Top-10 Matchup, NCAA Rematch on Tap As No. 2 Spartans Host No. 7 Rollins

TAMPA, Fla. – The No. 2 University of Tampa baseball team is set to host Sunshine State Conference opponent and No. 7 Rollins College in a battle featuring the top two teams in the Sunshine State Conference and finalists at last season's NCAA South Regional.

The Matchup: No. 2 University of Tampa Spartans vs. No. 7 Rollins College Tars

Records: Tampa (23-4, 12-0 SSC), Rollins (20-8, 10-2 SSC)

Dates/Times: Friday at 6 p.m.; Saturday at 1 p.m. (DH)

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

About the Spartans: The Spartans return home after sweeping Nova Southeastern University by a three-game combined score of 29-4. Head coach Joe Urso has his Spartans on a six-game winning streak that also features a sweep on the road over SSC rival Florida Southern College. Catcher Danny Gutcher was named the SSC Player of the Week after he produced a .429/.692/1.429 slash line against the Sharks. Gutcher was 3-for-7 at the plate last week with three extra-base hits (including two home runs), eight runs batted in, and six runs scored. Sophomore Alex Canney tossed 6.0 scoreless innings for a game three victory as he was honored as the SSC Pitcher of the Week. The Spartans feature an offense that is hitting .331 on the season, with a .433 on-base percentage. After hitting .700 against NSU, Jordan Lala leads all Spartans with a .404 batting average while fellow outfielder E.J. Cumbo comes in at .400. Gutcher and E.J. Doskow each have six home runs, while J.D. Urso leads UT with 37 RBI while his 15 doubles are good for No. 4 in the national leaderboard. After setting a school record while playing in his 234th career game, Drew Ehrhard has his sights on another school record as he currently has 304 career hits, placing him third in UT history as he is approaching Erik Mirza (329) and Ronnie Merrill (339). UT will call on starting pitchers Michael Paul (3-1, 42.2 IP), Eli Thurmond (4-0, 2.90 ERA) and Canney (2-0, 3.41 ERA), with ace reliever Braydon Nelson (4-0, 2 SV, 3.04 ERA) awaiting a late-inning call.

About the Tars: Rollins is coming off a 9-5 loss on Tuesday against Florida Southern, as the Tars previously swept SSC opponent Barry as home. The Tars are hitting .302 on the season, with Jack Herring leading the way with a .375 batting average. Rollins has slugged 33 home runs on the season, with 12 coming off the bat of senior outfielder Parker Smith. Tampa native Ryan Coleman adds six home runs with a team-best 29 RBI. Edward Berry has served as the Friday night starter for Rollins, entering with a 2-2 record and a 2.95 ERA. Nick Berger has been lights out this season, starting five of his eight appearances and compiling a 2-2 record with a 0.79 ERA. Kieran Casey expects to start game three of the series, bringing a 2-1 record and 4.13 ERA. 

Series History: The Spartans own a 124-56-1 all-time record in the series, though Rollins took two games from the Spartans at the 2022 NCAA South Regional Championship. In a best of three series, the Tars only needed two games to end UT's season and advance to Cary, N.C., as the South Region champions. Tampa has won 11 of its last 12 regular season games over Rollins.

GAMEDAY MULTIMEDIA: Fans may watch all home games and Sunshine State Conference contests on www.TampaSpartans.tv. Live stats are also available through www.TampaStats.com.