Moravian Set to Host NCAA Division III Regional at Blue & Grey Field from May 14-16
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. --- The Moravian University softball team is set for its 22nd appearance in the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament as the Greyhounds have been selected as a regional host for the third straight spring with action Thursday through Saturday, May 14-16 at Blue & Grey Field in Bethlehem.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. --- The Moravian University softball team is set for its 22nd appearance in the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament as the Greyhounds have been selected as a regional host for the third straight spring with action Thursday through Saturday, May 14-16 at Blue & Grey Field in Bethlehem.
The action starts with Westfield State (Mass.) University playing SUNY Cortland at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday. The Greyhounds and Bowdoin (Maine) College will battle at 1:30 p.m. Contests on Friday begin with the winners of the first two games playing at 11:00 a.m., with the winner of that game earning a berth in the championship round on Saturday. The losers of Thursday’s two games will play at 1:30 p.m. Friday with the final elimination game to start at 4:00 p.m. Friday. Saturday’s championship round has an 11:00 a.m. first pitch.
Admission to each day of the tournament is $15 for adults and $10 for minors ages 10-17 and seniors 62 and older. Children ages 3-10 are $5 and children two and under are free. There will be an all-tournament pass for $40. All ticketing will be done online at https://events.hometownticketing.com/boxoffice/moravian/L2VtYmVkL2V2ZW50LzI0Nw==, and there will be no cash accepted on site. Ticket prices are set by the NCAA.
Follow the tournament at https://moraviansports.com/
Moravian enters the NCAA Division III Regional for the 22nd time, and the Hounds are 57-47 all-time in NCAA Tournament action. The Blue & Grey have won seven NCAA Regionals including the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Regional in 2025, competed in the Super Regionals four times including hosting one a year ago and reached the Championship Round four times including playing in the National Championship game in 2004 and an appearance in 2023 at East Texas Baptist University.
The Greyhounds are guided by fourth-year head coach Josh Baltz, who has led the Blue & Grey to a 32-10 overall record this spring including a 14-2 mark to earn the top seed in the Landmark Conference Tournament, where the Hounds won their fourth straight and 13th Landmark Conference title and 21st overall conference championship since 2000. Baltz is 141-41 in fourth years.
Moravian is hitting .329 entering the NCAA tournament with 395 hits including 101 extra-base hits with 64 doubles, 14 triples and 23 home runs for a .463 slugging percentage. Moravian has outscored its opponents, 265-107, for an average of 6.31 runs per game, and the Greyhounds have a .965 fielding percentage. Moravian has posted ten shutouts in 32 wins for a 1.80 ERA, and the Hounds’ pitchers have recorded 186 strikeouts and just 57 walks in 280.2 innings this spring.
Junior pitcher/utility player Kyra Holtje, the Landmark Conference Player of the Year, leads the Hounds with a .410 batting average to go with 57 hits, 37 runs, 15 doubles, three triples, six homers, 34 RBIs, 15 stolen bases and 16 walks while senior third baseman Sydney Andrews has a .397 average with 56 hits, 38 runs, ten doubles, four triples, three homers, 33 RBIs, 14 walks and seven stolen bases. Freshman left fielder Natalie Chloros has a .346 average with 46 hits, 35 runs, five doubles, two triples, a home run, 26 RBIs, 22 walks and six stolen bases while senior pitcher/right fielder Sarah DeStefano is hitting .331 with 39 hits, 18 runs, a double, a triple, nine stolen bases and 23 RBIs. Junior center fielder Shayla Morgan has a .333 batting average to go with 34 hits, 25 runs, a double, a homer, 11 RBIs, 17 walks and 18 stolen bases.
Senior shortstop Samantha Derickson has registered 39 hits, 22 runs, eight doubles, a triple, three homers and 25 RBIs while senior catcher Marcie Silberman has contributed 36 hits, 13 runs, seven doubles, six homers and 22 RBIs. Sophomore first baseman Kaley Hoffman has posted 34 hits, 20 runs, nine doubles, a triple, ten walks and 17 RBIs while sophomore catcher Sydney Scarpato has registered 20 hits, seven runs, a double, a homer and 12 RBIs. Freshman designated player Shauna McNamee has recorded 11 hits, six runs, three doubles, 10 RBIs and six walks while junior second baseman Emma Grace Pachkowski has nine hits, ten runs, a double, a homer and seven RBIs. Sophomore Amelia Noll has added six hits, two runs, a double, a home run and eight RBIs while senior Madison Berning has three hits, a run and an RBI. Junior Cassandra Farrell has scored 11 runs to go with two hits, a double, a triple, eight stolen bases and four RBIs while freshman Nicole Giglio has 11 runs, a hit, a triple and three RBIs. Sophomore Julie Zook has a hit, a run and an RBI while senior Emma Wariwanchik has a hit, a double and two RBIs. Junior Madelin Cooper has scored seven times with three stolen bases while senior Kendall Szor has scored once.
DeStefano, the Landmark Conference Pitcher of the Year and Most Outstanding Performer in the Landmark Conference Tournament, has a 15-6 mark with five shutouts, 99 strikeouts and a 1.29 ERA over 141.1 innings while Holtje is 11-3 in the circle with four shutouts, a 1.98 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 92 innings. Senior Natalie Otto has a 6-1 slate with a shutout, two saves and 30 strikeouts in 41.2 innings while Andrews has recorded three strikeouts in 4.2 innings of action. Riley Robinson has two strikeouts in an inning of work.
