FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Nova Southeastern University softball will travel to Clermont, Florida to face five opponents in the annual NTC Spring Games Tournament on March 11-13.
 
The Sharks (5-15, 1-8 SSC) will begin the weekend with games against Upper Iowa and Ferris State on Friday, March 11 at 5 and 7 p.m., respectively. Saturday features opponents St. Thomas Aquinas College and Wayne State at 1 and 3 p.m. The action concludes Sunday, March 13 as NSU takes on Bentley at 1 p.m. and Saint Thomas Aquinas again at 3 p.m.
 
NSU had a productive weekend, claiming their first Sunshine State Conference (SSC) victory over Tampa last Saturday and following that up with a 10-2 win against West Liberty on Sunday. The Sharks narrowly lost their remaining three games, dropping each only by one run as they fell to Tampa 2-1 in the first two games and 4-3 to the Hilltoppers in their first matchup.
 
The Sharks pitching has continued to improve as Dajia Jones (Jr., Jacksonville, Fla.) pitched a two-hitter on Friday night in the team's loss to Tampa. Freshmen Erica Winter (Blaine, Minn.) and Megan Granitto (Wellington, Fla.) both picked up wins against Tampa and West Liberty, respectively. Jones is now 2-7 on the season while Winter is 2-5 and Granitto gets her first win to move to 1-3.
 
The team was impressive at the plate, combining for 32 hits over five games. Jones led the way going 6-for-14 on the weekend including hitting 2-for-2 with two RBI and one run scored in the Tampa win and 2-for-3 with two RBI, three runs scored and one walk in the West Liberty victory. She leads the team in batting average at .382 and is second in the conference in doubles with eight.
 
Dakota Villella (Jr., Hollywood, Fla.) had an outstanding performance to clinch the win for the Sharks over Tampa. She hit a walkoff RBI triple with two outs in the bottom of the eighth to put NSU up 6-5 over the Spartans. Villella ended the game 3-for-4 with one RBI and two runs scored. Katey Blummer (Jr., Naples, Fla.) was also impressive in that game as she went 3-for-4, all hits for extra bases, scored two runs and earned a RBI. The Sharks saw seven of their starting lineup earn hits with three players picking up two RBI in the West Liberty win.
 
See below for information about the Sharks' upcoming opponents. Live video will be available for each game and can be found HERE. Links to the live stats for each game and audio stream when available will be HERE. Stay tuned to NSUSharks.com for the latest updates throughout the weekend.
 
Upper Iowa University
The Peacocks (11-7) are on an eight-game win streak after they swept Wilmington University and Pittsburgh-Johnstown this week at the Spring Games. Senior pitchers Brooke Redmond (7-2) and Jacqueline Flood (4-4) each picked up complete game shutouts in the victories. Redmond and Flood have respective ERAs of 2.14 and 2.19 and 73 and 52 strikeouts to date. At the plate, the team is led by Julia Buffington and Lauren Marlinghaus who are hitting .444 and .433, respectively. Upper Iowa has a team batting average of .298 holding opponents to .249 in the batter's box.
 
Ferris State University
In Ferris State's (12-6) most recent contests against Tampa, the Bulldogs suffered the same fate as NSU, dropping two one-run games. Prior to these two losses, the team defeated fellow Sharks' SSC opponent Eckerd in two games. Alexx Astorga tops the team in batting average at .407 while drawing a team-leading 10 walks so far this season. The pitching staff has a combined ERA of 2.51 but opponents ERA against the Bulldogs is 4.78. Senior Stacy Thompson is Ferris State's No. 1 pitcher with a 5-1 record and 20 strikeouts.
 
St. Thomas Aquinas College
St. Thomas (0-1) dropped its season opener 2-0 to Dominican College on Wednesday. Prior to facing NSU on Saturday, the Spartans will play Southern New Hampshire and Slippery Rock at the Spring Games. In 2015, St. Thomas went 11-30 overall. The Spartans return their best hitter and top base stealer in senior Samantha McDonald and leading pitcher in junior Julie Sosnicki.
 
Wayne State University
The Warriors (9-2) are on a five-game win streak, most recently competing in the Shaw Invitational and claiming victory in five of their six games including a 4-1 win over No. 8 Georgia College. The team boasts a strong pitching staff with a combined ERA of 0.92. Junior Lyndsay Butler is in the No. 1 spot for WSU with a 6-1 record and a 0.32 ERA. The team has held opponents to a combined batting average of .159 as Jade McGarr and Butler are tops for the Warriors offensively batting .447 and .432, respectively.
 
Bentley University
Bentley will open their season at the NTC Spring Games. The Falcons finished the 2015 season at 11-19 overall. The team returns all three of their starting pitchers including senior Kelsey Smith who led the way in 2015 with a 6-2 record. The Falcons also return four of their top five hitters with sophomore Catie Noons the top performer after a 2015 season batting .333. Bentley was picked sixth in the Northeast division on the Northeast-10 Preseason Coaches' Poll.