February 14, 2015
 
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PENSACOLA, Fla. – Walker O'Connor threw eight innings of shutout ball to lift the University of West Florida baseball team over the No. 1-ranked and defending NCAA Division II National Champion Tampa Spartans. With the win, UWF improves to 3-4 on the young season and snaps Tampa's 18-game win streak, which carried over 10 wins from 2015.
 
The win marks as the first time since the 2012 season UWF has beat a No. 1-ranked team, as the No. 25 Argonauts beat the No. 1 Spartans 7-4 in the NCAA South Regional on May 18, 2012.  Tampa was also shutout for the first time since May 30, 2013 when Tampa lost to Grand Valley State 4-0 in the NCAA Division II National Semifinals.  
 
"I was focused on finishing this series on a positive note, I think the players thought we had just as good of a team as they did." said UWF head baseball coach Mike Jeffcoat. "It was a hard-fought series, they got a good team and the team that makes less mistakes is going to come out victorious."
 
O'Connor held the defending national champions to five hits and struck out a career-high eight while walking none. The Bedford, Mass. native started his outing off retiring the first eight batters he faced and did not allow a hit until the fourth inning. O'Connor finished his outing striking out four consecutive Tampa hitters between the seventh and eighth innings.
 
"I just felt good on the mound, I felt good in pregame warm-ups and everything," said O'Connor, who lowered his season ERA to 2.31 after Sunday's effort. "I knew I had to give my team a chance to win this game because we've been close in the last two."
 
Offensively, UWF faced one of the hottest pitchers in the country in Brad Hencke, who had started 2016 with 10 shutout innings and only allowed two hits over two starts. Jean Figueroa was able to figure out an answer, as the Dominican national lined one back up the middle in the sixth inning to score John Price and score the game's only run.
 
Price broke out of his early-season slump, posting a 3-for-4 day at the plate with a triple. Price recorded the first three-hit performance by a UWF player in 2016, while also hitting the first triple for the Argonauts this season.
 
Alex Greene extended his hitting streak to seven games with a single in the seventh inning.
 
Tampa (8-1) starter Hencke had his record evened at 1-1 after throwing seven innings, allowing seven hits and one earned runs while walking two.
 
West Florida closer Steven McClellan pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to clinch the Argos victory and record his first save of the season.
 
West Florida baseball is now set to open Gulf South Conference play, as the team travels to Clinton, Mississippi later this week to play a weekend series against Mississippi College. Game one of next Saturday's double-header is set to begin at 2:00 p.m.
 
To stay updated on the UWF baseball team, follow the team on Twitter @UWF_Baseball. For information on all UWF Athletics, visit GoArgos.com.