FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – In the second of two consecutive road series' against a ranked opponent, No. 1 Nova Southeastern travels to face No. 3 South Carolina-Aiken in a showdown that should easily be listed as the matchup of the weekend across the nation in NCAA Division II baseball. Games one and two are set for Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m. ET, with the series finale slated for Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
As is often the case with the Sharks, plenty of runs are to be expected game in and game out. The South Carolina-Aiken bats shouldn't be taken lightly, though, either. Both clubs possess prolific offenses, entering the weekend among the top-5 in the country in home runs and among the top-15 overall in runs per game.
 
Thanks to that high-powered attack, Nova Southeastern fared well by taking two of three from then-No. 19 Lynn a week ago. As a whole, the Sharks batted .387 and racked up a combined 35 runs versus their conference rival. Jeremy Vasquez went 9-for-12 at the dish in the series, and has since maintained that torrid clip through a pair of midweek ball games versus Notre Dame (Ohio) and Felician.
 
Despite playing just four innings in the Sharks' 19-7 win over Notre Dame on Monday, the first baseman tied the league lead with his seventh homer of the season to go along with six RBI's. The ensuing night, Vasquez then added two more hits to already register his 12^th multi-hit effort in only 17 games this season.
 
Similar-type performances will likely be counted on against a Pacers club that owns a 10-1 home mark and is currently riding a three-game win streak heading into to Wednesday's meeting with College of Saint Rose. South Carolina-Aiken remained perfect in the Peach Belt Conference at 6-0 following a sweep of Armstrong State that included a 10-inning victory in the series capper.   
 
Catcher Conner Durden increased his team-leading home run total with his sixth of the year in game two versus the Pirates. Together, he and Jose Bonilla are among two regulars hitting above .400 through the season's first month.
 
The meeting between the Sharks and Pacers will be the first between two top-5 clubs this season, and first all-time between both programs.  
 
For complete coverage of this weekend's action, log onto NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_Baseball.