No. 1 Tampa set to Host No. 4 Florida Southern on Alumni Weekend
Spartans welcome alumni celebrating anniversaries of 1992, 1993 and 1998 teams.
The Matchup: No. 1 University of Tampa Spartans vs. No. 4 Florida Southern College Moccasins
The Records: Tampa (38-7, 26-1 SSC), Florida Southern (37-8-1, 20-7 SSC)
The Games: Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday doubleheader at 1 p.m.
Location: University of Tampa Baseball Field | Tampa, Fla.
About the Spartans: Tampa enters the series as the top-ranked team in the nation according to the Perfect Game top-25 poll. The Spartans are also atop the NCAA South Region rankings heading into the final series of the regular season. UT is led by a deep pitching staff that owns a 2.67 team ERA. In 404.0 innings, UT's staff has punched out 455 hitters as opponents are hitting just .211 against Tampa. UT ranks third in the nation in lowest hits allowed (6.82/game) and third in WHIP (1.13). Senior David Lebron is the ace as the reigning SSC and South Region Pitcher of the Year is a perfect 9-0 on the season with a 2.50 ERA. Mark Moclair has been steady in relief, throwing in 15 games with a 1.39 ERA. He also has six saves to go with 83 strikeouts in 51.2 innings. Senior third baseman Darren Miller leads the Spartans with a .369 batting average while classmate and first baseman Harrison Bragg has connected on 16 home runs with 53 RBI.
About the Mocs: Florida Southern is hitting .321 on the season as the Mocs have seven hitters with a .300-plus clip. Logan Browning leads the team with a .455 batting average as he also serves as the ace of the pitching staff with an 8-2 record to go with a 3.16 ERA. FSC has three hitters with 10-or-more home runs, led by Hayden Marze with 19.
Series History: Florida Southern holds a slim 99-98 record in the all-time series with records dating back to 1961. Tampa has taken two of three games in previous seven seasons against the Mocs.
Alumni Night: UT will recognize its alumni before the game on Friday as this marks the 20-year anniversary for the 1998 national championship team and the 25-year anniversary for the back-to-back national titles in 1992 and 1993. Those titles were the first for UT baseball, which currently has seven NCAA Division II titles.
Senior Day: Prior to the doubleheader on Saturday, Tampa will honor its 11 seniors from this year's team.
Tickets: Tickets for are $5 for adults, senior citizens, and coaches. Children under 12 will be admitted free. UT students, faculty and staff will be admitted free with a valid student ID.
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