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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern softball team (11-8) is set to take on the No. 8 Rollins Tars (19-1) for a three-game series this weekend, in the first Sunshine State Conference matchup for either team this season and the Plantation Ford/Weston Nissan Volvo Series of the Week. The first game of the series will take place Friday, March 1, at the AD Griffin Sports Complex, starting at 6 p.m. The teams will then turn around on Saturday, March 2, to play a doubleheader, starting at 1 p.m.
The Sharks are looking to build upon its most recent series against Mercyhurst, where they swept the Lakers 10-2 in the first game, and then making a miraculous comeback after being down 9-2 in the third inning to win game two, 11-10.
NSU has been heavily reliant on pitcher
Jennie Von Doellen (Jr., Hudson Bay, Canada) this season, who has pitched 93.1 innings so far, which is 20 more innings than any other pitcher in the conference. Von Doellen is currently second in the conference in strikeouts with 81, and leads the conference in wins with nine.
Laura Saladrigas (Sr., Hollywood, Fla.) has had a great year behind the plate for NSU. She is currently atop the conference in triples, with three, fourth in the SSC in total bases (39) and is in the top 10 in the conference in home runs with two.
However, the Sharks will have a lot on their plate this weekend taking on the eighth-ranked team in the nation, according to the NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll. Rollins comes into this series with 19 wins so far, the most wins of any team in the top 25 this season. The Tars have nine shutouts this season and have ended five games in five innings because of the mercy rule.
Rollins catcher Veronica Alfred earned the most recent NFCA Division II National Player of the Week and Sunshine State Player of the Week awards. Alfred is batting .410 on the year with four home runs and 22 RBI. Tars freshman pitcher Niki Fogle also earned SSC Player of the Week honors, going 4-0 last week with three complete game shutouts.
NSU has historically had trouble against the Tars, winning eight out of the 29 games these teams have met. When the Sharks traveled to Rollins last season, the Tars swept NSU in three close games, 3-0, 2-1 and 3-1. The last time the Sharks were able to knock off the Tars was in 2009, when NSU took two out of three games against Rollins, winning 1-0 and 7-2.
The game will also be available via live video HERE live stats HERE. Follow the Sharks on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/NSUSharks.
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