Rollins College baseball team to play in D2 College World Series

WINTER PARK, Fla. - Rollins College's baseball team punched its ticket to the Division II College World Series after beating second-ranked Tampa 13-6 on Saturday. 

"Our kind of team mantra, team motto is, we’re not going to give up. We’re not going to think too highly of one team or think too down on one team. We all have to play the same nine innings," Nick Santucci said. 

Its the Tars first appearance in the baseball championship since 2004. 

"It's definitely something special. It’s been one crazy year. We’ve dealt with adversity all year. It’s kind of our team motto. If one thing comes we just find a way to fight through it," Chase Achuff said. 

Rollins has learned to rolls with the punches. 

About halfway through the season, fans weren’t allowed at the Tars home games because of structural issues at the stadium…

Also, Rollins has been practicing at nearby Lake Highland Prep since playoffs started because their practice turf has been undergoing renovations.

"We've been down, we’ve been up. We’re used to fans, we’re used to no fans. We’re used to playing on our back field, we’re used to playing on our main field. We’re used to playing at Lake Highland Prep," Justin Alintoff said. 

The Tars area a well-balanced team, excelling in both pitching and hitting. 

They're hoping to leave Cary, North Carolina with some big hardware.

They also want to set a solid foundation for the future. 

"We think this is an opportunity not to be like oh my god we’re here. But to establish a precedence that this team gets back here next year and the year after that and the year after that," Alintoff said. 

Rollins faces Southern Arkansas Saturday at 1:30 p.m.