#SB Hosts Osprey Invitational This Weekend

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After having its home opener rained out on Wednesday, University of North Florida softball officially begins its home schedule with this weekend's five-team Osprey Invitational Feb. 14-16 at the UNF Softball Complex.

"This has been a great tournament the last four years," said head coach Marcie Hickey. "Each year, the talent level increases and we have four strong teams coming to Jacksonville this weekend. We look forward to being back on our home field and having a competitive weekend."

Joining UNF at the Osprey Invitational are Ohio, Savannah State, Southern Illinois and Troy. Quinnipiac was originally slated to play at the Osprey Invitational, but had its travel plans cancelled due to Winter Storm Pax. For an updated schedule to the Osprey Invitational, click here.

UNF was supposed to begin its home season on Wednesday with a single game against UCF. However, that game has been rescheduled for Apr. 2. The Ospreys went 4-1 at last weekend's Troy Subway Invitational, getting two wins against Northwestern State and also defeating Middle Tennessee and Memphis. Both Marissa Thomas and Ashia Kerr hit home runs last weekend, while Cortney Radke had a complete-game shutout of Middle Tennessee. Thomas and Radke were also named All-Tournament.

Ohio was supposed to be playing in the 11th Annual Georgia Softball Classic, but Winter Storm Pax also cancelled that tournament. The Bobcats went 4-0 at last weekend's Carolina Classic, which included a 5-2 win over host South Carolina. Ohio scored five-or-more runs in each game last weekend with seven batters having at least four hits. The Bobcats also had a total of five home runs. Madison Claytor, Adrienne Gebele, Raven King, Dakota Pyles and Alyssa Wolfe each had one blast. Meanwhile, Savannah Jo Dorsey registered a 1.89 ERA in 19.0 innings and collected three wins last weekend. She also struck out 28 batters.

Sunday's game between UNF and Ohio will be the first meeting between the two teams.

Savannah State hits the road for the first time in 2014 this weekend. The Tigers hosted the Savannah State Softball Tournament last weekend, going 3-1 with wins over Morgan State, Thomas (Ga.) and South Carolina Beaufort. The Tigers were also supposed to have a mid-week doubleheader with Fort Valley State on Wednesday, but it was postponed due to weather. Amanda Hallman has been key for the Tigers at the plate and with pitching. Hallman is hitting a team-best .533, going 8-for-15, and also has the team's only home run of the season. In the circle, she has a 1.12 ERA in 16.0 innings pitched and a 2-0 record.

UNF leads the all-time series 4-0 with Savannah State. In the last meeting, UNF swept a doubleheader from the Tigers on Feb. 22, 2006, winning the first game 11-0 and the second 13-1 at the UNF Softball Complex.

This weekend's Osprey Invitational is the first of two tournaments in Jacksonville for Southern Illinois. The Salukis take part in next weekend's Jacksonville Invitational. Southern Illinois comes off a 2-2 start at the Century Link Classic held at Texas State last weekend. The Salukis captured wins against Stephen F. Austin and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi before falling to Ball State and Texas State on the final day. Both Kelsey Gonzalez and Harre Shaye registered four hits and enter the Osprey Invitational hitting .500 and .400, respectively.

The series between UNF and Southern Illinois is tied 1-1. UNF won the first meeting 9-2 at the Valdosta Spring Fling on Mar. 12, 1994, but Southern Illinois capture the most recent game with a 2-1 victory at the Combat Classic on Feb. 12, 2010.

Troy's first five games of the season have all been at home. The Trojans began 2014 with a 5-5 tie against Auburn on Feb. 6 in a game that was called in the sixth inning due to heavy rain. Troy went 2-2 at its own Troy Subway Invitational, collecting shutout victories against Kennesaw State and Memphis, but falling to Northwestern State and then-No. 6 Alabama. Alison Milam has a team-best .364 batting average (4-for-11).

Troy leads the all-time series 5-4, but UNF has won the last three meetings. The Ospreys had a pair of one-run victories at last season's Troy Subway Invitational, defeating the Trojans 3-2 on Feb. 15 and then 7-6 on Feb. 16.

Admission to all UNF softball home games is free. For a complete schedule for this weekend's Osprey Invitational, click here.

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#SB Hosts Osprey Invitational This Weekend

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