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By Mike Anderson, NKU Sports Information HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team embarks on its biggest non-conference road trip of the season this weekend as they face off against two-time defending national champion Tampa in a three-game set. The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday’s single game is also slated for a 1 p.m. start. Live stats, as well as audio play-by-play, will be available at www.nkunorse.com. The Norse (0-2) look to rebound after a disappointing opening weekend where they fell to region opponents Grand Valley State and Wayne State (Mich.). The road gets no easier, however, when making the trip to Tampa (10-2-1) for the third consecutive year. The Spartans will enter the weekend ranked No. 3 in the nation by Collegiate Baseball magazine after falling out of the nation’s top spot. NKU is winless over the last two seasons against Tampa, with the Spartans outscoring the Norse 26-9 combined. ALL-AMERICAN SHOWDOWN: The weekend will showcase three of Baseball America’s preseason All-Americans, as NKU’s Jake Shaffer takes sides against Tampa’s duo of honorees: Junior outfielder Junior Mejia and senior pitcher Kevin Ferguson. Shaffer has struggled in his first weekend, going 1-for-8 with a stolen base, while Tampa’s Mejia has amassed a .281 batting average, including a home run and six RBI. Ferguson is 2-1 on the season with a 3.24 earned run average, and has struck out 22 batters while walking just two. JASON’S HACKING AWAY: Newcomer Jason Cisper has pounced on his opportunity to prove himself early, going 3-for-4 in the season’s first two games, including the RBI that sent the Wayne State game into extra innings. His .750 batting average leads the Norse. BIG-TIME BULLPEN: The NKU bullpen, which was a point of concern for Norse fans in 2007, has excelled thus far in 2008. In 11 innings, NKU relievers have held down a 1.64 ERA, striking out seven opposing batters while holding them to a .162 batting average. THE BEST AROUND: Tampa has proven itself as one of the dominant teams in all of collegiate baseball. Dating back to March 13, 2006, the Spartans have spent just one week out of the nation’s top three spots in the weekly coaches poll. |
