FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – As the regular season winds down to just three remaining series for Nova Southeastern, the Sharks will hit the road one final time this weekend for a three-game set against Sunshine State Conference provisional member Embry-Riddle.
 
Although the Sharks have compiled just a 1-3 record on their current road stint, head coach Greg Brown's team has posted a 13-8 mark away from home in 2017, enough for the second-most road wins and third-highest road win percentage in the SSC.
 
That win total will need to continue rising this weekend, too, in order for Nova Southeastern to remain in the hunt for its third consecutive postseason appearance. In the latest south region rankings released by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) on Monday, the Sharks (25-15) were slotted fifth in between both North Alabama (27-15) and West Alabama (28-14).  
 
Nova Southeastern's slide in the polls throughout the month of April has been attributed to its recent struggles in tight ball games. The Sharks were clutch down the stretch of 2016 by winning each of their final four games decided by two runs or less throughout their historic run, but have currently dropped three such contests in a row, including a pair by a total of three runs at Rollins a week ago.
 
The Sharks will look to brush off those minor setbacks, though, against an Embry-Riddle club they matched up with quite favorably last spring. In a three-game set in Fort Lauderdale in 2016, Nova Southeastern cruised to a three-game sweep of the Eagles by an average of 4.6 runs per contest.
 
Nova Southeastern shortstop Dylan Woods batted .600 with a home run, four RBI's and four runs scored in those meetings, and may be primed for another big weekend after a team-leading .370 average versus Rollins, including a three-RBI effort that helped him surpass his entire 2016 total still with nine games to play.
 
Embry-Riddle has dropped five of six overall since beating Eckerd back on April 8. The Eagles took two of three from the Tritons, but have otherwise recorded a mark of 5-16 against official members of the SSC.
 
Matthew Russell is expected to earn the nod on the mound for the Eagles in Friday's opener. In 13 appearances this season, the freshman right-hander has posted a record of 1-6 with a 5.85 ERA in 47.2 innings of work.  
 
For complete coverage throughout the weekend, log onto NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_Baseball.