Tampa Moves to No. 2 in Newest Baseball Rankings
| Final (10) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Embry-Riddle (Fla.)
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
|
Tampa
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 3 |
TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa baseball team remains among the nation's top teams as it is currently as high as No. 2 in the latest national rankings.
Tampa is also in the top-five in all four polls, as the Spartans are listed at No. 2 by College Baseball Lineup. D2 Baseball News tabbed UT at No. 3, while Collegiate Baseball Newspaper gives the Spartans a No. 4 listing. The National Collegiate Baseball Writers of American also has UT at No. 5.
Fellow NCAA South Region opponent Delta State University is No. 1 in all four polls, with West Florida, Alabama Huntsville and Florida Tech are also in the national rankings as UAH makes three region teams in the top-10.
Tampa is now 28-6 on the season and has won all five Sunshine State Conference series. The Spartans are 11-4 in league player and also carry a 17-2 non-conference showing with wins over nationally-ranked Franklin Pierce and defending national champion West Chester.
The Spartans are hitting .318 as a team and currently have eight starters hitting over .300, led by Michael Danner's .383 clip. Danner also has a team-high 31 RBI while Tyler Ding is hitting .380. UT has slugged 32 home runs this season, with 12 Spartans connecting on at least one long ball.
Tampa's pitching staff has been equally impressive with a team earned run average (ERA) of 3.39. Matt Abramson owns a school record 31.2 without giving up a run. The senior is currently 6-0 on the season to lead the squad in wins. Mike Adams has been stellar in relief, owning a 2.14 ERA to go with a team-leading 44 strikeouts.
As a team, Tampa ranks among NCAA leaders in several categories, including scoring (16th, 7.9), runs (13th, 254), hits (25th, 340), doubles per game (10th, 2.47), doubles (7th, 79), home runs per game (4th, 0.97), home runs (5th, 31), slugging percentage (11th, 0.497), walks (9th, 148), hit by pitch (7th, 62), on-base percentage (14th, .424) and double plays (19th, 28).
Michael Danner is also 10th with four triples as closer Caleb Kellogg's six saves place him 12th in the NCAA Division II ranks. Jake Schrader ranks nationally in home runs per game (23rd, 0.24) and slugging percentage (23rd, .682). Jacob Tillotson is 13th in walks (25) while Zach Gawrych is third in the hit by pitch category (19) and fifth in hit by pitch per game (0.63).
Tampa has now been ranked for 141 consecutive weeks, marking a program record. Ranked every week since 2005, the Spartans have been in the top-5 in each of the past 11 seasons.
Tampa plays host to Embry-Riddle for a non-conference meeting on Tuesday at 5 p.m., before hosting a non-conference series with NCAA South Region opponent Palm Beach Atlantic. The PBA series begins with a single game on Friday at 6 p.m., followed by a 1 p.m., doubleheader on Saturday.
Click here for Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll