University of North Florida
Florida Gulf Coast
Softball Set to Host Florida Gulf Coast
4/18/2011 2:16:49 PM | Softball
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In a rare Tuesday conference doubleheader, the University of North Florida softball team (21-26, 5-9 A-Sun) will host Florida Gulf Coast (28-22, 11-3 A-Sun) on Tuesday, April 19. The first pitch of game one is slated for 3 p.m. (ET) at the UNF Softball Complex.
The Ospreys enter the matchup after snapping its season-long losing streak of five games with a victory over Campbell in game two of its doubleheader last Friday. North Florida split the series with Campbell. The Ospreys are just 4-6 in its last 10 games on the diamond, however just 4-4 against conference foes in that span.
Of North Florida's 26 losses, 12 have come to either nationally-ranked teams or squads that competed in the NCAA Tournament last season.
Freshman Cortney Radke leads North Florida in the circle, pitching 227.2 innings this season and boasting an ERA of 2.18. Radke has tallied five shutouts in 22 complete games on the year and has fanned 253 batters en route to a record of 19-17. At the plate, junior Alyson Bailey holds the highest-batting percentage at .277, freshman Mariah Reynolds leads the squad with 15 multibag hits, including four homeruns.
Florida Gulf Coast is playing some of its best softball right now, falling just twice in its last 10 games though the Eagles did drop its last game to Belmont – the other loss was to Kennesaw State. The Eagles will be playing a doubleheader on Monday evening against Jacksonville before meeting the Ospreys on Tuesday afternoon. FGCU is led at the plate by Courtney Platt who is hitting a stunning .408 at this point in the season with six homeruns, four three triples and 15 doubles, including 30 RBI. As a team, however, the squad is being outhit .250 to .249 by opponents. In the circle, Catherine McDaniel has worked a team-high 150.1 innings to a 14-9 record and 1.30 ERA, while totaling 106 strikeouts.
Having met just 12 times on the diamond, North Florida holds a 7-5 advantage over the Eagles and has claimed three of the last four meetings. North Florida swept the doubleheader last year on the road, while FGCU's last victory in the series was on March 21, 2009 in Jacksonville. North Florida is just 1-2 against FGCU at the UNF Softball Complex.
