournament begins for qualified teams on Friday, May 2.
