No. 2 Tampa Hosts Valdosta State in Regional Midweek Contest
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Valdosta State
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0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 1 |
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Tampa
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0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
TAMPA, Fla. - Coming off a weekend in which the No. 2 University of Tampa Spartans baseball team (21-6) scored nearly 20 runs against regional foe Palm Beach Atlantic, the Spartans are set to host visiting Valdosta State (16-10). The midweek contest will take place Wednesday night at 5 p.m. from the UT Baseball Field on the campus of the University of Tampa.
The Spartans are the nation's No. 2 team, and are currently ranked second in the competitive NCAA Division II South Region. Boasting a 21-6 record, the Spartans' all-time record against the Valdosta State Blazers is 28-18. The two teams have not met since 2011.
Tampa heads into Wednesday's regional contest after taking two of three games from regional opponent Palm Beach Atlantic University, winning by scores of 14-13 and 3-1.
The Spartans have two hitters posting a .400-plus batting average, including junior Nick Flair (.402) and senior Brett Jones (.442). In addition, Tampa's roster boasts 12 more players with an average above .300 - Giovanny Alfonzo, Casey Scoggins, Ian Townsend, Cody deNoyelles, Nick Tindall, Andrew Amaro, Chris Pagliarulo, Stephen Dezzi, Keaton Aldridge, Joe Walsh, Zion Bell, and Ty Cooler.
A total of nine pitchers appeared on the mound for Tampa during the PBA series, which included a 13-inning contest for game three. Chase Sparkman (6-0) and Taylor Brookes (1-0) earned wins on the weekend, while Dylan Barrow and Brett Jones each tallied a save.
Valdosta heads into the midweek matchup with a 16-10 record, and finished the 2014 season with a 26-18 record and a trip to the competitive Gulf South Conference tournament semifinals.
Tampa has been nationally ranked for 21 consecutive seasons dating back to 1994. Additionally, the Spartans have been a mainstay in the top-10 under Urso as they have been in the top-10 each of his 15 seasons at the helm. This also marks the sixth time that the Spartans are a preseason No. 1, and the second straight. The Spartans also own a string of 170 consecutive weeks in the national rankings.
Live stats and video will be available for all games. Fans may follow live stats at Tampa.Statbroadcast.com, or TampaStats.com on a mobile device. Fans may also watch live through TampaSpartans.tv.
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