Tampa to Host Eight-Team NCAA South Region Baseball Tournament

INDIANAPOLIS - The top-ranked University of Tampa baseball team has been awarded the 2012 NCAA Division II South Region Baseball Tournament, which will include a total of eight teams. The double-elimination tourney will begin Thursday and end with Monday's regional title games.

The region will feature several national powers as four of the last six NCAA II national champions will be among the field. Tampa won the 2006 and 2007 championships as fellow Sunshine State Conference opponent Lynn University won in 2009. West Florida enters the regional as the defending national champions.

The University of Tampa will enter postseason play with an overall record of 38-8 and winners of six straight games. The Spartans also won their 14th SSC title as they are looking for the program's 15th South Region crown.

This marks the 13th straight NCAA tournament appearance for Tampa, as head coach Joe Urso has advanced to the tourney in each of his 12 seasons at the helm. UT has hosted the regional a total of 10 times (including 2012) as the last time the regional was at the UT Baseball Field came in 2010.

Please visit TampaSpartans.com for complete information. Fans can also click here for the official Web page of the NCAA South Regional. All fans are also encouraged to use #NCAAbaseSR on Twitter.

Tickets will be available at the gate for $10 (adults) and $5 (students and senior citizens).

Tampa will offer live stats and video webcast for all South Regional games. A link will be available at the regional Web page, and may also be accessed through TampaSpartans.tv.

Following is the complete schedule for the 2012 NCAA II South Regional
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Game 1 No. 4 West Florida vs. No. 5 Nova Southeastern 10 am
Game 2 No. 1 Tampa vs. No. 8 Stillman 1:15 p.m.
Game 3 No. 3 Lynn vs. No. 6 Alabama in Huntsville 4:30 p.m.
Game 4 No. 2 Delta State vs. No. 7 North Alabama 7:45 p.m.

Friday, May 18, 2012
Game 5 Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 10 a.m.
Game 6 Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 1:15 p.m.
Game 7 Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 4:30 p.m.
Game 8 Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 7:45 p.m.

Saturday, May 19, 2012
Game 9 Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 7 1 p.m.
Game 10 Winner of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 8 4:15 p.m.
Game 11 Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, May 20, 2012
Game 12 Winner of Game 9 vs. Winner of Game 10 12 p.m.
Game 13 Winner of Game 12 vs. Loser of Game 11 3:15 p.m.

Monday, May 21, 2012
Game 14 Winner of Game 11 vs. Winner of Game 13 12 p.m.
Game 15 same as Game 14 (if necessary) 3:15 p.m.