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UTampa baseball aims for historic 10th Division II national championship

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Published  May 30, 2025 7:41pm EDT
NCAA Sports
FOX 13 News
UT Spartans looking for new bling

UT Spartans looking for new bling

The University of Tampa Spartans are on the verge of history as they try to secure ten national championships. FOX 13's Mark Skol Jr. reports.

The Brief

    • UTampa is set to play in the Division II College Baseball Championship series.
    • The Spartans are hoping to win their 10th national championship.
    • UTampa is tied with Southern Florida for the most Division II titles of all-time.

TAMPA, Fla. - The UTampa baseball team is off to another Division II College Baseball Championship Series. 

"Another week of baseball is coming, and we just have to keep rolling," Spartans head coach Joe Urso said.

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What they're saying:

It's been quite the stretch. They made their way out of the loser's bracket in the regionals and then swept West Florida in the super regionals.

"The starting pitchers have been great," Urso said. "The bullpen has been great. Defense amazing. Timely two out hits, so everything is clicking. We just need to stay right where we are at, stay focused. Not make the moment too big. It is something we talk about all year, so hopefully they can stay even keel and get us some more W's."

The Spartans plan on attacking the week in Cary, North Carolina, the only way they know how.

READ: UTampa Spartans outfielder races to the top of the school's record books

"The key is to focus on one pitch at a time," Tampa senior infielder Nico Saladino said. "Pitching and defense is always the key but if we focus on one pitch at a time, I think that's the real key there."

That one-play-at-a-time mindset has proved to work for the UTampa baseball program for a long time. Other teams are taking notice. 

"No matter what, we always have a target on our back and that's just the way we like it," Tampa junior infielder Brayden Woodburn said. 

Big picture view:

Tampa likes being the self-proclaimed villains of college baseball. It's one of the many reasons why the Spartans have a bullseye on their backs. However, this time around, they are very close to doing something that has never been accomplished before at the Division II baseball level.

MORE: USF softball stars hope to create own legacies separate from their all-star dads

"Just even thinking about it is giving me goosebumps right now," Woodburn said.

Goosebumps don't even begin to describe how head coach Joe Urso feels. 

"This team is going to work hard every pitch, and hopefully we can bring back that 10th one, because it would be the most special of my career," Urso said.

With a 10th national title, UTampa would be all alone on the mountain top for the most championships in Division II baseball history. 

Urso has always worn his most recent national championship ring to practice, games, anywhere and everywhere. It's to remind him that he wants more bling.

READ: USF softball stars hope to create own legacies separate from their all-star dads

"One of my goals I set for myself at Tampa is to be one of the all-time best for championships," Urso said. "Ten would bring that home, and it would be special."

Dig deeper:

Right now, the Spartans and Florida Southern are knotted up with nine national titles a piece. UTampa is just a few wins away from knocking the Moccasins off their pedestal. It's something that Urso has thought about since 2015. 

"When we got that sixth one, you start realizing, man, we can pass Southern one day," Urso said. "And here we are with a chance to do it. Real proud of what we have accomplished so far."

The accomplishments are no surprise, given the historic tradition of the program that has been upheld for decades. 

"We are all buying into the family aspect and everything we are a part of," Woodburn said. "We really rely on our coaches and everything that they do."

Even with 19 new players on the roster, the results have not changed. The veterans on the team would love to taste victory on the biggest stage. 

MORE: Largo High School sprinter Laiana McClinton makes history at 4A state track meet

"It was a feeling unlike any other," Woodburn said. "You can't really replace it with anything else. To get to experience it with all of these new guys that we have because we lost a lot of guys last year is really special."

If they take care of business again, title No. 10 will be coming home to Tampa.

"The boys played amazing all regional, all superregional, hopefully we can stay hot for another week and a half," Urso said.

What's next:

The Spartans open up as the top seed and will face Felician. First pitch is on Saturday at 6 p.m.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13 Sports' Mark Skol Jr. 

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