UNF ASun Tournament Blog: Day 5
5/29/2010 2:08:07 AM | Baseball
It's over. On a rainy Friday night in the
A two-hour and 20 minute rain delay preceded the game. Then, UNF made costly mistakes in falling behind 7-3 before rain halted play again for two hours. Once play continued, the Ospreys rallied, chipping away at the deficit. UNF scored two in the sixth and three in the seventh for an 8-7 lead before the Dolphins rallied in their final bat.
A total of 11 seniors, and a Hall of Fame coach, played in their final game with the blue and gray. But as tough as it is to swallow, this is just the beginning.
Making its first A-Sun Championship tournament in school history, these Ospreys will be remembered for a long time. They became the first UNF baseball team to play in a postseason tournament at the Division I level. And they would have played for championships the past four years if not for an NCAA rule that wouldn't allow them to.
When Dusty built the program from scratch, this is what he envisioned. The baseball and golf teams helped pave the way to Division I status. Now, they know what it's all about. They've been a part of history. They know what it takes to get to this point and they know what to expect when they get there (postseason).
Dusty told the team after the game how much he appreciated them. He said that even though he want be around that he will always be there for them. He said, “You guys are attached. You'll be friends for the rest of your lives.” He added that even though some of them don't realize it now, later they will understand what they've been a part of. He told the guys that if they ever get into coaching to always teach – to keep teaching 'until the final out of the final game.'
In their final game together, that's exactly what they did. They played together until the final out. They didn't give up. Even though UNF didn't bring home a championship, they have a lot to be proud of. They have set the stage for the future. As Dusty explained, there's only one team that will come off the field without a loss and that's the national champion.
Maybe one day the Ospreys will finish the season with that one final win. Go Ospreys!
