The University of Tampa softball team will open its 2010 season in the annual Eckerd College Tournament, Clearwater, Fla., on Feb. 19. Tampa will open the tournament against Flagler College at 3 p.m. The Spartans will then take on the host school, Eckerd College.
Saturday and Sunday also feature double headers for UT. Tampa will open Saturday’s play with an afternoon game against Drury University followed by a 4 p.m. game against the Florida Tech Panthers.
In the final day of the tournament Tampa will take on West Florida at 11:30 a.m. before closing out the tournament against the No. 6 Valdosta State Blazers at 2 p.m.
The Spartans are a relatively young team this season with eight underclassmen and only four seniors. Tampa is coming off a 27-14 (14-8 SSC) season in which they made an appearance in the NCAA tournament.
Tampa will then travel to Clermont, Fla. For a six-game weekend set before hosting Palm Beach Atlantic on March 6.
Head Coach Leslie Kanter returns for her 16th season as the Spartans softball coach. She has compiled a 353-321 record while at UT. Under the helm of Kanter the softball team has made five NCAA appearances.
The 2010 Sunshine State Conference preseason poll lists Nova Southeastern as the favorite, followed by Florida Southern, with the Spartans coming in ranked third. UT is followed by Rollins College and Barry University to round out the top five.