Tag: Baseball

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A new era of Nova Southeastern Baseball has begun, as Adrian Morales has been named the fifth NSU Baseball coach in program history. Morales succeeds Laz Gutierrez, who led the Sharks since the 2020 season.

“I am proud to announce Adrian Morales as the new Head Coach of the Sharks Baseball program. Amongst many other championship characteristics, Adrian possesses the passion, the winning pedigree, and the right skill set to lead our tradition rich program”, said Athletics Director and Associate Vice President for Advancement, Michael Mominey. “With Coach Morales as our leader, I am confident Sharks Baseball will continue to be recognized as a nationally preeminent program on and off the field.”
 
Morales comes to Nova Southeastern after four seasons as the Head Coach at Miami-Dade College, where he accumulated a record of 126-60-2 (67.78 winning percentage). During the 2023 season, Morales guided MDC to a 34-16-1 record, winning the South Regional Championship and finished third in the FCSAA Tournament. Morales led Miami-Dade to three consecutive FCSAA Regional Southern Conference Championships from 2021-2023. Additionally, Morales also earned was named the Southern Conference Coach of the Year in three straight seasons from 2021 to 2023 and was recognized as the 2021 FCSAA and Diamond Club Coach of the Year.

“Being named the Head Coach of the Nova Southeastern Baseball program is such an honor to me and my family,” stated Morales. “I take tremendous pride in leading a program and being added to the list of great head coaches to lead the Sharks throughout its history, including our Athletic Director, Michael Mominey, Greg Brown, Laz Gutierrez, and Coach Sonny Hansley.”

Morales continued, “my vision for the Sharks Baseball program is to change the lives of our student-athletes through the opportunity that higher education creates. We will be a beacon in the community and create champions on, but most importantly, off the field.”

Prior to being named the Head Coach at Miami-Dade, Morales served for three seasons as an assistant coach, focusing on infield instruction, batting and was the lead recruiter. During those three years, 40 Miami-Dade student-athletes earned scholarships to other institutions, furthering their collegiate baseball careers.
Morales has been a staple in South Florida Baseball throughout his coaching career, having worked with Coral Gables Senior High School, Miami Springs Senior High School, and as an ELITE Squad Summer League Head Coach.

Morales began his collegiate playing career at Miami-Dade College, where he played under Steve Hertz. During his time as a player, Morales led the Sharks in home runs (7) and RBIs (45), as a freshman and was named a First-Team All-State member in 2008. After two seasons at MDC, Morales continued his playing career at the University of South Carolina, where he was major part of two NCAA Division I National Championship teams (2010-11). Morales was named the 2010 Regional Most Valuable Player as well as being named to the All-Tournament team in both 2010 and 2011. Following his career at South Carolina, Morales played for three seasons in the Kansas City Royals organization before beginning his coaching career.

Morales then returned to USC as a student-assistant coach and earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from South Carolina in 2014.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT ADRIAN MORALES
Ray Tanner, University of South Carolina Athletics Director, and Former two-time National Champion Baseball Coach
Congratulations to Athletics Director Mike Mominey and Nova Southeastern University on the hiring of Adrian Morales as the head baseball coach for the Sharks. Coach Morales is truly one of the bright young minds in all of college baseball.  He will build upon the success that Nova Southeastern has enjoyed for many years.  He will develop players and instill competitiveness at the highest level while emphasizing academic success in his student-athletes.  As a former player at South Carolina, Adrian was a talented, impactful teammate and leader that led our team to back-to-back national championships. Coach Morales is a great hire, and the future is bright and exciting for Nova Southeastern Baseball.
 
Greg Brown, Special Assistant to the President & General Manager, Hitting Chicago Cubs & Former Head Baseball Coach Nova Southeastern University
The hiring of Adrian Morales to lead our proud baseball program reaffirms NSU’s commitment to winning as he is a winner in every sense of the word. Adrian won back-to-back national championships as a player and has continued to win as a coach at the University of South Carolina and at Miami-Dade College. He makes everyone around him better and sets a high standard for others to follow. I cannot wait to see all the great accomplishments on and off the field that will take place as he takes our baseball program to new heights.
 
Mark Calvi, Head Baseball Coach, University of South Alabama, Nova Southeastern Alumnus, Class of 1991
 
Adrian is one of the bright young rising stars in the college coaching industry. I recruited Adrian to the University of South Carolina not only because of the player he was, but also the person. He has incredible fire, toughness and off the chart leadership qualities. His presence was a driving factor in winning back-to-back national championships at South Carolina. Flat out, Adrian is a winner. He’s brought the characteristics that made him such a great player to the coaching profession. His players at Miami Dade would run through a wall for him. His new players at Nova Southeastern will do the same. I’m so excited that my alma Mater hired Adrian to be its next head baseball coach. He will do great things in the community and on the field. The sky is the limit for coach Morales and the Sharks!

Yasmani Grandal, Catcher, Chicago White Sox
Adrian is a true born leader. He will challenge you to be the best player you could be on a daily basis and his players love him for it. I am excited to see him take Nova Southeastern baseball to the highest level of competition. Congratulations, Adrian!
 

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Danny Vazquez, a former Nova Southeastern Sharks Baseball pitcher, has signed a professional contract with the West Virginia Black Bears of the MLB Draft League.  

During his lone season as a Shark in 2023, Vazquez appeared in 14 games, throwing 29.1 innings, while striking out 29 and posted a 4.91 earned run average. In Vazquez’s best outing of his NSU career, the right-hander tossed four innings, striking out five and allowing no runs in four innings of work against Lane on February 3rd.  

Prior to Nova Southeastern, Vazquez pitched for two seasons at Barry, where he accumulated 25.1 innings, 25 strikeouts and held a 4.62 ERA.  

Vazquez has appeared in three games for the Black Bears and earned his first career professional victory in his debut against the Trenton Thunder on August 11th. Vazquez tossed one inning allowing two unearned runs.  

For more information on the West Virgina Black Bears, visit here.  

To stay up-to-date on Sharks Baseball, be sure to follow on Instagram & Twitter at NSU_Baseball.  

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The 2023 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. II All-Region Teams and Regional Players of the Year have been announced in all eight regions. The teams are voted on by members of the American Baseball Coaches Association and the process is led by the ABCA NCAA Div. II All-America Committee. Full release here. 

Carlos Rey, the front-man in the Sharks pitching rotation, earned ABCA/Rawlings All-South Region honors following a season in which the junior became the eighth NSU Baseball player to strike out 100 batters. On the 2023 campaign, the southpaw led the Sharks with 82.1 innings pitched, a 2.73 ERA, 102 strikeouts and a 6-4 record. Rey held opponents to a 0.187 batting average against. The left-hander accumulated seven quality starts, including a complete game against Barry, where he struck out eight. Additionally, Rey was named to the All-Sunshine State Conference First-Team. 
 

Founded in 1945, the American Baseball Coaches Association is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 15,000 members represent all 50 states and 40 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association membership has broadened to include nine divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, High School, Youth and Travel.

 

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MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Sunshine State Conference presents its 2023 baseball postseason awards. Nova Southeastern had four student-athletes earn postseason honors.

Thirty-nine student-athletes are recognized on the league’s all-conference baseball teams. Voting for the All-SSC baseball awards is conducted among the league’s head baseball coaches.

Carlos Rey, the front-man in the Sharks pitching rotation, earned first-team honors following a season in which the junior became the eighth NSU Baseball player to strike out 100 batters. On the 2023 campaign, the southpaw led the Sharks with 82.1 innings pitched, a 2.73 ERA, 102 strikeouts and a 6-4 record. Rey held opponents to a 0.187 batting average against. The left-hander accumulated seven quality starts, including a complete game against Barry, where he struck out eight.

Duncan Pastore, Daniel Irisarri, and Cooper Omans all earned Second-Team All-Sunshine State Conference honors. Pastore and Irisarri anchored the Nova Southeastern lineup during the 2023 campaign. Pastore led the club with a 0.346 batting average, while totaling 66 hits, 11 doubles and 28 runs batted in. Irisarri hit 0.316, accumulating 56 hits, 10 doubles, a pair of home runs and stole 21 bases. Omans tossed 78.1 innings for NSU, finishing with a 6-5 record, while finishing second on the team in strikeouts (71) and ERA (3.33).

Nova Southeastern finished the season at 26-23. To stay up-to-date on Sharks Baseball throughout the 2023 off-season, be sure to follow on Instagram and Twitter at NSU_Baseball.
 

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern Sharks Baseball team ended their 2023 season with a Sunshine State Conference series victory over the Florida Tech Panthers on Saturday afternoon from the NSU Baseball Complex. NSU began the doubleheader with a 5-0 shutout victory, before dropping the season finale 6-5.  

Records – Nova Southeastern 26-23, 15-15 SSC | Florida Tech 23-26, 12-18 SSC 

Location – NSU Baseball Complex | Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 

Get Social – Instagram & Twitter – NSU_Baseball 

Game One 

Bottom of the Third – NSU got onto the scoreboard first, as Michael Uz singled through the right side and drove in Gregory Delgado, giving the Sharks a 1-0 lead.  

Bottom of the Fourth – Nova Southeastern tacked on another run with a sacrifice fly from Stephen Schissler, bringing in Daniel Irisarri.  

Top of the Seventh – Cooper Omans tossed his third quality start in his last four outings, his seventh of the season, and worked out of four jams, while striking out five. Danny Vazquez relieved Omans, striking out the side in the inning. 

Bottom of the Seventh – NSU broke the game open in the frame, as Derek Bermudez, Uz and Adam Frank recorded three consecutive RBI hits, putting the score at 5-0.  

Michael Uz – 2-4, two RBI 

Cooper Omans – Winning Pitcher, (6-5), 6 IP, 0 ER, 5 K 

Game Two 

Top of the First – The Panthers scored the first run of the contest, taking a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly.  

Top of the Third – Florida Tech added a pair of runs in the inning, extending their lead to 3-0.  

Top of the Fifth – FIT made the score 4-0 with an RBI single. 

Bottom of the Sixth – Nova Southeastern cut into the Panthers lead with a sacrifice fly by Duncan Pastore and added a second run on an RBI single by Daniel Irisarri.  

Bottom of the Seventh – The Sharks battled back and tied the game in the late innings, as Ihosvany Castaneda drove in Justin Wachs on an RBI single, putting the score at 4-3. Later in the inning, Adam Frank drove in Castaneda to tie the game at 4-4.  

Top of the Eighth – With two outs in the inning, the Panthers scored two runs on a single, reclaiming the lead at 6-4.  

Bottom of the Ninth – Castaneda led off the frame with a solo home run, but the Sharks rally ended there, as NSU dropped the season finale 6-5.  

Nova Southeastern Baseball’s 2023 season has come to an end. Thank you for supporting the Sharks and to follow along in the off-season, be sure to follow on Instagram and Twitter at NSU_Baseball.  

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Nova Southeastern Sharks Baseball opened up their Sunshine State Conference series with a 7-2 victory over Florida Tech on Friday evening from the NSU Baseball Complex. In the victory, Carlos Rey became the eighth Shark in program history to strike out 100 batters in a single season.  

Records – Nova Southeastern 25-22, 14-14 SSC | Florida Tech 22-25, 11-17 SSC 

Score – Nova Southeastern 7 | Florida Tech 2 

Location – NSU Baseball Complex | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.  

Get Social – Instagram & Twitter – NSU_Baseball | Facebook – Nova Southeastern University Baseball 

Bottom of the Second – Stephen Schissler got the scoring started with a two-out solo home run, giving Nova Southeastern an early 1-0 advantage.  

Bottom of the Third – Michael Uz led a string of three consecutive Sharks to record a hit and came into score on an RBI single from Duncan Pastore. After Daniel Irisarri worked a walk, Kristian Noriega drove in Adam Frank with a sacrifice fly, pushing the NSU lead to 3-0.  

Bottom of the Fourth – Schissler led off the inning with a double to right-center and Jarrett Hall followed with a two-run home run, extending the Sharks advantage to 5-0.  

Top of the Sixth – Rey twirled an absolute gem on the mound, tossing six shutout innings, scattering five hits and striking out six.  

Bottom of the Seventh – Noriega’s second sacrifice fly of the game put NSU in front 6-0.  

Top of the Eighth – Florida Tech got on the scoreboard with a two-run home run.  

Bottom of the Eighth – Hall’s second home run of the game put the Sharks ahead 7-2, sealing the Sharks series opening win.  

Nova Southeastern concludes its 2023 regular season with a Sunshine State Conference doubleheader on Saturday, May 13.  

