At the outset of the baseball season, Tampa coach Joe Urso felt confident in the potential of his pitching staff but stopped short of calling it the heir to the throne of staffs of recent years. With just cause, though.
Throwing a sophomore, two freshmen and a former closer into the rotation doesn't make well for bold predictions, particularly in the competitive Sunshine State Conference.
Midway through the season, with the team's biggest series, at home with SSC rival Florida Southern, days away, Urso's forecast is much sunnier.
"Both clubs are trying to make a run at the conference title, and either team can really take off from here," Urso said. "Am I surprised by the success of our pitching? No, some of our young kids are a little ahead of where I thought they would be."
The Spartans own the lowest ERA (2.86) in the conference, just ahead of Southern's 3.12.
At 7 p.m. Friday, Tampa (27-5, 8-1) throws Sergio Perez (6-2), a sophomore tied for the league lead in wins and who has a 1.86 ERA. He is the team's only starter from last year, going 8-1 in 10 starts as a freshman.
Justin Boza, who led all of Division II last year with 18 saves, will start Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader at 1 p.m. He is 3-0 in five starts.
Boza will be followed by freshman Johnny Williams, who also is 3-0. Williams, who played at Plant last year, could face former teammate Ken Wadsworth. Wadsworth's 2.43 ERA ranks just behind Williams 2.04 for sixth in the SSC.
Tampa's rotation was a significant factor during a recent 16-game win streak, which propelled it to No.1 in the country before falling to No.4 this week.
Pitching coach Sam Militelo said he is not worried about his pitchers getting big-game jitters and plans to go with the usual formula.
"They're a pretty relaxed group," he said. "They go about their business the right way and control their emotions very well. No doubt they will be up a little more than usual, but what we try to do is channel that energy in the right direction and stay aggressive."
Unlike the past two years, when it wasn't unusual for the Spartans to get complete games from their top three pitchers, this season's staff relies more on depth and relievers. Only Perez ranks among the league's top 10 in innings, fourth with just more than 48.
The team has received significant contributions from middle relievers such as Tyler Bishop, Chris Whitney and Nick Peterson.
"Middle relief has become a big part of our game," Militelo said. "Guys like Bishop, who was basically on the JV team in the fall, have stepped up and thrown some quality innings in big games. If we can get the ball to our closer, Aaron Cook, in the late innings, we feel very confident we will come away with a win."
Cook, who transferred from Polk Community College, leads the SSC in saves with seven.
"We don't change a whole lot," Militelo said. "The idea is to find guys who fit roles and pitch to your strengths."
MEN'S BASKETBALL: Junior point guard Mark Borders was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-South District second team Monday. He set a school record for assists with 213 and was the first Spartan to surpass 200. He was fourth in the nation at 7.3 per game.
He finished in the top five in the SSC in assists, steals (2.4 per game), scoring (13.7) and assist to turnover ratio (2.11).
