TAMPA, Fla. — The left field wall stands like a monument to greatness.
"They have embraced the culture of Tampa baseball," Had Coach Joe Urso told Tampa Bay sports anchor Kyle Burger.
WATCH: Tampa baseball enters NCAA Super Regional chasing history
The University of Tampa baseball team is the back-to-back Division-II national champions and they've won a record ten titles overall.
But this season’s journey looked different from the start. Tampa opened the year with 22 new players.
"That’s what I am most proud of — the leadership," Urso said. "To have only two returners, our catcher and our second baseman, Satin, a bullpen arm last year that became a starter. That was it. Everyone else did not contribute every day last year."
All season long, the Spartans’ pitching staff carried the load. Now, just in time for the playoffs, the bats are catching fire.
"We’ve had the pitching all year," pitcher Robert Satin said. "I think we have a sub-3 ERA as a team. The hitters, it’s been a struggle throughout the season, but in the playoffs everyone has been locked in. It’s been amazing to watch."
The Spartans have won enough national championships to have a ring for every finger. During this run of greatness, Tampa has won back-to-back titles three times. No team in Division-II baseball has completed the three-peat. That’s something the Spartans hope to conquer this season.
"Our first meeting in the fall, we sat down and they told us, 'We’re not shying away from anything. This is what we’re here to do,'" second baseman Brayden Woodburn said. "We have one goal in my mind and that’s to go for that three-peat.”
"This is why Coach Urso brought us here, to be the first, to make history, to get the three-peat," Satin added.
For the first time since 2021, Tampa heads into the NCAA Super Regional as road warriors when they face top-ranked West Florida.
"Going on the road this year is definitely going to be a little different," Woodburn said. "At the end of the day, our team motto has been 'being villains.' We’re going to embrace this role. We have been embracing it."
The Spartans aren’t just chasing another championship.
They’re chasing a place in history.
Tampa will play a best-of-three NCAA Super Regional at West Florida beginning on Thursday.
Share Your Story with Kyle Burger
For Tampa Bay 28 Sports Anchor Kyle Burger, pride in our local teams goes beyond college and the pros. Sports connect us as communities and families. You can connect with Kyle to share your passion for your local athletes below.
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