May 1, 2024
#1 Tampa Looks to Protect Home Turf
WEEK 14
After taking two of three this weekend over Barry, the Spartans will host their most challenging test at the birdcage all season. #5 St. Leo comes into town looking to take down #1 Tampa and move into the top seed in the SSC.
#5 St. Leo vs. #1 Tampa
Friday, May 3rd, 6:00 P.M.
(DH) Saturday, May 4th, 3:00 P.M. & 6:00 P.M.
SSC Teams with National Rankings: #1 Tampa and #5 St. Leo
Tampa
- The Spartans stay at the top of the national polls, as they are at the top of the NCBWA poll for the 12th straight week. Tampa received 19 of the 20 first-place votes. The Spartans improved their record to 39-5 and 20-4 in SSC play after taking two of three this past weekend over Barry. The Spartans offense was shut down during the series opener on Friday night, and they only scored a single run in the second inning. Despite the Spartan's lack of offense on Friday night, Barry understood what one of the nation's best lineups is all about in the day-night doubleheader on Saturday. Leadoff man E.J. Cumbo continues to climb the all-time D2 hits leaderboard as he collected 4 hits in game one and brought in 3 runs en route to a 7-3 victory. In the nightcap, Brayden Woodburn and Danny Gutcher combined for 5 hits, a walk, and 2 RBIs to take the series and beat Barry 6-3.
St. Leo
- The Lions are right behind the Spartans. They sit in second place in the conference with the same 20-4 SSC record as the Spartans, and they are 37-6 overall this season and are the winners of 7 straight. Despite the Lion's impressive record, they have not played a top-25 team in the past two months since beating #9 Wayne State in early March. St. Leo looks to play spoiler and grab the series from the Spartans and take first place in the SSC rankings.
Live stats for all games this week can be found at Tampastats.com.
Live broadcasts for all games this week can be found at TampaSpartans.tv.