Tampa Baseball Makes History With Ninth National Championship

Tampa Baseball Makes History With Ninth National Championship
June 8, 2024

CARY, N.C. - The University of Tampa Spartan's baseball team captured the program's ninth national championship with an 8-3 win over Angelo State University at the 2024 NCAA Division II National Championships USA National Training Complex.

In a display of resilience and power, the No. 2 seed Tampa Spartans claimed the title by defeating the No. 8 seed and defending national champion Angelo State Rams. This triumph caps off an impressive season with a 52-8 record for head coach Joe Urso's Spartans.

The championship game began with early momentum for Angelo State. Jacob Guerrero's aggressive baserunning led to the game's first run, capitalizing on a Tampa throwing error in the first inning. The Rams extended their lead in the second inning with Tayten Tredaway's sacrifice fly, bringing in Christian Garnett to make it 2-0.

Tampa struggled to get on the board until the fourth inning when Nico Saladino's RBI single cut the deficit to 2-1. Angelo State responded in the bottom half of the fourth, as Blake Wilhoite's sacrifice bunt brought in Kamden Kelton, pushing the lead back to 3-1.

The game's turning point came in the top of the sixth inning when Tampa's offense exploded for six runs. This rally began with Brayden Woodburn scoring on E.J. Cumbo's single. Anthony Nunez tied the game with a sacrifice fly, bringing in Nico Saladino. Stephen Klein delivered a clutch two-RBI double down the right field line, and J.P. Gates followed with a towering two-run homer to right-center, giving Tampa a commanding 7-3 lead.

Cumbo, the all-time hits leader in NCAA Division II, registered his 400th career hit in the sixth inning. He became one of just three players in NCAA history to reach 400 career hits. He joins Phil Stephenson (Wichita State, 1979-82) and Khalil Green (Clemson, 1999-2002) as the lone players to reach the milestone.

In the ninth inning, freshman Maddox King added an insurance run with a solo homer down the left-field line, extending the Spartans' lead to 8-3. The home run marked the first collegiate home run for the Tampa native and son of 1998 national champion Mike King.

Tampa's pitching was instrumental in securing the victory, with Alex Canney and J.P. Gates combining to hold Angelo State to just six hits and three runs over nine innings.  With the effort, Canney improved to 14-3 on the season, and J.P. Gates earned his fourth save.

During the ceremony following the game, J.P. Gates  was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Cumbo, Klein, and Canney joined him on the all-tournament team.

With nine national championships, Tampa tied Florida Southern for the most national championships in NCAA Division II. The Spartans have now won six national titles in the 2000s, more than any other school at any NCAA level.

Top Players

Top Pitchers