This will be the first time I get in to some in-depth details for a series on the blog, and to kick off the first installment, we get a dandy of a match-up in the Sunshine State Conference, as a top-20 match-up will be on the docket as #16 Nova Southeastern (13-3) travels to #10 Saint Leo (17-1).
Both teams have been near the top of impressive squads to start the season. Nova SE was expected to be a top 25 team based on the pre-season rankings, but have blown even that prediction out of the water, looking like a top 10 team so far this season. The same can be said for Saint Leo, who were unranked by nearly every publication going in to the season, but the offense has been mashing the competition and racking up quality win after quality win, and their ranking reflects that.
Both squads are going to be competing with Tampa for the top spot in the SSC, which seems like a tough task at this juncture of the season, but both teams have the numbers and strength of schedule to stack up favorably with the Spartans at this point.
The Lions are leading the universe in nearly all batting categories, batting .343 as a team and lead Division II in hits (223), runs (177) and home runs (29). Troy Sieber has already racked up 29 RBI behind seven home runs, a .724 slugging percentage and a .310 batting average. Cole Stancil is not far behind, batting .439 with 5 home runs, 20 RBI, a .506 on-base percentage and a .742 slugging percentage. The Lions have every starter in the lineup batting at least .300, with three of them hitting .410 or better. Of course, some of those cumulative numbers are buoyed by already having played 18 games, among the most in the country since half of the nation has not been able to get on the field much, but the percentage numbers are outstanding, regardless.
The pitching staff doesn't lag behind, either. SLU is carrying a 2.48 team ERA and have struck out 144 batters in 163 innings with only 57 walks allowed. That staff is anchored by Liam O'Sullivan, who is 5-0 with a 1.50 ERA and a 38/7 K/BB ratio in 36 innings of work. Out of the five pitchers who have started at least two games this season, the highest season ERA from any of them is 2.97. The rest of the weekend shakes out with Michael Dunnigan (5-0, 2.97 ERA, 21 K, 30.1 IP) and Jordan Taylor (2-0, 2.70 ERA, 15 K, 20 IP).
Saint Leo's absurd 17-1 record hasn't been on the back of a cupcake schedule, either. The Lions dominated Tusculum to open the year, 22-6, in a game which featured eight home runs. That was the start of a nine-game winning streak to open the season that included a victory at Florida Southern. Their lone blemish on the year so far is a 15-6 loss to Lindenwood, a team which, even though they are 5-6 this year, managed to steal a game each from top 25 teams Southern Arkansas and St. Edward's. Since that mis-step, the Lions have reeled off another eight straight, punctuated by a 19-4 shelling of Eckerd in a non-conference game, another impressive early season squad, and a 4-3 win over Division I Nebraska-Omaha.
The Sharks of Nova SE do not have the gaudy offensive numbers that Saint Leo does so far, but they are still hitting .300 as a team and have drawn 100 walks, which leads to a .431 team on-base percentage. Their attack is led by the table-setter, Mario Urdaneta, who is hitting .409 this year with four doubles, two triples, two home runs and nine stolen bases in nine attempts to go along with 15 walks to only four strikeouts. He is leading the team in slugging (.727) and OBP (.571), and he is being driven in by Justin Garcia, who leads the team with four homers and 17 RBI.
NSU is buoyed by a stellar pitching staff of their own that is carrying a 2.95 team ERA and have struck out 143 batters in 131 innings. So far, the staff has been led by Alex Mateo, who is 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 24 innings on the mound. He has a pair of guys next to him who have proven to be incredible starters in their own right, as Roberto Baroniel (3-0, 2.16 ERA, 28 K, 25 IP) and Ryan Castellanos (4-1, 2.57 ERA, 28 K, 28 IP) have been mowing hitters down. When they leave the game, it doesn't get much easier, as the bullpen is bolstered by Devin Raftery (1-0, 0.82 ERA, 13 K, 11 IP) and Zachary Westcott (1-0, 2.53 ERA, 14 K, 10.2 IP).
The Sharks got the season started with a nine-game winning as well, including three-game sweeps over perennial regional contenders Delta State and Southern New Hampshire. Interestingly, after that, the team went in to a small funk, dropping three straight games to fairly unimpressive teams, falling to St. Thomas (FL), Palm Beach Atlantic and Northwood (FL), the bookends of those games coming against NAIA competition. Granted, St. Thomas and Northwood are solid NAIA squads, but those aren't games you would expect NSU to drop. Since then, however, the Sharks have been rolling, entering this series on a four-game winning streak in which they have outscored their opponents 45-3, including a no-hitter against Felician the last time out.
Below, you can find some series information, as well as relevant links to follow along with the action as the series plays out this weekend.
#16 Nova Southeastern (13-3) @ #10 Saint Leo (17-1)
Nova Southeastern Preview ||| Saint Leo Preview
Game One - Friday, March 6th, 6 PM ET (Live Stats | Live Video)
Roberto Baroniel (3-0, 2.16 ERA) vs Michael Dunnigan (5-0, 2.97 ERA)
Game Two - Saturday, March 7th, 1 PM ET (Live Stats)
Alex Mateo (3-0, 1.50 ERA) vs Liam O'Sullivan (5-0, 1.50 ERA)
Game Three - Saturday, March 7th, 4 PM ET (Live Stats)
Ryan Castellanos (4-1, 2.57 ERA) vs Jordan Taylor (2-0, 2.70 ERA)
Note: Starting pitchers are projected and subject to change.
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