FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University softball team (8-8) will play a midweek doubleheader on the road Wednesday, facing the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish (10-10) at 5 p.m.
 
The Sharks enter the game looking to bounce back from their last two weekend series. After dropping a pair of games to No. 19 Georgia College, NSU took a hard fought sweep at the hands of No. 18 Rollins, the preseason Sunshine State Conference favorites.
 
This last weekend ended a run of nine straight nationally ranked opponents for the Sharks, making their 16-game start arguably the toughest in the nation. Despite the recent skid, NSU has proven it belongs on the field with the nation's elite. The Sharks earned three wins over nationally ranked teams, including No. 12 Alabama-Huntsville, No. 9 North Georgia and No. 25 Wingate.
 
Individually, several Sharks have emerged as postseason award contenders early. Lorena Spaulding (Sr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) is still hitting at a blistering pace, holding a batting average of .491 on the year. Katrina Ammons (Sr., Jacksonville, Fla.) holds the team lead with 13 RBI while Te Reo Powhiri Matautia (Jr., Auckland, New Zealand) has a team-best 14 runs scored. Both are hitting .340 or better through 16 games.
 
In the circle, Rebecca Thornton (So., Lodi, Calif.) has taken on some of the nation's best offenses and thrived. She is 7-2 on the season and holds a 2.20 ERA. Outside of Thornton, Sophomores Taylor Rotz (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Carly Comito (Boca Raton, Fla.) have each shown promise in recent starts.
 
The run of nationally ranked opponents is over, which is the good news. On the other hand, the Sharks move on to a strong PBA team that has advanced to three out of the last five NCAA South Region Tournaments with the hindrance of not playing in a conference.
 
The Sailfish are winners of five of their last seven games, a run that started with an upset of then 14^th-ranked Tampa on Feb. 21. The offense is led by Victoria Gonzalez who has 28 RBI and a .727 slugging percentage. On the other end, the Sailfish have a platoon of three arms with at least 29 innings pitched and an ERA lower than 3.40.
 
To follow the Sharks on the road, fans can click HERE for live stats.