No. 1 Tampa to Open Regional Play Against Stillman

TAMPA, Fla. - After earning the top seed and hosting duties for the NCAA Division II South Regional, the No. 1 University of Tampa baseball team is set to begin regional play against the sixth-seeded Stillman College on Thursday. The game will be played at the UT Baseball Field with a start time set for 11 a.m.

The Spartans concluded their regular season with a record-breaking 47-2 mark while the Tigers enter postseason play with a 30-19 overall tally.

UT placed 12 athletes on the All-Sunshine State Conference baseball team, good for a program record. Senior Preston Packrall was named Pitcher of the Year as Tampa has taken its third straight in the category after Sean Bierman in 2012 and Mike Adams in 2013. Packrall led the squad with a 1.63 ERA in 66.1 innings of work. The right-hander was a perfect 9-0 on the season with 40 strikeouts to a mere 11 walks.

The Tigers placed five student-athletes on the All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference baseball team after 18-1 SIAC record. The meeting between the two represents third straight season in which the two teams have met in the first round of the tournament. Tampa took the 2013 meeting by a 5-4 final score while Stillman stunned UT in the opening round of the 2012 regional with a 6-5 upset.

The Spartans hold the all-time record against the Tigers with a 19-2 tally.

Please visit TampaSpartans.com for complete information as an official tournament page will be unveiled. All fans are also encouraged to use #NCAASR on Twitter.

Tickets will be available at the gate for $10 (adults) and $8 (students and senior citizens).

Tampa will offer live stats and a video webcast for all South Regional games. A link will be available at the regional Web page, and may also be accessed through TampaSpartans.tv.

Click here for the official host page for the NCAA South Regional