Florida Tech Heads Into Conference Play Against Defending Champ Tampa This Weekend

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Entering the series on a five-game winning streak, Florida Tech looks to keep the good times rolling this weekend when it opens Sunshine State Conference play with a three game slate against defending league champion Tampa at Nancy Bottge Field.

The two sides will open with a single game at 2 p.m. ET on Friday before finishing up with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.

The Panthers recently completed an extremely successful week, sweeping a twin bill with Spring Hill before going a perfect 3-0 at the Palm Beach Atlantic hosted Sailfish Showdown in West Palm Beach, Florida.

FIT’s Rachel Pence had a fabulous week inside the circle, culminating with her second SSC Pitcher of the Week award of the year. The junior went 4-0 on the week, allowing three earned runs while registering a 27-to-5 strikeout to walk ratio.

Hailey Leonard had an outstanding week at the plate, tallying a .462 batting average with five runs scored and three RBIs. The Parkland, Florida native also impressed in the field, posting 36 putouts and five assists with a perfect fielding percentage.

The Spartans will be ending a long hiatus when they face the Panthers, having not played since competing in the Eckerd Spring Invitational at the beginning of the month. UT is 3-2 on the season, alternating wins and losses in its first five contests.

Alyssa Bache has gotten the start in three of the Spartans’ games, earning a 1-2 record with a 3.78 ERA and an 8-to-9 strikeout to walk ratio.

Sahrina Cortes leads the way for UT at the plate. In her four games played, the shortstop has tallied a .556 batting average with five runs scored. Bache is the team’s leading RBI getter with six.

Links to live video, audio and stats for all three of this weekend’s games will be available at FloridaTechSports.com.

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