UNF Set to Face Troy in Midweek Series

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of North Florida baseball team hits the road for a pair of midweek games against Troy at Riddle-Pace Field in Troy, Ala. The Ospreys will play at 7 p.m. (ET) on Tuesday, March 16, before finishing the series with a game on Wednesday, March 17, at 2 p.m. (ET).

UNF is 1-3 all-time against the Trojans with three of the four games being played in Jacksonville. Three of the four meetings have been decided by just one run.

The Ospreys won the last meeting between the two teams 10-9 in 12 innings on March 11, 2009 at Harmon Stadium. Prior to the win, UNF dropped an 8-7 decision to Troy on March 10, 2009. In the only meeting between the two teams held in Alabama, the Ospreys fell 11-10 on March 19, 2008. The first meeting between the two teams came on March 16, 1996 and ended with the Trojans claiming a 10-6 victory.

North Florida enters the week with a .500 record at 8-8. The Ospreys finished last week 2-2 with victories over James Madison and Illinois State, coupled with losses to No. 2 Florida State and JMU.

Last week, UNF batted .324 as a team led by senior Preston Hale and junior Andrew Hannon. Hale hit .600 (9-for-15) with seven runs scored, three doubles, two home runs and six RBI. He hit a home run against No. 2 Florida State, which was only the second home run off of a FSU pitcher this season. Hannon played in three games, batting .500 (7-for-14) with four runs scored and two home runs. The junior posted his first multi-home run game of his career, hitting two home runs against James Madison in the Ospreys 22-19 victory over the Dukes.

On the mound, seniors Michael Kelly and John Atteo each picked up wins for the Ospreys. Kelly worked a career-best 8.0 innings against Illinois State, scattering eight hits with six strikeouts and just one walk. Atteo worked 2.2 innings in relief with a pair of strikeouts to earn his first victory of the season.

On the season, the Ospreys are led by Hannon and Hale who are batting .468 and .463, respectively. Sophomore Andrew Karmeris (.364) and senior Justin Preckajlo (.313) are each batting over .300 on the season.

Junior George Lott and Kelly continue to be UNF's 1-2 punch on the mound. Sixteen games into the season, Lott is 2-0 with a 4.57 ERA, while Kelly has a 4.85 ERA with a win. Kelly leads all Ospreys with 23 strikeouts, while Lott is second on the team with 16.

Troy enters the week with a 6-7 overall record and a 1-2 record in the Sun Belt Conference. Over the weekend, the Trojans dropped a pair of games to conference foe Florida Atlantic. The Owls took the first two games of the series before the Trojans claimed the series finale.

In the final game of the series with FAU, The Trojans struck only twice in the game after tying a school record with 17 on Saturday. The increased contact resulted in 14 hits, including five that went for extra bases. Unlike in many of the games this season, the Trojans were able to spread out their offensive production over the entire game. Instead of scoring in one big inning, the Trojans scored in six of their eight times up in the game.

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