Spartans Rank First in SSC Preseason Poll

MELBOURNE, Fla. – The University of Tampa is No. 1 in the 2018 Sunshine State Conference preseason baseball coaches' poll. The defending SSC champions received 100 total votes and 10 first place votes in the poll. 

Nova Southeastern University comes in second with 89 votes and the final first-place vote. Florida Southern College follows in third place in the poll with 80 votes, while Lynn University holds fourth place with 70 votes. Florida Tech rounds out the Top-5 after receiving 62 total votes from conference coaches. 

Tampa (39-14, 20-4), Nova Southeastern (35-18, 16-8), and Florida Southern (35-17, 12-12) represented the SSC in the 2017 NCAA Division II South Region Tournament. All three squads grabbed at least one win in the regional tournament but ultimately failed to reach the championship. 

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NSU concluded the 2016 season as NCAA Division II baseball national champions. The title was the 18th baseball national championship for the Sunshine State Conference and the first for the Sharks. Florida Southern leads the SSC with nine baseball national titles, the last coming in 2005. Tampa follows with seven championships, including hoisting the trophy in 2015. Lynn joined the SSC baseball national championship ranks after winning it all in 2009. 

First pitch of the 2018 season comes on February 1st with Nova Southeastern and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University hosting games. League play opens up on February 23rd with a full slate of games. Regional tournament play begins May 17th with a host to be determined. Cary, North Carolina re-emerges as the NCAA finals host for 2018. Competition in the Tar Heel state is slated to begin on May 26th, and a new champion will be crowned June 2nd. 

Below are the full results of the 2018 SSC preseason coaches' poll. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their teams (points: 11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses). 

2018 SSC BASEBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL