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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern baseball team (11-6, 0-0 SSC) is heading into one of their biggest weekends of the regular season as they host No. 6 Tampa (12-5, 0-0 SSC) this weekend at the NSU Baseball Complex. The three-game series will begin on Friday, March 11 at 6 p.m. and will continue with a doubleheader this Saturday, March 12 beginning at 1 p.m.

The Sharks head into the series on a three-game winning streak with two wins against Saint Rose (18-5; 8-5) and another victory this past Tuesday against Southern New Hampshire (7-6). The offense has been on point over these wins as the team has combined for five home runs with six batters hitting over .375. The Sharks outscored their opponents, 33-16, over the last three outings.

Overall the Shark offense has been one of the best in the Sunshine State Conference. The Sharks lead the SSC with 16 home runs and rank second behind Tampa with a .488 slugging percentage.

The Shark offense will come in handy against a Spartan team that was picked as the preseason favorite to win the conference title. However, the Spartans have shown chinks in their armor as opponents have averaged 9.5 runs over the last four games. The Spartans enter the game 2-2 over their last four games with losses to St. Joseph’s and Rockhurst.

The Spartans can also pack a punch on offense as they lead the conference in 11 different hitting categories. The NSU pitching staff will have to be on top of their game this weekend if they hope to come out of the series on top. Isaac Hicks (Sr., Fort Myers, Fla.) will most likely start the first game of the series as he has all season. An All-SSC honoree in 2010, Hicks has led all starters with a 2.93 ERA along with 26 strikeouts. Nick Avila (Sr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) and Sean Tighe (Jr., Hobe Sound, Fla.) are both likely to start during Saturday’s doubleheader.

NSU has not fared well against the Spartans in the past as the Sharks have an 11-26 all-time record against the Spartans. Last season Tampa swept NSU but the Sharks took the conference series, 2-1, in 2009. Since joining the SSC, the Sharks have played three series at the NSU Baseball Complex against Tampa and won two of them.

Friday’s game will be alumni night as fans are invited to a pregame party at Quarterdeck Bar and Grill beginning at 4:30 p.m. before heading to the game. Contact Brian Needle at (954) 240-5033 for more details.

For the first time in program history, video streaming will be available for all games this weekend. Fans can view live video HERE and live stats HERE. Follow NSU baseball through Twitter at www.twitter.com/NSUSharks.