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern Sharks Baseball team finished off a three-game series sweep against the Eckerd Tritons in Sunshine State Conference play. NSU earned the series win following a 9-3 victory in the second game of the series and earned the sweep by defeating the Tritons 5-4 in extra innings in the finale.

Records – Nova Southeastern 24-22, 13-14 SSC | Eckerd 20-26, 8-19 SSC
Scores – (Game Two) Nova Southeastern 9, Eckerd 3 | (Game Three) Nova Southeastern 5, Eckerd 4
Location – Turley Athletic Center | St. Petersburg, Fla.
Get Social – Instagram & Twitter – NSU_Baseball | Facebook – Nova Southeastern University Baseball

Game Two
Top of the Second – The Sharks opened the frame with back-to-back walks and Michael Uz came through with a two-out double, giving NSU an early 2-0 lead.

Top of the Third – Kristian Noriega recorded an RBI single and pushed the Sharks lead to 3-0 over Eckerd. Following the RBI single, Gregory Delgado hit a three-run home run and extended NSU’s lead to 6-0.

Top of the Fifth – Noriega hit a solo home run, pushing Nova Southeastern’s lead to 7-0.

Bottom of the Fifth – Cooper Omans, the Sharks starting pitcher, set down the first 13 hitters he faced in the game, but the Tritons broke through with a two-run home run and put the score at 7-2.

Top of the Eighth – Adam Frank drove in Jarrett Hall with an RBI single, as the Sharks led 8-2.

Bottom of the Eighth – Eckerd added a third run on a solo home run.

Top of the Ninth – Schissler plated Delgado on an RBI single, as the Sharks took the series with a 9-3 victory in the second game.
 

Game Three
Top of the Second – NSU got on the board with an RBI groundout from Derek Bermudez and added a second run as Schissler scored on a wild pitch.

Bottom of the Third – Eckerd responded with three runs, taking a 3-2 lead over the Sharks in the early innings.

Top of the Fifth – Nova Southeastern scored a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning, taking advantage of a Tritons error and a sacrifice fly, reclaiming the lead at 4-3.

Bottom of the Eighth – The Sharks remained in the lead until the late innings, but Eckerd tied the game after an NSU throwing error.

Top of the Eleventh – After two full extra innings, Schissler gave the Sharks the lead and hit a game-winning solo home run, giving Nova Southeastern a 5-4 victory.

Nova Southeastern concludes its 2023 season with a three-game series beginning on Friday, May 12, from the NSU Baseball Complex against Florida Tech.
 

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Adam Frank recorded two hits, including a two-run home run, and drove in four runs to lead the Nova Southeastern Sharks to a 7-4 series opening win against the Eckerd Tritons on Friday evening from the Turley Athletic Complex.

Records – Nova Southeastern 22-22, 11-14 SSC | Eckerd 20-24, 8-17 SSC
Score – Nova Southeastern 7 | Eckerd 4
Location – Turley Athletic Complex | St. Petersburg, Fla.
Get Social – Instagram & Twitter – NSU_Baseball

Top of the Third – NSU got on the board first, as Frank drove in Michael Uz with an RBI single.

Top of the Fifth – Frank added two more RBIs to his ledger, coming through with a two-out, two-run home run, extending Nova Southeastern’s lead to 3-0 over Eckerd.              

Bottom of the Fifth – Eckerd plated a pair of runs in the inning, cutting the Sharks lead to 3–2.

Top of the Eighth – Adam Smith gave the Sharks an insurance run, as Duncan Pastore came into score, giving NSU a 4-2 advantage in the late innings.
Bottom of the Eighth – The Tritons battled back with two runs in the eighth inning, tying the game at 4-4.

Top of the Ninth – The Sharks were able to load the bases with no outs in the inning and the top of the lineup coming to the plate. Frank worked a one-out walk, bringing in the game-winning run, before Pastore added a sacrifice fly and Daniel Irisarri capped off the frame with an RBI single.

Bottom of the Ninth – Michael Dillon earned his fourth save of the season, clinching the win for NSU in the series opener.

Head Coach Laz Gutierrez – “The boys played a complete game; pitched and defended well, and we found different ways to score.”

