Sunshine State Conference

2016 SSC Baseball Preseason Poll and Season Outlook

01.20.16

Tampa is Unanimous No. 1 in SSC Preseason Baseball Coaches Poll

By: Jonathan Glass | Sunshine State Conference Intern

MELBOURNE, Fla.– The University of Tampa is the unanimous No. 1 in the 2016 Sunshine State Conference preseason baseball coaches poll. The defending NCAA Division II Baseball National Champions received 64 total votes and eight first place votes in the poll.

The 2015 SSC champions, Nova Southeastern, come in second with 55 votes. Florida Tech received the final first place vote and sits tied for third with Lynn University after receiving 44 total votes. Saint Leo and Florida Southern round out the top five tied for fifth with 35 votes.

VIDEO: 2016 Baseball Season Outlook interviews with Head Coaches

Tampa (34-13, 16-8) finished second in the SSC Standings to Nova Southeastern during 2015.  Tampa earned the No. 3 seed in the NCAA South Region Tournament. The Spartans won all four games they played and advanced to the 2015 NCAA Division II College World Series in Cary, N.C. Tampa won another four straight to capture their seventh NCAA Division II National Championship in program history and second in three years.  

Nova Southeastern (39-13, 18-6) claimed their first conference title in program history. The Sharks landed the No. 2 seed for the 2015 NCAA Division II South Region Tournament. After a victory over Lynn, 8-1, the Sharks then lost to Tampa, 8-1, and host West Alabama, 2-0. Nova Southeastern will open the 2016 season at home against Tusculum on January 29th.

Sunshine State Conference play opens up on January 29th with Florida Tech at Rollins. Regional tournament play begins May 19th. NCAA National Championship tournament is slated to begin on May 28th.

2016 SSC BASEBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL