University of North Florida
Florida International
UNF looks for luck of Irish in Miami
3/16/2009 11:53:17 PM | Baseball
Ospreys begin two-game set with FIU on Tuesday
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The University of North Florida baseball team will head south for a pair of mid-week games against Florida International.
The Ospreys will take on the Panthers at 6 p.m. on both Tuesday and Wednesday in Miami. The Ospreys are 1-1 when playing in Miami since joining the Division I ranks, with both games coming against the Miami Hurricanes. UNF won its first-ever meeting with the Panthers last season in Jacksonville, 5-4, on St. Patrick's Day.
UNF is coming off a tough weekend, with three losses to defending Atlantic Sun Conference champion Florida Gulf Coast. The normally heavy- hitting Ospreys had a tough time at the plate, hitting just .202 with two extra-base hits for the series. Senior Brian Wilson led UNF with a 6-for-12 performance in the series. The Ospreys also got solid relief outings out of LHP John Atteo and RHP Spencer Jones.
Atteo tossed 3.1 scoreless innings against FGCU on Sunday and allowed three harmless hits. Jones struck out four and gave up just one hit in his 3.0 innings of work on Saturday.
FIU has won five of its last seven games, which includes two of three over the weekend against Arkansas-Little Rock in Sun Belt Conference action. The Panthers took two of three from both Jacksonville and Troy earlier in the season, both teams UNF played. FIU is hitting .303 as a team, led by Tyler Townsend's .487 clip. The team's pitching staff has a combined 2.53 ERA and 117 strikeouts.
What: Baseball at Florida International
When: Tuesday, 6 p.m.; Wednesday, 6 p.m.
Where: FIU Baseball Stadium (Miami, Fla.)
Admission: $7 for adults, $5 for youth/seniors
Live Video: Click here
Live Stats: Click here
UNF's Record: 6-12, 1-5 Atlantic Sun Conference
FIU's Record: 9-4, 4-2 Sun Belt Conference
Probable Pitching Matchups: Tuesday: UNF - LHP Robbie Collier (0-0, 6.75 ERA, 2 K) or LHP John Atteo (1-2, 4.08 ERA, 8 K) vs. FIU - RHP Daniel DeSimone (1-1, 7.36 ERA, 3.2 IP); Wednesday: UNF - TBA vs. FIU - LHP R.J. Fondon (1- 0, 6.17 ERA, 13 K)
Series History: UNF leads, 1-0
Last Result: UNF won, 5-4, in Jacksonville on March 17, 2008
Notables: The Ospreys are 2-5 against in- state opponents this season ... UNF is 1-1 against the Sun Belt this season with a two-game split against Troy on March 10 and 11 ... this is the first of two trips to Miami this season, with the second coming on April 28 against the Miami Hurricanes ... the Ospreys have had the luck of the Irish on their side on St. Patrick's Day, holding an 8-4 all-time record on March 17 ... UNF is 5-7 in non-conference action, including a 2-4 record in night games ... half of UNF's game have been decided by two runs or less ... UNF is hitting .439 when leading off an inning.
