MELBOURNE, Fla. – Nova Southeastern University is No. 1 in the 2017 Sunshine State Conference preseason baseball coaches’ poll. The defending NCAA Division II Baseball National Champions received 62 total votes and six first place votes in the poll.
University of Tampa comes in second with 59 votes and the final three first place votes. The reigning conference champions finished 2016 with a 20-4 record against league opponents. Florida Southern College and Lynn University tie for third place in the poll with 44 votes.
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Nova Southeastern (44-16, 18-6), Tampa (41-10, 20-4), and Lynn (29-23, 13-11) represented the SSC in the 2016 NCAA Division II South Region Tournament. While Tampa and Lynn went 0-2 in the tournament, NSU defeated West Georgia, West Florida, and Delta State twice to advance.
In Cary, North Carolina, home of the Division II finals, the Sharks dispatched Franklin Pierce, Lander, and Cal Poly Pamona to get to the final series. NSU took down Millersville in consecutive games to hoist the championship trophy for the first time in program history.
NSU’s title is the 18th baseball national championship for the Sunshine State Conference, second consecutive (Tampa, 2015). Florida Southern leads the way with nine national titles followed by Tampa with seven. Nova Southeastern and Lynn have one title apiece.
SSC play opens up on February 24th with Florida Southern at Lynn, Tampa at Barry University, and Nova Southeastern at Eckerd College. Regional tournament play begins May 18th with a host to be determined. NCAA National Championship tournament is slated to begin on May 27th in Grand Prairie, Texas.
2017 SSC BASEBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Rank
1
2
T3
T3
5
6
7
8
9 |
School (FPV)
Nova Southeastern (6)
Tampa (3)
Florida Southern
Lynn
Florida Tech
Saint Leo
Rollins
Barry
Eckerd |
Total Votes
64
52
44
44
38
29
21
19
8 |
SSC Baseball History: National Championships | Conference Champions | All-SSC Teams | Current / Former MLB Players | 2016 Draftees