DeStefano Honored on 2026 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III All-America Third Team
LOUISVILLE, Ky. --- Moravian University senior pitcher/right fielder Sarah DeStefano has been honored with a spot on the 2026 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III All-America Third Team announced ahead of the 2026 NCAA Division III Championship Finals in Salem, Virginia.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. --- Moravian University senior pitcher/right fielder Sarah DeStefano has been honored with a spot on the 2026 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III All-America Third Team announced ahead of the 2026 NCAA Division III Championship Finals in Salem, Virginia.
DeStefano helped the Greyhounds to a 35-12 record this season as Moravian reached the postseason for the 31st straight spring and the fourth consecutive season under the guidance of four-year Head Coach Josh Baltz with the Hounds earning the top seed in the 2026 Landmark Conference Tournament after a 14-2 mark in the conference's regular season. Moravian would capture its fourth straight and 13th Landmark Conference title for a total of 21 conference championships, and the Greyhounds made the program's 22nd trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament this year with the Hounds hosting an NCAA Regional for the third straight year at Blue & Grey Field. The Hounds captured their eighth NCAA Division III Regional title and went on to the program's fifth NCAA Division III Super Regional.
DeStefano repeats as an NFCA All-American after being on the Second Team a year ago. Her award gives Moravian a total of 15 NFCA All-American honors from ten student-athletes. She is the fourth Greyhound pitcher to be selected as an All-American, and DeStefano is the fourth Hound to be honored multiple times, joining Heather Bortz '05, a three-time All-American, and Meagan Hennessy '07 and Jenn Dalickas '15, who were both two-time All-Americans.
This spring, DeStefano was selected as the Landmark Conference Pitcher of the Year for a second consecutive year while making All-Conference First Team as well as the NFCA All-Region V First Team. She was also selected as the Landmark Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player. DeStefano is a three-time NCAA Division III Regional Most Outstanding Player, garnering the award at the 2026 Bethlehem (Pa.), 2025 Bethlehem (Pa.) and 2023 Medford (Mass.) Regionals. She was on the 2025 Landmark All-Conference First Team as a pitched, 2024 Landmark All-Conference Second Team as an outfielder and the 2023 Landmark All-Conference Second Team as a pitcher while earning Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year honors as a freshman. DeStefano is also a three-time NFCA All-Region V honoree with selections to the First Team in 2025 and Second Team in 2023 to go with this year's honor.
"Congratulations to Sarah DeStefano on earning All-American honors for the second consecutive year!" exclaimed Baltz. "Sarah joins a small group of Moravian Softball players to earn All-American recognition multiple times in their careers. From the moment she stepped on campus, Sarah has been a major contributor to our program and a huge reason behind Moravian Softball competing in three Super Regionals and one NCAA Softball Championship over the last four years.
"Sarah has overcome challenges, displayed a tremendous work ethic and passion for the sport, and brings the type of skill set and competitiveness that every coach hopes for in their players. She has accomplished so much while wearing a Moravian Softball uniform, and we are incredibly proud and thankful that we had the opportunity to coach and push her throughout her career. Congratulations, Sarah! #HoundEm" concluded Baltz.
DeStefano posted a 1.57 earned run average this season in the circle with a 17-7 record, five shutouts, a save, 17 complete games and 107 strikeouts in 165.1 innings of action, and she had a .348 batting average this year with 47 hits, two doubles, one triple, ten stolen bases and 26 RBIs at the plate. She also had 28 putouts and 30 assists in 60 chances in the field this spring.
In her career, DeStefano was 57-16 in the circle with two saves, 19 shutouts, 348 strikeouts and a 1.58 ERA in 495.2 innings despite missing most of the 2024 season in the circle due to an injury, and she had 156 hits, 63 runs, 12 doubles, five triples, 28 stolen bases, 82 RBIs and a .369 average at the plate. DeStefano had 131 putouts and 137 assists in 274 career chances in the field while playing in right field and pitching. DeStefano finished her career sixth in strikeouts, tied for sixth in victories, seventh in innings pitched, tied for seventh in shutouts, tied for eighth in ERA and 20th in hits at the plate.
DeStefano is also a three-time selection to the College Sports Communicators Division III Academic All-District Team and a three-time member of the Landmark Conference Winter/Spring Academic Honor Roll.
To view the entire 2026 NFCA Division III All-America Teams, visit https://nfca.org/divnews/ncaa3/ncaa-diii-all-americans-2026.
