FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The No. 2 Nova Southeastern University Sharks baseball team (30-6, 10-2 SSC) is set to host the No. 4 Florida Tech Panthers (31-5, 12-4 SSC) on Friday and Saturday in a pivotal Sunshine State Conference three-game series.
 
Fresh off of a sweep of the Tampa Spartans and two mid-week wins against the Sailfish of Palm Beach Atlantic, the Sharks head into the biggest series of the year will a full head of steam, looking to take a commanding lead in the SSC standings, as well as the NCAA South Region.
 
The Sharks' offense has been spearheaded by Justin Garcia (Jr., Hialeah, Fla.), as the powerful left-handed bat has hit nine home runs in four conference series', while driving in 22 runs. Roche Woodard (Sr., Tampa, Fla.) and Mario Urdaneta (Sr., Ocala, Fla.) have played a major role, scoring a combined 21 runs against conference opponents.
 
This series will be a matchup between two potential SSC Player of the Year candidates, as Garcia and Florida Tech's Austin Allen lead the conference in nearly half of the hitting categories. Allen, who is hitting .439 with nine home runs, is accompanied by three other Panthers hitting well above .400.
 
Potential Pitching Matchups
 
Game 1: Roberto Baroniel (Sr., Miami, Fla.) (6-1 3.57 ERA) vs. Ashton Fronsoe (7-1 2.28 ERA)
Game 2: Alex Mateo (Jr., Miami, Fla.) (6-1 5.11 ERA) vs. Scott Ward (8-1 1.86 ERA)
Game 3: Ryan Castellanos (Jr., Davie, Fla.) (6-2 3.48 ERA) vs. Grant Willcoxon (4-2 4.85 ERA)
 
Be sure to tune in to each game, following the links on the schedule page. First pitch on Friday night is set for 6 p.m., followed by a Saturday doubleheader, scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.