UT Set for Battle of Nationally-Ranked Teams

TAMPA, Fla. – The No. 3 ranked University of Tampa baseball team is set to host No. 29 Eckerd College in huge Sunshine State Conference matchup after staying atop the NCAA South Region in the latest poll.

The Matchup: No. 3 University of Tampa Spartans vs. No. 29 Eckerd College Tritons

Date/Time: Friday at 6 p.m. | Saturday at 1 p.m and 4 p.m..

The Records: Tampa (33-11, 16-8 SSC), Eckerd (28-15, 17-10 SSC)

Promotions: Athletic Marketing will feature a Star Wars event on Saturday for game one.

Senior Day: UT will honor its 13 seniors prior to game one of Saturday's doubleheader.

Location: University of Tampa Baseball Field | Tampa, Fla. | Directions

About the Spartans: Tampa swept its last series against Rollins College to move them to the No.2 team in the nation. Senior ace, Keven Pimentel had an unbelievable performance throwing seven scoreless innings with a career-high 11 strikeouts improving to 9-2 with an ERA of 2.76. The Spartans are sitting at a .309 batting average on the season as outfielder Yorvis Torrealba leads the team with a .404 average and 18 stolen bases. Alec Aleywine has slugged eight home runs with 34 RBI. There are five Spartans with five or more home runs on the year. Catcher Danny Sirven adds a consistent bat in the middle of the lineup hitting .366 with 38 RBI and four homers on the year. Mason Duke (8-0, 2.09 ERA) and James Reynolds (3-0, 1.88 ERA) is expected to get the start Saturday while Tyler Beck (1.75 ERA, 8 SV, 38.0 IP) and Jacinto Arredondo (2.64 ERA, 30.2 IP) have proved themselves as the top bullpen arms. Tanner Foster (4.9 ERA, 53.2 IP) got the start last weekend and went 6.1 innings giving up only two runs, receiving the win to complete the sweep of Rollins.

About the Tritons: Eckerd enters the series after taking two of three in an SSC matchup against Saint Leo. The Tritons swept Embry-Riddle and have taken two of three over most of the SSC conference. Eckerd currently sits third in the conference behind Tampa and Nova. The Tritons offense has six guys hitting over .300 with Mitch Calandra leading the team with a .370 average and 51 RBI on the year. Garret Hiott adds six home runs, 37 RBI, 17 stolen bases, and an average of .360. On the mound, Dillion McCollough is the ace, bringing an 8-0 record with an ERA of 1.51 and 130 strikeouts in 101.0 innings pitched. Robin Allen looks to be the game two starter with 71.2 innings pitched, 60 strikeouts, and an ERA of 4.40.

Series History: The Spartans hold a 115-40 edge in the all-time series winning nine of their last 10 against the Tritons.

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.

Game Coverage: Fans may watch live at TampaSpartans.tv. Live stats are also available through TampaStats.com.

Follow UT Athletics: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.

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

Front Row: Download the official app of UT Athletics on the Apple or Android store. Look for Tampa Spartans Front Row app to receive notifications from your favorite Spartan teams. The app is completely free.