LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The No. 8 Nova Southeastern baseball team (24-6) will host its final out-of-conference weekend series against the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish (16-14) at the NSU Baseball Complex. The series will begin Friday at 6 p.m. and conclude with a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m.
The Sharks are off to a great start to the season, earning themselves a top-10 national ranking. The Sharks earned the ranking after sweeping the Saint Leo Lions at home over three games last weekend. After earning the top-10 spot, the Sharks did not slow down, posting 10 runs in an out-of-conference game against Florida Tech on Tuesday.
However, this is not the first NSU team to play great baseball up to the 30-game mark. The Sharks have won at least 24 of their first 30 games twice, in 2007 and 2009, since joining the Sunshine State Conference. Both teams missed the postseason, as the 2007 team finished 11-14 and the 2009 team finished 12-13 after the first 30 games. Coincidentally, both teams also went on to lose to Florida Southern, a team the Sharks face on the road next weekend.
The difference between those teams and the 2012 squad is that this NSU squad has been to the postseason and knows what it takes to finish the season strong. In the past, the goal was to become the first NSU team to make it to the NCAA South Regionals. Making the postseason is an expectation this season, and the goal will be to be named the region’s top team at the end of the regular season.
To make their case for the No. 1 spot in the regional rankings, the Sharks will likely need to win every series for the remainder of the season. That slate will begin with the Sailfish, a team the Sharks have defeated once this season. The Sharks made quick work of Palm Beach Atlantic on March 21, 16-7. In that game, every starter recorded a hit or scored multiple runs.
Palm Beach Atlantic, a team that won the season series against the Sharks last season, has been in high gear since getting trounced by NSU. The Sailfish are 5-3 against SSC teams since the loss, with wins over Florida Tech, Florida Southern and Barry.
In the short term, a series win or sweep could help propel the Sharks into the national top-five. Teams ahead of NSU, such as Angelo State and Tusculum, have already lost games this week. Avoiding the upset could bump NSU up the rankings.
Fans can follow the Sharks via live video
HERE and live stats
HERE. Follow the Sharks on Twitter at
www.Twitter.com/NSU_Baseball.
For the latest NSU news and results, be sure to visit
www.NSUSharks.com. To have results sent directly to your cell phone via text message, sign up for SMS text message delivery by
clicking here. For the latest news, be sure to sign up for the Shark Alert E-newsletter by
clicking here.