The Sharks will conclude their three-game series against the Tritons with a doubleheader on Saturday, May 6. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
 

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern Sharks Baseball team (21-22, 10-14 SSC) is set to take on the Eckerd Tritons (20-23, 8-16 SSC) in a three-game Sunshine State Conference series beginning on Friday evening from the Turley Athletic Complex.  

NSU is 26-11 all-time versus the Tritons, taking the series victory during the 2022 season.  

Nova Southeastern owns the longest winning streak of the head-to-head series against Eckerd, winning 11 consecutive games from 2015 to 2018. 

Carlos Rey will take the mound in game one of the series for the Sharks. The southpaw holds a 5-4 record, with a team best 2.90 ERA and has struck out 89 batters in 71.1 innings. Last season, Rey tossed four innings of shutout baseball, while striking out five, to earn his third win of the year against Eckerd.  

Duncan Pastore needs one hit during the season to reach 200 for his Sharks career. Pastore has 56 hits on the campaign, in 43 games, and holds a 0.352/0.453/0.446 slash line.  

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Stats 

To stay up-to-date on Sharks Baseball, be sure to follow on Instagram and Twitter at NSU_Baseball.  

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern Baseball team lost a pair of games on Saturday afternoon, falling to Barry 4-3 in game one and 6-2 in game two. The Sharks were led by a dominant outing from Matt Kavanaugh, who pitched 6.1 no-hit innings in game two of the Sunshine State Conference matchup.

Prior to today’s double-header, NSU athletics honored 20 seniors, Duncan Pastore, Ricky Shimko, Stephen Schissler, Michael Uz, Jason Acker, Danny Vazquez, Jarrett Bond, Bryce Hazzard, Jarret Krzyzanowski, Ihosvany Castañeda, Adam Frank, Matt Kavanaugh, Liam Loging, Daniel Irisarri, Michael Dillon, Jarrett Hall, Tyler Epstein, Cooper Omans, Gregory Delgado and Eduardo Mestre.

(Game One)
Score: Nova Southeastern 3 | Barry 4
Records: Nova Southeastern 21-21 | Barry 28-17
Location: NSU Baseball Complex | Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Get Social: Instagram & Twitter – NSU_Baseball | Facebook – Nova Southeastern University Baseball

Top of the Second – The Buccaneers opened the scoring with an RBI-double to center field.

Bottom of the Second – Adam Smith led off the inning with a base hit and was advanced to third after a double from Kristian Noriega. A sacrifice fly from Stephen Schissler scored Smith, tying the game 1-1. The Sharks took a 2-1 lead after a base-hit from Gregory Delgado drove in Noriega.

Top of the Third – Barry regained its lead, earning a 3-2 advantage after a pair of hits.

Top of the Sixth – An RBI-groundout extended the Buccaneers’ lead to 4-2.

Bottom of the Eighth – With one out in the inning, Duncan Pastore doubled down the right field line. Daniel Irisarri also reached base after being hit by pitch, and both runners were advanced after a wild pitch. The Sharks added another run, lowering its deficit to 4-3 after a sacrifice fly from Smith scored Pastore.

Bottom of the Ninth – The Sharks were unable to pick up any runs in the final frame, and fell 4-3 to the Buccaneers in game one of the double-header.

(Game Two)
Score: Nova Southeastern 2 | Barry 6
Records: Records: Nova Southeastern 21-22 | Barry 29-17

Top of the First – Barry jumped out to a 1-0 lead after a solo home-run to right field.

Bottom of the First – The Sharks loaded the bases with one out, with Michael Uz (1B), Duncan Pastore (1B) and Daniel Irisarri (BB) all reaching safely. Adam Smith put the Sharks on top 2-1 after driving in Uz and Pastore while reaching on a fielder’s choice.

Top of the Third – A pair of homeruns helped the Buccaneers regain a 6-2 lead after a five-run outburst in the third.

Pitcher Matt Kavanaugh took the mound with two outs in top of the third in relief of Frank Ellisalt after a tough outing. After entering the game, Kavanaugh dominated the Buccaneers, throwing 6.1 no-hit innings with five strikeouts.

Bottom of the Ninth – The Sharks failed to get any runs on the board, falling 6-2 in the second leg of the double-header.

The Sharks will return to the field on Friday, May 5 for a road matchup with Eckerd in St. Petersburg, Fla. First-pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.

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