University of North Florida
Northern Illinois
Ospreys open 2009 on Friday
2/20/2009 12:55:20 AM | Baseball
UNF takes on Northern Illinois at 2 p.m.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The University of North Florida baseball team will jump start its 2009 season at the BankFirst Baseball Challenge in Starkville, Miss., beginning Friday.
UNF, which posted a 29-26 overall record last season, will begin the classic by taking on Northern Illinois at 2 p.m. on Friday. The Ospreys will also play the Huskies at noon on Sunday. UNF will be taking on the Huskies for the first time since March 18, 1995, when the Ospreys won 7-2 in Jacksonville.
UNF will face off against host Mississippi State at 1 p.m. on Saturday and 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. The Ospreys took two of three from MSU last season in Jacksonville. After dropping the first game 8-2, UNF fired back by winning the next two, 18-7 and 11-6.
When: Friday, Feb. 20 - 2 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 21 - 1 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 22 - Noon; Sunday, Feb. 22 - 3:30 p.m.
Where: Dudy Noble Field (Starkville, Miss.)
Live video vs. Mississippi State: Click here
Live Stats: Click here
UNF's 2008 Record: 29-26, 18-15 A-Sun
NIU's 2008 Record: 28-26, 16-10 MAC
MSU's 2008 Record: 23-33, 9-21 SEC
Series: UNF leads NIU, 1-0; UNF leads MSU, 2-1
Watch Out For: Junior Preston Hale put together an All-Atlantic Sun Conference worthy performance last season, leading the team in runs scored (52) and on-base percentage (.453) while putting up a .491 slugging percentage. He also gunned down seven runners from the outfield and hit safely in the last five games of 2008.
Gameday Notables: UNF is in its final season of a four-year transition into Division I ... the Ospreys are 17-4 all-time in season openers ... head coach Dusty Rhodes was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Jan. 3, 2009 ... assistant coach Bob Shepherd was named the 2008 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Pitching Coach of the Year ... UNF returns four position starters and 14 pitchers from last season's squad, which tallied four wins against ranked opponents in 2008 ... UNF starting RHP Ty Pryor is quite familiar with Dudy Noble Field, pitching there in 2006 when he was with Tennessee ... the Ospreys were named the CollegeBaseballInsider.com Co-National Team of the Week after winning the series wih the Bulldogs last year ... UNF is 15-11 all-time against MAC opponents and 7-6 all-time against SEC opponents.
