Spartans Arrive in Cary Ahead of National Championship Series

CARY, N.C. - The NCAA South Region champion University of Tampa baseball team arrived in Cary, N.C., for the 2015 NCAA Division II Championship Series, which is set to begin on Saturday.

UT will participate in a community engagement effort on Friday, as the Spartans open tournament play on Sunday at 7 p.m., versus West Region champion Cal Poly Pomona at the USA National Training Complex.

Tampa enters the championships with a 39-13 overall record after winning the program's 17th NCAA South Regional, and third straight. Under head coach Joe Urso, UT teams have advanced to 15th consecutive tournaments as three of Tampa's six national championships have come under Urso.

The Spartans boast one of the nation's best offenses, with eight of its nine starters hitting over .320. The Spartans are averaging 8.8 runs per game and have outscored opponents 38-20 through four NCAA tournament games.

The NCAA will offer a free broadcast of all tournament games through NCAA.com and the official NCAA Sports app. UT will also provide live stats through Tampa.Statbroadcast.com, and TampaStats.com on mobile devices.

For complete information on UT Baseball, please visit TampaSpartans.com. Fans may follow University of Tampa athletics on Twitter (www.twitter.com/utspartans), Facebook (www.facebook.com/tampaspartans), YouTube (youtube.com/utathletics) and Instragram (tampaspartans).

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

Click here for the official host web page

Click here for the tournament program

Click here for the tournament bracket

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Saturday, May 23
3 p.m. Game 1 - Henderson State vs. Angelo State
7 p.m. Game 2 - Wilmington vs. Catawba
Promotional event - Introduction of all teams during Game 2 and Fireworks after game
Group - Youth Organizations

Sunday, May 24
3 p.m. Game 3 - Truman vs. Mercyhurst
7 p.m. Game 4 - Cal Poly Pomona vs. Tampa
Promotional event - Kids run the bases (after Game 4)
Group - Youth Organizations

Monday, May 25
3 p.m. Game 5 - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
7 p.m. Game 6 - Winner game 1 vs. Winner game 2
Promotional event - Rawlings key chain giveaway (first 500)
Group - Military Personnel

Tuesday, May 26
3 p.m. Game 7 - Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4
7 p.m. Game 8 - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4
Promotional event - NCAA Respect Giveaway (first 250)
Group - Youth Baseball and Softball

Wednesday, May 27
3 p.m. Game 9 - Loser Game 6 vs. Winner Game 5
7 p.m. Game 10 - Loser Game 8 vs. Winner Game 7
Group - Youth Baseball and Softball

Thursday, May 28
3 p.m. Game 11 - Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9
7 p.m. Game 12 - Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 10
Group - Town of Cary employees

Friday, May 29
3 p.m. If necessary game or Game 13
7 p.m. If necessary game
Group - Senior citizens

Saturday, May 30
3 p.m. Game 13 or Game 14
7 p.m. Game 14 or Game 15 if necessary
Following game: Awards Presentation
Promotional event - Dollar Day - all tickets $1; hot dogs, drinks, ice cream sandwiches $1 each