Reigning Champions Open Season Against Bentley
TAMPA, Fla. - The 2013 national champion University of Tampa baseball team is set to open its season with a weekend series against Bentley University beginning with a Saturday double-header.
The top ranked Spartans enter the season fresh off a 47-12 campaign that resulted in the program's sixth national championship. UT was selected as the preseason favorite to claim the Sunshine State Conference in addition to garnering the top rank in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II preseason poll.
Prior to Saturday's opener, members of the 2013 national championship team will return to raise a championship flag that was flown at the site of the title in Cary, N.C. The title marked the sixth in UT baseball history, and the third since 2006 for head coach Joe Urso's program.
The first pitch will be thrown out by Nathan Maxwell, a 9-year old who signed an NLI with the Spartans as part of the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation. Maxwell was diagnosed at age 5 with grade 2 Astrocytoma. Nathan has completed nearly 2 years of chemotherapy followed by radiation. He continues to play baseball and is considered by the Spartans as a member of the team.
Tampa returns its strong outfield, anchored by third team All-American Michael Danner who is just a season away from a .344 batting average and a team leading 73 hits and 53 RBI. Fellow senior Zach Gawrych will also make his final opening day as a Spartan, a season removed from a perfect 21 stolen bases and a strong .303 average.
Seniors Tyler Ding and Connor Obrochta solidify a strong Spartan lineup as the two swung at a torrid .378 and .330 batting average respectively in their championship season.
The pitching staff returns sophomore duo Brad Hencke and David Heintz, as the two combined for a 7-1 record and 51 strikeouts for UT. The right-handed Heintz pitched to a 2.22 ERA in 10 appearances while lefty Hencke threw a 2.50 ERA in his 14 outings. Sophomore transfer Trey Oest, who was 5-0 as a true freshman at Division I powerhouse Virginia, also figures to play a prominent role in the UT rotation.
Last season Bentley finished with a 27-22 overall record and represents head coach Bob Defelice's 46th season at the helm of the Falcons. Senior outfielder Sean Keady returns for his final season as the current stolen base leader for the Falcons with 95 swipes.
Tampa has started its season against Bentley for the third consecutive year and owns the all-time record at 6-1. Last year the Spartans were 2-1 in the series matchup with the Falcons including a pair of shut outs after dropping the season-opener. Opening day will be played in double-header fashion with the first game to begin at 1 p.m. and fans are invited to attend the pre-game festivities.
Live stats and a live video webcast will be available through www.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 Instragram (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.