UNF takes on SEC power Bulldogs

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — College baseball season is back in Jacksonville, and this season, it's starting with a bang. The Mississippi State Bulldogs, a traditional SEC power and 2007 College World Series participant, will make the trip to the First Coast to take on UNF for a three-game series.

The first game will be played on Friday, Feb. 22 in downtown Jacksonville at the Baseball Grounds, which is home to Los Angeles Dodgers Double-A affiliate Jacksonville Suns. Game time is set for 5 p.m. The Ospreys will then head back to Harmon Stadium for games on Saturday and Sunday against the Bulldogs. Both are scheduled to start at 1 p.m.

What: UNF Baseball vs. No. 23 Mississippi State

When: Friday, Feb. 22 (5 p.m.); Saturday, Feb. 23 (1 p.m.); Saturday, Feb. 24 (1 p.m.)

Where: Feb. 22 – Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville (Jacksonville Suns stadium); Feb. 23-24 – Harmon Stadium (UNF Campus)

Tickets: For ticket information, click here

2007 Records: UNF (24-32, 13-14 A-Sun), Mississippi State (38-22, 15-13 SEC)

Radio: Friday - WBOB-AM 1320 (Air time 4:45 p.m. ET); Sunday (WBOB-AM 1320 (Air time 12:45 p.m. ET)

Web Audio: Saturday – Click here

Live Stats: Click here

Web Video on Sunday (ASUN.TV): Click here

2008 Promotions:
• Outback Baseball Bingo
• Smoothie King Strikeouts
• Dave and Buster's Power Play
• Smoothie King Smooth Move
• Publix Osprey Trivia Moment
• Verizon Name That Tune
• McDonald's 5th-Inning Home Run
• Chick-Fil-A Chicken Dance
• Grand Slam Bonanza
• Regal Cinema Movie Quotes
• Saturday: 25th-Anniversary Celebration
• Sunday: Military Day

Honoring The Best
• Former Osprey great Kevin Ohme will throw out the first pitch at the game on Friday. Ohme was inducted into the UNF Hall of Fame 2008 class along with former head men's and women's tennis coach Leo Vorwerk, former head men's and women's tennis coach Charley Jenks, longtime community supporter John Hayt, longtime community supporter Gerry Hurst, the 1986 women's tennis NAIA national championship team and the 1994 women's tennis NCAA Division II national championship team. An NAIA All-American pitcher in 1993, Ohme won a nation-leading 13 games and recorded a 1.61 ERA for a team that went 45-12 and made it to the NAIA District 7 Tournament.

• Before Saturday's game at Harmon Stadium, former UNF players will be honored as part of the program's year-long 25th-Anniversary Celebration. The sons and daughters of the former players will throw out the first pitch.

• Mother of fallen Marine Corporal Joshua C. Watkins, Amy Watkins Vazquez, will throw out Sunday's first pitch. Vazquez has a established the Marine Corporal Joshua C. Watkins Endowed Scholarship for military personnel at UNF. The Ospreys will be wearing special alternate jerseys for Military Day that will be auctioned off after the game. Proceeds will go to the scholarship fund.

Notables: UNF is in its third season of Division I competition ... head coach Dusty Rhodes is in his 21st season with the Ospreys and is the program's only coach in its history ... UNF is 17-3 all-time in season openers and 1-1 in the D-I era ... the Ospreys are 1-0 all-time at the Baseball Grounds ... UNF is 5-3 all-time against the SEC, with two of those wins coming in 2006 over ranked foes Florida and LSU ... sophomore second baseman T.J. Thompson was named to the 2008 preseason All-Atlantic Sun Conference Team ... Thompson was a 2007 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in addition to being named first-team All-Atlantic Sun Conference and to the A-Sun All-Freshman Team … sophomores John Atteo (LHP) and Preston Hale (OF) make their return after being named to the 2007 A-Sun All-Freshman Team … the Ospreys play eight of their first 10 games at home this season.

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