FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Nova Southeastern baseball head coach Greg Brown has released the schedule for the upcoming 2012 season.

The Sharks, who return four former All-Sunshine State Conference players and bring in 19 new student-athletes, will have high expectations after reaching the NCAA South Regional tournament in 2011. However, the Sharks will start the season under the national radar as they were not ranked in the preseason poll after seven straight 30-win seasons.

The Sharks received eight votes in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper coach’s poll, with five other South Region schools (No. 1 West Florida, No. 6 Tampa, No. 10 Florida Southern, Barry and North Alabama) receiving more votes. The Sharks also received fewer votes than two teams that recently exited the South Region in No. 22 Southern Arkansas and Harding, who the Sharks knocked out of the postseason in 2011.

The Sharks will start the season in a weekend series against Albany State beginning Feb. 3. Last season, the Sharks faced Albany State in a series in which NSU outscored the Golden Rams, 29-8. On Feb. 7, the Sharks will play the first of two nonconference home games against Barry, with the second on Feb. 28. Last season, the Sharks went 3-4 on the season against Barry, with the fourth loss coming in NSU’s last game of the postseason.

After the first Barry game, the Sharks will make their farthest trip of the regular season when they take on Valdosta State in a weekend series in Valdosta, Ga. beginning Feb. 17. The Sharks will return home to face West Alabama in a four-game series from Feb. 24-26. Last year, the Sharks travelled to West Alabama and dropped three out of four contests.

The Sharks will play two northern teams at home to begin the month of March as they face St. Rose in a double header March 3 and Southern New Hampshire March 6. NSU played both teams at the NSU Baseball Complex last season and went 3-0. NSU will begin SSC play on the road against Florida Tech from March 9-10. Last season, the Sharks played at Florida Tech’s Andy Seminick-Les Hall Field twice and lost both games. This series will mark the first time the Sharks play under the lights at Andy Seminick-Les Hall Field.

The following week, the Sharks will face three out-of-region opponents in Philadelphia, St. Michael’s, and No. 13 Franklin Pierce from March 13-17. Franklin Pierce will be the first preseason top-25 team the Sharks face in 2012. After a March 21 showdown with Palm Beach Atlantic, NSU will host Eckerd in a weekend series from March 23-24. Last season, the Sharks were upset by the Tritons, 2-1, in a weekend series.

The Sharks will play their final out-of-region game against Ave Maria at home March 28. That game will be followed by a pivotal road series against Barry from March 30-31. The Sharks played at Feinbloom Field twice last season and won both games. From April 6-7, the Sharks will host Saint Leo. The Sharks have won three straight series against the Lions and are currently riding a seven-game winning streak against them.

On April 10, the Sharks will host the first of two nonconference games against Florida Tech. The Sharks will face the Panthers for the final time in the regular season at home on April 24. NSU’s final nonconference weekend series will come against Palm Beach Atlantic at home from April 13-14. The Sharks will then move on to a weekend series against No. 10 Florida Southern. In last season’s series, the unranked Sharks swept the No. 13 Mocs and averaged over 14 runs a game.

The Sharks will end April with a series against Lynn at home from April 27-28. Last season, the Sharks ended the regular season with a series loss at Lynn despite having an at-large bid to the postseason all but locked up. If the season goes the way NSU hopes it will, the conference championship could be decided from May 4-5 when the Sharks travel to Tampa, Fla. to face the No. 6 Spartans. Since joining the SSC in the fall of 2004, the Sharks have never won a conference series at the Tampa Baseball Field.

NSU’s final regular season series will be held from May 10-11 at home against Rollins. Last season, the Sharks swept the Tars for the second year in a row. The NCAA South Regional Tournament will be held from May 17-21. If the Sharks can win their first regional title, they’ll head to Cary, N.C. for the NCAA Division II World Series from May 26-31.

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