FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University softball team (18-22, 6-15 SSC) will extend their road trip to 12 games this weekend and finish Sunshine State Conference play, traveling to play the Florida Tech Panthers (33-16, 12-9 SSC). The series begins Friday at 3 p.m. and concludes with a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m.
The Sharks return after back-to-back series wins in Sunshine State Conference play. From April 10-11, NSU won its first series in conference play over Florida Southern on the road. This past weekend, the Sharks kept the momentum going with a series win at Tampa, a team that was in contention for a SSC title.
The series began Friday night with a premier pitching matchup between Julia Morrow, the favorite for SSC Pitcher of the Year, and sophomore
Rebecca Thornton (Lodi, Calif.). Both pitchers were dominant, but Morrow came out on top with a 1-0 victory. On Saturday, the same pitchers were trotted out and the result flipped. Thornton maintained her dominance while the Sharks' cracked the Tampa ace, with
Brenisha Bannister (Fr., Plantation, Fla.) scoring a run and driving in two for a 3-1 victory. In game three, the Sharks scored another trio of runs, while
Maegan Lee (Sr., Miami, Fla.) recorded a 3-2 win in her finest pitching outing of the year.
NSU hoped to keep its momentum rolling with a midweek doubleheader against St. Thomas, but the recent storms in South Florida flushed the doubleheader for the time being. Instead, the Sharks will head right into another road series against a squad with 33 wins, the highest total in the SSC. The Panthers are currently ranked fifth in the NCAA South Region and are looking to end their season strong against NSU in order to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Enter the Sharks, who have fallen into the role of spoiler in the race to regionals. The Sharks upset the balance of the region with a pair of wins over the Spartans, knocking Tampa down to eighth in the latest poll. Although eight teams make the regional tournament, automatic qualifiers would leave Tampa on the outside looking in if the rankings remain the same. NSU will attempt to cause a wrinkle in the standings again against the Panthers.
That goal is easier said than done. Florida Tech's roster features topnotch talent, led by a pitching staff that has a combined ERA of 2.09. The staff is led by Rachel Pence, with an ERA of 2.10 over 190 innings and three SSC Pitcher of the Week honors. Offensively, the Panthers are spearheaded by Nicole Miller, who slugs a team-best .522.
In program history, NSU is 21-18 against Florida Tech. However, Florida Tech's Nancy Botge Field has not been friendly to the Sharks. The lack of lights require all games to be played under the blistering sun, creating an intimidating home field advantage. The Sharks have not won their since 2009, despite winning eight of their last nine against Florida Tech at home.
For information throughout the weekend, including in-game updates, follow @NSU_Softball on Twitter.
