Spartans To Play Host To Franklin Pierce in Early Week Battle

TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa baseball team will welcome Franklin Pierce College (N.H.) for a Tuesday evening contest at the UT Baseball Field. The game is scheduled for 5 p.m.

UT, now ranked No. 4 in the nation by College Baseball Lineup, is also No. 8 in the updated Collegiate Baseball Newspaper national rankings.

The Spartans dropped two of three over the weekend to Sunshine State Conference opponent Florida Tech, winning the final game of the series to avoid being swept. At 18-5, UT head coach Joe Urso also won his 500th career game in the 6-3 victory.

Tampa's pitchers now have a 2.13 ERA, compared to a 5.23 clip for its opponents. 10 of UT's 11 pitchers have notched an ERA below 4.00 as six are sub-2.00. Andrew Jones leads the Spartans at the plate with a .375 average as Connor Obrochta and Damon Elder come in at .357 and .341 respectively.

Franklin Pierce is 10-6 in 2012, as it is looking to end a current three game skid. The Ravens will meet three SSC opponents this week as it will travel to Lynn and Florida Tech following Tuesday's contest.

FPC has seven hitters in its lineup batting over .300 as the team has a .323 batting average. James Roche leads all Ravens at .415 as his three home runs and 15 RBI also represent team highs. Franklin Pierce also has a solid pitching staff as its team ERA comes in at 2.01.

The game will mark the fifth all-time meeting between the NCAA II baseball powers, with UT owning a 3-1 lead in the series. The last meeting took place at the 2006 NCAA Championships with Tampa clinching a spot in the national title game with a 13-3 win over the Ravens.

UT will offer live stats and a video webcast for the game through TampaSpartans.tv.

Tickets may be purchased at the gate for $5 (adults) and $3 (senior citizens and students). UT students and faculty/staff are admitted free with a valid Spartan ID.

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