Tampa Sits at No. 7 Heading to Conference Opener
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Tampa softball team is now ranked No. 7 in the NFCA Division II poll that was released by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) on Wednesday.
Fellow NCAA South Region foe and defending national champion Valdosta State University remains at No. 1, earning 15 of the 16 first-place votes.
In addition to Valdosta State and Tampa, fellow NCAA South Region opponents Rollins and West Alabama are also ranked with the Tars at No. 8 and UWA coming in at No. 25. North Alabama is also listed as receiving votes.
With a 10-2 record, Tampa ace Kayla Cox has been nearly unhittable as the junior has yet to give up an earned run in 59.1 innings pitched. Among her accomplishments are three no-hitters, including a perfect game. She is now 8-1 with seven shutouts while totaling 123 strikeouts.
Offensively, Kayleen Boatwright is hitting .405 with a team-high 12 RBI as Stacy Piagno (.351), Meagan Burke (.342) and Taylor Storey (.317) are each hitting over .300. Burke, last year's Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year, has a team-high three home runs with 10 RBI.
The Spartans have now been ranked for a school-record 28 consecutive weeks after ending the 2012 season at No. 12. At No. 6, Tampa is nearing its best ranking ever as UT was No. 4 in 2002.
The NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll is voted on by 16 NCAA Division II head coaches, two representing each of the eight NCAA regions. Final 2012 records are shown, first-place votes are in parentheses.
Tampa hosts Sunshine State Conference opponent Florida Tech in its home opener on Friday at 6 p.m., at the Naimoli Family Field. Live stats and a webcast will be available through TampaSpartans.tv.