Tampa Heads to Postseason as Top Team in Nation, Region
TAMPA, Fla. - After winning six straight to conclude the regular season, the Sunshine State Conference champion University of Tampa baseball team is No. 1 in the nation in all four national polls also owns the top spot in the NCAA Division II South Region poll.
Among the four polls, Tampa is ranked No. 1 by College Baseball Lineup, D2 Baseball News. Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of American (NCBWA).
The 38-8 Spartans also carry the top ranking for the third consecutive week in the NCAA regional release, as the top eight teams in the region will receive a bid to the 2012 NCAA Division II tournament. Additionally, the top team in the region also has an advantage in hosting its respective regional.
Tampa (Sunshine State Conference), Delta State (Gulf South Conference) and Stillman (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) have each secured automatic bids to the NCAA South Region as champions of their respective leagues.
Tampa has been particularly impressive on the mound, with a team earned run average (ERA) of 2.45. UT has 11 of its 12 pitchers with a sub-4.00 ERA and five below 2.00.
Head coach Joe Urso, the all-time winningest coach in program history, has also boasted an offense that outscored top-10 opponent Nova Southeastern by a 42-10 clip in a three-game series to conclude the regular season. During UT's current six game winning streak, the Spartans have outscored Nova and Eckerd by a 75-16 showing.
UT has been ranked the entire season and has now been represented in the national poll for a program-record 126 consecutive weeks.
The NCAA South Regional is scheduled for May 17-21. Pairings and the site will be announced on Sunday through NCAA.com. Please visit TampaSpartans.com for complete information on the 2012 NCAA Baseball Tournament.
Click here for the NCAA Division II Regional poll
Click here for College Baseball Lineup poll