TAMPA, Fla. – The fifth-seeded Nova Southeastern baseball team (32-15) will open its fifth consecutive postseason – seventh overall under ninth-year head coach Greg Brown – on Thursday, May 16 against fourth-seeded West Florida (36-16) out of the Gulf South Conference. The teams are set to duel in the opening round of the NCAA Division II South I Regional at the UT Baseball Field, hosted by University of Tampa.
 
Finishing in a three-way tie atop the formidable Sunshine State Conference's standings, the Sharks earned 28 wins against regional competition and three against ranked foes en route to their return to the NCAA tournament.
 
Crowned National Champions in 2016, the Sharks won the opening round last season before being eliminated in their third Regional game in Lakeland. Thursday's matchup will mark the third time the Sharks and Argonauts have met in 2019, splitting the two-game set in Pensacola in February (L, 3-9 / W, 1-0), in large part thanks to a stalwart pitching performance by senior starter Devin Meyer (5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R) and the subsequent work by the Sharks' bullpen in the shutout. The Argonauts are an at-large selection out of the GSC - sitting atop the standings with a 22-7 conference record, but ending the GSC tournament with consecutive losses to automatic qualifier Delta State.
 
The Sharks are led at the plate by junior second team All-Region and All-SSC designated hitter Andrew Labosky, who ranked third in the SSC with a .396 average. The Coral Springs native chipped in 11 doubles and three home runs to tally 25 RBI and 32 runs – also reaching base on balls 22 times. However, the offensive numbers hardly stop there for the Sharks, who bat .295 as a team. First-team All-Region utility pitcher and SSC Freshman of the Year Duncan Pastore follows at .357, adding five doubles, 24 runs and 13 RBI.
 
Second-team All-SSC sophomore outfielder Bryan Diaz has rung up a .352 average with eight doubles, two triples and two homers, driving in 26 runs and scoring 25, while second-team All-Region senior outfielder Christian Demby bats .349 with eight doubles and seven dingers, racking up 41 RBI and 33 runs on a steady .533 slugging percentage. Rounding out an exceptionally strong outfield in both facets, second-team All-SSC senior Samuel Duran goes .346 with five doubles and two home runs for 33 RBI and 37 runs – stealing 13 bases to boost opportunities on his .461 on-base percentage.
 
Largely unsung in the postseason awards, catcher Garrett Wolforth bats .305, but brings to the table team highs of 11 home runs, 11 doubles and five triples – not to mention his Sharks-pacing 51 RBI and 49 runs, as well as 10 stolen bases. The Spring, Texas senior ranks top five in the SSC in five offensive stat categories.
 
The Sharks hit 28.4 percent of their base knocks for extra bases and rank among the top five of the SSC in all three varieties, coming in third in the league in RBI and second in runs on a 7.74 runs per game average – just behind top-seeded Tampa at 7.88. Nova Southeastern leads the conference in stolen bases with 94 on the year and an NCAA 28th-ranked 2.0 spg. Leading the charge, second baseman Daniel Irisarri has 14, ahead of Duran's 13, Pastore's 11 and Wolforth and shortstop Brandon Chinea at 10.
 
On the mound, honorable mention All-SSC starter Meyer went 6-3 with a 3.03 ERA in 11 starts, knocking down 39 strikeouts in 59.1 innings to hold the opposition to .242 batting. Rookie upstart Nathan Campbell's 5.04 ERA is hardly indicative of the stout games he's tossed for the Sharks, including seven quality starts and a complete game two-hitter at Florida Tech. Campbell is 6-2 in 12 starts this year, collecting team highs of 41 strikeouts in 60.2 innings. Moving to the bump from his spots at third base and in the outfield for 12 appearances, Pastore leads the team with a 2.68 ERA and 4-0 record, racking 32 strikeouts in 37 innings, limiting opposing batters to just .220 hitting. Junior Matt Ornelas also comes in with a 5.68 ERA and 2-1 record, making six starts in 12 appearances.
 
Relievers JP Williams and Brock Minich will be looked to out of the bullpen in key situations, with Williams holding a 3.03 ERA and 4-1 record with two saves and 39 strikeouts in 32.2 innings, balanced with Minich's 2.74 ERA, 2-0 record, four saves and 23 strikeouts in 23 innings.
 
The Sharks and Argonauts meet for the fifth time in the overall series on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. Host Tampa will provide Live Video and Live Stats for the game. Check out the Tournament Central for additional information. The winner of Thursday's game will move on to a 12:00 p.m. Friday meeting with the winner between Tampa (36-14) and eighth-seeded Spring Hill (29-20). The losers of the two games will square off at 3:30 p.m.
 
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