Spartans Set To Clash With Lakers In Mid-Week Game

TAMPA, Fla. – The top-ranked University of Tampa baseball team returns to action on Tuesday night as they host Grand Valley State University in a weekday battle. The Spartans enter the contest with a record of 15-1, while the Lakers sit at 4-3. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.

UT is coming off a four-game weekend, where the offense exploded. In the game against Seton Hill, the Spartans put up 17 runs. In the three-game set against Albany State, Tampa put up 45 runs in the series sweep.

Matt Piatt led Tampa during the weekend, going 9-for-11, including two home runs, 2 doubles, and 10 RBI. He would also come around to score seven runs. After the weekend, Piatt pushed his average up to .405 for the season.

Kevin Santa and Casey Scoggins continue to lead the lineup for UT, as they each have a .500 batting average and 31 hits on the season. Santa leads the team with his 19 RBI, while Scoggins lead the team and the Sunshine State Conference with six triples.

Grand Valley State is coming off a four-game weekend where they took three of the four games played. Tuesday marks game one of a seven-game Florida trip for the Lakers.

GVSU is led by Joel Schipper who holds a .438 batting average. Keith Browning leads the team with 11 hits and has one of the two home runs the team has hit this year. The pitching staff for Grand Valley State has posted a 4.94 team ERA and have recorded 46 strikeouts in 62 innings.

The Lakers were selected to finish first in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference North Division after reaching the NCAA Regional last season.

Tampa leads the all-time series between the two teams 4-2, with the last matchup coming in the 2013 season. The two teams met twice that year in the NCAA Division II Baseball National Finals. GVSU took the first game 4-0 before UT took the elimination game by a final score of 10-1.

Tickets will be available at the gate for $5. UT students and staff will be admitted for free with a valid Spartan ID. Gates will open 90 minutes before first pitch.

Live stats and video will be available for all games. Fans may follow live stats at Tampa.Statbroadcast.com, or TampaStats.com on a mobile device. Fans may also watch live through TampaSpartans.tv.

Fans may follow University of Tampa athletics on Twitter (www.twitter.com/utspartans), Facebook (www.facebook.com/tampaspartans), YouTube (youtube.com/utathletics) and Instagram (tampaspartans). UT also offers blAst, a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.