Meet the 2017 Tampa Baseball Team 7-time national champions enter season as nation's No. 2 ranked team

Garrett Back

Freshman infielder from Tampa Catholic who will add depth in his first collegiate season.

Cheyne Bickel

Transfer from Ole Miss and Palm Beach State College who will contend for a spot in the starting rotation and be a major contributor for Spartans.

Drew Burkhart

Freshman outfielder from Steinbrenner High School who will continue to develop; coaches expect bright future for first-year player with good size who can play several positions.

Christian Calleja

Palm Beach State College transfer who looks to be part of the starting rotation. Was all-conference and JUCO all-star at PBSC and expects to bring same success to Spartans.

Garrett Cave

Long reliever who dominated the Cape Cod League over the summer. Recently ranked by Baseball America at No. 56 among MLB College Draft prospects. May also see time as a starter.

Adrian Chacon

Started at first base for Tampa in 2016 after transferring from North Carolina. Hit .301 and posted .419 on-base percentage and looks to be major contributor as a senior.

Vin Cosenzo

Senior who can DH or play outfield/first base. Slugged 10 home runs and hit .420 in 2016 and looks to be team's DH as a senior.

Kyle Cotilletta

Left-handed hitting outfielder who will continue to get opportunities due to his strengths as a base-runner and defensive outfielder.

Connor Crile

Transfer from College of Central Florida is an athletic, strong outfielder who will contend for a spot in the lineup.

Nick DeTringo

Transfer from St. Petersburg College is a local reserve infielder who attended Tampa Prep. Will add depth as a sophomore as he continues his development.

Andrew DiLacqua

Junior has attended State College of Florida and Chipola College. Is an outfielder/DH and middle of lineup type bat. Has hit over .300 in both collegiate seasons.

Chris Gaffney

Senior catcher who is coming off an excellent 2016 season where he played in 46 games, hitting .368 with 4 home runs and 25 RBI.

David LeBron

Starting pitcher who will make a case for number-one spot. Junior spent two years at the College of Central Florida, tallying 168 strikeouts in 157.2 innings.

Danny Lee

Expects to be key part of lineup and start in rightfield as a senior. Was first-team all-SSC and all-region while hitting .383 in 2016.

Jordan Leasure

Talented freshman pitcher who expects bright future as a Spartan. Was first-team all-Tampa Bay as a senior at Riverview High School.

Jack Loefflad

Sophomore who adds catching depth after playing in four games as a true freshman in 2016.

Cody Martin

Hard-throwing, steady reliever who has ability to be go-to arm out of bullpen. Went 2-0 with a pair of saves in 15 outings as a junior.

Chris McCormick

Looks to contribute after injury-laden junior season. Was 3-1 for the Spartans in 2016 and hopes to regain dominance he exhibited in two seasons at Pasco-Hernando College.

Darren Miller

Florida State transfer is a versatile player who can play infield and outfield. Played in 31 games for the Seminoles as a sophomore and 56 as a freshman.

Mark Moclair

Hard-throwing pitcher looking to build off freshman season where he contributed. Pitched in 11 games, registering 24 strikeouts in 18 innings of work in rookie season.

Ricky Negron

Power-hitting infielder who may also see time as DH. After spending two years at Auburn, hit .289 with three home runs for Tampa in 2016.

Nick Nolan

Big, strong right-handed reliever who pitched in 13 games as a junior and finished with a win and a save. Will have opportunity to be a power arm out of bullpen.

J.D. Osborne

Third baseman and catcher was all-conference and all-region in first season at UT. Hit .363 with 13 home runs and 59 RBI as a junior and expects monster senior season.

Kasey Radke

Crafty left-handed situational pitcher who can contribute as starter or reliever. Junior has come through UT system, pitching in eight games throughout Spartan career.

Laz Rivera

Second baseman enjoyed stellar 2016 as first-team all-SSC and all-region, while also being an All-American. Hit .427 in 50 games with six home runs and 47 RBI. Could be one of nation's top hitters. Prior to coming to UT, attended Chipola College as a sophomore and Miami (Fla.) as a freshman.

Richie Rivera

Will start in center field as a junior transfer from State College of Florida. Is quick, and brings more power than protypical centerfielder. Hit .326 with nine home runs and 22 stolen bases as sophomore at State College of Florida.

Kevin Santa

Dynamic shortstop who had 2016 season cut short due to injury. In 26 games, was hitting .441 with two home runs, 27 RBI, 10 doubles and three triples. As a senior, has the ability to be one of nation's elite players.

Matt Wesoloski

Freshman side-armer with potential to eat up innings. Has ability to contribute immediately. The 6-5 righty was a high school all-star while attending Arlington Catholic High School (Mass.).

Colton Widdows

Freshman left-handed pitcher with high ceiling. Has a bright collegiate future, with skills to become front-of-the-line pitcher. Coaching staff is extremely excited about the future for Dunedin High School (Fla.) graduate.

Christopher Williams

Became team's ace pitcher during junior season where he went 10-2 with a 3.53 ERA. Had 72 strikeouts in 74.0 innings. Expects to lead a talented pitching staff as a senior, coming off all-region and first-team all-SSC honors.

Made with Adobe Slate

Make your words and images move.

Get Slate

Report Abuse

If you feel that this video content violates the Adobe Terms of Use, you may report this content by filling out this quick form.

To report a Copyright Violation, please follow Section 17 in the Terms of Use.