The first Major League Baseball spring training game of the season features The University of Tampa Spartans versus the Philadelphia Phillies at Clearwater’s 11,000-seat Brighthouse Stadium on Sunday, March 1, at 1:10 p.m.
Specially discounted tickets are now available to the UT community for $8, $12 and $15 if you
purchase using the discount code ‘Spartans.’ When making seat selections, the Spartans will be in the first base dugout.
The University of Tampa will provide a free video broadcast of Sunday's game, which will be produced by UT through EZStream and Major League Baseball. Fans can access the game through
TampaSpartans.tv or
Phillies.com on the day of the game. The broadcasters will be Jack Eich and Scott Lynn, who bring a combined 50 years of broadcasting experience at the NCAA and professional sports level.
The game serves as an exhibition game for the Spartans, who are currently the No. 1 team in NCAA Division II. UT has an overall record of 11-1 this season.
UT baseball has won six national championships, taking the top prize in 1992, 1993, 1998, 2006, 2007 and 2013. A baseball powerhouse, the Spartans have produced 71 MLB Draft picks, 73 All-Americans, seven players who advanced to the MLB level and 29 NCAA tournament appearances.
Head coach Joe Urso, now in his 15th year at the helm, owns an all-time record of 632-181-1 as the fastest coach in NCAA history to 600 career wins. His .777 winning percentage is also among the best in all NCAA levels. The program has a total of 1,480 victories, and has produced notable alums including Tino Martinez, Sam Militello, Ozzie Timmons and Lou Piniella. San Francisco Giants general manager Brian Sabean was the third coach in program history as he led UT in 1982-1984. Sabean led Tampa to its first NCAA tournament appearance in 1984.
The UT baseball program is no stranger to big games, as it most recently traveled to Cuba in January 2014 to play some of the country’s top teams. The Spartans also defeated The Netherlands national team, 7-6, in a game prior to the 2006 World Baseball Classic at Jack Russell Stadium in Clearwater.
This marks the second game in program history against an MLB team, with the first coming in 2005 against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and played at Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.