Tars Prep for Buccaneers in South Super Regional

Barry University (35-17) and Rollins College (37-17) will match up for the 2023 NCAA South Super Regional this weekend, with the winner of the best-of-three series advancing to the Division II National Championship in Cary, North Carolina.

The two teams compete in the Sunshine State Conference, and played a three-game series earlier this season on March 24 and 25. It was a thrilling series that saw the Tars win on walkoff hits in both the first (5-3) and second (5-4) game of the series before blowing out the Buccaneers in game three (12-4). Rollins has won four straight against the Bucs dating back to last year, and six of the last seven.

Barry was awarded the #6 seed in the South Regional, sending them to Pensacola last weekend. They triumphed from an unenviable position, putting together three blowout wins over #15 Montevallo (10-3), and two against the host #7 West Florida Argonauts (6-1 and 11-6).

Meanwhile, Rollins was sent to Tampa as the #4 seed in the region. They opened with an offensive explosion against the Valdosta State Blazers, winning 18-7. The next day they matched up with #3 Tampa, and were victorious, 8-7. Tampa got their revenge on Saturday with a 5-2 win over Rollins, leading to a winner take all matchup on Sunday. In an absolute thriller, Rollins came out on top with a 7-6 win.

The upcoming super regional will open Friday, May 26 at 5:00 PM from Alfond Stadium in Winter Park. Game two will be played on Saturday, May 27 at 2:00 PM, followed by a third game on Saturday (if needed) that will begin 45 minutes after the conclusion of game two.

Barry has won eight in a row, and are 13-9 on the road. Rollins counters with a 23-5 mark in games played at Alfond Stadium.

Offensive Breakdown

Rollins	Stat	Barry
.311 (600-1928)	Average	.320 (579-1809)
417	Runs	405
116	Doubles	111
14	Triples	12
72	Home Runs	55
231	Walks	243
384	Strikeouts	303
64	Stolen Bases	132

 
The two teams match up pretty evenly, with a slight power advantage going to the Tars, while Barry was more adept at getting on base, and stealing them.

Rollins has a solid lineup 1-9, with seven consistent starters hitting .300 or better. Joey Rubin has been a fantastic leadoff hitter this year, reaching base at a .419 clip while scoring 63 runs. Adams Torres is second on the team with a .360 average. Jeslyn Whitehead bats third, and leads the team in batting average (.378) and hits (90). Ryan Coleman led the SSC in extra-base hits, posting 31 on the year. Cameron Meehan has been on fire the past two weeks, including seven runs and seven RBI in the Tampa regional last week. Freshman Mason Wilson has been the six-hole hitter as of late, and has a .575 slugging percentage in 40 at bats. Third baseman Jimmy Thies has reached base at a .397 clip, thanks to being plunked a team-high 20 times. Parker Smith has had a titanic season from the eight-hole, smashing 21 home runs so far, the second most in a season in team history. Catcher Spencer Sarringar rounds out the lineup, with an impressive .337/.468/.519 slash line.

Braden Forchic has been Barry's top player at the plate, slashing .362/.444/.674 with ten doubles, two triples, and ten home runs. Kevin Noriega has scored 39 times and driven in 46 on the year. Joe Stella is second on the team with 64 hits, but leas the Bucs with 51 RBI. Evan Wickeri, Brandon Sanchez, and Jake Ogden are all starters hitting over .300 on the year. Barry led the SSC in stolen bases by a wide margin, led by Wickeri's 29 and Christian Maceda's 26.

Pitching Breakdown

Rollins	Stat	Barry
478.1	Innings	455.2
5.00	ERA	5.12
1.50	WHIP	1.53
338	Strikeouts	410
225	Walks	200
.270	Average Against	.275
298-266	Runs-Earned Runs	298-259

 
Again, the two teams share similar stats for the season on the mound. The biggest advantage comes in the strikeout category, where Barry dominates 410-338.

Barry runs a three-man rotation, highlighted by senior Mike Reagan who had the game of his life at West Florida, throwing a nine-inning complete game four-hitter with 15 strikeouts. When he faced the Tars back in March, he gave up three earned over six innings with six strikeouts and three walks. Frank Gonzalez would be the likely game two starter. In 61 innings, Gonzalez has a 4.28 ERA, a 1.39 WHIP, and 46 strikeouts. His start versus Rollins resulted in 5.2 innings, eight hits, four runs, two walks and three strikeouts. Angel Cespedes rounds out the trio with a 7-3 record, a 5.22 ERA, and a 1.64 WHIP. He is second on the team with 65 strikeouts in 58.2 innings. He did not face Rollins in the previous series. Federico Zapata led the team with 25 relief appearances with 33 strikeouts in 53.1 innings.

Rollins will counter with the one-two punch of Edward Berry and Nick Berger. Berry was named 1^st team All-SSC at the end of the regular season, and currently holds a 5-3 record across 16 starts. In 74 innings, he has struck out 66 batters and walked 25. He has limited opposing hitters to a .233 average on the season. Against the Bucs on March 24, he lasted 5.1 innings with four strikeouts and three runs allowed. Nick Berger began his year with eight straight appearances allowing one or fewer earned runs. His season stats include a team-best 3.39 ERA, a 4-4 record, and 48 strikeouts in 82.1 innings pitched. He tossed a quality start versus the Buccaneers on March 25, throwing six innings while scattering seven hits, allowing one run, and striking out four. Tate Stone-Frisina has been a horse out of the bullpen, making 23 appearances with a 6-1 record and six saves. In  54.2 innings, he punched out 44 hitters and walked 20. In his matchup against Barry, he was tremendous, throwing 3.2 scoreless innings with three hits allowed and two strikeouts. Southpaw Ryan Murphy has become the key piece out of the Tars 'pen in the last few weeks. His season numbers are impressive with a 1.00 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, a 3-0 record, and 17 strikeouts in 18 innings. Opposing hitters are only managing a .136 batting average against.