Tampa Baseball Captures Team ERA National Statistical Championship

INDIANAPOLIS - The University of Tampa baseball program was honored by the NCAA as the 2022 NCAA Division II Baseball National Statistical Champion in team ERA.

Associate head coach and pitching coach Sam Militello led his staff to a 2.98 team ERA, finishing the season as the lone team in the nation with a sub-3.00 ERA. Additionally, the Spartans came in .25 points lower than second-place Point Loma, who concluded the season with a 3.23 ERA.

Capturing the program's 22nd Sunshine State Conference championship, the Spartans finished the season with a record of 44-13. UT would win the Tampa regional and finish the season as a regional finalist.

The 2022 Spartan pitching staff had several top performers, led by All-Americans Haden Erbe and Braydon Nelson. Erbe would establish himself as the team's Friday night starter, and would finish the season with a record of 12-2. In 94.1 innings of work, Erbe had 117 strikeouts to go with an ERA of 2.77.

Nelson spent the season as the ace reliever, finishing with 11 saves and the ability to lock down games in multiple innings of work. Also 6-1, Nelson's ERA of 1.79 came in 60.1 innings. He would finish with 63 strikeouts.

Overall, Militello had 10 pitchers with sub-4.00 ERA's, as true freshman Alex Canney led all Spartans with a 1.60 ERA. Starting seven games, Canney pitched down the stretch in high-leverage situations. He would throw 39.1 innings with 43 strikeouts.

Michael Paul also received all-SSC honors as the starter pitched to a 3.26 ERA while going 8-5. Nick Long started 14 games with a 6-1 record and 2.54 ERA. Lefty relievers Michael D'Emo and Cameron Sereda turned in 1.93 and 2.96 ERA's, respectively, as Sereda led UT with a .178 batting average against.