TAMPA, Fla. – In his 24 seasons guiding the University of Tampa baseball program, Joe Urso has adeptly addressed the departure of several key players while maintaining a high level of success.
Urso was a little unsure about his Spartans heading into this season given the amount of required retooling. He noted the players who occupied the top four spots in the lineup, the top starting pitcher and closer were among many that departed.
“There were a lot of unknowns,” said the former UT standout, who is two shy of 1,000 career wins at his alma mater. “We thought we had a heck of a recruiting class and they quickly bought in to how we do things.”
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The result was a fourth straight Sunshine State Conference title and top seed in this week’s South Regional, which will have the Spartans (43-7) hosting No. 8 seed Savannah State on Thursday (1 p.m.). No. 4 Lee (Tenn.) University and No. 5 Auburn-Montgomery are also part of the regional bracket that will play at UT Baseball Stadium, where the Spartans are 23-2.
Urso cited senior outfielder E.J. Cumbo and junior pitcher Alex Canney as being instrumental in getting the many younger players acclimated to the UT way of doing things.
Cumbo, the two-time (2023, 2024) SSC player of the year, enters the tourney batting .390 and earlier this month set career mark for base hits by a Division-II player. Canney has been an anchor in the rotation and is 11-2 with a 2.60 ERA.
“They have done a great job of explaining the culture and what we do at UT,” said Urso. “Everything has been awesome. Everybody bought in and we have had great chemistry from day one.”
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Everybody had to buy in and the chemistry had to be outstanding in order for the Spartans to win 43 of 50 regular-season games while maintaining postseason goals that go beyond making the cut for what is now a 38th NCAA tourney appearance.
“We lost a lot of guys, so there was a lot of turn over,” said Cumbo. “When the new guys came here, I wanted to help bring them along and integrate them into the program. We have exceeded expectations from day one. Everybody has been clicking across the board.”
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While things have to be taken one step at a time, returning to Cary, N.C. for the Division-II College World Series is what it is all about. The Spartans have won eight titles, including five on Urso’s watch, though they did not make it to the CWS the past two years.
“Not making it to the World Series each of the last two years has really bothered some of the guys,” said Urso. “They have worked extra hard to do their best to get us back there.”
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