Sunshine State Conference

Tampa Baseball Favored To Repeat in 2022

01.18.22

Head coaches pick the Spartans to win SSC title No. 21

MELBOURNE, Fla. –  Sunshine State Conference coaches select the University of Tampa as the preseason number one for the 15th time in the last 16 polls. With 98 points and nine first-place votes in the ranking, the Spartans are expected to lift the league trophy for the 21st time in program history.

Florida Southern College lands in second with 83 points, while Nova Southeastern University settles in third place with 76 points. Both the Moccasins and Sharks received a first-place vote from the coaches. Barry University ranks fourth with 68 points, and Rollins College rounds out the Top-5 with 63 points. For sixth place, Florida Tech edges Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 48 to 47 points. Lynn University (39 Points), Saint Leo University (39 points), Palm Beach Atlantic University (29 points), and Eckerd College (15 points) round out this year's preseason ranking.

SSC teams played between 20 and 29 games in 2021 due to another COVID-19 shortened season. Tampa won the 2021 SSC title with a 15-3 league record (.833). Florida Tech followed at 15-9 (.625), while Barry finished third at 15-7 (.600). The Spartans represented the SSC well as the league's only team in the 2021 NCAA Division II Baseball Tournament. UT ran the table in the South Region to hoist the program's 18th regional trophy. Tampa went 3-2 at the championship finals site, ending the season as a national semifinalist.

Following Tampa's 2021 run, SSC teams have reached the NCAA Division II World Series 44 times. While seven league teams have reached the World Series, only four programs have won a national championship. Florida Southern leads the SSC and NCAA D2 with nine national baseball titles, the last coming in 2005. Tampa won the league's most recent title in 2019 and follows FSC closely with its eight championships. Lynn joined the SSC baseball national championship ranks after winning it all in 2009, and NSU went all the way in 2016.

The first pitch of the 2022 season will be delivered on Wednesday, February 2nd, with Rollins and Florida Tech sparring in non-conference action. League play opens up on Friday, February 18th. The composite schedule for 2021-22 can be found here.

Below are the full results of the 2022 SSC preseason coaches' poll. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their teams (points: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses).
 

2022 SSC BASEBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL

Rank	School (FPV)	Total Points
1	Tampa (9)	98
2	Florida Southern (1)	83
3	Nova Southeastern (1)	76
4	Barry	68
5	Rollins	63
6	Florida Tech	48
7	Embry-Riddle	47
T8	Lynn	39
T8	Saint Leo	39
10	Palm Beach Atlantic	29
11	Eckerd	15

SSC Baseball History: National Championships | Conference Champions | All-SSC Teams | Current / Former MLB Players | SSC Baseball Record Book

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