Tampa Baseball Set to Host SSC Opponent Florida Tech

TAMPA, Fla. – The No. 4 University of Tampa baseball team is back in action fr a Sunshine State Conference series, welcoming Florida Tech for three games.

The Matchup: No. 4 University of Tampa Spartans vs. Florida Tech Panthers

The Records: Tampa (9-4, 2-1 SSC), Florida Tech (4-10, 1-2 SSC)

Dates/Times: Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m. (Doubleheader)

Location: University of Tampa Baseball Field | 601 North Blvd. | Tampa, Fla.

About the Spartans: Tampa is coming off a Tuesday night victory over Eckerd College in a non-conference meeting between the SSC foes. The Spartans look to continue their SSC success after taking last weekend's series over rival and No. 5 Florida Southern College. Brandon Knarr showed why he is the Spartans ace, fanning 15 Mocs in 7.0 innings of work while allowing no earned runs. Knarr is now 3-1 on the season with a 3.04 ERA while striking out 39 hitters in 23.2 innings of work. Closer Jacinto Arredondo figures to play a significant role in the series, entering with a 2-1 record and two saves. Arredondo has 24 strikeouts in 19.0 innings. Junior second baseman Drew Ehrhard leads UT at the plate, hitting .327 with a home run and eight RBI. Leadoff hitter and centerfielder Jose Cadenas has provided the power, slugging a team-high four home runs. First baseman Dan Sullivan has a team-high 16 RBI. Catcher Josh Rulli has also done work at the plate, hitting .349 with three home runs and 12 RBI.

About the Panthers: Florida Tech suffered a midweek loss to Minnesota-Crookston by a score of 15-12. The Panthers dropped two of three to Rollins in its SSC opener, despite winning Friday's opener by an 8-1 score behind 6.0 shutout innings from ace pitcher Andy Marzheuser. He would finish with seven strikeouts to improve to 2-1 on the season. Marzheuser enters with 20 strikeouts in 21.2 innings. Raul Quintero leads the Panthers with a .367 batting average and also owns a .483 on-base percentage. Florida Tech has just two home runs, both off the bat of Brett Parrish. Dylan Owens has 12 RBI to lead the Panthers.

Series History: Tampa owns a 118-34 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to 1972. Head coach Joe Urso's squad dropped two of three in Melbourne in 2019, though the Spartans have won nine straight at home against the Panthers dating back to 2013.

Tickets: Tickets for are $5 for adults, senior citizens, and coaches. Children under 12 will be admitted free. UT students, faculty and staff will be admitted free with a valid student ID.

Game Coverage: Fans may watch live at TampaSpartans.tv (on-demand available June 7). Live stats are also available through TampaStats.com.

Follow UT Athletics: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Text Alerts: UT also offers a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. To sign up, please register at www.TampaSpartans.com.

Front Row: Download the official app of UT Athletics on the Apple or Android store. Look for Tampa Spartans Front Row app to receive notifications from your favorite Spartan teams. The app is completely free.