The University of North Florida softball team will open its week with a single game against in-state foe UCF on Wednesday before a pair of conference opponents – Gardner-Webb and USC Upstate – come to visit over the weekend.
Action this week gets started with a single game against a UCF squad that has won its last 12 games and is looking to win its second straight against UNF dating back to last season.
UNF comes into the week one win away from its 30th of the season. The team's next victory will give it two straight 30-win seasons and 13 overall.
The Lady Ospreys have already squared off with Gardner-Webb twice this year, defeating the Runnin' Bulldogs in a pair of games at the Aquafina Invitational in Gainesville, Fla. The Lady Ospreys last met up with Upstate in the first round of the 2005 NCAA-II South Atlantic Regional, with the Spartans claiming a 5-3 victory in that contest.
There is plenty at stake over the weekend for a UNF squad that is tied for fourth in the A-Sun with a 6-4 record in league play. Upstate is hot on UNF's tail and sits only one game behind the Lady Ospreys, while Gardner-Webb is looking to get its season on track after starting 2-6 in conference play.
Schedule
Wednesday vs. UCF, 6 p.m.
Friday vs. Gardner-Webb, 1 p.m. (DH)
Saturday vs. USC Upstate, 1 p.m. (DH)
On the Air
ASUN.TV (UCF, Gardner-Webb): Click Here
Live Stats/audio: Click Here
Records
UNF: 29-17, 6-4 A-Sun
UCF: 30-14
Gardner-Webb: 13-21, 2-6 A-Sun
USC Upstate: 19-10, 5-5 A-Sun
Series Records: UCF (UCF leads 2-1), Gardner-Webb (Tied 3-3), USC Upstate (UNF leads 14-3)
Notables: UNF's Heather Hyde and Gwen Williams have been named the Atlantic Sun Player of the Week the last two weeks … Hyde took home the honor this week after belting five home runs in conference games against East Tennessee State and Kennesaw State over the weekend … she had three home runs against ETSU before following that day up with a home run in each end of the Kennesaw State doubleheader … Devyn Findley has not surrendered an earned run in her last four appearances, three of which were starts, and is fifth in the conference with a 1.39 ERA … Findley has 179 strikeouts this season, which ranks her sixth on UNF's single-season strikeout list … UNF comes into the week ranked third in both hitting and pitching in the conference … all three games between UNF and UCF last season were decided by two runs or less with the last two being decided by one run … in a continuing year-long celebration of UNF's 25 years in athletics, the Lady Osprey softball program will welcome back many of its greats on Saturday afternoon for a ceremony between games of the USC Upstate doubleheader … Saturday is also UNF Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day as well as National Student-Athlete Day.
